In route from the Ridgeway, Colorado area to the southeastern portion of Colorado, I stopped by North Clear Creek Falls. This is a popular place with tourists, maybe because it is easily accessible and just off of Colorado 149 between Gunnison and Lake City. There is a marker sign along CO 149 and a large parking lot with restrooms near the falls.
North Creek Waterfall, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 32mm (before crop), f/11, 1/60s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
I photographed the falls from a number of view points, first from a distance perched on rocks away from the crowd, where I could get a downstream view of the falls.
Then I moved to the nearest view point along the fenced off area, keeping my distance from others and wearing a mask, since there were people coming and going in that area. Most people were wearing masks, but a few were not.
North Creek Waterfall, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm (before crop), f/22, 1/6s, ISO 31, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
It was mid day, but overcast, which was fortunate, since I did not have filters with me. Still I had to use a small aperture to get a slow enough shutter speed to get the silky smooth water effect.
I think these two photos are the best ones that I got of the falls. The heaviest flow is in the spring, due to snow melt; but the flow was good here even in July.
During one of our drives on US 550 between Ouray and Silverton, we noted an unmarked gravel road heading towards a mountainside, but it appeared to end after a short distance, so we initially ignored it. On a subsequent trip past it, we decided to check it out.
After driving a short distance, not being able to see the road ahead and concerned there might not be a place to turn around on the narrow road, we decide it might be best to park at a wider spot in the road and walk ahead. We did not have to walk far to the end of this road, but it was mostly uphill. Fortunately, it was not very steep.
We passed a small, cascading mountain stream, which crossed the roadway.
A small waterfall just off of US 550 in Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/11, 1/160s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
Even though this was not a big stream, it was attractive and captivating as most such streams tend to be.
The road ended at what appeared to be a minor mine exploratory site. A mountain stream with a long section of it visible going up the mountain side ran past the site. I made a number of images shooting down onto the stream nearest the roadway, but I could not get any attractive compositions that way.
Scrambling down rocky ledges away from the roadway and up the stream, gave better views of the stream and the wildflowers along the stream edge.
Mountain stream cascades and wildflowers. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, f/11, 1/60s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
The photo above is an example of including too much in an image. The stream acts as a leading line, but there is no center of interest in this photo. My eye goes to the most prominent part of the cascade in the lower left; but when my eye follows the stream towards the upper right, I do not see anything of great impact. I was zoomed in as much as possible with the 24-70mm lens, so I could not isolate anything any better from my view point. I could try cropping this image on portions of the image and maybe make a more interesting one; but the composition cannot be changed via cropping. Getting closer to a portion of the stream might have been the only way to get an impactful image here.
In the distance I could see a waterfall. I think the image below is better, but the waterfall in the upper right is maybe too distant to have real weight. Still I think this image has some intrigue, making one want to know more about what is in the distance down the stream.
A mountain stream with cascades and waterfalls. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/11, 1/25s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
It was beginning to rain lightly and we were not wearing rain gear, so we decided to head back to the vehicle and save exploring along this stream up to the waterfall for another time. It began raining harder as we walked along. I put my hat over my camera to protect it, which resulted in my getting more wet. Fortunately, it was not a Texas type rainstorm.
I did not plan to have a part 4 in this series of posts on photography in Yankee Boy Basin. However, one of my photos that I posted to Flickr was selected for Flickr’s Explore page. Consequently, that photo got lots of attention with over 4600 views and 160+ favorites within a very short time interval.
Screen shot of my Flickr image that was selected for Flickr’s Explore Page, showing stats as of Aug. 23, 2020.
I do not pretend to know how Flickr chooses photos for its Explore page. I know many of the photos on the Explore pages are very good photos, while many others that I see there have little interest for me; but I suppose that is just a matter of individual preference and one’s most preferred photographic genre. In my case, I prefer landscape photography, while others may prefer people, animals, insects, macro, etc.
I do not think that this image is the best one that I made in Yankee Boy Basin, during this visit. As I pointed out in an earlier post, I think this image is the best of all the photographs that I made here in July, 2020:
Sunset light in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, f/11, 1/3s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
Yet, this image has received much less attention than the one chosen for the Explore Page. This is understandable. While it is good to get the attention that a photo selected for Explore gets, I am concerned that there are so many other better photos that get less attention and that Flickr’s Explore photos might bias viewers opinion of such photos and the artistry of the photographers whose photos are selected. I also know that it is not possible for Flickr to add all of the great photos on Flickr to its Explore page nor it is it possible for a viewer to look through all of the photos posted to Flickr and select favorites from all of those. In the end, I hope that the photos chosen for the Explore page result in viewers deciding for themselves how well they like such images and whether the photographer is one that one wishes to follow and learn from.
Seeking more professional input on the image that I like best, I submitted it to a well known professional photographer, based in the northeast USA, who was offering a webinar for the purpose of suggesting compositional and editing advise on selected photos. He selected my photo along with a few others to critique. I had already recognized one of the items that he suggested, but for different reasons. He cropped the right hand side just to get the waterfall closer to the edge and remove some of the unnecessary portions of the image. I was concerned about the two little tree stumps on each side of the image, especially the one that protrudes from the lower right edge.
Additional editing notes.
I’ve cropped the re-edited image as shown by the outer blue rectangle. Initially, the critiquing photographer cropped the left edge similar to mine, but then restored that edge to its original, probably to keep more of the highlighted peaks and clouds on the left side.
The sky and the mountain peaks are the important items in this image. The professional photographer commented that the waterfall could not be seen completely. Unfortunately, there was no place that I could stand to get a full view of the waterfall without cutting out a significant portion of the stream, which is a critical leading line feature in my composition. The stream almost disappears between the bushes on the lower left and those on the opposite bank of the stream as it is. Tilting the camera down more would show more of the stream, where it runs off of the bottom edge, but would eliminate some of the sky, which I definitely wanted in the image. I was already at 14mm on my 14-24mm lens, so I had no more zoom out range to get a wider view.
He also lightened the stream and darkened the rocks and foliage along each side to make the stream more visible as a leading line. Additionally, he darkened the front most mountain side to emphasize the brightness of the upper part of the image. Then he reduced the temperature to cool the sky a little.
I’ve applied similar edits in my re-edited version, but I have been more conservative with my edits. So those edits may be so subtle as not to be readily noticeable, when comparing the two versions. In the end, I’m not sure that I see a significant difference, other than the cropping, between my initial edit and the re-edited image. I also tend to like warmer images over cooler images. Much in the editing of an image is based upon one’s preferences. I certainly see his point of bringing out the stream more. I have used that technique in edits to other images from this area, but maybe not to the extent that he might do.
Additionally, the professional photographer commented that making a grand scenic image presents problems of scale, which makes it difficult to simplify the image. He spent much less time critiquing my image and applying edits than he did for other images, which I take as an indication that my composition and initial editing was not too bad : >).
Here is my re-edited image:
I’ve cropped the original image and applied a few other subtle edits to this image.
Feedback from readers is always appreciated.
Best Wishes, Stay Well and Safe and Thanks for following,
I photographed a number of times in Yankee Boy Basin, near Ouray, Colorado during my July, 2020 summer visit to Colorado. The main reason for returning to this area several times, is a simple one. It just happened to be the closest, most easily accessible place for scenic landscape photography from the state park where my son, his wife, and I were staying.
Late day in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/22, 1.0s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
Navigating rocky, bouncy 4WD roads is required for access to many of the best places for landscape photography in this area and Yankee Boy Basin is one that my son felt most confident in being able to get to safely, early in the morning, then have time for other daytime exploration. In the evening, it was possible to photograph here at sunset and get back down the 4WD road before total darkness set in and we would get back to our campsites in time to get a reasonably good night’s sleep before getting up again in the early morning hours for a sunrise shoot.
There is a mountain stream with a number of waterfalls along it here. The middle two falls seem to be the most photogenic, so we spent much of our time in that area.
Early morning in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/5s, ISO 200. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
To get the image above, I stood right up against the closest part of the waterfall on the right side of the photo, backing into a bush, shooting downstream at 14mm to get the waterfall on my right into the shot.
Early morning in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/4s, ISO 200. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
There were wildflowers growing along the stream and I often included those in my images. The image above is made looking upstream at this waterfall, while standing in the edge of the stream bed. Even at 14mm from my position, I could only get a small portion of the waterfall in the photograph, while also including the wildflowers along the stream edge.
Early morning in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 0.4s, ISO 200. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
Standing a bit further back from the falls, on a rock ledge at the edge of the stream, I could get the entire waterfall in the image, while including the wildflowers and the rock outcrop on the right.
Late day in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 0.4s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
Since I’ve photographed in this area a number of times, I tried not to duplicate compositions from other shoots, which is not easily avoided. It takes some work to avoid the most common compositions here. I had some reservations about the composition in the above image, thinking it is too complex, but I have gotten some positive feedback on it, so I guess it worked better than I anticipated.
Early morning in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/3s, ISO 200. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
Readers will note the heavily overcast sky in most of these images. I always like to have clouds to give the sky more interest, but heavy overcast can limit or eliminate the “golden” hour light at sunrise and/or sunset.
Early morning in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/4s, ISO 200. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
The image above is taken a few yards downstream from a waterfall, looking downstream at the mountainside in the distance. During one similar photo shoot one afternoon, there was a family of three or four (man, wife and one or two young boys) in the area. I kept trying to avoid them and had to wait several times as they walked into and out of my compositions. If you are a purist landscape photographer, you know we try to avoid people in our shots most of the time. Some tourists know this and try to minimize their interference with photographers, while others are totally unconcerned about walking directly in front of a photographer. While composing an image similar to the one above, something hit the graduated neutral density filter mounted on the front of my lens, startling me, and I immediately heard the father, standing above me on the stream’s bank, scolding one of the boys. It turned out that the boy was throwing rocks in an indiscriminate manner and it was one of those rocks that struck my camera. If not for the flexibility of the filter, it would have shattered rather than just get scratched. If not for the filter, the lens would have most likely had significant damage. Neither of the parents said a word to me about this event. I had expected one would have at least inquired about damage and apologized for the kid’s action, which might have resulted in an injury and/or significant camera gear damage. The scratches on the filter sometimes result in light streaks in my images. Fortunately, I had the filter and much of my more expensive camera gear insured via scheduled property on my homeowner’s insurance policy, so I recuperated much of the replacement cost of the filter.
Early morning in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/4s, ISO 200. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2. Looking downstream at the base of a waterfall.
Yankee Boy Basin is popular with hikers and a good campsite for those that want to get the necessary early morning start on a hike up Mount Sneffels. Still we saw only a few people during our early morning and late day visits here.
It is common to get afternoon thunderstorms in the upper elevations of the Rocky Mountains, but during the time we were here, there were more than the usual storms. Some days were rainy for much of the day, which limited the time interval with our favorite light at sunrise and/or sunset. We had to sometimes cut short our photography time to avoid the rain and get back down the mountainside before getting caught in a storm.
Of all the photos that I shot here, the one below is my favorite.
Sunset light in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, f/11, 1/3s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
This image has so much of what landscape photographers look for in an image, late day sunlight highlighting the mountain tops, light beams in the clouds, silky smooth, flowing water and a sinuous stream leading the eye from the waterfall into the image. More prominent wildflowers would have made this even better.
Since we visited here multiple times, there will be at least one more post of photos from this area. Please click on the images to view them in higher resolution on my Flickr page.
Porphyry Basin, Colorado is accessed via a narrow, steep 4WD road off of US550 between Ouray and Silverton.
My oldest son drove us up the road to the basin in July, 2020. On the way up the mountainside, we passed a canvas tent with a stove pipe jutting from the top. It was obvious that someone had set up that tent for a long term camp. Upon arriving at the end of the 4WD road at an old mine site, it became apparent who was living in that heavy duty tent. First we saw a large flock of sheep spread across the high mountain meadow, then a horse staked out nearby the roadway, two sheep dogs, and a lone shepherd watching over the sheep.
Sheep, Porphyry Basin, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 50mm (before crop), f/11, 1/200s, ISO 320. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Color Effects Pro 4.Sheep, Porphyry Basin, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm (before crop), f/11, 1/160s, ISO 200. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Color Effects Pro 4.Sheep, Porphyry Basin, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, f/16, 1/80s, ISO 250. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Color Effects Pro 4.
We wandered around the old mine site with its collapsed wooden structure and other scattered debris, being careful to not step on old rusty nails or other potentially harmful items lying around on the ground.
K Marks The Spot, Porphyry Basin, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/11, 1/320s, ISO 320. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Color Effects Pro 4.
The basin is beautiful with an abundance of wildflowers, a mountain stream and a waterfall. It was bright daylight so I hand held my Nikon D850, shooting with a fast shutter speed to freeze the motion of the flowers. It was too bright to get a long exposure of the waterfall for that silky, flowing water effect.
Wildflowers and Waterfall, Porphyry Basin, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/11, 1/320s, ISO 320. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Color Effects Pro 4.Waterfall, Stream and Sheep in Porphyry Basin, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/16, 1/200s, ISO 320. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Color Effects Pro 4.Waterfall and Stream, Porphyry Basin, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/16, 1/200s, ISO 320. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Color Effects Pro 4.Waterfall and Stream in Porphyry Basin, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/16, 1/250s, ISO 500. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Color Effects Pro 4.An iPhone image of wildflowers in Porphyry Basin, Colorado. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Color Effects Pro 4.
Higher resolution images can be viewed on my Flickr page by clicking on the images in this post.
At the end of our stay in the Liberty, Kentucky area, we decided to modify our plans and make a stop over at Cumberland Falls State Resort, Kentucky. We were only a couple of hours away and the online literature made this look like an interesting place to see.
It was much too early in the fall for the best fall color here, but our schedule dictated that we be here now. I went out late in the day of our arrival, primarily to scout, but I put my camera in our vehicle trunk just in case I decided conditions merited DSLR photographs.
Scouting along the river just above the falls, I noted a sign that prohibited one from going any further along the river above the falls, much to my dismay. I knew I could safely get closer to the top of the falls, but I heeded the sign. The top edge of falls are frequently not very interesting to photograph anyway.
Cumberland Falls. iPhone photograph with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
This is a tourist attraction and there are railings set up at various view points with warnings not to cross the rails, which of course I really wanted to do, since I was sure I could get better compositions beyond the rails, exercising caution not to fall off of a cliff in the process. Nevertheless, I heeded the prohibitions.
Cumberland Falls. iPhone photograph with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
As usual in the afternoon hours, there were numerous visitors out and about, with one group being escorted by a young park ranger. This time of the year there were not large crowds of visitors, as there are in the summer months. In fact most of the visitors were older people with no children. There were a few younger people, who either had no kids or only pre-school kids.
Cumberland Falls. iPhone photograph with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
It was an overcast afternoon and, even though earlier than I would normally shoot at sunset, it was obvious that there would be no sunset light this day. So I decided to go back to my vehicle, get my camera gear and shoot anyway. As I began to get out the camera gear, rain began. I initially sat in the vehicle for a while, then decided to give up for the day. Of course, by the time I drove back to our cottage, the rain had stopped. At least I got a few iPhone images, just in case something happened to prevent me from returning in the morning, when the rain was predicted to have passed by.
Tomorrow I will try to get some long exposures of the waterfall for that silky flowing water effect.
On day two in Escalante, my two sons and I went back to Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon, this time with several cargo tie down straps to use as aids, if necessary in getting into and out of the upper portion of the canyon.
The two sons with me had some experience with rock climbing. The oldest dropped into the canyon via the steep slick rock at the upstream entrance point, leaving his backpack and camera behind on this test entrance into the canyon. He was able to immediately climb out. Now we knew that at least one of us could climb out unassisted and if necessary, he could assist the other two of us out. So we all entered the canyon to begin our exploration and photography inside it.
This entrance point was in a wide, open portion of the canyon with the very narrow, short section at the beginning of the canyon on one end of the open area and the entrance to the main portion of the canyon on the opposite end.
We looked into the short beginning section first, one at a time, since it was too small for more than one person at a time to get into and out of.
Shadow Photographer. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm DX at 12mm, f/11, 1/160s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
While waiting my turn to enter the first section of the slot, I killed some time shooting my shadow on the sunlit side of the canyon.
Shadow Photographer. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm DX at 12mm, f/11, 1/160s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.The upstream end of Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm DX at 12mm, f/11, 1/50s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The upstream beginning of the slot is shown in the photo above. It is clear from the photo how narrow the entrance is and one can only go a short distance into this section of the slot.
Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm at 12mm, f/11, (three shots HDR, 2.0s, 1.3s, 0.8s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR, Skylum Aurora 2019 and Color Efex Pro 4.
We worked our way through the slot, photographing as we went along.
Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm at 12mm, f/11, 0.4s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
I do not recall meeting anyone coming from the other end of the canyon on our way down towards the main entrance; but we did begin to meet a few others as we went back up to our drop in point.
Upstream side of a small arch in Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm at 12mm, f/11, 2.5s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Not far from the downstream entry, there is a small arch cut into the rock, which one can see near the bottom center of the photo above.
Downstream end of a small arch in Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm at 12mm, f/11, 6.0s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
One has to crawl through the small arch to proceed. The downstream view of the arch is the light area in the center of the photo above. The opening is quite small, so only small people can fit through it. There is some room around the side of the arch, which I recall being rather tight; but it might be possible to navigate around the arch, rather than through it. Going through the arch was definitely more fun than trying to go around it, anyway.
Triple Arch in Peek-A-Boo slot canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm at 24mm, f/11, (4 exposure HDR, 0,8s, 1.0s, 1.3s, 1.6s), ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR, Skylum Aurora 2019 and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Just prior to the downstream entrance there are three large arches, which can be seen in the photo above. The large rocks in the foreground form one arch and the other two can be seen behind it.
Triple Arch in Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm at 15mm, f/13, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Looking over the rock at the bottom of the first arch, we saw a hole with muddy water in it. We could not tell how deep the hole and water were, so we did not attempt to go further, electing to back track up the canyon to our entrance point. One can see the light at the end of the slot near the top center of the photo above.
Thinking back to the previous day here, even had we or the young Swiss man gotten up the sheer entrance wall at the main, downstream entrance, it is unlikely that any of us would have been able to continue past this point.
We encountered several people on our trip back up the canyon, having to wait at the wider places in the slot to pass each other. As we got near the upstream entrance point, we found a 50-ish year old female hiker sitting on a ledge in the canyon wall. She had injured her knee along the way. Those that we passed in the canyon were her family members, whom she had told to go ahead and get her on the way out. She had only a small, almost empty, water bottle, so we first filled her bottle with water from one of our water reservoirs. Then, thinking it was not a good idea to leave her there by herself, we offered to help her get back to the entrance point, at least. She could put weight on her knee, but had to be careful not to let it bend sideways, as it would give way. I let her lean on me as we slowly worked our way back to the entrance. I was a bit concerned about supporting her, as she was not a small (not obese, but hefty) woman.
Upon arriving at the entrance, we were considering how we could get her out of the canyon and were in the process of tying the cargo straps together, when another hiker came up from the main entrance direction. He told us he had a friend, a medic with technical climbing gear, back down the canyon, if we wanted to ask him for help. Of course, we did. So the hiker went back into the slot and returned with his friend. At some point the injured woman’s family members returned, as well.
The medic examined the knee and recognized the problem. The injured woman was a large animal veterinarian from upstate New York and she knew quite a bit about anatomy and what was wrong with her knee, with which the medic agreed. The medic also knew exactly how to rig up the ropes to make a sling for getting her out of the canyon. He and others then worked the rope to pull her up the steep slope of the canyon, while others went along by her to help and make sure she did not slip back.
Once on the canyon bank, my oldest son used paracord from his emergency bracelet to tie a portion of a tripod leg to the side of the injured vet’s leg to help keep the knee from bending sideways. She was able to use the remainder of the tripod as a walking stick. She and her family began the hike out, while we stayed behind, having a snack before we started back. We quickly caught up with the injured woman and her party, where they had stopped to rest for a few minutes.
We hiked ahead, thinking it was going to be a slow, arduous hike for the injured woman, especially when they got to the steep, sandy slope followed by the slick rock climb back to the parking area.
On our way back along Hole In The Rock Road, we passed an SUV that was upside down just off of the roadway. There were young boys, maybe college age, standing around and a sheriff’s deputy in his vehicle. Fortunately, no one seemed injured. We speculate that they were driving too fast on the very washboarded road and lost control of their vehicle, sliding off to the side and flipping. We had noted that one had to drive slowly or the bouncing caused by the washboarding would cause a vehicle to drift.
In the late afternoon, we returned along this roadway to an area called Devil’s Garden, where we would shoot at sunset and then star trail photos after dark.
Devil’s Garden Rocks, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 24-70mm at 62mm, f/13, 1/25s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
As we were scouting around the area, I heard someone call, “Hey, guys”. I initially thought I had walked into someone’s photo composition and looking around, I spotted the large animal veterinarian. She was wearing a knee brace and walking with crutches. We were happy to see that she had gotten back from her hike and surprised to see her out again. She told us she had been telling everyone about how we came along and helped her out of the slot canyon.
Metate Arch, Devil’s Garden, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 24-70mm at 32mm, f/11, 1/20s, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.Escalante Devil’s Garden Rock Formations. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm DX at 18mm (prior to crop), f/22, 1/8s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4
I know this has been a long post, but I hope that readers will glean some safety tips here, in addition to photographic tips for photographing in this area.
Metate Arch, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 24-70mm at 60mm, f/13, 1/50s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.Metate Arch, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm DX at 12mm, f/11, 1/10s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4Devil’s Garden Star Trails 2014. The foreground rock is light painted and captured with a Nikon D90, Nikon 24-70mm @ 31mm, f/8, 105s, ISO 200. The star trails are produced by stacking the foreground shot with 65 90s exposures shot with Nikon D90, Nikon 24-70mm at 31mm, f/2.8, ISO 200. Preliminary edits in Adobe LR, photos stacked in Adobe Photoshop.
There is much more to see in this area (we never got to Zebra Slot or to the end of Hole In The Rock Road), so I expect I will return one day.
On our last day near Escalante, as we were leaving, we hiked several miles along a sandy creek to a waterfall. I’m including one photo of that fall here.
Lower Calf Creek Falls, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm at 12mm, f/22, 1/10s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
This will be the last post for this year. I wish and hope that you all have a happy holiday season.
