A Painted Landscape

A Painted Landscape

SDAK09D-8

July 3, 2009

It was amazing, when first encountering the Badlands of South Dakota, how similar they were in some respects to the other canyons in the southwest, especially Bryce Canyon.  The striations, the unevenness and seeming random arrangement of the formations, all seem familiar.  Of course, they are totally different landscapes, when you get down to it, but still it is interesting to consider, on this Friday morning, when I'd rather be out hiking either one with the incredible Sarah.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: NIkon 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  85 mm

Exposure: 1/10 @ f/16  ISO 100

Post-processing: Minor tone adjusted with PS 4 and LR 1.4.

Badlands Panoramic

Badlands Panoramic

SDAK09D-9_pan

July 3, 2009

Sticking with the Dakota images still, since this one provides such a beautiful landscape and a very sharp depiction of what the Badlands look like.  The colored rock, worn away from eons of action by rivers and inland seas, now lays bare to the view of all, the strata of ages open to the sky.  The whole area is incredible, because it doesn't strike you as canyon country, this small area is surrounded by vast prairie that run right up to the park before falling away.  Driving up to it, you wouldn't know that there were these formations, the land seems so flat (and the Badlands are not mountains, despite what it looks like here... instead you drive/hike down into the canyon, then look back up to where the average height of the land is).  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: NIkon 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  24 mm

Exposure: 1/160 @ f/4  ISO 400

Post-processing: Minor tone adjusted with PS 4 and LR 1.4.

The Lone, Old Tree

The Lone, Old Tree

BRCA030103

August 2003

One of my favorite magazines and blogs, Mental Floss, had a fantastic list of 6 of the oldest trees of the world yesterday.  It highlighted some very ancient trees, including Methuselah, a bristlecone pine that is located somewhere in the Inyo National Forest, on the California-Nevada border.  The location of this tree is actually kept secret by the Forest Service, to protect it from souvenir collectors and idiots who want to carve their initials into it, etc.  But these are very beautiful trees.

This inspired my selection of today's image, a not quite as old pine located in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah.  Still, while it not might be as old as the 4,500-year old Methuselah, it has that gnarled, twisted form that still suggests some pretty advanced age.  And for this photo, I love how the warmth of the bark of the tree contrasts with that blue Utah sky.  Enjoy.
 

Technical notes:

Camera: NIkon N80
Film: Fuji Velvia 50

Lens: Nikon 28-105 mm f/3.5-4.5

Focal length: 28 mm

Exposure: 1/200   f/4.5 

Post-processing: Scanned on a Nikon Coolscan 5000, texture,toning and curves adjustment in PS4

Bryce Storm

Bryce Storm

BRCA030118

August 2003

While hiking along the rim of the gorgeous Bryce Canyon, As I came along the ridge, the clouds that had been gathering the last couple of days joined together and came streaming, ominously over the horizon.  I was able to find this lone pine, which looked like it had been through a few storms itself, straggling along the red rock.  However, this seemed to be more conducive to a monochrome image, as it conveyed the approaching storm better.  The major let-down of this image, I think, is in the post-processing.  It was shot on Fuji Velvia film, and then scanned, which is never a perfect way of doing things.  A better scanner probably would have made the image clearer, and reduced some of the artificial effects that I can see, but no use crying over spilled milk.  It is still a nice image from a beautiful location.  Enjoy.
 

Technical notes:

Camera: NIkon N80
Film: Fuji Velvia 50

Lens: Sigma 20mm f/2.8

Focal length: 20 mm

Exposure: 1/200   f/4.5 

Post-processing: Scanned on a Nikon Coolscan 5000, texture,toning and curves adjustment in PS4

Among the Cold Canyons

Among the Cold Canyons

BRCA06D-16

December 26, 2006

Just a few months after gaining my first (and to date, only) digital SLR, the family decided to ride out to Zion and Bryce Canyon for Christmas holidays.  While everyone thinks of these places as summer destinations, the lack of crowds and cooler temperatures made me really revisit the idea that these places can only be warm weather hiking spots.  This image is taken along Queen Anne's Canyon, with my dad hiking into the deep hoodoos.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135 f/3.5-4.5

Focal length:  18 mm

Exposure: 1/125 @ f/8, ISO 100

Post-processing: Cropped down with contrast and tone adjustment, sharpening in PS4 & LR1.4