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

The Watchman from Afar

The Watchman from Afar

ZION030009

August 15, 2003

Whereas yesterday's image was among the most recent in my collection, having been taken over the previous weekend, this one is reaching back far into the archives.  Camping in the southern reaches of Zion National Park in 2003, the summer sunsets were amazing at highlighting the redrock formations of the south.  This was taken on slide film, then scanned, so the grain is apparent despite the use of ICE converters.  I think it has a nice appeal to the photo though, the grain adds an additional dimension.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon N80
Film: Kodak Ektachrome 200

Lens: Nikon 28-105 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  105 mm

Exposure: n/a  ISO 200

Post-processing: Scanned on a Nikon Coolscan 5000 with Digital ICE 4.0, tone adjusted and using and PS 4 and LR1.4