On my first visit to Monument Valley in 2005, I captured one of my favorite images of the park that was featured in this previous post. On my more recent visit to the Valley in May, I wanted to capture a similar image but more focused on that great tree that just jumps out of the landscape. The timing of my visit was late in the evening when the setting sun was beginning to cast long shadows. As I began to compose the image, I decided to take advantage of these shadows and include the tree and it's shadow on the glowing rock. I thought the great color contrast between tree and the orange rock contributes to the feel of the image.
Windmill Relics
Wow, I can't believe that it has been over three weeks since I last posted. Between the Labor Day weekend, two fantasy football drafts and a two week vacation to Europe, there has been little time and very limited internet access to post. But now I am back and raring to go. Our trip to Europe consisted of a river cruise from Amsterdam to Lucerne along the Rhine River. Being veterans of ocean cruising, it was a nice change to see Europe in a more relaxed fashion. Our first stop was in the Netherlands. When one thinks of the Netherlands, windmills and tulips are the first things that come to mind. I had visions of seeing windmills everywhere along the countryside but learned that windmills are quickly becoming relics. At their peak, there were over 10,000 windmills in the Netherlands. Today there are only about 1,000 still standing with many no longer working.
In order to see some real, working windmills, we took a tour outside of Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans, an open air conservation area and museum. There along the banks of the Zaan River, the museum has six working windmills where there used to be more than 1,000. This image shows three of them (left to right), "De Zoeke"'(an oil mill built in 1672); "De Bonte Hen" (an oil mill built in 1693) and the youngster of the group, "De Gekroonde Poelenburg" (a saw mill built in 1869).
Run, Forrest, Run
Those who regularly follow my blog know of my fascination with lighthouses. I am not sure exactly why. Maybe because they are quickly becoming relics of the past with the advancement of GPS electronics or because they are often built in some wonderful location or maybe because most of them have stories of sunken boats and how they were built to save lives. Whatever the reason, whenever I travel, I always am on the lookout for them. On this particular trip to Maine, we had stayed in Camden and were on our way south. Rather than hop on the interstate, I chose to hug the rugged Maine coast, stopping at lighthouses along the way. When we stopped at this particular lighthouse, the Marshall Point Lighthouse on Port Clyde, it looked so familiar even though I hadn't been there before. Then I read a sign in the museum and it came back to me. The light was featured in the movie "Forrest Gump" (one of my favorites). In the movie, Forrest starts on a 3-year run across the country and back. When Forrest hits the east coast, he stops at a lighthouse (the Marshall Point Lighthouse), turns around and starts running to the west coast.
Basin Flow
A great place to visit if you are ever driving through the White Mountains in New Hampshire is Franconia Notch State Park. One of the easy to get to attractions in the park is "The Basin". The basin was created over thousands of years by rushing water from a waterfall, which has eroded the rock into a smooth, circular cave-like formation. It looks like a granite pothole of about 20 feet. The setting is very beautiful and relaxing and is accessible via a short hike on a paved trail. When photographing the Basin, a Neutral Density filter is required to get that silky smooth water flow contrasting against the stark rock. As can be seen in this image of a cascade leading to the basin, shooting in the fall adds some color in the form of fallen leaves.
The Hand of God
I am sure that everyone with an imagination has looked up toward the sky and imagined all kind of different "images" in cloud formations. This same imagination has been applied to the many of the mountains, rock formations, buttes and mesas on the ground. Nowhere is this more true than in the American Southwest, especially Monument Valley. Almost all of the structures in the Valley have a descriptive name and it is often unknown whether the name was originally created by early settlers, the Navajo people or someone else. Mentioning names like "The Mittens", the "Rain God Mesa" or "The Three Sisters" to people who have visited the Valley will conjure up great memories. Our recent trip to the Valley was my wife Carol's first trip there. Although I told her how beautiful and stunning it was, it wasn't until she saw it that she understood my love for it. She was fascinated by the names of the structures and was trying to memorize them all. The image in this post is of a rock formation known as "The Hand of God" whose fingers can be seen on the right side of the formation.
Awaiting Boats
At the end of the Akamina Parkway in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, is the secluded Cameron Lake. Often overlooked by its two more famous national parks to the north (Banff and Jasper) and the adjoining Glacier National Park in Montana, Waterton is a hidden gem. Being overshadowed as a park adds a great laid back atmosphere to its wonderful and compelling attractions. For example, this image of Cameron Lake was taken in the middle of the summer around 10 am. There were only a few people at the lake and, as can be seen by these empty boats, one could just walk up to the dock, hop in and have the lake almost all to themselves. Try doing that in Glacier. The backdrop of the mountains make this such a wonderful place to spend time relaxing and taking in Mother Nature. If you haven't visited there yet, make sure to add it to your next trip to Montana or Alberta.
Path to the Light II
This image is from the archives that I recently found on CDs. It was taken during our cruise of the British Isles in 2007. I probably passed over it then as my processing skills were not great. I knew there was a good image there but wasn't sure if I could pull it out. Five years later with my skills improved, I knew I could do something with it. The subject is the Brough of Birsay, which is an uninhabited tidal island just off the coast of the Orkney Islands in Scotland. The island is accessible on foot at low tide. It is separated from the mainland by approximately 800 feet from where I composed this image. The weather was rainy and overcast and I was intrigued by the deep green colors and the worn path from the old house to the unnamed lighthouse.
This is another example of seeing parts of the world for the first time. I never had a desire to visit the Orkney Islands but it turned out to be one of my favorite stops on the trip.
Cape May Light
This image is from the southernmost part of the Jersey Shore in Cape May. The Cape May Lighthouse was built in 1859 and continues to provide light to the cape. The light is the third of its kind although the first two would be under water today due to beach erosion. The lighthouse tower is about 157 feet tall. The walls were designed to withstand winds several times above hurricane force. The lighthouse is owned by the state of New Jersey. This image was taken from the grounds of the lighthouse shortly after dawn. The light gave the clouds some wonderful color that acted as a nice backdrop to the white lighthouse tower.
Sandstone Elephant
Back from a short respite from the blog. My first trip to Monument Valley was in 2005 and I wanted to make sure that I captured an image of Tear Drop Arch. I had seen it on the cover of a Grand Circle travel magazine and was captivated by it. The resulting shot was the one in this post. The arch is actually outside of the park on Navajo Tribal land and one can only get to it by hiring a Navajo guide. It was quite the spiritual experience.
This past May, I revisited Tear Drop to recapture the shot. As we left the guide's jeep and walked up toward the arch, he told me that if you looked closely at the scene, you can see the "Elephant" in the sandstone with the left side of the arch forming the head and trunk. I was so focused on the arch itself that I had never noticed the shape. Suffice to say, focus is all well and good but make sure to step back and take everything in.
Yukon Bound
The port of Skagway, Alaska is a popular stop for cruise ships and one of its star attractions is the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad. Given my love of both trains and mountains, I Was really excited to travel over the mountains to the Yukon. The train climbs almost 3,000 feet in just a short 20 miles and, as a result, has severe grades. The train travels along many winding turns that run along the edge of the cliffs. Before reaching the Yukon, it will negotiate numerous tunnels, bridges and trestles. This image, taken from the back of the rail car, is indicative of the terrain that the train travels through. The waters surrounding Skagway can be seen in the distance as the train approaches the Canadian border.
Rugged Reflection
The drive north on the Icefields Parkway to Jasper National Park passes a number of lakes that are reachable from the road. One of my favorites is Bow Lake which can be seen from the parkway. The Crowfoot Glacier hangs suspended over the lake. We pulled into the parking lot of the Num-Ti-Jah Lodge and got out to stretch our legs. Walking around the property, I took a number of shots including this one. It was taken in mid-morning and the sun was starting to lose it’s soft light. The hard light helped highlight the ruggedness of both the mountain and it’s reflection.
Inviting
Last week's focus on New England left out the Green Mountain State of Vermont. Today will will finish our trip through the region by visiting a farm located in the heart of Vermont's beautiful Northeast Kingdom. The Northeast Kingdom has received numerous awards including "Best of New England"by Yankee Magazine and, looking at this scene, you can understand why. The fall season had begun with the leaves displaying wonderful orange color. Contrasting with the foliage was the beautiful green lawn which still retailed its color. The scene was so inviting that you could envision yourself sitting in the lawn chairs for hours absorbing in the beauty of the fall.
New Hampshire Beauty
Our New England week on the blog takes us to New Hampshire and the White Mountains. This image was taken from Cathedral Ledge in North Conway. It is an easy location to get to as long as you don't miss the road leading to it. There is a circular parking lot and it is a short walk to the ledge. The sun was setting, casting beautiful light over the countryside. The ledge overlooks the White Mountains, in particular, the Presidential Range whose peaks are named after American Presidents. It is a wonderful view that I have posted previously. One of the things that I have learned when shooting landscapes is to take time to examine the scene and you will probably find numerous photos in it. This was one of those times. I spotted this small farm and zoomed in for a composition that would catch the fading light and wonderfull fall colors.
Rugged Coast
This week's trip through New England takes us to Maine and arguably it's most famous attraction, Acadia National Park. Acadia is the only national park located in the northeastern US and is a very popular tourist destination. The Maine coastline is extremely rugged and Acadia contains some of the most breathtaking scenes on the Atlantic Ocean. As I was setting up the shot on Otter Beach, I could hear the crashing waves on the rocky beach and knew I was in a race before the clouds moving east would extinguish the beautiful warm glow of the rising sun. I was able to take this long exposure image as the light from the rising sun was still hitting the adjacent cliffs. It was a very short time after this shot that the clouds covered the golden light for good.
Foliage in New England
As I was preparing this post, I came up with the idea of making this an all New England week. I will take you to some of the States that comprise New England and where I live. Today we will start in my home state of Connecticut. There is nothing better than fall foliage in New England. If not a resident of the area, finding the right time to visit can be very challenging. Some years the foliage comes early, some years late. Often the timing depends on the weather during the summer: dry vs. wet; hot vs. cool. Living in Connecticut, it is easier to decide what day to pick, hop in the car and drive around. On this day, I visited Lake Waramaug State Park. The weather was great and the colors outstanding. On the far side of the lake, you come around a curve and see this line of trees that line a beautiful house. The trees are on private property so I hopped out of the car to take some shots. It was late in the afternoon and the shadows were getting long. This location has become one of my favorites and I try to go back each fall.
Falls View
People that have never visited Niagara Falls don't realize that it is actually two falls. The two falls are formed by the Niagara River which flows from Lake Erie to its destination of Lake Ontario. The two falls are actually created as the river rushes around Goat Island which sits close to the New York side of the river. The American Falls are created as the water rushes in between Goat Island and New York while the Horseshoe Falls are created as the water rushes in between Goat Island and Canada. Given the positioning of the two falls, one has to move up-river on the New York side to get an image of both falls (it is possible from the Canadian side but the image is not as dramatic). This image shows the two falls along with the Canadian city of Niagara Falls. The toughest thing to do when photographing either falls is keeping the camera dry.
Early Morning at Peyto Lake
There are so many beautiful lakes that can be found along the famed Icefields Parkway that connects Banff and Jasper National Parks in Alberta. Everyone has a a favorite and mine is Peyto Lake. Located about 25 miles north of Lake Louise, the viewing area can be found off the parkway and is well marked. Park your car and climb the short distance to this viewpoint and you are greeted with this scene - one of the best views in Canada (in my humble opinion). The lake is located in a valley that is surrounded by magestic mountains and forests. The water source for the lake is the Peyto Glacier (located to the left of this view) which gives the lake a magnificent blue-green color due to the mineral content.
Three Amigos
I have posted a few images of my recent trip to Monument Valley. They were taken from parts of the tribal park that require the hiring of a Navajo guide. The guides are not inexpensive but are well worth it for their local knowledge, stories of the Navajo culture and even playing musical instruments and singing Navajo songs. If you cannot afford to hire a guide, you can still see wonderful scenery as well as all of it's famous landmarks for a $5 per person entrance fee. This fee allows you to drive a 17-mile dirt road that winds throughout the park. It is a fabulous drive and I recommend doing it at least twice - early morning and evening. The light is so different at these times that the formations take on very different looks. This image of the world-famous East and West Mittens and Merrick Butte was actually taken from the visitors center in the early evening. The dirt road can be seen below as well as the shadows of the visitor center. I left the cars on the road to give the image scale - those buttes are really huge.
Early Morning With the Gods
How many of you look back at your older photos and say to yourself, "What was I thinking?" when I processed this? I do this occasionally and I realize how far my editing skills have advanced over the past several years (some may argue not much at all). I have decided to go back to some of my favorite images and re-edit them. I have found out a number of things as I have done this. 1. My skills are definitely better. While I used some of the same processing software, I know them better now and can use them more effectively. By following other photography blogs, listening to photography podcasts and shooting with other photographers, I learn something new every day.
2. The processing software has advanced tremendously over the past few years. Things that were cumbersome (and maybe even not possible) are getting easier and easier to do. Many will bemoan that use of this software is "cheating" and wish for the days when only Photoshop was used to enhance photos. Of course, there are others that say using Photoshop is "cheating". I believe that photography is art and that non-photographers don't really care what was used to edit a photo, they just know if they like it or not. I am also not against the advancement of the software. Anything that increases the speed of editing gives me more time to shoot.
3. My tastes have definitely changed. My older images seem to have a more warm feel to them and I realize that I didn't understand light as well as I do now. My photography has moved from a strict landscape photographer to more of a travel photographer. Maybe some day I will actually shoot people.
I plan to post a number of re-edited images over the next couple of months. This image is from the Garden of the Gods. Located in Colorado Springs, it is one of the best public parks around with wonderful sandstone and limestone rock formations.
A Different View of Antelope Canyon
When most photographers think of Antelope Canyon, they think of it's famous upper and lower slot canyons. Slot canyons are very narrow and are formed by water rushing through rock. A slot canyon is significantly deeper than it is wide. Antelope Canyon is located on Navajo land near Page, Arizona and the entrance is just a few miles from the center of town. There is another view of the canyon that did not exist before the building of Glen Canyon Dam in 1966. When the dam was finished construction, it created Lake Powell by flooding Glen Canyon. With the creation of Lake Powell, it is now possible to visit Antelope Canyon from the water. It is a short 45 minute boat trip from the Wahweap Marina to reach the terminus of the canyon. As you can see in this image, the walls of the canyon are quite narrow and high. As you reach the small "beach" at the end, you can almost reach out and touch the walls. The trip is well worth it for a different view of Antelope Canyon.