tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50191016237676509562024-03-13T01:52:44.148-06:00Guy Schmickle - Explore The Light Photography*** Bloggings of a photographic nature ***Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-82505709853960821002012-08-15T13:31:00.000-06:002012-08-16T09:48:35.026-06:00Shooting For The MoonI just recently returned from what will probably be my only backpacking trip of the year and thought I'd break my blogging silence to share the trip with whoever still reads this! I was accompanied on the trip by good friend, <a href="http://www.steveflowersphotography.com/" target="_blank">Steve Flowers</a>, who's an exceptional photographer in his own right and shares my passion for Colorado's mountain wildernesses. We've hooked up on a few backpacking adventures now and this one would be our toughest one yet. The destination was Moon Lake...a beautifully remote lake in the Weminuche Wilderness of the San Juan Mountains. Steve had backpacked out there a few years back, but it was before he got serious about photography and he was aching for a return visit. It didn't take much convincing on my part once I did a little research and realized what a special area this was.<br />
<br />
There are a number of different ways to get to Moon Lake, many of them requiring multiple day hikes in the deep backcountry. Steve and I chose the most direct route from the Pine River trailhead (north of Vallecito Reservoir) because we wanted to maximize our time at the lake and not just make it a stop on a larger thru hike. As a photographer, I much prefer what I'll call destination backpacking...where I pick an area that I'd like to photograph, backpack out to it and base there for multiple nights in order to shoot the area in a variety of weather and lighting conditions. I've found that trying to photograph on thru hikes, where you pack up every morning and move to a new location, tends to be very counter productive. I'm often too tired or not left with enough time to explore the new areas the way I'd like and my photography suffers because of it.<br />
<br />
With this in mind, our initial plan was to take two days to hike in and out of Moon Lake (which was 16 miles from the trailhead) with nightly stopovers at the Emerald Lakes each way. We'd then spend 3 nights at the lake itself. The total vertical from trailhead to lake would be 3600 ft. which was pretty evenly distributed on each day. It seemed like a piece of cake! Well, it would've probably been the case had I adequately trained for the trip! Somehow, life kept getting in the way and the end result was that I began the trek in the worst shape I'd been for any backpacking trip. Fortunately, the first six miles along the Pine River were pretty darned level and served as an excellent warmup. However, once we crossed Lake Creek and began hiking up its drainage, I quickly found out that I was meant to suffer the remainder of the trip! The next five miles were pretty much a moderate climb to Emerald Lake, but somehow it felt like an assault on Everest for me. I arrived at our campsite exhausted and sore, but felt good in the knowledge that we'd done a lion's share of the distance the first day and had only five miles left to Moon Lake.<br />
<br />
So after setting up camp, soaking my aching feet in the lake, and a relaxing dinner, I recovered enough to join Steve in investigating our surroundings in search of compositions both for the evening and following morning. For the most part the evening session turned out to be a bust due to uninteresting conditions (milky white skies and flat light). We did find an interesting spot for the morning along Emerald Lake and took advantage of the calm conditions to capture the surrounding peaks reflecting in the lake. All in all, it was a very pleasant stopover with some amazing alpine scenery. My appetite was whetted for Moon Lake!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjr7JUswo_pqzrX4qv4xfs6cBl1L745-mCK9v_DBps4Ya-TL0DgcenBA3KQ16I-9CWQL4AcOlQHxE9e0Od63NzAkcpdyO2FdHA95ao8tpiQhaV6bKSG0bhHpSj2yGjGiq2LTgZx9hDtjTr/s1600/Stock-2360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjr7JUswo_pqzrX4qv4xfs6cBl1L745-mCK9v_DBps4Ya-TL0DgcenBA3KQ16I-9CWQL4AcOlQHxE9e0Od63NzAkcpdyO2FdHA95ao8tpiQhaV6bKSG0bhHpSj2yGjGiq2LTgZx9hDtjTr/s640/Stock-2360.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emerald Lake</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While my appetite was surely whetted, evidently my lungs and legs never got the memo! While the first few miles of the day were pretty tame (including a nice two mile walk along gorgeous Emerald Lake), the last two were the steepest of the trip. Worse so than my climb up to Ice Lake Basin the previous year. The ever increasing elevation wasn't doing me any favors either. Fortunately, Steve was extremely patient and did his best to encourage me upwards (not that he was enjoying the steeps either). Eventually after what seemed like an entire afternoon of climbing, punctuated by more rest stops than I could count, we hit paydirt. Oh what a sight that lake was!! The lakeside campsite was amazing as well with its level, plush grass setting. It was pure pleasure to pull off my boots and walk barefoot through it! It's often the little things that make lasting memories on trips like this and that grassy campsite underfoot was surely one of them.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHPQW8zqlgRuYOyORd2TCafLRwvs1swORlnEJa-HXXhfCWBudkVD-7mN4ALMITTZ2bvKNuOxyAFaNHlQOqfinL8AZ2baE93QJIp3pXsMj-Tttg6S5e0rcNNdPBeor_xL-ubqBrep1xKiuw/s1600/Stock-2357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHPQW8zqlgRuYOyORd2TCafLRwvs1swORlnEJa-HXXhfCWBudkVD-7mN4ALMITTZ2bvKNuOxyAFaNHlQOqfinL8AZ2baE93QJIp3pXsMj-Tttg6S5e0rcNNdPBeor_xL-ubqBrep1xKiuw/s640/Stock-2357.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Moon Lake Campsite</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It wasn't long after that little carnal pleasure that we noticed our first real storm cell of the trip sneaking up on us from the south. Once camp was set up, I actually welcomed it because it gave me a great excuse to lay down in the tent to nap and recover from yet another hard day. Once that storm passed, the remainder of the evening was spent eating, relaxing and doing just a wee bit of exploring of our immediate surroundings. Steve showed me his favorite little area...a beautiful little tarn set above the lake (just a short distance from our campsite) which afforded reflection shots in all directions of the surrounding peaks. I couldn't wait for conditions to be right to shoot this little area...it just wasn't going to be this particular evening as the light stayed flat throughout.<br />
<br />
We awoke the following morning to typical Colorado high country conditions...clear, calm and cold. With a touch of frost on the ground, we hiked out to the east side of the lake and shot the first light on beautiful Mt. Oso as it reflected in the calm lake. We then proceeded back to the tarn to shoot the scenes there as well. I considered these all "bird in hand" shots. That is, compositions I really like that are shot in so-so conditions. It gives me something to take home from the trip just in case it storms the rest of the time, but I'm hoping the conditions get better. After breakfast we spent the late morning hours climbing the cirque and scouting for shots there. The view looking down on the lake was nothing short of spectacular! Clouds were building so I took a few images with black & white processing in mind and took note that the best light would probably be in the early evening. When we arrived back in camp, both of us commented on how warm it was getting. It was time to take a dip in the icy cold lake!!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaI1Z7aTnXWe2Rz2m72Jt1C0bXUVUGtNDTQ53oOW3ws5BpD8PWCn_pNWbrpzv4JRNVqOa4VJE1MJySlZ6dYJr3dhYXxx5Q-fPYbjf-Wo-JWevTZCO0QEdEoxT08p0mZGia-bNm2dAYUh7k/s1600/Stock-2354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaI1Z7aTnXWe2Rz2m72Jt1C0bXUVUGtNDTQ53oOW3ws5BpD8PWCn_pNWbrpzv4JRNVqOa4VJE1MJySlZ6dYJr3dhYXxx5Q-fPYbjf-Wo-JWevTZCO0QEdEoxT08p0mZGia-bNm2dAYUh7k/s640/Stock-2354.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bathing In Moon Lake!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
That turned out to be the extent of our fun for the day. By the early afternoon, some pretty nasty weather set in. Late morning warmth was replaced by cold rain, then lightning, then hail....lots of hail. While I sat in my tent in the lightning position, I was praying that my tent fly would hold out against the hail's incessant pounding. It came in three or four different waves and by the time it was done, the ground was blanketed in white. We got a brief break long enough to cook dinner (although the actual act of eating had to be done in the tent when another storm rolled through). Then another brief break to stretch our legs before dark followed by another downpour (which lasted through midnight). This type of weather is the San Juans at their meanest and, if you spend enough time in the backcountry, you've got to expect it to happen and be prepared for it. On the few occasions we wandered out of our tents that evening, we had to wear practically every bit of clothing we brought with us to stay warm and dry. It was hard to believe that we were sunning ourselves in shorts around the camp after a swim earlier in the day!<br />
<br />
The silver lining photographically from all this is that it can sometimes result in spectacular morning conditions. All that moisture on the ground and in the air often mean clouds in the morning hours. And that's exactly what we got. Not too many as to obscure the sunrise, but enough to accentuate the first light on the mountains and make for some incredible scenes. When Steve poked his head out his tent in the pre-dawn hour and I heard the word "epic" come from his mouth, I shot out of my warm sleeping bag and gathered my gear. Back to the tarn I went to try and better the "bird in hand" shots I had taken the morning before. And better them I did! I rifled shots in all directions as the light and sky dictated. Then I hopped down to the lake when it calmed down and got some more. It was an incredibly fun morning that all photographers dream about. This was made even sweeter when I stopped to reflect on what I had to endure in order to capture these images (both physically and weather-wise) and that we had the place all to ourselves for our own private photoshoot.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3lM_Q3dpF9EEwOFP4dj7ZYBcew-oYP0wUb8y3_q29zcZNZoxh3lwVRDxrzC4nTS9ATwwb8UzJIRvV1HiaRqLEqelsUsHgsQwqomvRFlwbstszBNLxkCCE7ciL8WTSUnjE-tErI68ato1/s1600/Stock-2346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3lM_Q3dpF9EEwOFP4dj7ZYBcew-oYP0wUb8y3_q29zcZNZoxh3lwVRDxrzC4nTS9ATwwb8UzJIRvV1HiaRqLEqelsUsHgsQwqomvRFlwbstszBNLxkCCE7ciL8WTSUnjE-tErI68ato1/s640/Stock-2346.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Light On Mt. Oso</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We continued to shoot through the mid morning hours before succumbing to camp related duties and planning out the remainder of the day. There was no doubt that more storms would be in the offing, so we planned to hang around camp until it clouded up. Lake Creek flows out of Moon Lake and there were some incredible waterfalls and creek scenery we wanted to shoot. The best time to do that would be when the clouds rolled in, but before they were organized enough to start storming on us. That window turned out to be smaller than we had hoped, but we still got in some shooting time before lightning chased us back to camp. I came away with a number of shots I was happy with anyway.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkUDVIbU-VP5PMiDqOc6EmJRkhPa_viJbYaG0yvpzDX_OAhhvcgCbTP8KVzM3YmPAXPiXh8pNwIAC37G-87QXxBTlglwPxkD06MLUO1g3N1TYVRcNiqtSJLxmk74mQNTv1hj_TiiroSrs/s1600/Stock-2349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkUDVIbU-VP5PMiDqOc6EmJRkhPa_viJbYaG0yvpzDX_OAhhvcgCbTP8KVzM3YmPAXPiXh8pNwIAC37G-87QXxBTlglwPxkD06MLUO1g3N1TYVRcNiqtSJLxmk74mQNTv1hj_TiiroSrs/s640/Stock-2349.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Creek Waterfalls and Wildflowers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Seeing as this was our last night at the lake, my final goal was to hope for a weather-window which would allow us to climb the cirque above Moon and capture the scene looking down on the lake. I didn't really expect that to happen, but sure enough after some light rains in the afternoon, a few patches of blue started wafting over the mountains. We made a quick decision to postpone dinner and hoofed it up the cirque. Amazingly, we were rewarded for our effort when a five minute window of soft light lit the area with some gorgeous monsoonal clouds backdropping the surrounding mountains. We couldn't believe our good fortune and happily shot away as long as the light obliged. With darker clouds on the horizon, we decided to not to push our luck and made our way back to camp for dinner. What a day!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMkIY4VXtI8I4Cpelo1CY6tlXgutZ7HOifbKBipOegB2pksJYh-kh3BWEopY0f4AdPv70uOH4tfKG9cEJBwlj-W6AfXpVC87GWM3X8P2COLjcFpDbbAr_QdA93MOc1kjUwtzqIL1gPL_c7/s1600/Stock-2345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMkIY4VXtI8I4Cpelo1CY6tlXgutZ7HOifbKBipOegB2pksJYh-kh3BWEopY0f4AdPv70uOH4tfKG9cEJBwlj-W6AfXpVC87GWM3X8P2COLjcFpDbbAr_QdA93MOc1kjUwtzqIL1gPL_c7/s640/Stock-2345.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monsoons Over Moon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The next morning we awoke to the typical clear sky, but we didn't care. We had already got what we came for photographically and just enjoyed the scenery while we packed up for the trek downwards (which sounded awfully good to me after the hellish hike up). By the time we reached our camping destination for the evening, it was already spitting rain and the sky was growling. Instead of setting up camp in an oncoming storm, we made the executive decision to just keep going for the trailhead. It sounded good at the time, but after 16 or so miles and over 3600 vertical feet down, I was barely able to walk by the time I saw my beloved Xterra!! The pizza and beer in Durango that evening never tasted so good!<br />
<br />
To see more of my imagery from this trip, click on the link below...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://guy-schmickle.photoshelter.com/gallery/Weminuche-Wilderness-Backpacking-Trip-August-2012/G0000e2Q0NaatBHw/" target="_blank">Moon Lake Backpacking Trip</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com0Moon Lake, Weminuche Wilderness, Colorado, USA37.599816190326464 -107.4732398986816437.549515190326467 -107.55220389868164 37.650117190326462 -107.39427589868164tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-23521734129731717052012-03-26T09:16:00.000-06:002012-03-26T21:54:18.466-06:00Winter's Last Gasp at the Grand CanyonWinter has been almost non-existent in the state of Arizona this year. Granted, Arizona is hardly known for its wintry weather, but the high country in the northern half of the state usually gets its fair share of the white stuff. Well, not this year. After a couple of decent storms before the holidays, a warm and dry pattern set in that pretty much lasted through the entire season. Temperatures remained warm enough that the wildflower bloom (what there was of it) began in February in the southern deserts...much earlier than usual...while the ski areas to the north struggled to remain operational.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcsDp47qdaR3wO_T5_DxYgT14Yht05vNEdxwAid6g7KdGN1JRGVz8FhE7HIsaSVFbXH4nlKPLSPw8WeX2rt1xPv0eNss_MiSDB5JO6UYafvZN3PHkwIn5x665DoMR1DpwJayR0n11ARp7/s1600/Stock-2248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcsDp47qdaR3wO_T5_DxYgT14Yht05vNEdxwAid6g7KdGN1JRGVz8FhE7HIsaSVFbXH4nlKPLSPw8WeX2rt1xPv0eNss_MiSDB5JO6UYafvZN3PHkwIn5x665DoMR1DpwJayR0n11ARp7/s640/Stock-2248.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">February poppies in the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Well all that changed when, on the last two days of the official winter season, mother nature decided to throw a doozy of a storm at the state. This resulted in lots of badly needed rain in the lower elevation deserts, while the northern half of the state got nailed with a good ol' fashion snowstorm. It was about freakin' time!<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
When I heard that the storm was heading our way, I decided to concentrate my efforts towards photographing the wintry scenes at the south rim of the Grand Canyon (the north rim is closed this time of year, so it was not an option). I had tried this once before last winter and came away disappointed...mostly due to my ill-founded plan to drive out there shortly after the storm let up to take in and photograph the wintry conditions. Being a newcomer to the area, I hadn't yet realized that Arizona's Dept. of Transportation commonly shut down the main roads between Sedona and all points north during major winter storms. By the time those roads re-opened and I finally made it to the canyon, I was greeted with mostly clear skies and rapidly melting snow. Definitely not what I had hoped for!<br />
<br />
This time around I vowed to drive up to the south rim before the snow began and hunker down in the nearby town of Tusayan while the storm raged. This worked out perfectly as I woke up the following morning to nearly a foot of freshly fallen snow coating everything in sight. Woo hoo!! The forecast had the storm continuing on throughout the day with little visibility, but I wasn't about to believe that as it's been my experience that storms break up much earlier than what those highly paid weathermen predict. So when I drove to the canyon that morning, I was wasn't overly surprised to see that the storm was already breaking. Time to get to work!!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHmdwKNjY0XkKdb98pe3GlNdWjjiMa0qVJF1VDgQruk2VTU2Dmqvq5QRUzVjIVtcbdrLgcrDvHqDGSACLcCVSjw5w4AWgxi8ROeQsauTzVhoZRtU_PMKh1XOkuzTXdPCdksZtFLX03xiP/s1600/Stock-2286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHmdwKNjY0XkKdb98pe3GlNdWjjiMa0qVJF1VDgQruk2VTU2Dmqvq5QRUzVjIVtcbdrLgcrDvHqDGSACLcCVSjw5w4AWgxi8ROeQsauTzVhoZRtU_PMKh1XOkuzTXdPCdksZtFLX03xiP/s640/Stock-2286.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wintry morning along the rim trail near Yaki Point</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Over the next couple of days, the wintry weather continued with brief periods of snow (sometimes heavy) followed by breaks where the clouds would slowly lift to the reveal the snow filled canyon (at least in its upper reaches). I was like a kid in a candy store driving from overlook to overlook and hiking along the rim trail in search of compositions to do the wintry landscape justice.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XNMF8ONCdMwz8RQMr19VR1MbiQ1we7vekfy17t5SsiFlsugGImJXAoq9ckP7_FqYbmsfppeKyz4S9Yrf9gfA6cBVxTc_ewUIJGdMaGwAcJoFFMsWtcm3kkOwJbDfOFh3KEKQcPTQzwca/s1600/Stock-2287.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XNMF8ONCdMwz8RQMr19VR1MbiQ1we7vekfy17t5SsiFlsugGImJXAoq9ckP7_FqYbmsfppeKyz4S9Yrf9gfA6cBVxTc_ewUIJGdMaGwAcJoFFMsWtcm3kkOwJbDfOFh3KEKQcPTQzwca/s640/Stock-2287.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A passing snow squall viewed along the rim trail near Yavapai Point</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It all ended after the second day where I was treated to some nice late day light while the last of the snow squalls were making their way across the canyon's north rim. It was quite breathtaking, to say the least. The next morning I awoke to a clear sky and chilly 4 degree temps, but I didn't care. I had already got what I came for and giddily made my way back home knowing that I finally captured the type of Grand Canyon images I had been visualizing for a while now. To top it all off, the following day was spent basking on a pontoon with friends at Canyon Lake (near Phoenix) under warm sunshine and mid 70 degree temperatures. Not a bad way to warm the bones after a few days of wintry shooting. Gotta love springtime in Arizona!!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwD72TmIK1J-O8q320JrRY5-eGZ3qffWZ3qZgdyaD1wPBYGnZo6SErnQvpMK0N97ajARVq6lFe18l69vngCa183DWwztH1g3N354DatZrhwkUl9BNnOX1fToIgnza_g20C4TlBvDVjFzQo/s1600/Stock-2285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwD72TmIK1J-O8q320JrRY5-eGZ3qffWZ3qZgdyaD1wPBYGnZo6SErnQvpMK0N97ajARVq6lFe18l69vngCa183DWwztH1g3N354DatZrhwkUl9BNnOX1fToIgnza_g20C4TlBvDVjFzQo/s640/Stock-2285.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Light on Shiva and Isis Temples</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To see more wintry images of the Grand Canyon, feel free to click on the link below. Thanks for looking!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://guy-schmickle.photoshelter.com/gallery/Grand-Canyon-Winter-Storm-March-2012/G0000kH3WhDLd1c4/" target="_blank">Grand Canyon Winter Storm Gallery</a>Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-88048408453471251972012-02-06T08:29:00.001-07:002012-03-26T20:18:06.953-06:00Newly Designed Website Has Gone Live!After many long days and nights working on it, I've finally decided to unveil
my newly designed Explore The Light website. For years I've been utilizing Smugmug as my behind the scenes ecommerce hosting platform for my ever growing image library. For the most part, I'd been pretty happy with Smugmug's service, but it had a couple of major flaws that have been eating at me for the last year or so and finally got the best of me.<br />
<br />
First was its less-than-robust search mechanism. Search strings entered had to match an image keyword exactly or no results would be returned. Also, strings in an image's description field were not included in such searches. I had a number of clients express frustration with the trouble they'd had finding images and who knows how many potential clients were lost when they couldn't find what they were looking for and moved on. With an online image collection of over 2000 images (and growing) on my site, the need for a robust search mechanism has become more and more critical.<br />
<br />
Secondly (and of even more importance) is that I wanted to move to a business model where all my online print orders are self-fulfilled. That is, whenever a customer places an order through the site's cart system and checks out, the order would come directly to me and I'd print and send it out myself. While Smugmug provides an excellent cart system with their service, it's only available if you utilize one of their third party printers and they've shown no sign over the years of offering a self-fulfillment option (despite many requests for it). Sure, I could eliminate the cart system and require orders to be placed via email, but I want a more professional ordering interface (and I'm sure potential customers do too!). <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4nH-ssgEo9h6yAdCTf-2QpNtfB8CWJ4aUyjhaSkX9C64zA2KwqeX9kHUNLQEU3DzAu1I3KMv8wPtc3BZreaapJidjpzpaNyEhuf1OQV0rxAVdX5NaZ4N_ZDSukchZ38RNA2Xl45Sq0Hl/s1600/ELTWebsite-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4nH-ssgEo9h6yAdCTf-2QpNtfB8CWJ4aUyjhaSkX9C64zA2KwqeX9kHUNLQEU3DzAu1I3KMv8wPtc3BZreaapJidjpzpaNyEhuf1OQV0rxAVdX5NaZ4N_ZDSukchZ38RNA2Xl45Sq0Hl/s640/ELTWebsite-web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The New Look!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
So enter PhotoShelter...I've been eyeing their service for a couple of years now and always dismissed it as being too expensive. However, in the end, they provide the key services I've mentioned above and a deeper look showed that they took less of a cut per sale than Smugmug and I'd also be saving money by eliminating third party printers from the equation. Throw in their well-regarded SEO practices (search engine optimization...which makes your images more visible to search engines such as google) and, in my opinion, more professional-looking design templates (which are customizable as well) and I decided it was time to make the switch. <br />
<br />
So without further ado...please have a look at my newly designed site. I'd love to hear any comments (good or bad) as I continue to make tweaks. Content-wise, I still have a ways to go before my entire library is uploaded, but most of what remains are what I consider second tier stock images.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/" target="_blank">www.explorethelightphotography.com</a>Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-3399417708199484302011-12-06T08:07:00.001-07:002012-03-26T20:18:30.569-06:00Software Review: FastPictureViewer ProfessionalI recently scored a nice Black Friday deal on a shiny, new <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Acer-AO722-0473-11-6-Inch-Netbook-Espresso/dp/B005J2E2US/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1323183113&sr=8-2" target="_blank">Acer Aspire One A0722 netbook</a>, in part to be used for image storage/backup on photo trips. An important piece of functionality I wanted this netbook to have was the ability to quickly browse any raw images stored on it. After much research of both free and not-so-free software packages, I settled on the <a href="http://www.fastpictureviewer.com/" target="_blank">FastPictureViewer Professional</a> image viewer. It isn't free...it isn't even cheap, but it really excels in the areas I need it to. That is, it speedily allows me to flip through images stored on my not-so-high-powered netbook. So far, this combination has been so much better than my Epson Viewer (my current storage/backup device in the field) that I doubt I'll utilize that much anymore.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7s6ZhVWfkXjiro_3cbImSGdGfbNBV028FWfVhMrxU3fdc7o7YNirrw8x_mapmuM2a05nCH7z14XcHvpc400jRCb3E7mSb4JxNjBVoSh5fA4SGTrE-Qdo1ldWjmP6Ylcb0oToXsqmiT2V/s1600/FastPictureViewer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7s6ZhVWfkXjiro_3cbImSGdGfbNBV028FWfVhMrxU3fdc7o7YNirrw8x_mapmuM2a05nCH7z14XcHvpc400jRCb3E7mSb4JxNjBVoSh5fA4SGTrE-Qdo1ldWjmP6Ylcb0oToXsqmiT2V/s640/FastPictureViewer.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FastPictureViewer Profession v1.6 screen snapshot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For those looking for both a fast viewer combined with at least a basic image processing component...your search continues. I wasn't, as I don't have any desire to process images on a uncalibrated netbook screen anyway. That's a task that's always reserved for my workhorse desktop PC back in the office where Lightroom and Photoshop reign supreme. FastPictureViewer is special purposed as a speedy viewer that I find extremely useful for the following reasons...<br />
<br />
1. It views most major raw formats (important because I own more than one manufacturer's camera)<br />
2. One can quickly check for critical sharpness at 100% view.<br />
3. There's full time access to histogram and exif information (which can be quickly toggled on and off).<br />
4. It shows images in all subfolders when a folder is opened. <br />
5. There's easy culling out of rejects or copying of keepers to a separate folder.<br />
6. Quick rating and adding IPTC data to images (I don't know if I'll utilize this personally, but it's there). <br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
So essentially, the combination of my new netbook with FastPictureViewer Pro is making a welcome change to my in-the-field workflow. I'll now be able to more readily maintain a keeper folder on my netbook that I can continually add to when reviewing images during the down time in my travels. Then when I return home, I simply copy this keeper folder over to my main desktop PC via my wireless, file sharing network and I'm ready to import into Lightroom and begin my usual workflow. Pretty darned slick! Ok...this is probably similar to what better organized photographers have been doing for a while now, but I'm sometimes slow adopting new processes into my workflow so it's cool to me.<br />
<br />
Ok...enough of all the glowing accolades, I should also point out some of FastPictureViewer's faults as it's hardly perfect software (what software is?). As mentioned earlier, there's no options for image processing whatsoever. If you want to edit in the field, look elsewhere. Also, the drop down filmstrip of your folder's images can be somewhat clunky and annoying (sometimes it doesn't immediately appear or go away when it should during mouseovers). Finally, the software is kind of expensive for what you get. It's being offered at 20% off right now, but still costs $40. That's a little pricey for its feature set IMO. However, if ya got to have it...ya got to have it!!<br />
<br />
I'm sure as time goes by, I'm going to discover other little features here and there that I wish were present. However, I won't complain too much as it's core functionality really addresses my basic needs well. There's a one month free trial period so feel free to give a whirl to see if it suits you. It may not fit everyone's needs (especially for the $40 price tag), but I'm going to find it indispensable during my travels.Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-43079422573325921282011-11-21T20:06:00.001-07:002011-11-22T09:15:31.210-07:00Holidaze Print Sale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BtHSs7Y3PuZi8Fh3AlngCr7D4LeDa1DZp5CoOTIRLO8NXdejvuybsYD9uXX4rGxE9M97YSheW-BP6YYRQ3paf-L0PfTXwt_urmoFlhs2oeNM7a_SS4dXySa1MN0z2UozZjG0F35hORad/s1600/HolidayGraphic1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BtHSs7Y3PuZi8Fh3AlngCr7D4LeDa1DZp5CoOTIRLO8NXdejvuybsYD9uXX4rGxE9M97YSheW-BP6YYRQ3paf-L0PfTXwt_urmoFlhs2oeNM7a_SS4dXySa1MN0z2UozZjG0F35hORad/s1600/HolidayGraphic1.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Would you like to give a unique gift to a nature loving special friend or family member this holiday season? Or are you looking for an excuse to give yourself a well deserved gift for the holidays? How about a crisp, vibrant print from one of any number of spectacular locations in the Desert Southwest or Rocky Mountains? Well, you're in luck as I've decided to have my own Black Friday sale this year on my Explore The Light website. Only I've extended Black Friday all the way to Christmas Day! What this all means is that there will be a 20% discount on all unframed prints ordered through my site from November 25 through December 25. Just enter coupon code <b>ETL4Holidaze</b> when checking out your order. Pretty darned easy! And if you ask nicely, I may also extend this to any ColorBox mount order as well! This is my way of thanking customers and followers of my work for their past support. I appreciate it very, very much!Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-53997042374521198682011-11-17T11:01:00.001-07:002011-11-17T11:11:32.962-07:00Also Follow Me On Google+You can now follow my crazy antics over at Google+ (Google's answer to Facebook's social networking site). Ok...maybe my antics aren't all that crazy...maybe not even interesting...but I'm there nonetheless! So you may ask why Google+ and not Facebook? Well, I don't have a good answer for that. I already have a personal Facebook page that I rarely ever tend to and I wanted to start over fresh with a more business related page dedicated to photography. So I decided Google+ would provide me that fresh start.<br />
<br />
Anyway, you can link to my Google+ page by clicking on the gadget over on the right hand side of this blog or simply follow <a href="https://plus.google.com/100398739506184516481/posts">this link</a>. While I still intend to post major announcements and events here, more of the day-to-day stuff will be posted over there. Hopefully you find it worthy of checking out periodically!Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-47372984360779164822011-08-31T20:34:00.001-06:002011-08-31T20:36:03.298-06:00Finalized Art Show Schedule For 2011Hey all! I just recently put the finishing touches on my 2011 Arizona art show schedule so I thought I'd take a brief moment to share. It all kicks off this Labor Day weekend when I'll be showing my work at the Flagstaff Art In The Park festival. My complete schedule for the remainder of the year looks as follows...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flagstaffartinthepark.com/">Flagstaff Art In The Park</a> - Sept 3-5<br />
<a href="http://www.sedonaartsfestival.org/">Sedona Arts Festival</a> - Oct 8-9<br />
<a href="http://www.888artfest.com/art-shows/arizona/artfest-of-scottsdale-2011">Artfest Of Scottsdale</a> - Nov 19-20<br />
<a href="http://www.bellrockartshows.com/">Bell Rock Art Show</a> (Village Of Oak Creek) - Dec 17-18<br />
<br />
I hope any fans of my work living in or visiting any of the above locations during the listed time frames can stop by my booth and say hello! My work on display ranges anywhere from 8x10 matted prints to 30x45 canvas and metal prints. The metal prints, in particular, have to be seen to believe!<br />
<br />
Hope to see you there! Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-44892908580718644532011-08-08T14:33:00.003-06:002012-03-26T20:19:05.556-06:00San Juan Mountain WildflowersI recently returned from my annual pilgrimmage to the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado to hike, photograph, and just generally enjoy this year's wildflower spectacle. This year I was accompanied by friend, and fellow photographer, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/flowersphotography/">Steve Flowers</a> from the Phoenix area. Steve and I have hooked up on a few adventures now and I couldn't have asked for a better companion on this trip. We both ticked off a couple of entries from our photographic "bucket list" when we decided we'd do a couple of short backpacking trips...the first in the Sneffels Wilderness to take in the incredibly scenic Blue Lakes area and the second to the renowned wildflower hotbed that is Ice Lake Basin near Silverton. Both of these trips were to be done as two night base camps incorporating hikes to the surrounding scenic locations for our morning and evening shoots. <br />
<br />
Of course, one can't talk about hiking and photographing in these mountains during monsoon season without bringing up the weather. In short, it was cool, wet and altogether unpredictable...exactly what we were expecting! It rained every day on the trip with the exception of the day we drove in. I guess it was nice that we were able to ease into the trip with a nice dry camp near the Blue Lakes trailhead that first night. The clear sky, calm winds and rushing waters of the East Fork of Dallas Creek created a sense of calm that we wouldn't often get to experience for the remainder of the trip.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6QGNWFZfFS94AasuES6Jnu9RmH6rPxsLEtkTo8lVbkMbEixKgbe0fXiiC3FaHpkB7cHAg3Lym5DwRPK_BRPDRY_sac4_O-gqFj987bwoF1Uhbc09TIIp0dbaqQL2QE3lwIeN9FLooDjv/s1600/Stock-2100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6QGNWFZfFS94AasuES6Jnu9RmH6rPxsLEtkTo8lVbkMbEixKgbe0fXiiC3FaHpkB7cHAg3Lym5DwRPK_BRPDRY_sac4_O-gqFj987bwoF1Uhbc09TIIp0dbaqQL2QE3lwIeN9FLooDjv/s640/Stock-2100.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">East Fork of Dallas Creek about 10 feet from my tent...sweet!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The first morning started just about the same way as any other backpacking trip has for me. I get everything ready, pack my gear into the backpack and hoist it on my shoulders to see how it feels. Hmmm....kinda heavy!! Damn that camera gear! Then I get on the trail and start up the first of many steep uphill sections...holy crap! I'm huffing and puffing and the air I'm breathing seems like it has to be every bit as thin as what Everest climbers experience near the summit. Through all my heavy breathing I'm trying to think of how to tell Steve what a stupid idea this was and that I was heading back to Ridgway in search of a good, stiff Bloody Mary!<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
Fortunately, before those words ever came to fruition, I started to catch my breath and get into a rhythm. I was still sucking wind, but it was getting more and more manageable. Before I knew it, we'd crossed into the wilderness boundary and the worst of the climbs were behind us. When we caught the first glimpse of Lower Blue Lake, I knew I'd made the right choice in eschewing that Bloody Mary. The appropriately named lake was an incredible turquoise blue, similar to lakes I'd seen in Canada's Banff National Park years ago. After a short period of oohing and ahhing over the lake we set up camp, had some lunch and relaxed a bit before heading out to investigate our surroundings. <br />
<br />
<br />
Our goal that evening was to day hike to the rest of the lakes above us (Middle and Upper Blue Lake) and figure out which would work best for a sunset shoot. At first, it didn't look like we would be going anywhere as mid-afternoon thunderstorms rolled in and threatened to foil our plans. Fortunately, they petered out as quickly as they developed and after an early dinner we headed up the mountain. Neither of us were at all acclimated yet so it was a slow trudge upwards, even though all we were carrying was water and camera gear. However, the drop-dead gorgeous scenery helped to keep our minds off our physical woes a bit until we reached Middle Blue Lake and, shortly thereafter, Upper Blue Lake. The tundra setting surrounding these lakes was nothing short of astonishing, particularly all the wildflowers enveloping Upper Blue Lake. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't all that cooperative as it was somewhat windy and mostly cloudy. So for the next couple of hours Steve and I scouted out the area and enjoyed the company of the inquisitive marmots (which kept approaching within feet of us whenever we stood still or sat down for long periods of time).<br />
<br />
Finally, about a half hour before sunset the winds subsided for a brief period and the sun magically lit the landscape allowing us an opportunity to photograph the upper lake. It didn't last long, but I was grateful for the chance to come away with a few decent images up there. It was the perfect end to a long first day in the backcountry.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjArhJerlJExw2Yn4T5tI8QPzYwJz5YhtwcN5CiQQWgb_6-J-O5_mrGs9f4jJDj2u3uHrcDv05C_Pq7uTQZViyBklizaaNEQevZa-3jworNlSBxgaiAOok3tbFamYo__ANmKGINg22DEcUG/s1600/Stock-2078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjArhJerlJExw2Yn4T5tI8QPzYwJz5YhtwcN5CiQQWgb_6-J-O5_mrGs9f4jJDj2u3uHrcDv05C_Pq7uTQZViyBklizaaNEQevZa-3jworNlSBxgaiAOok3tbFamYo__ANmKGINg22DEcUG/s640/Stock-2078.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Upper Blue Lake in the Sneffels Wilderness</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next morning our plan was to return to Middle Blue Lake with the hopes of shooting the sunrise with one one of the dominant peaks in the area reflected in the lake. We had scouted this scene the night before and both agreed it could make for a killer image. Unfortunately, mother nature had other plans...when I came out of my tent for our 4:30am wake-up call, it was clear and windy. Hardly worth the effort to hike back up to the lake. Instead, we crashed back into our tents for a quick catnap and tried our hand at shooting the lower lake at sunrise. While nothing great photographically came from it, I did encounter a composition that I hoped to revisit with (hopefully) better conditions the next morning. <br />
<br />
After a leisurely breakfast and other assorted camp duties were complete, we decided to hike back up to the ridge close to the middle lake. There were several excellent overlooks down to the lower lake along the way with many wildflower fields spicing up the scene. With the lower lake in full sunshine, its turquoise color really popped and made for many stellar mid morning photographs.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipxB6AD5uNzUHqrbYLYIK2MNgueL4w8mkXQjr9m5T7a1Yd_G0kOZwi9BSyz2KUGXvcJZcxqFKkbtKsUNDEaMPFvozgSUwuLjcFUF5dqTrMMBVxOLOeGVDlbmn9xT6vkoTAV2u-V6rrORmw/s1600/Stock-2085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipxB6AD5uNzUHqrbYLYIK2MNgueL4w8mkXQjr9m5T7a1Yd_G0kOZwi9BSyz2KUGXvcJZcxqFKkbtKsUNDEaMPFvozgSUwuLjcFUF5dqTrMMBVxOLOeGVDlbmn9xT6vkoTAV2u-V6rrORmw/s640/Stock-2085.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lower Blue Lake From Above</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On the way back to camp, Steve took an alternative route and found an exquisite waterfall hidden in the trees. Since it was sunny at the time, we made a mental note to return later and continued on. By the time we returned and had some lunch, it was starting to cloud up in preparation for more afternoon storms. We took advantage of the cloudy period by shooting some of the nearby creek scenery (the East Fork of Dallas Creek passed right by our camp) and some more intimate wildflower scenes in the meadow between out tents and the lower lake. There was certainly no shortage of subjects, which was really nice. I even returned to waterfall Steve had found earlier to shoot it (Steve was too tired to trudge back up the hill...understandably). All in all, it was very productive afternoon of shooting.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1PA_bbrRZ36U3CMdd2VU0bvA5C_Y2JtaWGc4JhidvKKBnMFeOG7HkxxxFT5AiGAwHP3TsPjHzFvMVD7qIDdaE9vhEMzzuoTXxMc9cJl1whBAZQLvHqydZPD_X71uNEsrdOMDokYk6vNqT/s1600/Stock-2083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1PA_bbrRZ36U3CMdd2VU0bvA5C_Y2JtaWGc4JhidvKKBnMFeOG7HkxxxFT5AiGAwHP3TsPjHzFvMVD7qIDdaE9vhEMzzuoTXxMc9cJl1whBAZQLvHqydZPD_X71uNEsrdOMDokYk6vNqT/s640/Stock-2083.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waterfall Along The East Fork of Dallas Creek</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Unfortunately, that would be the end of our shooting for the day. Once the storms rolled in, they hung on right until sunset. Such is life in the mountains. All you can do is wait it out and hope for something better the next day.<br />
<br />
And, boy oh boy, did mother nature ever throw us a bone the following morning! When I peaked out of my tent about 45 minutes before sunrise to see a fairly clear sky to the east with tons of cool clouds hanging over the surrounding mountains, I began to salivate! I hopped out of the tent, informed Steve of our luck, and quickly gathered up the camera gear and made my way over to the location I had scouted out the previous morning. The wait was excruciating, but when the sky lit up I was like a kid in a candy store shooting that scene and many others until the light finally became too harsh. It was an exhilirating morning and a perfect end to this segment of the trip. We leisurely packed up our rather soggy camp and headed back down to the trailhead...grinning all the way!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtHA6q-0fyiW20xx2hP6fh-uf2sKwuuex2fmuaEGbW0w7iPnclMqflN7C9fNIcM0YRmVa73FXYqvebMLmmDDqjaA0oiWaD4HmirNrPOrMAOvcqaXg6M-qTj8Fts73Bkf5LVH3UQYIBOGN/s1600/Stock-2077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtHA6q-0fyiW20xx2hP6fh-uf2sKwuuex2fmuaEGbW0w7iPnclMqflN7C9fNIcM0YRmVa73FXYqvebMLmmDDqjaA0oiWaD4HmirNrPOrMAOvcqaXg6M-qTj8Fts73Bkf5LVH3UQYIBOGN/s640/Stock-2077.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise in the Sneffels Wilderness</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We actually decided to forgo camping the following night in order to both clean up and dry out our gear after the previous nights' thunderstorms. We found a hotel in Silverton and rejuvenated our bodies with restaurant food and a few beers....ahhh! We were ready for round two at Ice Lakes Basin in the morning.<br />
<br />
When I awoke the next morning and poked my head out of the hotel window, I was stunned by what I saw. It had rained for a good part of the night (neither of us heard it through our deep slumber) and now there were low hanging clouds and fog all over the mountains. It was an incredible view to see and had we stuck to our plan to camp out, we would've undoubtably come away with some spectacular images. After a brief period of kicking myself, we packed up and headed out to the Ice Lake Basin trailhead. Steve was trying to be the voice of reason, explaining that we would've had to trudge heavy, wet gear up the trail had we camped overnight. He had a good point, but it still hurt leaving such good photographic opportunities by the wayside. I continued to grumble to myself all the way to the trailhead, until the task at hand finally diverted my attention.<br />
<br />
Ice Lake Basin is actually a beautiful two-tiered basin found in the Silverton West subrange of the San Juan Mountains. The lower basin is below treeline at ~11,500', while the upper basin resides in the tundra at ~12,300' and is peppered with three lakes and a number of small tarns. A huge escarpment separates the two with many waterfalls raining down from the upper basin. It is quite a sight to behold! Both basins are covered in wildflowers from late July through early August. <br />
<br />
For me, it was this area that lured me back to the San Juans this summer. Yes, the Blue Lakes were beautiful and a worthy destination in and of themselves. However, I'd been dying to see Ice Lake Basin ever since I moved to Colorado 4 years ago and, due to either injuries or conflicting activities, I'd yet to make it there. As I hoisted my backpack on my shoulders at the trailhead, a real sense of anticipation came over me. Of course, that anticipation waned a bit when we hit the first set of switchbacks! As steep as the Blue Lake hike was...this was worse. Fortunately, the former trip served as a good warmup, and while it was still a struggle to make our way skywards, I didn't feel as bad as I did the first time around. We arrived all sweaty and out of breath at the lower basin only to find that all the campsites we were interested in were already in use. By this time we at the base of the escarpment leading to the upper basin. It was at this point that Steve pulled a Cliff bar out of his pack and proclaimed that we should split it (for the energy) and continue on to the upper basin and camp. It was an iffy proposition as the sky was already graying up and the thought of being exposed to thunderstorms on the tundra was not very inviting at all. However, the thought of climbing up the steep and rocky escarpment in the wee hours of the morning (for each of the two mornings we'd want to shoot sunrise) didn't appeal to me either. I simply nodded and we continued on.<br />
<br />
Upon arriving to the upper basin, two feelings swept over me. The first was a feeling of elation that I'd finally made it and am now seeing it with my own eyes. The second was a feeling of mild panic upon seeing all the gray clouds heading our way and realizing that we'd need to find a place to set up our camp in a hurry. Fortunately, the weather was able to hold until we did so. As soon as I stowed the last of my gear in the tent, the rain started. The remainder of the day was to consist of gray skies with on and off rain showers...heavy at times. But at least we were able to get out of our tents for periods of time and there was no lightning. We accomplished next to nothing photographically on this day and just resigned ourselves to wait until morning. We tried to do a bit of scouting, but felt we couldn't venture too far from the tents as the next wave of weather was never too far away.<br />
<br />
When morning came, I held my breath as I first peaked outside the tent. I looked up and saw clouds everywhere. Then I looked to the east and saw a bit of clearing on the horizon where the sun would be rising. Woo hoo! We popped out of our tents and made our way a very short distance to a tarn that offered the best chance of a reflection of the jagged peaks surrounding the basin. It was the classic shot that most photographers take when they come here, but that was fine with us given our lack of time to scout for anything better (or different anyway). It was truly a magnificent sight when the first light turned those peaks blood red. We were in heaven and clicking away!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGG0ZJ21XGxRNIlCToeTKXtBMj3959Sah_ci6N685pGi6_AgeFpglEyuVDzJyDaiOevXnXEJ47lUVvhTA_LTSBH0QPrYCFGaZWqEGwNJ2yeNR8ui-DULQRpzcWrG6SrO3SpHHzKndz5yzV/s1600/Stock-2075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="465" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGG0ZJ21XGxRNIlCToeTKXtBMj3959Sah_ci6N685pGi6_AgeFpglEyuVDzJyDaiOevXnXEJ47lUVvhTA_LTSBH0QPrYCFGaZWqEGwNJ2yeNR8ui-DULQRpzcWrG6SrO3SpHHzKndz5yzV/s640/Stock-2075.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Upper Ice Lake Basin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
After shooting around the tarn and our camp for a while, we regrouped with breakfast and plotted out our strategy for the rest of the day. The weather kept improving so I suggested to Steve that we hike out to Island Lake for a mid morning shoot. We were both very keen on shooting this turquoise colored lake (similar to Lower Blue Lake) and mid morning seemed the best time to get it done as the sun would be lighting the entire neighboring basin it resided in. It turned out to be a fantastic outing as the scenery didn't disappoint and we were treated to a beautiful sky filled with interesting high clouds all morning. I could've stayed all day, but the writing was on the wall when we looked back towards camp and saw rather large thunderheads starting to blossom to the south. It was time to go!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqa6pI2wGmxExLKsq_bMrqSzM7-1ea6WoMgQqif1j-qx1DQE5fI3oBpDmVZ1XM2Qpf1wXqZc2GUgv0_HjVp35_Mkfch0bpwzkDrZI7ydjs87KXir1KTvZo-V3t6GvkiKxm47gcC1dvVB_/s1600/Stock-2076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqa6pI2wGmxExLKsq_bMrqSzM7-1ea6WoMgQqif1j-qx1DQE5fI3oBpDmVZ1XM2Qpf1wXqZc2GUgv0_HjVp35_Mkfch0bpwzkDrZI7ydjs87KXir1KTvZo-V3t6GvkiKxm47gcC1dvVB_/s640/Stock-2076.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Island Lake and Ulysses S. Grant Peak</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The rest of the day the weather pretty much deteriorated. Heavy rains with on and off thunder ruled the day. On the few occasions we were able to get out of our tents, we felt like drowned rats. Often the fog and low clouds were so thick that we couldn't see the mountains above us or the lower basin below. The boredom factor was very high! Finally, about a hour before sunset, the rains finally let up for the evening. Wearing every bit of clothing we brought with us, Steve and I took a walk in the gray, cold, and damp basin. We both eluded to how nice it would be to get back to civilization the next morning. Another day like this and we'd both be ready for the nut farm! Just as we finished with that thought I noticed a bit of lightness forming behind Pilot Knob, a prominent peak just to our west. A few minutes later we began to see some faint light on the hillsides to our east. We quickly made our way back to camp to dig out our stowed camera gear and made a beeline toward the edge of the escarpment looking down on the lower basin and the peaks toward Silverton. What ensued was a fantastic few moments of light just before and after sunset. It was difficult light to do photographic justice with on such short notice, but we didn't care. We were just glad to see it after the doom and gloom of the day.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_Pb5zChksY_Bd_w6thnFzsYmAtTRU3ULfiBHZLtA6T66GRbuOSYAe8lM-dY-mt49mkMk69th9lNPrR1CqbGRF-gIUdMbmTsOf6a96SBRdAVwsJP_hGEHHBPk5sSCoK544fM1MvSTZAtW/s1600/Stock-2089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_Pb5zChksY_Bd_w6thnFzsYmAtTRU3ULfiBHZLtA6T66GRbuOSYAe8lM-dY-mt49mkMk69th9lNPrR1CqbGRF-gIUdMbmTsOf6a96SBRdAVwsJP_hGEHHBPk5sSCoK544fM1MvSTZAtW/s640/Stock-2089.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset Over Lower Ice Lake Basin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next day was actually rather uneventful shooting wise. The morning greeted us clear and cold (with a bit of frost on the tents), and we did our best to make something of it. Upon returning to camp we started the long process of drying everything out before packing it away for the trip down. The clear and now warmer mid morning conditions made for a very relaxing and enjoyable hike back down to the trailhead. Upon returning to civilization, we checked in with the forecast and found that the monsoonal pattern was expected to intensify over the next couple of days. Intensify?? Really?? We had given ourselves an extra day or two for additional shooting at this point, but the pull of the warm desert was quickly winning us over. It was time to go home!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsa4sPhGIv7GUUZ-GGHsMtMHM73AR2gf6XEGGT5HhwcFyK6Q46cZOlbTb6DLD6c-_wT63InrqyMD2qfDMvkUSzQ7APkzwJeyMt7QMvOKOuF0Rr4DxuusMkZ4C6QJEHCfe1CnwLSlVfHZW/s1600/Stock-2098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsa4sPhGIv7GUUZ-GGHsMtMHM73AR2gf6XEGGT5HhwcFyK6Q46cZOlbTb6DLD6c-_wT63InrqyMD2qfDMvkUSzQ7APkzwJeyMt7QMvOKOuF0Rr4DxuusMkZ4C6QJEHCfe1CnwLSlVfHZW/s640/Stock-2098.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice Lake Reflection</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To see additional images from this trip, click on the link below...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Travel/Summer-in-the-San-Juans-2011/18403698_JvXMCt">Summer in the San Juan Mountains</a>Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-9908515220032431242011-06-22T13:36:00.006-06:002012-03-26T20:19:56.157-06:00Spring In The San Juans - Art Show In FlagstaffI recently returned from a week long trip to the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado. The purpose of the trip wasn't actually photography driven this time. It was more of an anniversary trip for my wife and I as we were married out in Durango Mountain Resort three years ago. Of course, there was no way I was going to keep my camera in the bag over the entire week so I judiciously picked my moments in order to stay in the good graces of my better half!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs80E_K5XOBhDi0H0ikJSmU57dTzpIB9skRKkbJRYZkKnBDOsqw6t0n-tqMadOF3Bq8UImz0gkZdz-QJ5w5Hi6XkZ9SHP7qY2kDwGilkbsaR7939gBLLQFwK7p_Bvs4n2-JCRTxl_S0-UQ/s1600/Stock-2044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs80E_K5XOBhDi0H0ikJSmU57dTzpIB9skRKkbJRYZkKnBDOsqw6t0n-tqMadOF3Bq8UImz0gkZdz-QJ5w5Hi6XkZ9SHP7qY2kDwGilkbsaR7939gBLLQFwK7p_Bvs4n2-JCRTxl_S0-UQ/s640/Stock-2044.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wilson Peak Framed - Alta Ghost Town near Telluride</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
It helped, for the most part, that the weather conditions during most of our stay were better suited for activities other than photography. Windy and clear conditions ruled for most of the week and I held my photography addiction in check fairly well as we hiked, rode horseback and visited with friends in the Durango area.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdCac9G5hLJ1KAEpHjDgMHDJWTSeQ6lTqKbFh6huEn6DGDTbVaCmGrHMotSPJXyxIQFAiYPBkZmLi004JsZDalfLTFy1F2Cpmu3fsZJ5_EuNtxOPpSPBsivnSwF7FT5Ghe6x6vj-keDqg/s1600/Stock-2049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdCac9G5hLJ1KAEpHjDgMHDJWTSeQ6lTqKbFh6huEn6DGDTbVaCmGrHMotSPJXyxIQFAiYPBkZmLi004JsZDalfLTFy1F2Cpmu3fsZJ5_EuNtxOPpSPBsivnSwF7FT5Ghe6x6vj-keDqg/s640/Stock-2049.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horseback Riders at Boyce Lake - Near Durango Mountain Resort</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
That all changed near the end of our trip when we headed up towards Ridgway in the northern section of the San Juans. There I was treated to a morning of spectacular conditions along the Sneffels subrange. Leaving my wife to sleep in, I headed up county road 5 out of Ridgway towards the 13-14,000 ft. peaks that dominate the skyline in the area. It was peak wildflower time in the lower elevations and I knew right where a meadow filled with lupine would most likely be. Weather conditions were also perfect as the sky was clear in the east for the rising sun while post storm clouds from the prior evening continued to linger over the peaks. Finally, the frosting on the cake was that many late season snows have kept the peaks snowcapped very late into the spring. I couldn't have asked for more perfect conditions and my oh-dark-thirty wakeup time was rewarded with a fantastic sunrise and stellar shooting conditions all through the early morning hours. What a way to cap off a trip!!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zE80hH8mTaonPexd9HThXOzza5EHcG8jKoje0aVwWvA5WuuYGPVKxZzZbDdDYSN8QZNUJOKygAsN7q95qZnBRm1cMjuZOQ8oNhDs4x_y_PMxTOwAAoOovjw4bJaMTR-0CuIK3Yx9xRTY/s1600/Stock-2039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zE80hH8mTaonPexd9HThXOzza5EHcG8jKoje0aVwWvA5WuuYGPVKxZzZbDdDYSN8QZNUJOKygAsN7q95qZnBRm1cMjuZOQ8oNhDs4x_y_PMxTOwAAoOovjw4bJaMTR-0CuIK3Yx9xRTY/s640/Stock-2039.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring Sunrise Along The Sneffels Range</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To see a handful of other images from this trip, please click on the link below...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Travel/Spring-In-The-San-Juans-2011/17653056_8fp97H">http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Travel/Spring-In-The-San-Juans-2011/17653056_8fp97H</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Upcoming Art Show</b></span><br />
<br />
On a totally unrelated note, I also wanted to announce that I'll be showing/selling my work at the <a href="http://www.flagstaffartinthepark.com/">Flagstaff Art In The Park festival </a>over the fourth of July weekend. Show dates are July 2 - 4. I was very pleased with my first venture into the art show circuit over Memorial weekend and hope for continued success in this upcoming show. I've added a couple of metal prints to my arsenal for this show...that is, images printed right on aluminum with a high gloss finish. The vibrance and luminescence associated with this finish is nothing short of astounding. I've also added a 30x45 canvas triptych print of Havasu Falls to my display. Another must see item! If anyone is in the area over the holiday weekend, I encourage you to drop by my booth and say hi!Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-77510507227135067082011-05-19T09:05:00.000-06:002012-03-26T20:20:11.983-06:00Entering the Art Show Circuit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
One of the reasons for my incredibly busy spring is that I've made the decision to enter the art show circuit this year. I've chosen this route over showing at local area galleries in an effort to both maximize my profits from print sales and to have more control over the marketing of my images. Of course, going this route definitely requires more work and initial expenses over the art gallery option. There's much research to be done to determine how to best display your wares (requiring the purchase of a tent, display walls, bins, etc., etc.) and the building up of an initial inventory. Then there's all the research and uncertainty that goes into which shows you should apply for and the agonizing wait to see if you've been accepted by the jury process. To make matters worse, a beginning artist can not even apply to a show until they have finished creating a show-ready display, complete with inventory, as all art shows require a picture of an artists fully stocked tent display with their application.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvhH5PC2GVQwq4637Cc852gBoJLMNo9NPvxNjz7dKFkrMOi1rR7c00U_L62Z9LKoMpeKVg6T02WsR6i115zRHHo5-XeDmn6c8Q_2m3YBqSWrFvI8NKpgZu5H7TBwjUyS1ap-O_3Y404fx/s1600/P1010022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvhH5PC2GVQwq4637Cc852gBoJLMNo9NPvxNjz7dKFkrMOi1rR7c00U_L62Z9LKoMpeKVg6T02WsR6i115zRHHo5-XeDmn6c8Q_2m3YBqSWrFvI8NKpgZu5H7TBwjUyS1ap-O_3Y404fx/s640/P1010022.jpg" width="508" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Art Show Display</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'm not quite ready to share many of my thoughts and decisions that have gone into preparing for the art show circuit because, quite frankly, I haven't even done a show and have much yet to learn (the school of hard knocks will undoubtably come into play here). Perhaps later in the year I'll discuss this topic after I've had a couple under my belt. What I would like to do now is announce my current show schedule. It is as follows...<br />
<br />
May 28 - 30 (Memorial weekend) - <a href="http://www.bellrockartshows.com/">The Bell Rock Art Show </a>in the Village of Oak Creek, AZ<br />
July 2 - 4 (Fourth of July weekend) - <a href="http://www.flagstaffartinthepark.com/">The Flagstaff Art in the Park Festival</a><br />
October 8 - 9 - <a href="http://www.sedonaartsfestival.org/">The Sedona Arts Festival</a><br />
<br />
I hope to add another show or two to this schedule later in the year and will announce those as I do. But until then, I hope to meet any Arizonans reading this at any of the three shows I've listed. The first show is now less than two weeks away and I can't wait to get started with this new endeavor!Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-75374095357808674832011-05-18T22:28:00.002-06:002012-03-26T20:20:48.023-06:00The Soggy Columbia River GorgeWell, better late than never for this trip report. I spent the better part of five days in late April with Phoenix-based photography buddy, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/flowersphotography/">Steve Flowers</a>, hiking to and photographing the magnificent waterfalls found mostly on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge near Portland. Let me tell you, being the desert dweller that I've become, it was a fantastic change of pace to experience the soggy, neon green filled gorge and its thunderous array of waterfalls. Only in Yosemite have I experienced such a congregation of enormous waterfalls in such a compact area...although the gorge definitely has it beat for sheer numbers.<br />
<br />
The grandaddy of all the falls in the gorge is Multnomah Falls, which is one of the largest year round waterfalls in the U.S. at 620 ft. In the spring, the pure power of the falls is incredible. Photographing it is very problematic though due to all the spray in the air. Another factor making photography difficult were the crowds. The falls is right along the scenic road that runs along the Oregon side of the gorge and access is just a few steps from the parking lot. This translates into a copious number of visitors milling about the vicinity. Quite frankly, my time spent here was far from the highlight of my trip, despite the beautiful setting. I enjoyed the solitude I found at some of the lesser visited, but still spectacular, falls that required a bit of hiking to see.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAPAYA47n73uMMFUgArrMZkNpnL1EOO0A6cdC4f993nOtNbMFNv1a4e_C-XCuCnh2utEJyvf_p1HrWA6qzdkqSasqv5mOv9MvupiPNPDfkFrGAs0cT9Zr3OKiTHXar1lgAjBAO2vKVQxTW/s1600/Stock-2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAPAYA47n73uMMFUgArrMZkNpnL1EOO0A6cdC4f993nOtNbMFNv1a4e_C-XCuCnh2utEJyvf_p1HrWA6qzdkqSasqv5mOv9MvupiPNPDfkFrGAs0cT9Zr3OKiTHXar1lgAjBAO2vKVQxTW/s640/Stock-2014.jpg" width="425" />Final</a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Multnomah Falls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
And speaking of the hikes...both Steve and I agreed that it was a toss up between the Eagle Creek and Tanner Creek trail systems for our favorite hike. Both were truly spectacular with lush green vegetation and countless seasonal waterfalls raining down from the canyon side walls. Our main destination along Tanner Creek was Wahclella Falls. The thundering 65 ft. waterfall was one of three in the immediate vicinity. With a little scrambling, we were actually able to compose a scene which included all three. I could have hung out at that spot all day, but there was too much more to see so we soaked it all in for a short while before shooting a few other compostions closer to the falls and heading back.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ByKhPPUOy_ywuo-1GFYxaTSParhXxChtrVzAE1CPkbCqOykOlxZOhoOp5DschCqnYsFVxxJn0OrW-Eef-l6BSUHl3xqttZK_-jacM1Yhg6FpPXUm0iciIHbkJKb66z-aonYuD25mrtR9/s1600/Stock-2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ByKhPPUOy_ywuo-1GFYxaTSParhXxChtrVzAE1CPkbCqOykOlxZOhoOp5DschCqnYsFVxxJn0OrW-Eef-l6BSUHl3xqttZK_-jacM1Yhg6FpPXUm0iciIHbkJKb66z-aonYuD25mrtR9/s640/Stock-2013.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wahclella Falls Along Tanner Creek</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Eagle Creek was equally fantastic over the section that we hiked. Our main destination here was Punchbowl Falls. Here, Eagle Creek explodes through a narrow rock channel before shooting 35 ft. into a bowl shaped amphitheater reminiscent of a punch bowl (hence the name). The vantage point shown below required a shallow wade to see in bone chilling waters. It left me wondering why the hell I didn't pack my canyoneering boots with neoprene socks as I could only stand the frigid water for short periods with the mesh water shoes I was wearing. Next time I'll know!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXsrCOJHz0i7Gw3qWWWuHRdzj3XCx-uM6NhPBhcq3LU8XsxzaK9aVNhSvPBw6XnRjpEBMZhDX5RfCeHPmb658tzYgEx5IT0h4S8MGf57Y_ElXkg22fc42v7-wfLE89AT9jypGaEbhjwuJ/s1600/Stock-2029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXsrCOJHz0i7Gw3qWWWuHRdzj3XCx-uM6NhPBhcq3LU8XsxzaK9aVNhSvPBw6XnRjpEBMZhDX5RfCeHPmb658tzYgEx5IT0h4S8MGf57Y_ElXkg22fc42v7-wfLE89AT9jypGaEbhjwuJ/s640/Stock-2029.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Punchbowl Falls Along Eagle Creek</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While Eagle and Tanner Creek made for our favorite hikes, our single most favorite waterfall was definitely Elowah Falls along McCord Creek. The hike to this waterfall was short and mostly through the forest. But when you turned a corner and the sights and sounds of this magnificent waterfall makes itself known...well it was awe-inspiring to be sure! So much so that we returned to this area on three other occasions because we wanted to make sure we came away with a shot that both conveyed the beauty of the area and wasn't all spotted up from the massive amount of spray (along with rain and/or sleet!) in the air. If at first you don't succeed....<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_VcopwGo4JSkGqYMF3HHEMHvpazUdtxL8v_622dLcplihYd2hUPBa6HnKAMscN5LPd-1ptqxxWP2HR_5V4u7oHzjzw6Mw-iAgsUsiaOzvYCjheLMUECfYfkO5Lkm5sUUrjCMLiVqUainp/s1600/Stock-2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_VcopwGo4JSkGqYMF3HHEMHvpazUdtxL8v_622dLcplihYd2hUPBa6HnKAMscN5LPd-1ptqxxWP2HR_5V4u7oHzjzw6Mw-iAgsUsiaOzvYCjheLMUECfYfkO5Lkm5sUUrjCMLiVqUainp/s640/Stock-2009.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elowah Falls Along McCord Creek</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There were many other drainages that we visited during our five day whirlwind tour of the gorge...too many to bore you with in this writeup. There was one lesser visited creek that kind of stood out though. Not as much for its waterfalls, but for its neon green setting. The forest lining Gorton Creek was definitely the greenest area we saw...and that was saying something! I had a blast wading up and down the creek looking for interesting compositions on the last morning of our trip. But alas, it was time to trade the gorge greens for Sedona reds and head back home for the warmth of the desert!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_c64pO70NnkU2lvA7kbIe-zwbFoChQsxeeN8vsYoIiy2ZwScFUht3x1xIiQz_h4q6dhVKpSmJRtfNQeR1pditJgw2qRzzMgEmW7-y8gSW8vVK9uScS8BblSWUW2H3LgKhThCwFHtdJtc/s1600/Stock-2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_c64pO70NnkU2lvA7kbIe-zwbFoChQsxeeN8vsYoIiy2ZwScFUht3x1xIiQz_h4q6dhVKpSmJRtfNQeR1pditJgw2qRzzMgEmW7-y8gSW8vVK9uScS8BblSWUW2H3LgKhThCwFHtdJtc/s640/Stock-2011.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorton Creek</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To see more imagery from this trip to "The Gorge", click on the following link...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Travel/Columbia-Gorge-April-2011/16931201_grtWSc">Waterfalls of the Columbia River Gorge</a>Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-67969409949426340402011-02-12T13:25:00.004-07:002012-03-26T20:21:21.608-06:00Exploring Death ValleyGiven that winter has been almost non-existent (save for one December storm) in the desert southwest, I decided it was time to quit grumbling about it and go somewhere warm! Death Valley National Park in southern California had long been on my "must-see" list and I figured it was time for a visit. I figured since I'd be driving all that way (about 7 hours from Sedona), I'd make a side trip to the Alabama Hills Recreation Area on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains as well. The Sierras have also been high on my photographic bucket list and was time to pay them a quick visit.<br />
<br />
Death Valley is actually a fairly recent member of the national park system...it was designated so back in 1994. Before then, it was bequeathed national monument status back in 1933. When it became a national park, the amount of land protected was increased. So much so, that it immediately became the largest national park in the continental U.S. (there are larger parks in Alaska). Because of its enormous size and remote location, a fair amount of planning is required to successfully photograph it...especially for a first time visit. One thing's for sure...don't expect to be able to do a quickie day trip here. The closest major city, Las Vegas, is almost a three hour drive. That's six hours spent before even seeing the park. Plus, many of the major sights within the park require anywhere from a half hour to more than two hours of drive time between them. That's a prohibitive amount of driving in my book. At least a one overnight is a necessity. I chose to spend four days in the park on this trip (with a fifth day spent at Alabama Hills). One would need to spend weeks here to really experience everything the park has to offer.<br />
<br />
The main claim to fame in the park is that it's the hottest place in country. Triple digit temperatures are the norm from May through a good part of October, and can top out at over 120F! Needless to say the summer months are not the time to visit! Another is that the park contains the lowest point in the country (and second lowest in the western hemisphere) at 282 ft below sea level in the Badwater Basin. A common misconception of the park is that it's nothing but desert. So wrong! There are multiple mountain ranges present in the park with the Panamint Range being the largest. Telescope Peak in the Panamints rises to over 11,000 ft and can be viewed from the Badwater area. That's a lot of vertical relief in such close proximity!<br />
<br />
Ok...enough of the background information concerning the park and on to my particular adventure! Probably the best way to tackle this is in the form of a day by day travelogue. So here goes....<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<b>Day 1: </b>Long drive from Sedona, AZ to the little community of Stovepipe Wells within the park. Highlight of the drive was the Lake Mead National Recreation Area (including Hoover Dam)...lowlight was navigating my way through Las Vegas and all the crazy drivers.<br />
<br />
Calling Stovepipe Wells a community is a bit of a stretch. It basically consists of a general store (with restaurant), a lodge and a very unsatisfying, wide open camping area. My reason for camping there on my first night was because it's situated only a couple of miles from the Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes...a very popular and quite photogenic area. My hope was that there would be enough winds recently to minimize the number of footprints in the area. Things were looking promising when I began the long descent into the park as it was windy as all get out. Unfortunately, by the time I got to the dunes at the bottom of the valley, there wasn't a breath of wind! I arrived to see the dunes were all tracked up and not looking all that photogenic. Bummer!<br />
<br />
There was one promising aspect of the weather, however. Lots of high streaming clouds abounded and the prospect for an interesting sunset got me all jazzed up. Now where to go?? My original plan of shooting the dunes wasn't too appealing. In the end, I settled on the Badwater area. Why? Because I knew it was still flooded from all the mega-rains the park received back in December and there might be some interesting reflection shots to be had. What didn't appeal to me was the fact that it would be roughly a 75 mile round trip. After a 7 hour drive the thought of that wasn't too thrilling, but I sucked it up and headed out there with the image below being the result. It was nothing too exciting for sure, but that had more to do with fact that I just didn't have enough time to scope out the area and had to settle for what you see once the sky started lighting up.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieXaAOBH-OPTHatOXw-qbF9XJNnqRuBPvmj8Vbyd1uBTn2KHm_KpgGHeS1kPuDkeA0ztwIe2gaIKXDBwLiAxKnnekcEkQ40kayaP4Ugqsvpfbr9t0DcV-uQhcWZlYtFaw06YFnoPhWJZhF/s1600/Stock-1954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieXaAOBH-OPTHatOXw-qbF9XJNnqRuBPvmj8Vbyd1uBTn2KHm_KpgGHeS1kPuDkeA0ztwIe2gaIKXDBwLiAxKnnekcEkQ40kayaP4Ugqsvpfbr9t0DcV-uQhcWZlYtFaw06YFnoPhWJZhF/s640/Stock-1954.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset Reflection at Badwater</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<b>Day 2: </b>I rose early and made my way out to the Mesquite Flats dunes under the cover of darkness. I had a feeling it would be a frustrating outing trying to find a decent untracked composition before first light. I was right! To make matters worse, as the sky slowly started lightening up, I could see the possibility of interesting pre-dawn light. I was actually able to find what I thought was a stellar composition before that happened, but the scene was just too tracked up. I snapped off a few shots anyway and spent the rest of the morning exploring the dunes in what turned out to be very flat, unphotogenic light (caused by high clouds obscurring the sun). Even though I didn't come away with anything too interesting that morning, I considered it to be a good outing as it gave me the opportunity to explore and locate some interesting compositions that I hoped to revisit under more optimal conditions. That's half the battle in my book.<br />
<br />
After grabbing some lunch, I broke camp and headed 20 miles south to the community of Furnace Creek, where I planned to camp the second night. Furnace Creek had a bit more to offer than Stovepipe Wells, but the pickings were still pretty slim. Fortunately, I was pretty self contained and wasn't in need of anything anyway. My goal this evening was to further explore the Badwater Basin, particularly in search of the photogenic salt polygons that can be found there.<br />
<br />
In normal times, the basin is bone dry with the exception of a small pond that can be found at the main Badwater parking area. However, with the December rains that pond was now an expansive, shallow lake that pretty much submerged most of the salt polygons that were normally found in that area. Instead, I decided to follow a graded dirt road that cut across the basin before paralleling it on the west side (the main highway runs along the east side). This road split off the highway well north of the flooded area so I hoped to find more polygons there. Bingo! The rest of that afternoon was spent exploring these smaller salt pans until I settled on my location for a late day shoot. The area of most interest to me contained a smaller pond that transitioned to a completely dry salt pan. It was the transition area that really caught my interest. There, the salt polygons were no longer submerged but still contained some unevaporated water in them. My thought was that this little bit of water would nicely reflect a colorful sky at sunset. Given that the current weather pattern of high streaming clouds showed no signs of abating, this was looking like a real possibility. To my amazement, I got my third straight sunrise/set with amazing sky color and my hopes were realized!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMnwVJe3_ut7PcE9VLawLf6adrH53v7plSdSDxXrWaZqWrsl1aQQAPa6fgPoo6b-xTBwpqh0D20zRyhCj5ARQ7YIto_8XJZ5vTJodIgNs1BINgVnOP2BpNiZ8EkW09F9OSUUYHA7ZD8Xz/s1600/Stock-1956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMnwVJe3_ut7PcE9VLawLf6adrH53v7plSdSDxXrWaZqWrsl1aQQAPa6fgPoo6b-xTBwpqh0D20zRyhCj5ARQ7YIto_8XJZ5vTJodIgNs1BINgVnOP2BpNiZ8EkW09F9OSUUYHA7ZD8Xz/s640/Stock-1956.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salt Polygons at Sunset</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Day 3:</b> My subject of interest this morning were the fantastic badlands found at Zabriskie Point, a short 10 minute drive southeast of my Furnace Creek campsite. While most photographers shoot this from the scenic overlook adjacent to the parking area, I had planned to shoot from a different vantage point atop a ridge that was found immediately northwest of the parking area. Since this was my first visit, I decided the previous afternoon to stop by and scout the area to figure out where I wanted to shoot from. I was glad I did! While it wasn't that big of a deal to figure it all out in the daylight hours, it would've been much more difficult to do so under the cloak of early morning darkness. Thus, I eliminated what would've been inevitable frustration and wasted time and was able to go directly to my chosen spot on this morning.<br />
<br />
Not all was perfect on this outing though. Not long before I dragged myself out of my sleeping bag, I noticed a slight increase in the wind. Since I'm cursed with being an extremely light sleeper, I notice stuff like that. By the time I got up, it was getting stronger and stronger. By the time I arrived at the top of the ridge, it was absolutely raging! Crap! There was really no way I was going to get a sharp image shooting along the top of the ridge. Since the wind was at my back, my only hope was to descend down a little ways and hope that would break the wind. That worked, but it was a harrowing descent given all the loose rock that sat on top of the steep, hard packed the walls of the ridge. I slid down quite a ways on my arse and was wondering if I'd ever stop! Finally I did on what turned out to be a perfect little ledge from which to shoot.<br />
<br />
It wasn't until I was finished with the preoccupation of getting myself into position that I noticed that yet another sweet sunrise was in the offing. Somebody pinch me! I never get this lucky...better enjoy it while I can! Despite the still gusty winds, I was able to rip off some nice pre-sunrise shots. The first light shots were less impressive due to heavily filtered light by all the clouds. Can't have it all, I guess! After getting my fill of shots, I packed everything up and made my way back up to the ridge...very slowly and on all fours!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV03Vbs0sMWclJOj5ClooDupZJSslKn_TK9NGvMJ9EITBdQpXxO_Cbux1BrUeG4IAljpH_cxJvlEwDExCVUSmH1IX0z_J6xnaSoDv1SDqWkbqRpbCgF3vbRF5zqROYIOXHyM4mfQKy_2N4/s1600/Stock-1953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV03Vbs0sMWclJOj5ClooDupZJSslKn_TK9NGvMJ9EITBdQpXxO_Cbux1BrUeG4IAljpH_cxJvlEwDExCVUSmH1IX0z_J6xnaSoDv1SDqWkbqRpbCgF3vbRF5zqROYIOXHyM4mfQKy_2N4/s640/Stock-1953.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Badlands at Zabriskie Point</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
That was the extent of my shooting on this day...by design. As this was Super Bowl Sunday, my plan was to drive out to the little town of Lone Pine, CA which is situated just outside of the Alabama Hills Recreation Area. Since this area is much more renowned as a sunrise location, I limited my activity to a little scouting before checking into my hotel, grabbing a shower, and watching the big game!<br />
<br />
<b>Day 4: </b>Say it ain't so....another fabulous morning appeared to be in the offing as I made my way from the hotel into the Alabama Hills. While this turned out to be the last of my stellar conditions before the sky completely cleared, I'm not gonna complain. It was a good run! My main subject this morning was the spectacular Mobius Arch (also referred to as the Alabama Hills or Galens Arch). This fantastically shaped and textured arch is perfectly positioned to frame two of the most promiment peaks in the Sierras...Lone Pine Peak and Mt. Whitney. It's an iconic shot for sure, but who cares!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRBPdb1jIyUo1obuuURLy63YyrngvbqKUKSN-Q1iRA-9PFQHKaimC5YOqskG27IcXQaKVxQDb0n1lS3W-ss3qMWkUjMHVPYZOomwt9Gus0Za-BUA8aWqIW8E3ROgkEHHdlpv4bsqJU9YW/s1600/Stock-1961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRBPdb1jIyUo1obuuURLy63YyrngvbqKUKSN-Q1iRA-9PFQHKaimC5YOqskG27IcXQaKVxQDb0n1lS3W-ss3qMWkUjMHVPYZOomwt9Gus0Za-BUA8aWqIW8E3ROgkEHHdlpv4bsqJU9YW/s640/Stock-1961.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mobius Arch and Lone Pine Peak</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After exploring and shooting within the Alabama Hills for a few hours, I packed it in and made my way back to Death Valley and the Mesquite Dunes. This was going to be my last chance to get any kind of decent shots of the dunes. A wind event was in the forecast, but the timing was uncertain. Unfortunately, nothing materialized through the evening hours so I decided to walk back as far as I could into the dune field to see if I could find any interesting untracked compositions. It took a while, but I think I actually succeeded. At least I figured I came away with something of interest from there, even if the morning turned out to be a bust.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvabCfU3GWaFAgsfIP43H6kjAF_WsfkK1axxbr41xbzRfMweeLOCf6uaj-JTwROkY0VD3-gR6ALny6fsb-KaUGAZ10tuKDb_UZoIvKSmWUgQHZql5LwpNhV0g3WKTVcR6yayuJ1etg5pWI/s1600/Stock-1955-noframe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvabCfU3GWaFAgsfIP43H6kjAF_WsfkK1axxbr41xbzRfMweeLOCf6uaj-JTwROkY0VD3-gR6ALny6fsb-KaUGAZ10tuKDb_UZoIvKSmWUgQHZql5LwpNhV0g3WKTVcR6yayuJ1etg5pWI/s640/Stock-1955-noframe.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shapes and Contours of the Mesquite Flats Dunes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Day 5: </b>I was awakened around midnight on my final evening by some noisy camping neighbors. I layed awake in the bed of my truck (my tent of choice) and listened for any sign of wind. Nothing. After my neighbor rattled around some more, I poked my head up to see what was going on. It was then I noticed that the stars were no longer visible and the valley floor seemed to be enveloped in some sort of fog. Strange! After thinking about it a bit, I realized that it couldn't have been fog, it had to be dust. It was mere moments after that when the first wind gusts ripped through the campground, filling everthing with sand. I quickly closed the truck gate and topper before being buried alive! For the rest of the evening violent winds rocked my truck and pelted it with sand. It was very freaky and pretty much kept me awake the rest of the night. Then, almost as quickly as it began, it started to calm down. I checked my watch. Half hour til sunrise. Shit! I leaped out of my sleeping bag, started up the truck and hurried my way out to the dunes. This was gonna be my only chance to get some untracked shots. From the parking area, I double timed it into the dune field to the spot that I had found on the first morning of the trip. Nothing like trying to double time it through loose sand when just getting out of bed after getting no sleep!! It was exhausting, but I actually made it to the spot with a few minutes to spare (it helped that the sun had to first clear the distant mountains to the east). My exhaustion all melted away when the first rays of golden light swept over the dunes and I tripped my camera's shutter. My trip was complete!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickYsVfaxt1mvzuvZOjlyOi64hN8XbKf_UhuqUW5pKU-i0upQg6ocn4TC0y3oHopKQffDO4Bk7zeuu_aKEBGnbbJUID9m8AD9hgt1GFHF_POW0uWEHtXcRsBeI-LljV2fbVPjo0CnN_Gro/s1600/Stock-1952-noframe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickYsVfaxt1mvzuvZOjlyOi64hN8XbKf_UhuqUW5pKU-i0upQg6ocn4TC0y3oHopKQffDO4Bk7zeuu_aKEBGnbbJUID9m8AD9hgt1GFHF_POW0uWEHtXcRsBeI-LljV2fbVPjo0CnN_Gro/s640/Stock-1952-noframe.jpg" width="422" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Morning Light On The Mesquite Flats Dunes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
To see more imagery from this trip, click the following link...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Travel/Death-Valley-NP-Feb-2011/15796830_VDsua">Death Valley National Park Images</a>Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-91885839691532405262011-01-31T12:49:00.002-07:002012-03-26T20:21:54.087-06:00Above The RimOk...the title doesn't mean that I'm playing basketball again!! :-) It actually refers to the Mogollon Rim, an extended escarpment that forms the southern boundary of the Colorado Plateau. This escarpment runs across a large section of Arizona beginning southwest of Flagstaff and extending through the White Mountains near the New Mexico border. Thanks to a fellow Sedona area photographer, <a href="http://www.pbase.com/fredparsons">Fred Parsons</a>, I recently had a wonderful opportunity to fly over both the Mogollon Rim and the Sedona area with a glider pilot <a href="http://www.tedgrussing.com/photography.html">Ted Grussing</a>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLJUfIowWh_d_hAKrELYeqe2ar4-21xd_7nIgkhL6raaO-QiI7l01g_U3VyFaTgAzeVl_Pv5zc_j2KH4_6vboBiP3JPNk8pY0uYwCl7eNMVvM2qip7NTvXGLmEicnhYLqeMXfzgAHK-7R/s1600/Stock-1948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLJUfIowWh_d_hAKrELYeqe2ar4-21xd_7nIgkhL6raaO-QiI7l01g_U3VyFaTgAzeVl_Pv5zc_j2KH4_6vboBiP3JPNk8pY0uYwCl7eNMVvM2qip7NTvXGLmEicnhYLqeMXfzgAHK-7R/s640/Stock-1948.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerial View of Coffee Pot Rock, Wilson Mountain and the distant San Francisco Peaks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
First off, I've got to say that for someone who doesn't embrace heights too well and hates rollercoasters, this adventure definitely took me out of my comfort zone! To make matters worse, the moderate winds that morning kicked up a fair amount of turbulence, making for a rocky flight. So much so that this ground hugger started feeling the effects of motion sickness and had to cut the flight short after a half hour or so. Despite my inability to cope with the bumpy flight, I was never really worried about any in-flight mishaps as Ted is a very accomplished pilot and his motorized glider was more than up to the task. Being a photographer himself, he also knows where to go for the best vantage points and did a great job of maneuvering the glider into position for the best shots.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-WFmw7EZycG6oSCidJjN1fVu3Is4G58QFFlJOQP8dPNYBP0yTmzvZ1cmY2t9bcuXbYexsSpzvQ1j0aQomkQZGs1vMY0G7bH0Ro4Fmw_VRa0qH8oYEgfbSAUdaOG7J_71pe_v5TqEUZQZY/s1600/Image-23922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-WFmw7EZycG6oSCidJjN1fVu3Is4G58QFFlJOQP8dPNYBP0yTmzvZ1cmY2t9bcuXbYexsSpzvQ1j0aQomkQZGs1vMY0G7bH0Ro4Fmw_VRa0qH8oYEgfbSAUdaOG7J_71pe_v5TqEUZQZY/s640/Image-23922.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ted Grussing and His Motorized Glider</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Of course getting in position to shoot a particular scene was only half the battle. Once there, I found it took a little skill and a lot of luck to actually get the shot. My strategy was to make use of a stabilized lens and fast shutter speeds (sacrificing depth of field) to overcome the lack of a stable platform for my camera. I also set the camera's focus mode to continuous as shooting a static subject from a moving position is no different than shooting a moving subject from a static position (the normal case when shooting wildlife, sports, etc.).<br />
<br />
The final issue to overcome was how to frame the scenes of interest. I knew beforehand that the only place to get a clear shot out of the cockpit was going to be through a small sliding window situated just above my right leg. Thus, there was not going to be a way to look through the viewfinder when framing shots. It would've also been impossible to utilize the live mode on my Canon 5D Mark II as its fixed LCD screen would rarely be in a position where I could view it. My thinking was that the articulated LCD screen on my Panasonic GH1 (micro 4/3rds) camera would be the ticket as I would be able to utilize its live mode for framing. In the end, I'd say it helped a little but not nearly as much as I had hoped. Eventually, I found myself simply subscribing to the "spray and pray" philosophy...that is, I just roughly aimed the camera at the scene of interest and took a lot of shots of varying focal lengths. When I got home I then prayed that a few of them turned out!! However, had the flight not been as turbulent as it was, I don't think I would have had to resort to this practice as often.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-m3El12g6DluR29FVgjIbKUjrtbQpPunN7XQEsjYjDagS-SBz2a7n3R4jjYPY0MSOkr_XT1Jr5LxE8oGkYDbDpNSdmQhK5WF5CZiQAJBtk4s_YwnTv1dunSx0otH9wtq02SA8fufkWLc3/s1600/Stock-1947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-m3El12g6DluR29FVgjIbKUjrtbQpPunN7XQEsjYjDagS-SBz2a7n3R4jjYPY0MSOkr_XT1Jr5LxE8oGkYDbDpNSdmQhK5WF5CZiQAJBtk4s_YwnTv1dunSx0otH9wtq02SA8fufkWLc3/s640/Stock-1947.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mogollon Rim Near Sedona</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Upon returning home and viewing my rather large volume of images, I was actually amazed at the unexpectedly high percentage of relatively sharp images I came away with. The compositions, however, were another matter. I probably came away with a dozen or so that I actually kept. And, of those, only a half dozen that I would ever really bother showing to someone. In reality though, I can't say that I really had expectations higher than that anyway, given the obstacles inherent to shooting from airborn vehicles.<br />
<br />
Despite all my phobias and woes, I really must admit that this was a fantastic outing and the incredible views above Sedona's red rock fantasy land will be a memory that I won't soon forget! Ted has graciously offered to take me up again sometime with calmer winds and more optimal light. There's no doubt that I'm going to jump all over that offer!Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-14222916631127268072011-01-20T10:46:00.002-07:002012-03-26T20:22:41.922-06:00Photography Tip: Shoot For The MoonWith the current full moon cycle now at its peak, I thought it would be a good time to discuss my various strategies and thoughts about incorporating the moon into landscape photography. Surprisingly, it's something I only do very occasionally because, to really do it right, it usually takes a good deal of planning (more on this in a bit) and I often have other things going on that interfere with that. Sure, sometimes you simply luck into something decent, but that doesn't happen very often. To up your odds of success you really need to research when and where the moon will be rising (or setting) and then determine what type of subject can be included with it in your composition. Let's face it, nearly everyone has gotten their longest telephoto lens and shot only the moon, but really making an interesting photograph requires other subjects in your composition. The moon, when incorporated into a landscape image, is most effective when used as an accent to an already interesting scene.<br />
<br />
Below is an image I took a number of years back (in my formative days as a photographer) when I first visited the Sedona area. I was photographing Cathedral Rock at Red Rock Crossing at a time when the moon happened to be passing over the monolith. I did not know it was going to be there as I didn't do any research on it. All I knew is that I had to try to incorporate it into a composition.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8O9niSVKKBbzwVAV8jVi6HRJhmeRipyKbzAhyTPBO3TYPpODgbgETr-lUP4EOdirhBDdR1AL4La_ASmzq9PsvbYUHlgkG_vjmvdj9i910L9E0YEtt_XjaVNJfMb5d24tB8A5Tup9JMQz/s1600/Stock-1908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8O9niSVKKBbzwVAV8jVi6HRJhmeRipyKbzAhyTPBO3TYPpODgbgETr-lUP4EOdirhBDdR1AL4La_ASmzq9PsvbYUHlgkG_vjmvdj9i910L9E0YEtt_XjaVNJfMb5d24tB8A5Tup9JMQz/s640/Stock-1908.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moon Over Cathedral Rock - Sedona, Arizona</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
This attempt failed, in my mind, for a number of reasons. First all, the composition seems very forced. The moon is way too high above the formation which results in too much negative space (in the form of the clear blue sky) to make for an effective composition. Also, the moon is too small to really make much of an impact anyway.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
This leads me to my next point...wide angle focal lengths aren't the best choice if you want the moon to make much of an impact in your composition. I've found it much more effective to search out distant compositions where you can utilize more telephoto focal lengths. In this situation, the moon appears much larger in relation to the subject your shooting, which can increase its impact dramatically. For example, the image below almost looks fake because of the abnormally large size of the moon in comparison to the Mitten Ridge formation (I shot this just the other day here in Sedona). However, I was actually quite a distance away from the formation and shot the scene at a 250mm focal length to create this effect.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuR2R1JwRKDerSDv12TvB3b4hy698WxTNPLJFIHlhvv0s4Q-FrVgKuAOUMneQXTKSgCI6fXxwMDwv7r1hyphenhyphen_9io0t9JqZxMCYzWm9u5YUmmSPTFIZWDKvrwO75POY_fIIKlPpEW9pq2z4-C/s1600/Stock-1944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuR2R1JwRKDerSDv12TvB3b4hy698WxTNPLJFIHlhvv0s4Q-FrVgKuAOUMneQXTKSgCI6fXxwMDwv7r1hyphenhyphen_9io0t9JqZxMCYzWm9u5YUmmSPTFIZWDKvrwO75POY_fIIKlPpEW9pq2z4-C/s640/Stock-1944.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moonrise Over Mitten Ridge - Sedona, Arizona</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As I mentioned earlier, images like the one above, involve a bit of research to get done right. I didn't just drive around to some location, set up my tripod and luck into the full moon rising in the middle of the formation. Nope! I made use of four different tools to get myself into the approximate area at the appropriate time (although I'll admit I had to do a little running about on foot to fine tune the moon's positioning). They are 1) a compass, 2) a watch, 3) a free software package called <a href="http://photoephemeris.com/">The Photographer's Ephemeris</a> and 4) a funky homemade tool called an <a href="http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/AtHomeAstronomy/activity_07.html">astrolabe</a>.<br />
<br />
I'll start off by discussing what's probably the most important of the four tools mentioned above...The Photographer's Ephemeris (which from now on, I'll refer to as TPE). While I won't go into specifics on how to use this nifty little program (it's pretty straightforward), I'll describe its purpose which is to calculate the sun and moon position for any given time of any given day. At a quick glance, one can determine what time the moon will rise/set and at what azimuth (i.e. the position along the horizon with 0 degrees denoting north, 90 degrees east, 180 degrees south, and 270 degrees west). One can also dig further to figure out the moon's azimuth and latitude for any given time it is visible. Latitude can be defined as an object's angle of inclination (in degrees) from the horizon. In other words, how high it is in the sky. This is a very important piece of information for those of us living in areas where the true horizon is obscured by hills, mountains, buildings, etc. TPE also comes integrated with slick google-based mapping graphics that allow you to click on specific locations and see the sun and moon rise/set angles in relation to the terrain at a glance. Very cool!! And did I mention it is free?? Kudos to Stephen Trainor (the developer and a photographer himself) for creating such a useful tool specifically targeted for photographers.<br />
<br />
To look at a real life application of these tools, let's have a look at the research I put into obtaining the image below (which was again, shot during the January full moon cycle here in Sedona).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XLYiGGOAXtYzBknf_n06wuRkVs-wOz0WGn-y5dRDdYIr1h0r7B_xcm3zIkIQ3qbBONEduYs7hbHorSdN1oKliq2In07Ux2-SJTZMMO-CaW6VzYF4OUTbbUmp1N5alvZLdYObdSe_-GzV/s1600/Stock-1942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XLYiGGOAXtYzBknf_n06wuRkVs-wOz0WGn-y5dRDdYIr1h0r7B_xcm3zIkIQ3qbBONEduYs7hbHorSdN1oKliq2In07Ux2-SJTZMMO-CaW6VzYF4OUTbbUmp1N5alvZLdYObdSe_-GzV/s640/Stock-1942.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moonrise Over Munds Mountain and the Two Nuns - Sedona, Arizona</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My goal was to get a shot of the moon rising near the Two Nun formation...the twin spires in the lower right. First, I fired up TPE to determine what day the full moon fell on. Photography on the actual day of the full moon is pretty futile here in Sedona because the towering red rock formations require that the moon rise significantly before it will be seen. Since the moon rises fairly close to sunset when it's officially full, it is way too dark by the time it's visible and its brightness in relation to the landscape makes it problematic to photograph (to say the least). Usually the two days before are more productive as the moon becomes visible an hour or two before the sun sets.<br />
<br />
With this in mind, I looked up the moonrise time two days prior to the full moon and determined it would rise approximately two hours before sunset. Also, utilizing the handy map in TPE, I determined I could get the moon rising in close proximity to the nuns if I shot it from the saddle of Cathedral Rock (which can be accessed via a short, but steep trail). The one thing I didn't know was what time the moon would actually be visible over massive Munds Mountain (the hulking rock formation behind the nuns) and what its azimuth would be at that point. Enter the need for the astrolabe. This is my simple tool of choice when it comes to measuring altitude. To figure this all out, I first hiked up to my shooting location the day prior to my shoot and measured the altitude that the moon would have to achieve to be visible. To do this I aimed the astrolabe's sighting mechanism (in my case a straw!) just above the cliff and got a reading of approximately 5 degrees. When I got home and fired up TPE again, I saw that the moon would achieve an altitude of 5 degrees about a half hour after moonrise and its azimuth would put it even close to the nuns. Perfect!<br />
<br />
The next day, I returned to my location about two hours before sunset (thus the need for a watch) and spent the next half hour setting up for the shot and basking in the near 70 degree Sedona sunshine while I waited. Lo and behold, a half hour later, the moon peaked out from behind Munds Mountain very close to where TPE showed it would...thus affording me the shot above. Gotta love technology!<br />
<br />
If the whole astrolabe and determining altitude thing is a bit more effort than you really want to put forth, that's ok. TPE will still get you in the general vicinity even if you don't bother with that bit of fine tuning. Just be prepared to have to do a little more running about to get the moon's position the way you want it. And also remember if you have large objects...like a mountain...obscuring the horizon, you may have to wait as much as an hour or more after the actual moon rise time before it becomes visible. That is often a long enough delay to really screw up your photographic plans...be forwarned!<br />
<br />
So, in closing, utilizing the aforementioned tools is a good way to save time, ease frustrations, and up your odds of success when shooting moon scenes. Go ahead...give it a go!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJ_y1cM_8yqt0_kv6RLYwuh8KeEc4YuXTNGRfIxFkF6OxfLD-yWOr9htIxQ2gUv6F76OdY3Q8IRHDAEFkS9dbYZq-ryH1r-s4ywB09KBebbl8kDLUHvKtWuM4y7zahw8MI3o99sqtNXkK/s1600/Stock-1943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="592" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJ_y1cM_8yqt0_kv6RLYwuh8KeEc4YuXTNGRfIxFkF6OxfLD-yWOr9htIxQ2gUv6F76OdY3Q8IRHDAEFkS9dbYZq-ryH1r-s4ywB09KBebbl8kDLUHvKtWuM4y7zahw8MI3o99sqtNXkK/s640/Stock-1943.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moonrise at Sunset - Sedona, AZ</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-54755654070404233812011-01-14T13:04:00.000-07:002011-01-14T13:04:45.725-07:00Recap of 2010Well another year has passed us by so it's time for my annual list of top 25 favorite images for 2010 (in no particular order). It's been an absolute blast getting out and shooting the areas represented in this collection. I feel blessed to be given the opportunity to embrace such beautiful scenery on a regular basis.<br />
<br />
Given the economy, 2010 has proven to be another difficult year for many of us, myself included. Fortunately, despite these woes, I continue to grow my photography business. Nature photography is a tough, competitive business as it is (even in good economic times), so I'm thankful for my increasing revenue and I'd like to thank each and everyone out there who's supported and helped me over the past few years. I also look forward to an exciting and prosperous 2011! <br />
<br />
Without further ado, here's my top 25...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Travel/Best-Of-2010/15445776_C58GB">Top 25 Images Of 2010</a>Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-9608549889474268162011-01-04T22:43:00.001-07:002011-01-04T22:45:02.279-07:00Arizona Experiences Its First Major Winter StormWe've just gotten a little way into winter and already there's been some pretty crazy weather all over the country. Blizzards, bitter cold, flooding rains, tornadoes....you name it, it's been happening so far. Here in Arizona, we've just experienced the first major winter storm of the season and it really wreaked havoc in the northern half of the state. Heavy snow closed many of the major arteries to northern Arizona for almost a couple of days. One to two feet of snow were common in the high country and that was followed by bitter cold. There was even a dusting of snow in the mountains surrounding Phoenix! <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXM62I1uoHTfl-uTcwuW3CKLsl31x8rGybgUTK2AglamV2T4_XFg868-ezWCXoW38kppB0nZX8M4lZkFIGQINrtYuedHIxxT0WtUCU7CFuvNweqhguCMzObqtIj2gjUXezDzQeq5hgBW_/s1600/Stock-1932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXM62I1uoHTfl-uTcwuW3CKLsl31x8rGybgUTK2AglamV2T4_XFg868-ezWCXoW38kppB0nZX8M4lZkFIGQINrtYuedHIxxT0WtUCU7CFuvNweqhguCMzObqtIj2gjUXezDzQeq5hgBW_/s640/Stock-1932.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winter In Sedona</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Here in Sedona we received only a few inches of snow, but it sure was purdy sitting on the red rock formations around town. I spent the day immediately after the storm photographing those and then made my way up Oak Creek Canyon to the West Fork area. By the time I got up there, I was astounded by the amount of snow I saw. One report I heard stated that the upper reaches of the canyon received 16 inches. I surely couldn't refute that and was ecstatic to see all the wet, heavy snow draped on all the cottonwoods and sycamores. I took a short, but exhausting hike into West Fork Canyon to check that out. Talk about incredible! And to my surprise, I was the first to make it over the rather treacherous first creek crossing. My reward for that was beautiful untracked snow that I could include in my compositions.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvZD-fh_wWp4NGCC1rLUWRpdVDAS2PqBMcyXjnVX7dCSiIjBX1Q-e_GhfQSM8oBNav2I4uZyhJE8pISdFME1wnTrt14Buh3gE5Og3EJFte2ZhDyJBfrXV_hGP02fSre-bXXLT29mpe5kp/s1600/Stock-1917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvZD-fh_wWp4NGCC1rLUWRpdVDAS2PqBMcyXjnVX7dCSiIjBX1Q-e_GhfQSM8oBNav2I4uZyhJE8pISdFME1wnTrt14Buh3gE5Og3EJFte2ZhDyJBfrXV_hGP02fSre-bXXLT29mpe5kp/s640/Stock-1917.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wintry West Fork Canyon</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Once I heard that the roads heading north had opened up, I gathered up the wife and dog and headed to the Grand Canyon. I had always wanted to photograph the canyon after a snowstorm and now I'd finally get the chance. It also seemed like a cool location to ring in the new year. What caught us by surprise though, was the bitter cold that we encountered. By the time I finished shooting the last sunset of 2010, the temperature was already below 0. By the time the first sunrise of 2011 came to being, it was -24 degrees!! Not quite what I signed on for! At least the bitter temps kept the crowds to a minimum.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5XoHVumEvSy1qyYbESgcbHTy12PeYiOh3LMYRz8SmZChrFPZniFZxlwO1Rf9753joMedzxvpIQkq9wYKDoWoin6A_VbcdIJksKMH31LYvlC_NM15c5c7mT2swd3KzXhvQ5BL8eU7IXUi/s1600/Stock-1925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5XoHVumEvSy1qyYbESgcbHTy12PeYiOh3LMYRz8SmZChrFPZniFZxlwO1Rf9753joMedzxvpIQkq9wYKDoWoin6A_VbcdIJksKMH31LYvlC_NM15c5c7mT2swd3KzXhvQ5BL8eU7IXUi/s640/Stock-1925.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Last Sunset of 2010! From Yavapai Point.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Despite the cold temperatures, the wintry canyon was absolutely beautiful. Sure, I didn't get the epic conditions that can happen right as a storm is breaking, but I couldn't complain about the conditions I did get to witness over my three day stay either. For those epic conditions, I figured that I'll have to get to the canyon before a storm hits and wait it out. Next time!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMsMqd5w9pttJOhuiuBUIHq6SHdTP9sc6r2Shr_zsSiG96Iki174ST-Z9kUydHiIngi9ojIFo8IsYGH_r3Mr7wV0cgLR_xLDn6Mt4LnZPADAiPpcB-DI_yokAyvjlshkenxoBGtDQpWA5p/s1600/Stock-1922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMsMqd5w9pttJOhuiuBUIHq6SHdTP9sc6r2Shr_zsSiG96Iki174ST-Z9kUydHiIngi9ojIFo8IsYGH_r3Mr7wV0cgLR_xLDn6Mt4LnZPADAiPpcB-DI_yokAyvjlshkenxoBGtDQpWA5p/s640/Stock-1922.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning Light On The Canyon - From The Rim Trail Near Yaki Point.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
My best words of advice for any photographer visiting the canyon in the winter months is this...get away from the major overlook areas! In the winter months, the access to roads and trails can be rather limited. When I visited, the road to Hermits Rest was closed indefinitely. Thus all the sight seeing tourists congregated to the those overlooks that were still accessible. Even a short walk along the Rim Trail (which connects most of the overlooks in the western end of the park) will afford you some measure of solitude. Plus all the snow covered cactus, gnarly trees and shrubbery make for great foreground material.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVZYecLzxLDJr-YJxW1eO9dgeHdfj_X0h3344RS8MfVkvhFzCk7ROx5ypvoYwjqAlvyEbBka9Q7_r-FI0x195WizbUVre9yI_vJlgnSpViVh81cEmeN5N992ZmI3f7jTVSRQqoplm1eHf/s1600/Stock-1919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVZYecLzxLDJr-YJxW1eO9dgeHdfj_X0h3344RS8MfVkvhFzCk7ROx5ypvoYwjqAlvyEbBka9Q7_r-FI0x195WizbUVre9yI_vJlgnSpViVh81cEmeN5N992ZmI3f7jTVSRQqoplm1eHf/s640/Stock-1919.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wintry Canyon - From The Rim Trail Near Mather Point.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
To see more shots from my latest winter outings around Arizona, check out this link...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Travel/Northern-Arizona-Winter-2011/15325626_jkQMq">Winter In Arizona</a>Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-20126795028695876882010-12-09T12:42:00.004-07:002010-12-11T11:45:39.418-07:00Gear Review: Clik Elite's Probody Sport BackpackPhotographers, it seems, are forever in search of the perfect backpack to haul around their gear or at least a subset thereof. I know I am, and I've collected quite a few over the years. I've collected so many because I just can't seem to find that one design that does everything I need. Of course, I now realize that no such pack exists, especially when it comes to outdoor photography. This is because of the many different situations that can dictate how much gear one can/should bring along and what non-photographic gear is needed as well. For instance, photographers that shoot near a vehicle can afford to bring along large packs that'll stash most, or all, of their mammoth collection of photographic gear. Meanwhile, day hiking photogs that tend to spend half to a full day in the field will most likely pare down their gear into a smaller pack, unless they are the superhuman sherpa types that enjoy pain and suffering. Backpacking photographers will have different requirements yet. What I've found to be the best approach when buying a backpack is to first identify the specific set of needs that will be required of it. Be careful not to define your criteria too broadly as it will most likely result in a purchase you won't be completely happy with and probably cost you more money in the process...believe me, I've been there! <br />
<br />
When I decided to enter the market for yet another backpack (which had my wife rolling her eyes when I proudly proclaimed my intentions), I knew exactly what I was looking for. I had packs to my liking that covered both the near the vehicle and backpacking shooting situations. What I found a glaring need for was something for those longer day hiking expeditions. Camera specific backpacks just don't cut it for me. While they store and protect camera equipment and tripods pretty well, they don't leave much, or any, room for clothing, food, water, etc. Also, their strap systems seem to be designed by kindergarteners as they just never fit right and always get uncomfortable over time. The closest I've come to a usable system for day hiking was with my previously reviewed <a href="http://explorethelightphotography.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html">Think Tank Modular system</a>. However, moving to Arizona has revealed its biggest weakness...the inability to carry enough water for long outings in the desert. I found that I had to also carry a Camelback backpack (for hydration purposes) in addition to the belt and chest pack and strapping on all that stuff became a royal pain. In the end, what I really wanted was some sort of happy medium between a Camelback and a conventional camera backpack. Well, enter Clik Elite and their line of photographer-centric adventure packs. <br />
<br />
Clik Elite packs are designed by photographers who are also avid outdoorsman. They "get" the need to create a comfortable and ergonomic backpack that'll safely and securely store camera equipment, yet still have a separate section for miscellaneous gear. And above all, they "get" the need to have a means of hydration built into the pack by integrating a sleeve compartment to house a water bladder (although a bladder is not included). There's even a mechanism to lash on a small tripod on their newer models. Once I saw these specifications I was hooked. It was just a matter of determining which of their various sized pack offerings would suit my needs best. In the end I settled on their <a href="http://www.clikelite.com/shop/probody-sport/">Probody Sport model</a>...thus the topic for this review.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6XfhxeanT9zN3tDvSap0agnlJsumqv00wq7gYz4d2xqfl8SIefqtlkW5-sumuM1NOswVrO1KDadRNiwa2lsIHeYgh9PQleX_cmZOiWwygoY2RPfJW1pLjV9z_JQUO3l6ckDRD9Kiclpa9/s1600/ClikProBodyPack1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6XfhxeanT9zN3tDvSap0agnlJsumqv00wq7gYz4d2xqfl8SIefqtlkW5-sumuM1NOswVrO1KDadRNiwa2lsIHeYgh9PQleX_cmZOiWwygoY2RPfJW1pLjV9z_JQUO3l6ckDRD9Kiclpa9/s640/ClikProBodyPack1.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back View of Clik Elite Probody Sport</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The Probody Sport is just the perfect size for me. It will hold my Canon 5D Mark II camera with a 70-200mm f/4 lens attached in the lower camera compartment and still have room for two additional lenses in dedicated compartments (I've been able to fit both a Canon 17-40 f/4 and 24-70 f/2.8 lens into these compartments. This was more than I really needed since I usually carry my camera with a lens attached in a front chestpack for easy access when I day hike. Thus, I have additional room for filters and other miscellaneous camera gear. On a side note, I should mention that Clik also offers a chestpack that nicely integrates with all their backpacks. Had I not already owned one, I would've seriously considered it as well.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZn5iPiSv1jHQfs5H4k-wqv85UGhZg4IMUTqmQXZW345wfF4wo6vFHB9Rq63Y-nILTrmFZlNbEEy_LPRku3tM8mJHmg6NnYWLHO0jMqBN_GKQqtrIPN7_jONvIWY_RNjL59CzV0a1iUCFr/s1600/ClikProBodyPack2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZn5iPiSv1jHQfs5H4k-wqv85UGhZg4IMUTqmQXZW345wfF4wo6vFHB9Rq63Y-nILTrmFZlNbEEy_LPRku3tM8mJHmg6NnYWLHO0jMqBN_GKQqtrIPN7_jONvIWY_RNjL59CzV0a1iUCFr/s640/ClikProBodyPack2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View Into Camera Compartment (Canon 5D2 with 70-200 f/4 attached, 17-40 f/4 and 24-70 f/2.8)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The upper compartment is separate from the camera compartment although the separator can be removed...a nice touch that enhances the pack's versatility. It's just a single storage area that's good for stashing food and clothing in. It's large enough to hold a couple of clothing layers (or rain gear) and an assortment of snacks to get you through the day. I've got my rain gear stuffed in there on the pictures above. Then there's the integrated sleeve that runs along the back which houses up to a 100 ounce (3 liter) water bladder. While I really thought Clik should've included a bladder with the pack, it didn't really matter in my case as I already had a 3 liter bladder from a Camelback pack that I could utilize.<br />
<br />
Another nice touch in the pack's design is the inclusion of a small zippered pouch on the top of the pack. The pouch is felt lined and perfect for quick access to a cell phone, mp3 player, sunglasses, wallet, etc. It's little details like this which really shows how much thought Clik put into creating an extremely useful pack.<br />
<br />
Rounding out the notable feature list for the pack is a mechanism to lash a small tripod (and I emphasize small) to the side of the pack, a small outer mesh pocket to stash small items, and a zippered accessed media organizer where you can securely store memory cards, spare batteries, business cards, etc. The only real comment that I have here concerns the tripod attachment design. Here, the top of the pod is secured via a thin elastic cord that can be cinched down while the bottom of the tripod fits into a mesh pocket. While the mechanism works (as long as it is a small tripod), it is somewhat flimsy and has me questioning it's durability over the long run. Particularly the thin elastic tie down. I really wish Clik would have utilized something more sturdy here like an adjustable buckling strap. So the bottom line here is don't even consider trying to attach even a medium weight tripod and ballhead to this pack. The support just isn't there. My tripods are both lightweight so it isn't a concern for me (I own Feisol and Induro carbon fiber, four section tripods), but it may be for you.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfyuYAwifdcxdu8IRk7NZ9JfK-2XDSVLXxyho8uxIx3jp34DZkZg_u6ANkaxXoXZE6N6eM-NGf9anN0H1GQzrOi3HcYPaPOjVZsFibXNGBQo25ivNzCeJWgr_nlKr2EOC_dYSb_Sib_8bo/s1600/ClikProBodyPack3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfyuYAwifdcxdu8IRk7NZ9JfK-2XDSVLXxyho8uxIx3jp34DZkZg_u6ANkaxXoXZE6N6eM-NGf9anN0H1GQzrOi3HcYPaPOjVZsFibXNGBQo25ivNzCeJWgr_nlKr2EOC_dYSb_Sib_8bo/s640/ClikProBodyPack3.jpg" width="474" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Probody Sport with Feisol CT-3442 Tripod Attached</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
One last thought concerning this pack involves its overall construction. To me, it is extremely well made with beefy zippers and heavy gauge ballistic nylon. I don't have any doubts that the pack will last a good long time. My only complaint is that Clik didn't really address any real waterproofing issues in the design. While they state that the zippers that access the camera compartment are water-resistant, there's no mention that the pack's nylon material itself is water-resistant in any way. Given that, I really wish that they would have at least included some sort of a rain cover for it. It's inevitable that you'll get caught out in the rain on day long hikes (even in the desert) and protection for its precious camera cargo is a must in my book.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7WZpr0-fNt6EE1TdjhhO6K4z73v-BjZYB5KvPQ0_sNFHkyngyabzbV0gJLj8xAozPzD20TG2Td0UQzx2eM7inupnuAVI8GzJvXUDxL9pxesvMNMJj2HMXrs0Z4e05iPz6g1h4QlDnx4wo/s1600/ClikProBodyPack4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7WZpr0-fNt6EE1TdjhhO6K4z73v-BjZYB5KvPQ0_sNFHkyngyabzbV0gJLj8xAozPzD20TG2Td0UQzx2eM7inupnuAVI8GzJvXUDxL9pxesvMNMJj2HMXrs0Z4e05iPz6g1h4QlDnx4wo/s320/ClikProBodyPack4.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side View Of Pack</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZeGtRUfQXyDsDzi_M7cyeNRPY4bho8RW-QJoJWD9nbruJC_ETkKAkDDF3PpGq7H4PFR8kOtax8vbWX0u2YoVKoZxDDfjenhp9x_TSmdn2SDtgeYfxFLAJNL0nzQ4gTFl2q5-UPsEn-Uo/s1600/ClikProBodyPack5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZeGtRUfQXyDsDzi_M7cyeNRPY4bho8RW-QJoJWD9nbruJC_ETkKAkDDF3PpGq7H4PFR8kOtax8vbWX0u2YoVKoZxDDfjenhp9x_TSmdn2SDtgeYfxFLAJNL0nzQ4gTFl2q5-UPsEn-Uo/s320/ClikProBodyPack5.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rear View of Pack</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<b>Conclusion:</b><br />
<br />
This pack has been a godsend to have with me on the longer day trips I've taken in the Arizona desert. No longer do I have to be concerned with the issue of how to carry enough water to get me through the day. I just fill the bladder and I'm good to go. Combined with my chestpack (or even without), it affords me enough room to carry everything I've needed...both in terms of camera gear and the other stuff. I've also found the strap system to be very comfortable. I'll load down the pack and hardly even feel like I'm wearing it...a good sign that Clik designed it right. My only real complaints involve the tripod carrying design and the waterproofing issues. While there's no current issue carrying my tripod, I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed that it stays that way. As far as the lack of any type of rain cover goes, I'll have to do a little research to see if I can come up with a workable cover. This pack is just too useful to let that issue drag it down. Hopefully, it's something that Clik will address with the next iteration of this model.Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-82481136437009819692010-12-06T20:27:00.010-07:002010-12-09T11:21:58.649-07:00Exploring Sycamore CanyonI forgot to mention my recent explorations of Sycamore Canyon in my previous blog post so I decided to dedicate a new post exclusively for it. Sycamore Canyon is one of two major canyons that flank the Sedona area in central Arizona. The other is Oak Creek Canyon, by far the more popular and crowded of the two. In comparison, Sycamore Canyon is like the shy little sister that never gets any attention and likes it that way. While steep walled and narrow Oak Creek Canyon has a beautiful perennially flowing stream and a car-choked road leading right up its gut, Sycamore Canyon only has a seasonal stream (with the exception of the southernmost three miles where it is perennial) and no roads whatsoever. It's a designated wilderness and is THE place to be in the Sedona area if solitude in a beautiful red rock canyon is your thing and you don't mind working for it. <br />
<br />
Over the last few weeks, I've explored this canyon a few times at various entry points in an attempt to bask in the scenery that few casual visitors to the region will ever see. My first couple of ventures involved day hiking along the only perennially flowing stretch of Sycamore Creek up to Parsons Spring, taking in a gorgeous swimming hole along the way. This hike takes you along a stretch of the creek that is bordered by inner canyon walls, thus you never get to see the entire scope of the outer canyon. Regardless, it's a beautifully riparian canyon hike that is very different from what you see in rest of this wilderness. I did this hike twice because I wanted to photograph it both with green foliage and then again with fall colors lining the creek's banks.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHJ2bvmQGFs39Kqz-cuaqPqRZDCSrhIR2djov5cJJw7_VNeKSWrPKHz1kXxZHi_i9kfRHNk_eCwOVj7XaUqhRMkKODzc-MEFj4fHUnZX2LtCOLdeGf0nocr5GG6SdcC59wLLq6TZ3bAS8/s1600/Stock-1820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHJ2bvmQGFs39Kqz-cuaqPqRZDCSrhIR2djov5cJJw7_VNeKSWrPKHz1kXxZHi_i9kfRHNk_eCwOVj7XaUqhRMkKODzc-MEFj4fHUnZX2LtCOLdeGf0nocr5GG6SdcC59wLLq6TZ3bAS8/s640/Stock-1820.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Swimming Hole Along Sycamore Creek</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7ZNTNjTU3v-8TkS53urzPSm4n6QeQAxX2NO7xf0DUb02qDQyL1M3MWnfZ5a9bwswZCbA7EHIfdGPTzVPfXcJ8Ld2QNyOvKn7YPywnCksV2ZNRJi62pYOOWcBZ23nAzeLA5TXkMYhGuxR/s1600/Stock-1890.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7ZNTNjTU3v-8TkS53urzPSm4n6QeQAxX2NO7xf0DUb02qDQyL1M3MWnfZ5a9bwswZCbA7EHIfdGPTzVPfXcJ8Ld2QNyOvKn7YPywnCksV2ZNRJi62pYOOWcBZ23nAzeLA5TXkMYhGuxR/s640/Stock-1890.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Autumn View From Parsons Spring Trailhead</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
My next adventure involved a backpacking trip deep into the heart of this wilderness. My buddy, Greg Rynders, and I originally planned for this to be a three day trip starting at the Dogie trailhead on the east rim of the canyon. From there we planned to backpack the Taylor's Cabin to Casner Mountain loop, some 21 miles that descends down to the creek bed to an out-of-commission (but restored) rancher's cabin and ascends back up via the Taylor Cabin trail to Casner Mountain. However, it being late November and all, the weather usually has the final say on all plans and it turned out to be far too cold (for our liking) to consider camping atop Casner Mountain. As it was, we awoke to a snow covered tent on our overnight at Taylor's Cabin which is nearly 2000 ft below Casner's summit. We opted (wisely, we both agreed) to shorten the trip to a single night out and back from the cabin. To change things up a bit, we did choose to come back a slightly different way by hiking the dry creek bed (instead of the official trail, which followed a bench high above the creek) back to the intersection with the Dogie Trail. While this boulder hopping route was tough on my chronically bad ankles, the new viewing perspective it afforded us definitely made it worth the while. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJVTV22l5rEpeboZWM5GLMRqpZ8PBIDyGwCOLU-Berqskh_m74vve0i8QG2VJ3PUPazapdtvZeIYpIYx0l_z8TzX6uhKHkKVUwQRC3G-u0fUWcGhDSfaGCfhzk8g4m7NyvJteTSNpGy2i/s1600/Stock-1896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJVTV22l5rEpeboZWM5GLMRqpZ8PBIDyGwCOLU-Berqskh_m74vve0i8QG2VJ3PUPazapdtvZeIYpIYx0l_z8TzX6uhKHkKVUwQRC3G-u0fUWcGhDSfaGCfhzk8g4m7NyvJteTSNpGy2i/s640/Stock-1896.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taylor's Cabin - Sycamore Canyon Wilderness</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The target of my final adventure involved finding some Sinagua Indian ruins that I had read about when researching for the above-described backpacking trip. These spectacularly set ruins were a must see from everything I read and I had really wanted to incorporate them into the backpacking trip, but we decided that was best left for another day. Well "another day" turned out to be a week later. After doing a little research, I discovered that I could actually drive to a trailhead located less than a mile from their location. Of course, this drive would be no walk in the park. While these ruins are located about 25 miles as the crow flies from my house, it took close to three hours to get there. It was a drive that involved 20 miles of washboarded shelf road followed by 12 more miles of bone jarring 4x4 road. In the end, the payoff was worth it though. In my opinion these ruins rate right up there with the False Kiva ruins in Canyonlands National Park for their scenic surroundings. It was a great way to cap off my Sycamore Canyon experience...for now!<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnMWvx5tr5bbQeLWNAEHHj6zbDsCh1UbN6JHDmlaz4_ZHHJ0d2FPpTpH71cIAcZOn0z-zcU05Tzwyk1gLWYD7KrReCpv8-ILPx-LvrShrQxYdb1rVTqztH9zU4qWvX28ZpVMt-vEhyphenhyphenJGXz/s1600/Stock-1899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnMWvx5tr5bbQeLWNAEHHj6zbDsCh1UbN6JHDmlaz4_ZHHJ0d2FPpTpH71cIAcZOn0z-zcU05Tzwyk1gLWYD7KrReCpv8-ILPx-LvrShrQxYdb1rVTqztH9zU4qWvX28ZpVMt-vEhyphenhyphenJGXz/s640/Stock-1899.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sinagua Indian Ruins - Sycamore Canyon Wilderness</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-5025475954979705102010-12-06T13:40:00.006-07:002010-12-09T12:40:52.947-07:00Happy Holidays EveryoneOk....after a good start, I've been really bad at maintaining this blog. I apologize for this and hope to change. I guess it will be part of my new year's resolutions!<br />
<br />
Anyway, a lot has happened in my life since my last blog entry with the most major change being that I relocated from southwest Colorado to Sedona, Arizona. The particulars of this move kept me extremely busy over a large part of last summer. Of course, I still made sure that I found time to start photographing my new surroundings as I need to keep adding to my portfolio to make a living.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfRnIUVIsnuSf2JagzN5kZzMQ0k4zEUbNW5UY2-efdtl4GT82_hQYp592eTXfjV9FqGbf2_LQVVx7iyswHsKi4zAdtZIi04t87tp0KyV_8pxGxumbo_vtaGdvH2QKdmlGduZiFSAjPdeX/s1600/Stock-1780.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfRnIUVIsnuSf2JagzN5kZzMQ0k4zEUbNW5UY2-efdtl4GT82_hQYp592eTXfjV9FqGbf2_LQVVx7iyswHsKi4zAdtZIi04t87tp0KyV_8pxGxumbo_vtaGdvH2QKdmlGduZiFSAjPdeX/s640/Stock-1780.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View From Brins Mesa - Sedona, AZ</td></tr>
</tbody></table>As many of you probably know, Sedona is a photographer's dream that is surrounded by red rock monoliths, canyons and even lush riparan areas. Our move to this paradise corresponded with the beginning of the monsoon season which added stormy skies, rainbows and lightning into the mix. It was definitely a summer to remember!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFPFJGvI4m3NZBHahyhlETTJn3JiGlItiLuEpimk6N6xyIRpsgacmMRZyHLRNGfYc3AdfbICUZVhBcM0LiAEcDffuriruenUbj7vCA4l7nCkPRl5WNSQDvQTp2MUVAzLGawJjglLntALmP/s1600/Stock-1848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFPFJGvI4m3NZBHahyhlETTJn3JiGlItiLuEpimk6N6xyIRpsgacmMRZyHLRNGfYc3AdfbICUZVhBcM0LiAEcDffuriruenUbj7vCA4l7nCkPRl5WNSQDvQTp2MUVAzLGawJjglLntALmP/s640/Stock-1848.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainbow Over The Red Rocks </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKxhNpjIBhnEwIbr9IJNSAl9GLIvuJy_XoycWW16TGwpjzX_BuWV8o6LRJuw10JDi4ztsDFsLw6LcoxuV2Epi9Y1rLZ1aBPcfDDPaQlRQ1Z6HjUzspj3K0wzLm361AN0OuwBjEwDQy6ou/s1600/Stock-1803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKxhNpjIBhnEwIbr9IJNSAl9GLIvuJy_XoycWW16TGwpjzX_BuWV8o6LRJuw10JDi4ztsDFsLw6LcoxuV2Epi9Y1rLZ1aBPcfDDPaQlRQ1Z6HjUzspj3K0wzLm361AN0OuwBjEwDQy6ou/s640/Stock-1803.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monsoon Sky Over Cathedral Rock</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Click on the link below to see a sampling of the summertime images I've collected.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Travel/Sedona-April-2010/11996818_iXgPk">Summertime In Sedona</a><br />
<br />
Once the summer wound down and we finally got settled in from the move, I began researching my autumn shooting strategy in the area. Autumn shooting in Arizona??? You bet!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvc06I1yccgKsjXN5UlhHDnpZqCgxysVHC8eigFawYLJ9K5VnEItGY6oeoIWOz0MuwkLZTsonhxpD7eMADhsVOBS0m4ahcbYxYEmgxhO77MBwUEce6IxaRUSK33eO0_X7hvxdDlXBuQNS/s1600/Stock-1851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvc06I1yccgKsjXN5UlhHDnpZqCgxysVHC8eigFawYLJ9K5VnEItGY6oeoIWOz0MuwkLZTsonhxpD7eMADhsVOBS0m4ahcbYxYEmgxhO77MBwUEce6IxaRUSK33eO0_X7hvxdDlXBuQNS/s640/Stock-1851.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Agassiz Peak - San Francisco Peaks </td></tr>
</tbody></table>While maybe not as spectacular as what I've grown accustomed to in the Colorado rockies, there are still many fascinating areas to soak in autumn in Arizona. Because of the vastly different elevations and ecosystems found in the state, there's fall color to be found anytime from September through December. Not many states can boast that!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiof28bbLDZsp1ZWxuXZTRnx0TG9drHnVW-bVJouJYhJ3K-n5Jbr9WC_-Z82GTRzkySl0k8-vQgt0yftSr_7pzIowt1uug4ZTBy4QkKuD4vKhkSgY9FMCPP6-Vm7KhIf7_xgoNY9pGtGgsu/s1600/Stock-1868.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiof28bbLDZsp1ZWxuXZTRnx0TG9drHnVW-bVJouJYhJ3K-n5Jbr9WC_-Z82GTRzkySl0k8-vQgt0yftSr_7pzIowt1uug4ZTBy4QkKuD4vKhkSgY9FMCPP6-Vm7KhIf7_xgoNY9pGtGgsu/s640/Stock-1868.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">West Fork Canyon Reflections</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Most of my first fall color shooting season was spent in the San Francisco Peaks (near Flagstaff), Oak Creek and West Fork Canyons (near Sedona), and some of the scenic drainages of the Mogollon Rim near Payson.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghBVs_FilabXu4CF4xy6CcNyVpiX6sTu5CPAst_S_Ua6bHBRufJZ3mu-H9Tg-J1baHaRJYQ9W2zlDFK72zSi8LOw0Xtd8auAAr4WXEpQvzl-QTiIdYre0u8oj0n9uqYKeqXiBPzy5YznlN/s1600/Stock-1872.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghBVs_FilabXu4CF4xy6CcNyVpiX6sTu5CPAst_S_Ua6bHBRufJZ3mu-H9Tg-J1baHaRJYQ9W2zlDFK72zSi8LOw0Xtd8auAAr4WXEpQvzl-QTiIdYre0u8oj0n9uqYKeqXiBPzy5YznlN/s640/Stock-1872.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oak Creek near Sedona</td></tr>
</tbody></table>You can see a collection of images from my wanderings by clicking the link below...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Travel/Arizona-Autumn-2010/14431135_4kd6P">Autumn In Arizona</a><br />
<br />
One other thing to note before I sign off is that I now have my 2011 Desert Southwest scenic calendar available for purchase. You can preview and purchase the calendar <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/desert_southwest_2011_scenic_calendar-158307717430604132">here</a>. Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope the upcoming holidays are merry!!Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-14542002284893683252010-04-04T11:26:00.012-06:002011-07-13T22:54:11.266-06:00Springtime in the DesertAfter what's been a long winter, I had really been looking forward to this trip in which I planned to head for the warmth of the desert. Originally, I figured to spend this entire adventure in search of wildflowers in the Sonoran Desert surrounding Tucson and Phoenix. However, on my recent <a href="http://explorethelightphotography.blogspot.com/2010/02/moabs-wintry-magic.html">winter trip to Moab</a>, I was approached by friend and fellow photographer, <a href="http://www.bretedge.com/">Bret Edge</a>, about the possibility of joining him for a three day, four wheel drive trip into the backcountry of Canyonlands National Park. He had scored the difficult to obtain permits for two nights of camping along the park's White Rim Road, an approximately 100 mile rugged drive through some spectacular canyon scenery along the Colorado and Green Rivers. His trip dates ran from March 22-24, right when I planned to head to the Sonoran Desert, but there was no way that I was going to pass up this opportunity. So I decided to incorporate both of these destinations into a longer road trip to get the best of both worlds!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Stock-Imagery/Desert-Scenery/6774486_rLyEZ#826744905_z3exm-L-LB"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8G9d3gZOAx76pN3G87-4ppqoxzRrbG9SROwgsRjpmmAbVNI0h1fKCudcUM3kxi0_hHGbm4isVeWESxXS5-o1h2nB8jIvWYutzPEP1BJ9SD-0mEiNgGAQjr1bfmFQ2cmEQkt59gPhTYCn4/s640/Stock-1702.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: blue;"><i>The White Rim in Canyonlands National Park</i></span></div><br />
A couple weeks before this trip was realized, I was also happy to hear that a couple of other Colorado photographer friends, <a href="http://www.talaric.com/">Jim Talaric</a> and <a href="http://www.rodhanna.com/">Rod Hanna</a>, would also be joining us. The four of us initially met on a fun <a href="http://explorethelightphotography.blogspot.com/2009/02/exploring-northern-arizona.html">trip to the Page, AZ area</a> a little over a year ago so I was looking forward to reuniting with everybody. So after meeting up the night before for a little photography and dinner, we embarked on our journey the next morning. The first thing that struck all of us was how slow the going was going to be. While the White Rim Road was far from a technical four wheel drive track, it often required very slow speeds and that made for long days on the road...especially when mixed in with frequent stops to take in (and photograph) the sights along the way.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Stock-Imagery/People-In-Nature/6280251_RRney#826735652_PjXb4-L-LB"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ykdxfVUGeC7ZZOU6VPMmKmSRUpiKNrdytUnROs1jpWK2CFFpiuHuPdpMGOuFlol711qFPNYL6JT-td4J2coD3oT3oN4OjWewYIdHqvSSa5A5A2smV7bJ-TrQk9FnPly8mqan_uBd6TgU/s640/Stock-1712.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: blue;"><i>Driving Along The White Rim Road</i></span></div><br />
The other thing we quickly realized was that this was going to be more of a scouting trip than a productive photography trip. While our camping areas were located in beautiful settings, they weren't necessarily places that translated to great photography. We encountered what we felt were the best photographic locations during the midday hours while we were making our way along the road. To get back to these locations during more favorable lighting conditions would have involved long, rugged drives under the cover of darkness...which none of us were too keen on doing. Still, I came away with a few decent photographs and now know some excellent locations to return to for an overnight trip or even a quick in and out venture. That knowledge, coupled with the excellent company provided by Bret, Jim and Rod made this a very memorable first leg of my journey.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Stock-Imagery/Desert-Scenery/6774486_rLyEZ#826744271_pEVrs-L-LB"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyxCAomTGxUpwpjJpxrhV4mg7gKqNDWiLdLuH6OBJ82Ixw1-kxuPpxNCEUrnlzAo50WjXZyAsxIllNu9nvsC5r8GkC9jWpdD91G-A7eSPicXmwjUc69qWjfD_azz3kbAc20NZwJvPozRVA/s640/Stock-1696.jpg" width="427" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i style="color: #6fa8dc;">Washerwoman Reflection in Canyonlands National Park</i></div><br />
Upon parting ways with Bret, Jim and Rod I made my way south towards the area of Bluff, Utah. After a final half day's worth of driving along the White Rim Road, I really didn't feel like doing anything more than the two hours of driving to get there. Besides, this would give me the opportunity to shoot a subject that I've wanted to revisit for some time now...the Goosenecks of the San Juan River. Goosenecks State Park is located in a spectacular setting overlooking the San Juan River some 1000 feet below while it meanders in series of horseshoe shaped loops. While I had visited this state park a few times now, I had never been there at the time of day or had weather conditions conducive to good photography. My plan was to shoot it before sunrise and shoot multiple images that I'd later stitch together to create a single, panoramic image. I arrived that night to scout out the area for the best panoramic vantage point (which turned out to be right at the main overlook), and set up camp for the chilly night ahead.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Fine-Art-Prints/The-Desert-Southwest/987814_Jmxdt#826749162_Rrhhn-L-LB"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrqIRQGXPPA-EWanax5O1jfMKMc6sLIbqHGo4Yomv2twp5z6sGbUSSjw6PjkT1Khy6zd0JVGI8WjEyHlsYI8jkxHbm09dYc5BPUWnSFXvupMM-Y-_0g02eel73q1eLk_uulax_9mNsUUC/s640/Stock-1723.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <span style="color: blue;"><i>Goosenecks of the San Juan River</i></span></div><br />
Upon spending the early morning hours shooting Goosenecks State Park and nearby Valley of the Gods State Park, I made my way to Flagstaff, AZ for a badly needed shower and my next photographic subject....the Grand Falls of the Little Colorado River. These falls, situated on the Navajo Indian Reservation near Flagstaff, are the largest in the state when flowing. The catch is that for 11 months out of the year, they are reduced to a trickle. Only during spring melt and after the occasional monsoon do these falls show off their awesome grandeur. Fortunately, my timing was good and the water was roaring down the basalt lava cliffs which formed these falls during an ancient eruption. These falls are often dubbed "Chocolate Falls" due to the extremely muddy content from spring runoff.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vwnjiOFnAGb47UPuTwHcGz5zODNxT-mbBn9asZ7vMzZ7de7GY8L8HtllhWTOXDdzJrMw0AJ6ArYBChG4ZmPdzycsJ88d2UBtmBt0xgisAJuI22tedBt6sGhjzLXZOJJ_Eh9jA-hfk2K0/s1600/Stock-1693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vwnjiOFnAGb47UPuTwHcGz5zODNxT-mbBn9asZ7vMzZ7de7GY8L8HtllhWTOXDdzJrMw0AJ6ArYBChG4ZmPdzycsJ88d2UBtmBt0xgisAJuI22tedBt6sGhjzLXZOJJ_Eh9jA-hfk2K0/s640/Stock-1693.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;"><i>Grand Falls of the Little Colorado River</i></span></div><br />
While I really enjoyed my time hanging around this awesome display of nature, mother nature tried her best to make life miserable photographically. High winds (you know...the type that'll blow your hat off or tip over your camera and tripod if you don't keep a constant grip on them) and mostly cloudy conditions made for less than stellar photography. Still, I managed to come away with a few worthy images.<br />
<br />
I was quite shocked when I woke up the following morning and looked out my hotel window to see snow flying! By the time I packed up and left it was near whiteout conditions and the snow was beginning to accumulate in earnest. Are you kidding me?!? It was definitely time to get the heck out of dodge! It wasn't long before I cleared the storm and by the time I hit my destination for the evening, Picacho Peak State Park near Tucson, it was a balmy 70+ degrees. Now that's more like it!! Unfortunately, clear skies and windy conditions made wildflower photography very problematic. This was compounded by the fact that I wasn't finding any good congregations of wildflowers to begin with. In particular, the wildflower displays on the flanks of Picacho Peak were very disappointing. And I found next to nothing when exploring nearby Saguaro National Park (the west unit) that evening. What did really strike me though, was how green the desert was...even more so than when I first visited in January. It was an incredible sight to see!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Stock-Imagery/The-Hand-Of-Man/6775190_khKvD#826732426_t9Zix-L-LB"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHzZ20qFMZG5zoTDr83hTGovpWt2Gn3uqTEELI65oWQrcwRKVkS5EQahR7JmCjcUqT2Pk9fvVugBZ0x9Ni3AqXcS2zdrsuAwnwX7U3uOTp5LJ-cUV3_HBujquNcsLhzeeJnBFLdaLRm82c/s640/Stock-1697.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i style="color: #6fa8dc;">Petroglyphs at Saguaro National Park</i></div><br />
The next day I finally got my first good dose of wildflower viewing when I hiked around Catalina State Park just north of Tucson. A side spur of the Sutherland Trail provided the best viewing and I spent the better part of the evening photographing that area. Patience was definitely the name of the game due to the windy conditions. I'd find a composition I'd like and wait anywhere from 15-30 minutes for a sufficient lull in the winds to get one shot. If you weren't paying attention when the lull came, you'd be waiting another 15-30 minutes! It wasn't the most productive photography, but I didn't mind. It was warm and the scenery was breathtaking.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Fine-Art-Prints/The-Desert-Southwest/987814_Jmxdt#826763342_QeaD6-L-LB"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOcXMlq4eyoJAr_7_y7NKWTnQ8T4qEw_g70wufO43U0X1_OkEn3ydUDjlWhMP1secsOEPuuzG1kxWvdPXhA6n7z95HHUg8esqpGvIQH2EdfeuAUBky9VzQ6512IL49sbAs_Qj06TArGBQj/s640/Stock-1692.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: blue;"><i>Poppy Carpet at Catalina State Park</i></span></div><br />
The next day I entered into the final phase of the trip as I headed back north to the Phoenix area. Here, I'd be meeting up with my wife, dog and an old (non photographer) friend from Minnesota, Greg Rynders. My camping for the trip was now done and I entered the cushy world of hotels, flush toilets and restaurants. The windy and clear conditions persisted which caused photography to take a back seat to hanging out, hiking and dining with my new company. The best photographic opportunity at this point came when we all visited Bartlett Lake northeast of Phoenix. The wildflower displays along the roadside of this lake were magnificent in places.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Fine-Art-Prints/The-Desert-Southwest/987814_Jmxdt#826757631_rZd9g-L-LB"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLGZbLYnTdQ_8fy6hXdQ_PWS4fQlhPax8ToEtHy6uLguF1sHBKqNEHeF8M323BA9UaZPEZuvs896WX-tnzqk0QW2ri3qtn30_zYQXaLHKWtZYzWyssxvrlQmjqWjymQNzgIAPV9iGNmT1/s640/Stock-1691.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Mexican Poppies and Lupine at Bartlett Lake</i></span></div><br />
My final photographic attempt of the trip occurred at Lost Dutchman State Park on my final day. Here it was just myself and man's best friend...my dog Yoda. The plan was to hike up the Siphon Draw trail and look for anything photographic along the way. Unfortunately, this day the clear sky and windy conditions were accompanied by 90 degree temperatures and poor Yoda quickly wilted in the heat. By this time, so did my aspirations of producing anything decent photographically so we packed it in early and called it a day. Sometimes, the desert just gets the best of you. I was ready to head home!<br />
<br />
To see additional images from my springtime desert southwest journey, click on the link below...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Travel/Spring-Desert-Southwest-Tour/11717591_YKPUV">Springtime in the Desert Imagery</a>Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-69405897385066047802010-03-15T09:32:00.001-06:002010-12-09T11:16:56.560-07:00Gear Review: Think Tank's Modular Component SystemOne of my major goals last summer was to finally dive into backpacking with the intent to start photographing landscapes that were farther off the beaten path. I had meant to do this in each of my first two summers living out here in Colorado, but nagging injuries of one sort or another prevented that from happening. It wasn't until last summer that I felt the time was right. As experienced backpackers know, there's a lot to learn logistically concerning what one should (and shouldn't) take along on these types of trips. One must consider the weight vs. convenience factor on many of the items that get brought along. Bring too much and you'll suffer with an overweight backpack on the trail. Bringing too little can reduce the fun factor of a trip to the point where you start to wonder why you're doing this. Sometimes you just got to have that extra thick sleeping pad, good book or ipod!<br />
<br />
Serious photographers have a couple of other very important considerations...how much of their suitcase full of camera gear can/should they lug along and how should they carry it? Many "weight weenies" may feel that a simple point in shoot is all they need/want to carry. Not me! Like I stated at the top, backpacking for me is a means to photograph lesser visited scenic places and I wanted the best quality images possible. Therefore bringing my Canon 5D Mark II DSLR, at least two lenses, a tripod, and other assorted gear were an absolute prerequisite. I'd gladly make concessions with other gear in order to make this happen. My decision on how to carry my photographic gear is what has provided the fodder for this particular review. I chose to invest in a modular carrying system that would allow me to carry my DSLR camera in a chest pack while on the trail and a belt system which would allow me to carry the remainder of my gear (the lenses and miscellaneous stuff) after I've set up camp and start hiking around looking for photographic subjects. After a long research process, I settled on Think Tank's modular component system and hand picked the following items:<br />
<ul><li>The <a href="http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/digital-holster-20-shoulder-bag.aspx">Digital Holster 20</a> to house my Canon 5D Mark II (or 50D) and lens.</li>
<li>A <a href="http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/digital-holster-harness-strap.aspx">Digital Holster Harness</a> which allows the above pack to be worn as a chest pack.</li>
<li>A <a href="http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/pro-speed-belt-v2-m-l.aspx">Pro Speed Belt</a>, a padded waist belt required to carry Think Tank's modular components.</li>
<li>Two <a href="http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/lens-changer-25-lens-case.aspx">Lens Changer 25</a> drop in pouches which fit my 17-40, 24-70 and 70-300 lenses.</li>
<li>The <a href="http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/skin-chimp-cage.aspx">Skin Chimp Cage bag</a> for filters and other misc. equipment.</li>
</ul>One thing to note is that Think Tank offers many, many other component options besides those that I've listed above. That allows every photographer the flexibility to figure out which best fulfills their needs for the gear they want to carry.<br />
<br />
Before getting into the actual review of the items I've identified, first I'd like to give the reasons why I chose the Think Tank modular component system over other manufacturer's systems. It really boiled down to a couple of things...the Digital Holster 20 was the smallest pack I found that held my 5D2 with any of my lenses attached and the belt system was designed in such a way that its accessory packs can slide around the belt. This allows you to keep the packs attached to the belt behind you and out of the way while hiking with the option of swinging them around your waist for easy access while shooting. A very slick and convenient feature IMO. <br />
<br />
<b>The Digital Holster 20 and Harness:</b><br />
<br />
This was really the most important part of the system I was investing in. Whether I opted to carry a conventional camera backpack, a full blown backpack, or the belt system, I wanted this chest pack in order to carry my 5D2 or 50D with one of my lenses attached. Why, you ask? Because I've found over the years that if I leave the camera in a backpack, I either don't have enough time or the will to shoot the spur of the moment adventure or wildlife scenes that sometimes present themselves while on the trail. I've simply passed up too many shots of hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders, etc. that may have made for sellable stock images. With an easy to access chest pack, I'm far more likely to capture these moments.<br />
<br />
Like I stated earlier, I really like the Digital Holster 20 because of it size. It snuggly fits (and I mean snuggly) my 5D2 with its L bracket mounted and any of my lenses attached (more on this in a moment). Any other manufacturer's design involved a substantially larger pack in order to house this combination. The last thing I wanted was a pack that became so large that it blocked out a good portion of the trail in front of me while hiking. The Digital Holster 20 doesn't do that and I can utilize it "as is" with my Canon 17-40 f/4, 24-70 f/2.8, or 70-300 f/4-5.6 lenses (without lens shades). For those times I want my 70-200 f/4 or even 400 f/5.6 lens attached I can unzip the bottom of the pack providing a "pop down" extension section for these larger lenses. A very thoughtful touch!<br />
<br />
Other thoughtful features built into this pack are a felt-lined protective flap on the inner top (to protect the camera's LCD from scratches), inner and side zip pockets (good for memory cards and spare batteries), and a see through business card holder on top which has come in handy for handing out cards while on the trail. If you are not interested in carrying it as a chest pack, it can also be mounted to the speed belt or simply carried as a shoulder bag (a shoulder strap is included). All in all, it's a very versatile bag and I've been very pleased with it. It even comes with a seam sealed rain cover. While it's a bit cumbersome to use at first, it became the bag's most important feature while on a 6 day backpacking trip in Colorado's San Juan Mountains during monsoon season! I'm happy to report that the camera came through the trip high and dry!<br />
<br />
My only nit involved using the pack with the chest harness as it's not very intuitive to put on. It just seemed like it takes a bit more contorting than necessary. It particularly became troublesome when putting it on over my hooded rain gear as I needed help from my hiking partner to get it situated properly.<br />
<br />
<b>The Pro Speed Belt and Accessories:</b><br />
<br />
I've always been a camera backpack user (and still am for many situations), but I've found that I really like using the belt system for longer day hikes when I want to take a minimum of gear. It's lighter weight and easier access to gear is a great selling point. In particular, it's the easier access to gear where this belt system really shines as most such systems require the accessory packs to be attached to a fixed position on the belt. Moving a pack to any other position requires removing it from the belt and reattaching it somewhere else...a very inconvenient process when you have to do it in the field. All the belts offered by Think Tank give you the option to "lock" an accessory pack into a certain position or attach it "unlocked" with the ability to freely rotate it around the belt. It's the latter option that I find to be a compelling feature for reasons already stated above. My only real complaint about the belt so far is that I find it very difficult to readjust its fit. This becomes a real pain when adding or removing bulky clothing while on the trail. Maybe I'm missing something here, but I'd really like to see a better mechanism for tightening and loosening this sucker!<br />
<br />
As far as the accessory packs go, they've worked out pretty well for the most part. The lens pouches come with a bungee corded draw string (for easy opening and closing), an outer mesh pocket (handy for storing the lens cap when shooting) and a seam sealed rain cover. Like all of the packs in Think Tank's system, they are lightly padded with an emphasis on being more lightweight and compressible. I found the design to be excellent, but I did have a quality control issue with one of them. The sewed seam around the top (where the draw string is) became unraveled after only a few uses, requiring a repair job on my part (I didn't want to bother with sending it in for such a simple repair). It's been fine ever since.<br />
<br />
I've found the Skin Chimp Cage bag to be a very useful accessory pack for my purposes. It's true design is for use in carrying a pro sized SLR camera body and thus it was a bit larger than what I really needed when backpacking. However, I've found it to be a perfect size to store all my miscellaneous equipment (my filter packs, camera remote, teleconverters, etc) and maybe a snack or two while on day hikes. It's simple in design and utilizes a combination of velcro flap enclosures and a bungee cord draw string for quick access to gear. And like all the other accessory packs, it comes with the ubiquitous seam sealed rain cover.<br />
<br />
Below are my completely miserable attempts to model all the gear discussed here. Winter still has its icy grip on the southwest Colorado area so I had on clothing that wasn't all that optimal for showing off the chest pack and belt. Hopefully, it gives you an idea though. Click on either image to see it enlarged.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvc5zRGg_IhmBtOojdojBr9YhPv5eUAUKfN1PO4aTX_YgKoqU5NJPnRRpMDM3v5762EYe90MUD8InhqbM6jbgRQRqdqYkC3YMc7MvkAFSap0Ta5Rop-4DZXKN2DeSns9LUJN-EK9rgw2u/s1600-h/Image-21903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvc5zRGg_IhmBtOojdojBr9YhPv5eUAUKfN1PO4aTX_YgKoqU5NJPnRRpMDM3v5762EYe90MUD8InhqbM6jbgRQRqdqYkC3YMc7MvkAFSap0Ta5Rop-4DZXKN2DeSns9LUJN-EK9rgw2u/s320/Image-21903.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDxvIBGB2EJMaZik0tyGDdr9QG40teqNoHIRjHDXoZHRf8CaiFgKezPwK7IPSIoGp1RPo6RI3f6MFILeXJeksueneNPzmVA3VvqV7Ui6S3GnvSSSk4uP_H_Asrn-72_e22JyekcGZBwnqs/s1600-h/Image-21902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDxvIBGB2EJMaZik0tyGDdr9QG40teqNoHIRjHDXoZHRf8CaiFgKezPwK7IPSIoGp1RPo6RI3f6MFILeXJeksueneNPzmVA3VvqV7Ui6S3GnvSSSk4uP_H_Asrn-72_e22JyekcGZBwnqs/s320/Image-21902.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>Conclusion:</b> <br />
<br />
By this point, you've probably gathered that I've been very pleased with Think Tank's modular component system...and you'd be right. I've been using this solution on and off for almost a year now and have found it to work really well for my needs. It's also nice to know that there are many more add-on options available should those needs grow. It's a well designed (with the exception of its belt resizing mechanism) and thought out system that emphasizes being light in weight over excessive padding. While it isn't a solution that'll have me selling off my camera backpacks, it's a nice gear carrying option to have for certain types of shooting. Whether that makes it worth the cost of its investment is, of course, up to each individual photographer. In my case, the answer was an emphatic "YES".<br />
<br />
If you have any questions concerning this review or additional points to make concerning Think Tank's modular component system, I encourage you to leave a comment. Thanks for stopping by!Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-13072059361943271002010-03-09T14:22:00.022-07:002010-12-09T11:18:32.034-07:00New Images From Northern ArizonaMother nature has been pretty tough on the entire country this winter (I know my back is killing me from all the shoveling) and the desert southwest has been no exception. Wave after wave of rain and snowstorms have made their way across the region in an unrelenting procession. Because of this, I felt fortunate that the weather cooperated for two of the four days I recently spent in northern Arizona. It was particularly fortunate that the day spent guiding a client into North Coyote Buttes and the Wave was nothing short of spectacular. Since visitation to this area is only allowed via a hard to obtain permit, one must roll the dice with the weather and hope for the best. Well, we definitely rolled a lucky number seven on this day! The only bummer was that there were no cool reflection pools in the Wave from the previous day's rain. On the positive side, it keeps me motivated to return until I finally get those conditions! Dang...I gotta keep going back to the Wave!!!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Stock-Imagery/Intimate-Nature/6774866_Awwyi#805953235_UXXWz-L-LB"><img border="0" height="427" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4004/4417103305_4d5946f49d_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="color: #6fa8dc; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: italic;">An Abstract View Of The Wave</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Of course, the Wave is just one of the incredibly interesting features that can be found in North Coyote Buttes. Sandstone teepees, brain rocks, arches, and other whimsical formations are everywhere. It's easy to spend the entire day exploring the area and getting creative with your photography.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Stock-Imagery/People-In-Nature/6280251_RRney#805942847_Pirux-L-LB"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMFu56ShpPvarOL4w6cO_2NcKvCefyuprEczI3QNeyH4slTE0_Q6TdWonRoQmY68vNML9onrh8YbaQxwcKh73UWVvYJD2jL4ZVyO2cCFfxCAp7hPkQd4bMqYFeU6FfdmnkEWrV_cv3P7_/s640/Stock-1681.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="color: #6fa8dc; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Rene About To Take A Bite Of Hamburger Rock</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span></span> </div>Last, but not least, no day is complete without photographing the incredible sandstone formation known as the Second Wave until its overcome by shadows late in the day. Just make sure you have a gps (or a good map and compass) to help find your way back to the trailhead in the waning light. It can be a little tricky, especially if it's your first time there.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Fine-Art-Prints/The-Desert-Southwest/987814_Jmxdt#805986025_TS6i9-L-LB"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZXxXQhdSuQYZlK80HI49TDkfnUxLS3g5UHKe5RrkyqF1VPJg5UwoQmZTqGHEgVVRKSnpGP35-424LdwsuRqa0DhzL_IzGbFVLkJhH1vdGda3mZQiogEIn97zthajYKDvOf_XBlgryfuz3/s640/Stock-1680.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="color: #6fa8dc; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Second Wave</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span></span> </div>After spending an entire day in North Coyote Buttes, my plan the next day was to visit a little known canyon deep within the Hopi reservation. While Blue Canyon is definitely what I'd call remote, it's sheer beauty definitely warrants a visit. Its collection of white and red capped hoodoo formations make you wonder what planet you're really on!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Fine-Art-Prints/The-Desert-Southwest/987814_Jmxdt#805985924_4T3JS-L-LB"><img border="0" height="441" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2712/4414426875_80b64ff9f1_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="color: #6fa8dc; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; font-style: italic;">Blue Canyon's Fragile Hoodoos</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><br />
The problem this day was that the weather didn't look like it was going to cooperate. Cloudy morning conditions had me considering an early trip home as the next wave of stormy weather was supposed to arrive in full force the next day. Instead, I kicked myself in the rear and drove to it under the guise that it would be a scouting mission. Funny thing happened on this scouting mission...the weather unexpectedly improved and I was actually forced to pull out my camera and use it! While I lost my light about an hour before sunset, I was able to come away with some respectable, if not spectacular, shots from this otherworldly place. It was a nice introductory experience for many return trips, I'm sure. The other issue hastening my early exit from the area was an approaching rain storm. Blue Canyon is not a place you want to drive in or out of when the roads are wet. Even with four wheel drive, you'll simply slide off the road. Also, flooded wash crossings in either direction will more than likely cut off any chance of escape. Seeing as I had no camping equipment on this trip, it was time to get the heck outta dodge and make my way back home!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Stock-Imagery/Desert-Scenery/6774486_rLyEZ#805958910_sYjEo-L-LB"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyRRyiwMCYbruq_AVNomCqnUensJm7n8Hqxw8IpOK5gcgiGsyIHDyf3UhqMeVgH3fnb9IzAw1OW81i6HNqtRouX1fx1yvfFit8R87ZMrWq5FOZpoqciuE86RQ_rdRa0EWx8gNKQwxOjNe/s640/Stock-1688.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="color: #6fa8dc; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Storm Approaching Blue Canyon</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><br />
On a final note, I want to make mention about the thing that really struck me during my visit to this canyon, and that was the fragility of the place. The caps of several hoodoos were lying on the ground throughout the area (as shown above) and its amazing that others are still intact given the extreme weather this area is subjected to. It's a reminder to please tread lightly when visiting this beautiful creation of nature. We don't need to hasten this process of destruction!<br />
<br />
To see more images from this short excursion to North Coyote Buttes and Blue Canyon, click on the link below...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Travel/Northern-Arizona-March-2010/11463201_ymyXg">Northern Arizona Image Collection</a>Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-16695381871551864922010-02-16T10:24:00.016-07:002010-12-09T11:20:15.918-07:00Moab's Wintry MagicWhen it comes to winter scenery, nothing compares (in my opinion anyway) to the sight of seeing the desert southwest's red rock scenery when dusted with a layer of snowfall. As much as I'm a fan of snowy mountain scenics, I just have to give the nod to the desert southwest. And in this sector of the country, two places jump out at me above all others for winter viewing pleasure....Bryce Canyon National Park and the area surrounding Moab, Utah. After the latest in a series of snowstorms finished sweeping across the southwest section of the country, I finally decided it was time to pay a visit to the Moab area. With it being a mere 3 hour drive from my home, it's pretty easy to time a visit to catch the clearing of most storms. The real big storms can be the exception as it's sometimes foolish to attempt the drive through southwest Colorado, but that wasn't the case this time. As I arrived in Moab, the sky immediately above town and the adjacent national parks (Canyonlands and Arches) were mostly sunny but the La Sal Mountains were still enshrouded in clouds. Perfect! I headed to a favorite place of mine to shoot the otherworldly sandstone formations of the Behind The Rocks Wilderness Study Area against the La Sals and waited for the mountains to clear. Fortunately, the weather obliged and the mountains slowly made their appearance.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Fine-Art-Prints/The-Desert-Southwest/987814_Jmxdt#787729309_HJFqN-A-LB"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIrnn0BvjF2HAv_gChdZPivPOUKHnTRVhvHFTuBjQWtDXgxtbCdDUycq554fGKdLpM_6pVk52MMmxmEdafVyDEpnM_SsWYGwsxhGFE_Ki9nJzXvApnx0VoIOnZXydcfcvrhBOMbarg1ADy/s640/Stock-1655.jpg" width="640" /> </a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;"><i>Mt. Tukuhnikivatz Behind The Rocks</i></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span id="goog_1266337938301"></span><span id="goog_1266337938302"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>It was a glorious evening of gazing at the juxtaposition of red rocks against snowy mountains as the sun sank lower and lower in the sky coloring the rocks an ever deeper shade of red. This was exactly what I had come for!<br />
<br />
For the following mornings shoot, I found myself in the windows section of Arches National Park. This is one of the more dramatic and popular sections of the park but I only encountered one other photographer in the area during my sunrise shoot. Gotta love the non-existent crowds during the winter season! While the shoot was somewhat unproductive due to cloud cover at the eastern horizon, the peacefulness of the morning more than made the early wakeup call worthwhile. <br />
<br />
I usually spend the afternoons on trips like this doing things unrelated to photography...like catnapping, eating, exploring town, etc. However, on this afternoon I actually had a photography subject in mind. I wanted to catch the sun as it crossed through Landscape Arch, the largest spanning arch in the world according to what I've read. My plan was to photograph the scene just as the sun intersected with the arch using a very small aperture which would yield a nice sun star effect. I had researched this occurrence before the trip and had obtained the time of day for this intersection from a photographer who shot the scene in early March. The trick was that I was there more than a month ealier so I'd have to extrapolate a time from that. I figured it would probably take 2 or 3 visits to get the timing right, but what else did I have to do anyway?? With an initial guess in hand I drove out to the Devil's Garden trailhead and trudged up the icy trail for less than a mile to the arch. To my amazement, I arrived just moments before the sun intersected the arch. What fortuitous timing!<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1266341531658"><br />
</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Fine-Art-Prints/The-Desert-Southwest/987814_Jmxdt#787732846_EEszo-L-LB" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpehJQ1Z3V15EPS8YMxWwbB89Oa2km3stDY-EVRkDqvejkuLdYWCF1rWBurI-CJM8MWCLCGjqLh1r8s2RgEI-Xs0OQMEpDiEiEal3e-1u9k3-ZkoyTzQF_M-UKaL4hthFuIjiTAiYCQ8DA/s640/Stock-1657.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i><span style="color: blue;">Sun Star at Landscape Arch</span></i></div><br />
Shooting sun star images like the one above can be a bit tricky. For the case above, I shot three exposures... one to properly expose the sun star, the sky and finally the arch itself. I then used Photomatix's Exposure Fusion method (Photomatix is a high dynamic range software tool) to blend the three exposures, creating the resulting image. Until now, I've never been a fan of using HDR software when blending as it usually results in images with halos and other funky artifacts. I'd always preferred the "old fashioned" method of blending in photoshop using layer masks where I had far more control of the final result (at the expense of it being a very time consuming effort). Well, Photomatix's relatively new Exposure Fusion feature may change all that. With very little effort, I was able to come up with an image similar to what would have taken me an hour to create using layer masks. Very cool! It has definitely found a home in my post-processing toolkit. <br />
<br />
Ok, sorry for the geeky software techno-babble in the above paragraph....this is a trip report so it's time to get back on topic! After shooting Landscape Arch, I had hoped to continue on the Devil's Garden Trail to Double O Arch. Double O is a fantastic arch that I've yet to shoot in the winter and it's a nice late afternoon subject. The problem was I didn't realize how much snow that area of the park had received. It was far more than other lower areas and I was only able to continue on for a half mile or so before the trail disappeared and the snow became too deep to navigate without skis or snowshoes (neither of which I was wearing). As it turned out, it didn't matter as the clouds were thickening from a storm passing well to the south which would pretty much wipe out any photographic opportunities for the next 24 hours.<br />
<br />
The highlight of my following evening's venture was attempting to shoot Double Arch (not to be confused with Double O Arch) under cover of a starry sky. Double Arch is another impressive arch located in the windows section that I thought would make an excellent subject for a technique referred to as light painting. Light painting is when you utilize a light source (usually some sort of flashlight) to bathe a subject with light under a night sky. For the scene below, I utilized a Dorcy 2 million candle power spotlight with a halogen bulb. I've found in the past that I get the best results with this light when I bounce the direct light off of other rocks to illuminate the scene, but this arch was too large for that. I quickly discovered when painting the arch that I could not directly light the foreground boulders as they would overpower the scene. In general, I found Double Arch to be a formidable challenge for this technique mostly because it was so large that it was difficult to fairly evenly paint it. It probably took 12-15 tries before I came up with the final image. That is how things work with light painting....you usually need several trials to get things right.<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1266472237353"><br />
</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Fine-Art-Prints/The-Desert-Southwest/987814_Jmxdt#791091418_EryAs-L-LB" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX4ZfjQotTH7V9FpwzWhOmQq8Aj7mD-RYSBT1c6h8aQnUUTt1rbWWJdF_TflCXMwM-Xp5M42tL0v1eEHnuNaW_6X0fyteZRiC6LKZNIvqDrvsdy-jbnEi18xLlybNZWBgd6c9aevMZyw9a/s640/Stock-1652.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;"><i>Double Arch Illuminated</i></span></div><br />
While the process was time consuming, it wasn't without entertainment. It was really cool being serenaded by a pair of not-so-distant coyotes trading howls while I was doing my thing. The eery echoes in the arch's rock amphitheater provided quite the ambiance!<br />
<br />
My final full day in the area saw me photographing Landscape Arch (again) at sunrise and finishing up with a shoot of Balanced Rock (once again in Arches NP) at sunset. I tried to find a somewhat different perspective for shooting Balanced Rock as the La Sal Mountains were shrouded in clouds and I wanted to make them a more prominent part of the composition. After trudging all over the area, I found what I was looking for and was happy with the images I can away with.<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1266341531661"><br />
</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Fine-Art-Prints/The-Desert-Southwest/987814_Jmxdt#789569888_syeMJ-L-LB"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEx3MQtygLftj6VrGGkAx6WJQaTmJcvgjBP_TKJ9176mOIp3wvwiWRJMkI7dxjIRkBeWxXHzmtNd56p4HiEN3zb6BScQzKKqczEo3qb8pnVXonEzyoGsWPN0t8p3NJEOf5M6XOuoLZspf/s640/Stock-1653.jpg" width="640" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;"><i>Balanced Rock at Sunset</i></span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After a final morning's (rather unsuccessful) shoot at Dead Horse State Park I packed up and headed for home with another enjoyable winter trip to the desert in the books! To see a few more images from this trip, click on the following link...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Travel/Winter-In-Moab-Feb-2010/11463739_ccUWM">Winter In Moab</a></div>Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-88343744525342091762010-01-21T15:54:00.001-07:002010-12-09T11:22:58.351-07:00Now Offering Photo Tours / Photoshop TrainingHere ye! Here ye! I have now expanded the Explore The Light business model to include customized, private photo tours and photoshop training. The photo tours will concentrate in the San Juan Mountains and the desert areas of the Four Corners region. These are private tours with an itinerary designed to meet the needs of an individual or small group. The mode of transportation can involve driving, hiking or snowshoeing (for those brave winter souls). More specifics are laid out in the workshop page on the Explore The Light website. Either click on the Workshop menu item above or follow this <a href="http://www.explorethelightphotography.com/Explore-The-Light-Galleries/Workshops/10963193_XUpcy">link</a>.Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019101623767650956.post-64635030705891220302010-01-20T09:52:00.002-07:002010-12-09T11:23:26.067-07:00Website and Blog Redesign Complete (mostly)Anybody that occasionally hops on my blog or site may have noticed the face lift that both have received. I've been doing some redesigning of both so they have the same look and feel, which has allowed me to fairly seamlessly integrate my blog in with the website. Given my minimal web programming skills this was quite the frustrating endeavor that took far longer than it should have. Thank god for Smugmug's helpful Dgrin customizing forum, without which, I would have never been able to accomplish this! Now that it's pretty much complete (I still want to tweak a few things here and there), I'm pretty happy with the end result. If anyone sees any snafus...major or minor...I'd appreciate any comments.<br />
<br />
In addition to the face lift, I've also added a bit of content to my site (more on that in an upcoming post) and have added menu options in an attempt to make it easier to navigate around. Check it out!Guy Schmicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17958139919106601209noreply@blogger.com0