Post Cards from the Road Part 2

THE GRAND CANYON Click on a photo to see a larger view.
I started thinking about visiting the Grand Canyon over a year ago, but realized that I would need some guidance to photograph it well. There are so many points along the rim, how was I to know which ones would show the canyon in the best light? I decided to postpone my visit until I could find a photography workshop to join. As soon as I saw this one listed on Don Smith's website, I signed on. I met Don during Gary Hart's Easter Sierra Workshop last October. This time Gary was assisting Don (they trade off). Opportunities to shoot the full moon were a serendipitous bonus.

I arrived at the park a day early to give myself extra time to photograph and to make sure I had a store of energy when the workshop began. Photo reviews, classroom instruction, and long drives to the next location, pressed in between sunrise and sunset shoots, meant that once the workshop started there would be very little down time. I wanted to start off well rested. I left Williams in the early morning and drove straight into the park to look around. I missed the sunrise, but it was still early enough to get good side light.

I returned in the late afternoon...and spotted my own shadow; tripod and camera bag included.

Mather Point is one of the most accessible and popular spots along the rim. I arrived well before light, found my way out to the point and set up my tripod. I could sense people gathering behind me, and soon I could feel them right next to me. I turned to see that I was surrounded by dozens of sunrise spectators. One man stood right behind me holding his camera over my head. While everyone continued to look east, I moved away from the crowd and looked west.

THE WORKSHOP BEGINS

After an orientation meeting at the motel, we drove to Yavapai Point for our first workshop shoot. Don explained a few things before we walked out to the point. We were hoping to catch a moon rise, but a heavy haze had settled across the sky.

Don challenged us to find a foreground subject that would add interest and give depth to a composition.

Through a telephoto lens the haze rendered the canyon an artistic impression. I enhanced the inherent blue cast.

Just as we were wrapping up for the night, the moon shown through the clouds. This was the last shot I took, and lunatic that I am, I was ecstatic.

Our sunrise through sunset schedule continued in the canyon for two more days.
This last shot was taken at Desert View, near the eastern entrance to the park. It was a cold and windy morning with just a hint of light from the rising sun. We didn't stay long. We left the park and drove the 82 miles to Page.

You can view more photos from the Grand Canyon on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/page3/

Post Cards from the Road Part 3

PAGE, AZ
UPPER ANTELOPE CANYON Click on a photo to see a larger view.

Our Navajo guide picked us up in a difficult-to-describe vehicle. Was it a truck? A van? A bus? We scrunched onto two back-to-back benches attached lengthwise to the bed. We wrapped our cameras in plastic in a futile attempt to protect them from the blowing sand (of which there was an abundance). Our vehicle was also wrapped in plastic (an opaque tarp covered the sides and back of the vehicle) in a futile attempt to protect us from the wind and sand.

The classic shot inside the canyon includes a beam of light streaming through a gap in the rocks with the light pooling on the floor. The exact time and location of the beams are predictable, but with dozens of tours of dozens of people all crammed into the narrow canyon corridors, clear beam shots are difficult to capture. Even without the sun beams, the light & shadows are compelling.

These white strings are sun light draped on a canyon wall.

STUD HORSE POINT
Our 2nd location in Page (& 3rd for the day) was Stud Horse Point to photograph the pedestal rocks against the beautiful sky of the setting sun. The rocks did their part, but the clouds obscured the sun set.

HORSESHOE BEND

The next morning, a short drive and a long walk took us to this iconic scene. Our goal was to photograph a sun rise and a moon set at a spot where the Colorado River makes a U-turn. It was not to be. Thick clouds blocked both the moon and the sun. No matter! I had so much fun scrambling around on the rocks looking for a unique view. There is no safety rail at the edge of the chasm and this was as close as I dared to go. You can see one leg of my tripod in the lower right corner of this photo.

The blue cast disappeared as the sun rose higher, and the clouds provided a lovely, low contrast, diffused light. Don & Gary continued to stress the inclusion of a strong foreground object.

I thought this double curve in the river was worth isolating. When I turned off the polarizer, the water glowed turquoise. Do you see the rock face on the right?
SEDONA, AZ

Sedona was the last stop for the workshop and my road trip. This was my 4th visit to a place I considered enchanted. On previous visits I was charmed by the red rock beauty, the energy vortexes, and the psychics & crystals. This time I was struck by the urban sprawl and the excess of cars and people.

One target in the workshop was to capture the classic shot of Cathedral Rock aglow with the light of the setting sun. Once again, the sky did not co-operate. Clouds masked the sun and turned the sky gray. But that didn't mean there were no shots to be found. When the sky isn't that pretty, just leave it out of the photo.

Gary trudged through the thicket to set up this shot.

The next morning, after a cloud shrouded sunrise shoot and breakfast, the workshop ended. Everyone scatted to catch flights and/or start a long drive. I wasn't quite ready to head home, so I re-booked my room for another night. Just as predicted, rain hit and continued through out the day. I went back to bed for a couple of hours, then donned my rain gear and headed out into the fray. I strolled though the downtown shops, visited the Center for New Age Thinking, had lunch at the Blue Moon Cafe in Oak Creek Village, and then set out to explore some of the back roads. I was thrilled when the rain turned to snow. After one last stop at my favorite vortex on Airport Road, I returned to my room. I took this photo the next morning from the hotel balcony, and looked forward to the sky that a breaking storm would provide.

I revisited Bell Rock Pathway and encountered a small miracle. I spotted the glove I had lost the previous morning. Someone had set it on top of a path marker so I could easily see it. Maybe there is something to this vortex energy.

I climbed about a third of the way up Bell Rock.

In the evening, I headed back to Red Rock Crossing for a second chance at a Cathedral Rock sunset. As the sun dropped toward the horizon, the rock lit up.

I learned from Don and Gary to glance around to see what the light is like in a different direction.

A second glow appeared after the sun set.This is the last photo, taken after dark.

Even though we did not have optimal weather conditions during the workshop, it was still a successful experience. Don and Gary are experienced, enthusiastic leaders and teachers, and I valued the time I spent with them and the other participants. With photography, if you wait for perfect conditions or go after only the iconic shots, you miss out on a limitless list of possibilities. Joining a workshop led by a professional photographer is a smart way to combine travel & photography.

You may view more photos from this trip on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/page5/

Elephant Seals at Año Nuevo

Two months ago a friend from the photography club and I made reservations to see the elephant seals at Año Nuevo State Reserve. Docent led tours out to the sand dunes leave the visitor's center every 15 minutes. Individuals are not allowed to walk out on their own; to see the seals, you must be on one of one of the tours and they fill up months ahead of time. As we packed our gear into my car, we questioned our sanity. Weather.com forecast a 100% chance of rain and the forecast was right on. It rained the entire 60 miles to the reserve, the entire tour and the entire drive home. It was not heavy, but it was unrelenting and with the wind, horizontal. I left my Nikon in the car. I had no way of keeping it dry. After we piled on layers of clothing, head gear and gloves, I pulled out my small Pentax and covered it with a shower cap (taken from a motel room just for this purpose). I was here several years ago and the beach in the above photo was littered with bull elephants lying on top of each other, maneuvering and posturing for the best position. Most of the adult seals have moved on this year, but we saw several groups of very expressive pups.

What's a little cold, rain and wind when you can spy on elephant seals.

By the time we returned to the Visitor Center, my Levi's and gloves were soaked, but my new waterproof jacket did its job well. After a stop in Davenport for a cup of hot tea and a bowl of soup at a table next to the fire place, we headed home. This was a good day; cold & wet, but good.

Return to Uvas

Click on a photo to see a larger view.
After another heavy rain, I drove back to Uvas County Park, this time on a Friday. My plan was to photograph just this one fall, which I couldn't get to last week because of all the people. It is at the start of the Waterfall Loop Trail and photographing it requires standing on a very narrow bridge and then moving off (tripod and all) every time a hiker wants to get across. Last Sunday, I put it off until the afternoon, hoping that by then most people would be gone; and they were, but it had also started to rain, so I had to skip it. On this day, I had the trail to myself. I like the curve and the sense of turbulence in the water.

I was so enthralled with the water (again) that I continued up the trail. Swanson's Creek was flowing faster and fuller than ever. New falls had been created from the water flowing off the hillsides, and the water was brown with silt. This helped the photography. Very little sunlight makes its way into the canyon, so the brown water helped balance the contrast between the water and the dark rocks & creek bank, and it brought out the texture of the surging water. It was moving so fast that without the color, the water would have been a white blur. In this photo I like that the boulder appears on the verge of tumbling out of the picture

This last photo, of Black Rock Falls is a composite of 5 horizontal photos that were stitched together in Photoshop Elements. I probably could have included the whole fall if I had switched to a wide angle lens, but I was perched on a small patch of uneven, precarious ground and getting wet from the spray: not good conditions for exposing a camera sensor.

My quick trip to the park turned into a 3 hour hike and photo shoot, and even then, I was reluctant to leave. What is it about moving water that is so compelling?

Scroll down to the previous post to see last weeks photos.

Uvas Canyon Waterfall Loop Trail

Click on a photo to see a larger view.

Just 12 miles from my house is a gem of a county park: Uvas Canyon. Spring fed Swanson Creek flows all year, although in the summer it is a mere trickle. The park offers several hiking trails, but the most popular is the easy, one mile Waterfall Loop Trail. After our recent series of storms, the numerous falls along the trail were overflowing. I have photographed on this trail several times, and I have never seen so much water surging down the creek and swirling over the rocks. It was one photo opportunity after another. Take a look...

I intended to take macro photos of the abundant, thick moss that clings to tree trunks and rocks, and flourishes in this damp winter environment, but initially, I was enticed by the roar of the falls. As I was photographing at the top of the loop, it started to rain. I moved under a tree that gave me a bit of cover so that I could switch to a macro lens. I covered my camera a with a shower cap and headed back, looking for photogenic moss along the way. The rain was pelting me. It wasn't that heavy, but the water gathered in the leaves of the trees and then fell in large globules on my head. To take these last two photos, I held my wide brim hat over the camera.

I returned to my car warbling, "Singin' in the Rain."

I was soaked, but I didn't mind. I like the rain.

Amaryllis Macro Shots

Every November I buy several amaryllis bulbs and plant them at intervals, so as the bloom on one withers, another is just opening up. The last bulb I planted sat in the pot for weeks, seemingly with no intention of giving me the pleasure of watching it grow. I deemed it a dud, but never got around to tossing it out. Sometimes it pays to procrastinate. Suddenly the stem started to grow, and grow, and grow. When it reached 30 inches, the bud gradually opened into its destined elegance. I took these back-lit shots with my macro lens.

I love this spectacular flower.

A Morning in San Francisco

Click on a photo to enlarge it.I saw a picture online of the TransAmerica Building in San Francisco that was taken from Pier 7. I thought the pier itself looked charming, with its wooden planks, tall lamp lights and curved iron railings. I decided I had to check it out for myself. After two weeks of clear, gorgeous weather, a storm was forecast for Monday, so I took off for the City early Sunday morning, thinking it might be the last chance to catch some blue sky for awhile. I went early hoping to get a parking space close-by and to have the pier to myself. I didn't want tourists in my shots. I got the parking space and the pier, but fog was still hanging over the City. In the first few shots I took, the spire disappeared into the mist. I waited. Eventually the fog thinned a bit, but not enough for the shots I had envisioned. Sometimes you just have to make do. In this hot, I like the way fog hangs over Coit Tower in the distance.

I walked back to my car and continued up the Embarcadero to Fisherman's Wharf. Most of the charm of the wharf has morphed into an overcrowded, tacky, tourist trap that attracts visitors and repels locals. I was only going to drive through, but it was still early enough and cold enough that the hoards had not yet arrived. I found a parking space on the street and pulled in. On one side of the street are colorful, kitschy souvenir stores, crowded so close together that merchandise spills out onto the sidewalk. Interspersed among the tee shirt, postcard, and sea shell shops are the museums (wax and otherwise), plus many Kodak yellow camera shops. Just in case you are not lured in by the gaudy displays of valuable merchandise, many stores also have a barker to let you know he has the perfect lens for your camera.

You can see more of this side of Fishrman's Wharf on my Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/
On the bay side of the street are all the restaurants,
including the sidewalk seafood bars.

The wharf is not all tourist attractions.
It is also the home of many working fishing boats.

By the time I had my fill of the wharf, the fog had lifted. I headed back to Pier 7. Can you believe it? The same parking space was available. I had my blue sky, and although people were now walking and jogging on the pier, I got the shots I had come for.

I set my camera on the bench to get this last perspective.

I love San Francisco. It has so many photo worthy sectors. The problem is that it is always crowded. Trips to the City have to be well timed to avoid commuter traffic on weekdays and tourists on weekends. I shall return.