Petrified Forest National Park, January 2020
We are approaching the end of the year and this is always a time when I clean up my photo library and look back for memorable moments that made me push the shutter release button of the camera. In January I spent a weekend in the Painted Desert in northeast Arizona. Petrified Forest National Park lies at its heart and surprised with beautiful geological features and fantastic colors. I can’t wait to go back there.
Tonto Natural Bridge, Arizona
There is one photo I still like to show you from my trip to Arizona three weeks ago. Not because it is overly pretty, but it took a few extra thoughts and efforts in the making. On my way back from Petrified Forest National Park to the airport in Phoenix I took a little side trip and visited Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. The bridge is located a few miles north of Payson in the mountains of Central Arizona. It is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world.
With very limited time on hand (never a good thing) and being there around 2PM, with the sun high in the sky, made me wonder if there was even a decent photo opportunity as I was driving down into the deep valley to the state park area. Another bummer, the access to the observation deck below the bridge was closed due to some high water damage. I had to make the best out of the circumstances at this visit for getting a photo but at least I wanted to see it.
The only way to manage the very high contrast scene was to bracket each image with five handheld shots (-2,-1,0,1,2EV). I’m really not a big fan of HDR but it is amazing how the technology inside of Adobe’s software has improved during the last years. Within a minute the five shots were lined up and merged into a DNG file in Lightroom. It still took some dodging and burning to balance the exposure locally.
I wanted a picture that made it clear that this was a natural bridge, with a little light from the other side, and showing some of the travertine structures. The cactus in the foreground and the pines, or their shadows in the canyon, give a better idea about this place. First I was tempted to remove the safety reeling on top of the bridge but than I realized that it gives this geologic wonder a sense of scale.
Painted Desert, Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
Thank you to everybody who came out last night, despite the freezing cold, to see my presentation in the EB Lyon Center. It was a nice audience who had great questions at the end and I had good conversations with some people afterwards.
Here is another photo from my recent trip to Arizona. Desert landscapes have always fascinated me and arranging the elements with the play of the light can be a challenge but is also simple fun. Have a great weekend!
Common Raven, Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
How about the wildlife in the desert? Well, it’s winter and some species, like snakes and lizards are in hibernation. I saw a group of Mule Deer, but no signs of pronghorns or coyotes. Most birds are still further south, with other words, I wasn’t expecting much and didn’t pack the SIGMA 150-600 for this trip. The second day the sound of Horned Larks filled the cold morning air. They sat on rocks and enjoyed the warm sun probably as much as I did. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get close enough with just 200 mm focal length at hand.
My best photo opportunity came with several Common Ravens, a bird we don’t see in Iowa. This raven seems to greet me like an old friend, but he was actually just working on its feathers with his toes.
I tried to balance the exposure in this high contrast scene to get a little detail in some of its black feathers. Most pictures show the raven just sitting and watching but it is the great gesture with the foot in the air that makes this one my favorite.
Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4, @200 mm, 1/500s, f/5, ISO200, +0.33EV
On the Blue Mesa, Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
When you visit a landscape and your time is limited, you have to make the best out of it if you like to come home with some decent photos. In Petrified Forest National Park I had clouds only for a short period of time and tried to incorporate them in my images. In addition they helped a little bit to mute the sun and lower the contrast, although in January the sun is still not really high. Without a polarizing filter the glare on the rocks and sand would overpower everything. Shooting at 16 mm focal length the use of a polarizer is a little tricky. It is easy to produce a totally uneven blue in the sky that is difficult to fix in post process, but without a polarizer… well, the glare just takes over. 😉
Holbrook is the closest town to Petrified Forest National Park, only 26 miles west of the park. The old and famous Highway 66 ran through Holbrook and the rotten charm from the old times seems to be still present at some places. The first night, after just a short visit in the park, I was refueling my rental car at a gas station, when the setting sun suddenly produced the “killer light” I wished I would have had while still out in the desert. I let the gas run into the tank and quickly grabbed the camera. It only lasted for a minute…
Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35, f/4 @ 35 mm, 1/160 s, f/11, ISO 200
The question is, how can we beat the harsh light at the Grand Canyon in Arizona when there is no single cloud expected for the whole day and be finally rewarded with some good images? It is simple, be there before sunrise or during sunset. The first didn’t work for me, my hotel was too far away to make it, but I probably would have kicked myself later, if I had left the canyon too early. There are many overlooks and locations that are good for shooting during sunset. My choice was Navajo Point near the east entrance of the National Park. The Colorado River changes direction in this area, you have a deep view into the tribal lands of the Navajo nation, all the way to the Vermilion Cliffs at the horizon, and the watch tower at the Desert View visitor center sits on top of the steep canyon walls. I watched the shadows creeping up the canyon walls facing to the west and tried many different focal lengths from 16 mm to 35 mm. Not using a tripod made me actually very flexible (my luggage space was limited and I left it at home) and so I shot from a variety of different angles and positions, with and without foreground. The setting sun is not in this image, but the long shadows that quickly took possession of every sunny spot tell the story about a gorgeous evening at the Grand Canyon.
Grand Canyon, Arizona
I interrupt my stories about our trip to the Dakotas for a more actual photo. I’m stitching two business trips together into one right now. I’m in Arizona since Wednesday, spent the weekend here, and will will leave for Denver Colorado tomorrow morning.
The Saturday was used for a more than overdue trip to the Grand Canyon. I flew over it many times in the past but never had been actually in the National Park. I wished the big storm area that came through here last Thursday would have waited a couple more days but this is history and all what was left was a boring bald blue sky with not a single cloud in the air. Well, I deal with what is presented to me when it comes to weather and try to get the best out of it.
The Grand Canyon is magnificent and no words or photo can completely describe its beauty and vastness.
I took a lot of pictures with the wide angle lens, the Nikkor 16-35, f/4. I love this lens for its incredible sharpness and relative small size and I have really embraced it during our trip in the Dakotas. It is a great tool for an outdoor photographer that needs to pack small and light and wants to come home with sharp images. More to come…
