Scenic Aperture

I discovered this idyllic Nebraska Farm scene last evening at the intersection of two nondescript gravel roads. Were it not for the GPS coordinates captured by GPS4CAM iPhone App, I would not even know where I was and probably would not be able to find my way back.

I like to set out late in the afternoon and just wander the back roads; sometimes getting lost in the process. Last evening was one of those times. Frequently, these “adventures” are nothing but a relaxing drive in the country. Sometimes they produce photographic discoveries like this one.

While setting up for this shot, an elderly couple drove up in a red pick up truck to see what I was doing – they probably thought I was having car trouble. Once they realized I was a photographer, they commented on the beauty of the scene. I got the impression they were locals from the area and had probably driven through this intersection hundreds of times. I think they were gratified that someone like me (not a local) appreciated the beauty of the scene. In fact I did.

Technical stuff: Canon 5D Mark II with Canon EF70-200mm f2.8 L IS II USM at 70mm f/11.0 1/80s iso100

Farm Scape

Chaco Culture National Historical Park (Chaco Canyon) is an exceptional concentration of pueblos located in a remote canyon in northwestern New Mexico. It contains a vast number of ancient ruins and preserves one of the United States’ most important precolumbian cultural and historic areas.

Chaco Canyon is way off the beaten path. Even though it is part of the National Park system, other than a small tent-like visitor center, there are few to no services in the park. It takes a bit of persistence and sense of adventure to get to Chaco. The Park Service web site indicates many GPS navigation systems lead visitors astray and onto roads that should only be driven with high clearance 4×4 vehicles. I followed the NPS advice and accessed Chaco by turning off Highway 550 at Nageezi (which was well marked) and simply followed the signs to Chaco. The first few miles of the road were paved, but I would estimate the last 15 miles or so were rutted dirt and gravel. Once in the park, there is a paved loop road that provides easy access to many of the most spectacular ruins.

My visit to Chaco Canyon was an after-thought which I timed poorly from a photographic stand point. I arrived late in the morning as I drove from Durango to Albuquerque. Needing to get to Albuquerque by early evening, I was left only to shoot Chaco for a few hours while the sun was high in the sky. The ruins against the desert back drop were either washed out in bright sun or in deep dark shadows. A late afternoon visit would have been much better for making photographs. I guess I’ll be going back . . .

Because is was hot I wanted to travel light. I carried only the Canon 5D Mark II, EF 16-35mm, and a Feisol CT-3342 carbon fiber tripod. Since access to the ruins is from designated trails only, you have very limited access points and limited points of view. However, in a few cases you can enter the ruins which are made up of very small labyrinth of rooms and kivas so the EF16-35mm was a perfect lens choice.

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Pueblo Bonito

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Chaco Doors

Wood Lake, Nebraska is worth a stop. Wood Lake, Nebraska in the North Central part of the state is definitely worth a quick stop. Driving east on NE Highway 20 at 75 mph, out of the corner of my, I caught a glimpse of this tired little church in Wood Lake, Nebraska. There is something about these little towns that I can’t resist. I felt compelled to stop and check it out. Two left turns put me on dead end gravel road in front of the church. Everything was quiet and no one was around. Although a few homes in the area were obviously occupied and well kept, I can’t imagine there will be much left in Wood Lake in 10 or 20 years.

I grabbed a couple shots of the church before continuing on my way. This shot was taken with the Canon 5D Mark II and Canon 24-105mm at 24mm 1/200s, f/10.0 -0.67 EV, iso 200. It was converted to black and white with NIK Efex Pro.

I did some research on the Internet upon arriving home. In 2010 the population of Wood Lake was 60 – down from 72 in 2000. From what little information I found, I think this was a catholic church in its day. If I’ve got it right, it was built in 1915 and closed in 1987. The next big wind my take it away . . .

Catholic Church, Wood Lake, NE - circa 1915

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The Israel Beetison House, near Ashland, Nebraska, is a fine example of the Italianate style of architecture. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The residence was constructed in 1874-75 and five generations of Beetison’s lived in the house until its sale to nearby residential development in 1999.  Now, unfortunately, it is unsecured, open to the weather, and in an advanced state of deterioration.

I’ve driven past this interesting house countless times in the last 10 years.  Each time I tell myself I need to photograph it before it disappears altogether. I visualized a black and white image on a gloomy winter day. Well, that type of day, and some free time, presented themselves over the holiday weekend.  As it turns out, I like this scene better in color than in black and white. What initially seemed to offer little color, actually is quite colorful. Even in color, I think it conveys the feeling of a brutally cold winter day. There is something appealing about the combination of a “cool” sky color and the “warm” stone and foreground colors.

This first image of the south elevation was taken late in the day from the shoulder of nearby Nebraska Highway 66 with the Canon 5D Mark II and the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 IS II USM at 155mm, f/8.0 1/50s iso100. I normally would not place the focal point of the image centered in the frame, but the symmetry of the house seemed to beg for a center position.

The second shot was taken with the Canon 5D Mark II and the Canon EF16-35mm f/2.8 II USM at 30mm f/8.0 1/60s iso100. Again, I like the combination of cool and warm colors. I intentionally pushed the sky in post-processing with NIK Viveza 2 by decreasing the brightness while increasing the contrast and structure of the sky to darken the overall color and enhance definition of the clouds.  I think it works well.

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Canon 5D Mark II w/ EF 70-200mm f/2.8 IS II USM at 155mm, f/8.0 1/50s iso100

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The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge is a cable-stayed 3,000 ft (910 m) footbridge across the Missouri River between Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa. It opened on September 28, 2008. This shot was taken with the Pentax K7 and DA12-24mm @ 16mm – manual exposure of 2.5s at f/11.0 iso100; tripod support.

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Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge from the Omaha side of the Missouri River

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