Scenic Aperture

My friend Steve and I were discussing some bird images he took earlier this year that recently received prizes in a photo contest (Check out his wonderful images at JustGotBack.net).

That got me thinking about my Florida trip last February. I went back to take another look at images I never got around to processing from a morning shoot off the coast of Sarasota. As so often happens, a shot that was originally overlooked, jumped out. Sometimes I think I should just wait a few months after a photo shoot to begin processing. I’m probably a bit more objective when it comes to evaluating images a few weeks later, rather than immediately after a photo shoot.

Anyway, here’s one of a great white egret from February that, in hindsight, ain’t too bad. It was shot with the Pentax K-5 and the Pentax DA*300mm at 1/3200s f/5.0 -0.3EV iso400.

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Great White Egret

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The monarch migration begins in late summer. Monarchs east of the Rockies migrate to the Oyamel fir trees of Mexico. Monarchs west of the Rockies migrate to southern California to the eucalyptus trees of Pacific Grove and surrounding areas.

This guy is on his way to Mexico.

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Pentax K5 w/ Pentax DA*300mm

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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

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This is a camper burning in the road ahead of me. I did not see how the fire started. As the traffic was stopped, I pulled my car off the road and jumped out for a few quick pics as the firemen worked. Within 5 minutes, they had the fire under control. I think the family got out safe. But what a lousy way to end a weekend.

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Near Yankton, SD

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I love to revisit special places like Shiprock on the Navajo Nation in New Mexico. Changing seasons, different weather conditions, and varying light provide new photography opportunities during each visit.

I last visited this unusual rock formation in January 2011. At that time, the winter sky was crystal clear with few clouds. I went back a few weeks ago and was treated to summer conditions which resulted in photographs with a completely different feel than those I made in January.

The New Mexico monsoon season begins in early July.  Although storms can be unpredictable and sometimes dangerous, they can create great photography conditions. An approaching storm in this first shot provides dramatic clouds and light – a good combination for landscape photographers. The sky opened up with rain and lightning not long after this shot was taken and I was finished for the day.

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Shiprock - Navajo Nation, NM - looking South

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The storm had passed by the following morning. In the shot below, the early morning light gave Shiprock a completely different feel than that from the evening before. Whispy clouds and haze from nearby fires provide soft light that makes a serene scene.

I’ll be going back to Shiprock and I look forward to a new experience each time.

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Shiprock-Navajo Nation, NM - looking North

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