Page, Arizona & Horseshoe Bend

This February I was fortunate enough to spend a week in Page, Arizona. What a fantastic place. We camped for a few days at the Lake Powell Marina campground, a beautiful spot with a view of the water and loaded with walking trails and wildlife.

Marina Sunrise - Nikon D7100, 80-200 2.8 Nikon Lens, 1/2 second @ f11, ISO 100, Tripod, processed in LR

Lots of wonderful landmarks to photograph, my favorite within walking distance was Tower Butte. I got my best shots from a rest area about ¾ of a mile from the campground at sunset and from the Marina parking lot at sunrise.

Sunset Tower Butte - Nikon D7100, 80-200 2.8 Nikon Lens, .07 second @ f11, ISO 100, Tripod, processed in LR

The Tower Butte is a long way off in the distance so I found myself shooting landscapes with my 80-200 lens which is pretty unusual for me, I’m more of a wide angle fan.

Nikon D7100, 16-85 3.5 lens, 1/500 @ f16, ISO 100, Tripod, 5 exposures merged in Photoshop and finished in LR

We also made the short hike out to Horseshoe Bend while we were there. If you’ve never been its definitely a must see feature, no photo can do it justice. The sheer drop and overwhelming size just cannot be totally conveyed in two dimensions.

Here is where I feel I should post a warning. It’s scary. Seriously, I would not take my kids out there and if you have a fear of heights be prepared to stand back a little. In order to get this shot I had to put my camera on a tripod, hang it out over the edge of a HUGE vertical cliff and take 5 exposures in portrait mode, then merge them into a pano using Photoshop.

Sunset is the time to go out to Horseshoe Bend. Its only 10 minutes out of town, the parking lot is easy to find and the “hike” is more of a 15 minute walk. If your goal is photography I would do my best to avoid a windy day and try and get some clouds in the background. Take the widest angle lens you've got, and seriously, be careful…. It’s a long way down.

Roseburg Oregon

Roseburg Oregon –

Nikon D7100, ISO 800, Nikon 16-85 f3.5~5.6, 1/2000, f8, Handheld. Processed in LightRoom, converted to black and white using LightRoom.

Ended up spending 2 nights in Roseburg on the banks of the Umpqua River. It is a beautiful place and one where I have many great memories. I was on my way to visit a friend who is living with a debilitating illness. It was a very introspective journey for me. I lost a good buddy a couple of years ago who was part of a group that spent a few days on this river every spring. In the past couple years I have lost three people I was close to, sitting on the banks of this river and thinking about all the days we spent together in this very spot was sobering. Even though the tone was sad the memories are not, I treasure those days and wouldn’t have missed them for any reason.

Nikon D7100, ISO 800, Nikon 16-85 f3.5~5.6, 1/2000, f8, Handheld. Processed in LightRoom, Processed in PhotoShop using luminosity masks and curves.

Floating the river at dawn in the mist is almost surreal. The only sounds are the water and the lapping of the waves against the hull. You can see your breath mingling with the mist as shapes emerge in the distance.

Nikon D7100, ISO 800, Nikon 16-85 f3.5~5.6, 1/2000, f8, Handheld. Processed in LightRoom, converted to black and white using LightRoom.

As far as camera stuff, I just use a small trash bag. Camera goes in when not in use, comes out for shooting. Filters are nice but the light is so low in the morning that I can’t afford the light loss. Everything has to be handheld and between the moving boat and the scenery going by there is just no room to spare.

If you get to Roseburg take the time to drive up the north stem into the wild and scenic area, it is untouched and incredible. I can recommend the Holiday Inn Express and the Best Western in town, I have stayed in both quite a bit. If you are in an RV there is a fun “Drive-In Theater” RV park we have used which was also great.

The drive west from Roseburg to the coast is also worth the time.

Enjoy.

JP's View -- Antelope Canyon, Arizona

Welcome back to JP’s View -

Nikon D7100, ISO 800, 1/8 seconds @ f11, 16-85 4.5 Nikon lens. Shot in RAW,
processed in Lightroom, curves and masks in Photoshop. Used tripod and remote release.

The past three years have been a time of dedication to family, we lost a battle to cancer after a long fight. It demanded that we curtail our retirement and our travel plans and stick closer to home. As a result JP’s view fell by the wayside.

Things are different now and we can take the time to go back out and enjoy this wonderful country again.

During that same time I grew to appreciate those writers who choose not to write about politics and other opinion pieces, I hear enough about that from other sources. So here’s what will be featured from now on, great places to go, how to get there and exactly how the featured photos were taken.

No fancy trips to far off lands, mostly the western U.S. with directions and photo information.

Let’s get started!

Nikon D7100, ISO 800, 3 seconds @ f19, -1 1/2 EV, 16-85 4.5 Nikon lens. Shot in RAW,
processed in Lightroom, curves and masks in Photoshop. Used tripod and remote release.

This is Antelope Canyon outside of Page, Arizona. It is a short bus ride out of town. Wholly owned by a few members of the Navajo nation you can only tour it with a Native American guide. I used Antelope Canyon Tours, Inc. https://www.antelopecanyon.com and they were fantastic. Seriously, no affiliation with them at all, but they did a wonderful job. I called at the last minute and they brought a guide back in from on their way home and setup a tour for myself, my wife and a gentleman visiting from Paris, France.

The guide was knowledgeable and well spoken, not only about the history and geology of the canyon, but about photography as well. They were a big help in holding back the crowds, telling you where to set up your tripod and keeping an eye on your gear while you were busy making images.

Nikon D7100, ISO 1600, .7 seconds @ f6.7, -2 EV, 16-85 4.5 Nikon lens. Shot in RAW, processed in Lightroom, curves and masks in Photoshop. Handheld, braced against the wall.

Here are some important things you need to know about photographing the canyon.

•    Take a tripod. You will have a hard time hand holding inside of the canyon, the light is amazing but it is low.
•    DO NOT change your lens. The dust and sand inside the canyon is like nowhere else I’ve ever been. You will wipe out your sensor in seconds.
•    Take a blower brush and blow the front element of your lens off frequently. Don’t rub it. I didn’t do this and the majority of my images were ruined by spots. More than could be corrected.
•    Keep the front element of your lens in the shade. The light that does make it down into the floor is very strong and will blow out your contrast.    
•    Bracket everything. Once you go to all the trouble of setting up and holding back the crowds take a full gamut of exposures. I had my Nikon set to +/- 3 stops and auto bracketed everything. It made a huge difference.
•    Next time I would not take my camera bag inside the canyon. It was always in the way and I never got anything out of it. Grab your tripod, camera and a blower brush. Maybe a remote release and be ready to move fast.

Nikon D7100, ISO 800, 3 seconds @ f19, -1/2 EV, 16-85 4.5 Nikon lens. Shot in RAW, processed in Lightroom.
Tripod and remote release

Antelope Canyon should absolutely be on your list of things to see, it is beautiful and easy to access. The best months are between March and September. We camped at the nearby Lake Powell Marina, it is an excellent base camp and offers its own stunning photo opportunities.

If you like JP’s View please share it with your friends and subscribe. Next up Horsehoe Bend!

Vacation at Last

After numerous cancellations we finally made it for a 6-day vacation to the North Coast of California. We had lots of plans for the year and every single one had to be put off for one reason or another. When we finally had a chance to go we called our favorite local RV Park (http://www.soundsofthesea.us/) hooked up the trailer and left.  Even that was not without problems, it seems the last time I unhooked the trailer I was at a rather severe angle, so severe that I was unable to re-hook the 5^th wheel, as a result I damaged the truck and ended up having to call AAA to come out and move the trailer so that I could get connected. What an ordeal….

We ended up spending a couple days looking for the Elk herd which lives in the region, but all I could find was one small group and they were too far away for good photos. Still the weather was fantastic and the views were great. We managed to have a nice time relaxing, catching up with each other and doing some sightseeing.

I call him Hula Man. He was truly happy; I hope to be as healthy and carefree at this age. We met him when we went to the Arcata Farmers Market on Saturday morning. It was "Sidewalk Art Day" and it was tremendous. The art was great, the music was amazing and the atmosphere had to be felt to be believed. It was better than Disneyland and it was free! Even with all the non-judgement in the air, Hula Man did have a critic... This young girl did not seem to approve of his moves.

The artists were everywhere; this guy was one of my favorites. I watched the judging with interest, he used a ladder to get above the pieces and get a clean view. I would hate to be the judge of something as arbitrary as sidewalk art, but I guess you could use any reasoning and it would be acceptable. Who is to say what is best?

Another great piece - 

After the market we wandered out to the beach and ran into a group of rock climbers. In a completely uncharacteristic move I asked if I could photograph them and they were happy to oblige. I ended up spending about an hour with them as they made it up a vertical face which hangs just over the sand.

Jake saying hello to some surfer buddies -

All in all it was a great time, everything worked in the rig, the roads were clear, the food was good and the company was terrific. Can't wait to get out again before winter slams the door on camping season.

Thanks for reading!

In Remembrance....

Dear Gracious and Heavenly Father --

Please comfort all who were affected by this terrible day in human history. Please shield those who serve and live under the threat of more violence and who risk their lives to protect us. Please help us all to remember that it is by your grace alone that we draw each and every breath and that it’s your love which guides our world and our lives.

In the name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Red Bluff Workshop

The day after the reception for the Images From a Glass Eye photo show, Neil & Susan Silverman ran a workshop for the Tehama Photo Club. We spent the day walking downtown and learning new methods of shooting which will be very helpful on future outings. In this first photo Neil suggested a way to deal with difficult (harsh) light and the crowded backgrounds when trying to photograph the landmark clock tower. The results are nice and certainly do not look like a typical tourist photo.

Next we worked on reflected light and shade while photographing people, again a nice technique which can be used almost anywhere with a minimum of equipment. The results were much better than when not using a reflector.

From there we wandered over to a local car restoration garage and spent the rest of the shooting time on the classic street rods of the past. Good times.

We then went back to the club meeting place for lunch, a critique session and a slide show. This session alone was worth the cost of the workshop, then the Silverman’s wrapped up with a raffle that included prizes which in many cases were worth hundreds of dollars.

If you ever get a chance to attend one of their workshops I highly recommend you do so, they are fun and informative teachers who do their best to ensure that you have a great learning experience.

They can be reached at: http://www.silvermansphotography.com/

Nothing is New Under the Sun

I was fortunate enough to catch the sunset from the top of Hatchet Mountain last Saturday night. What a glorious sight. The new windmill array is spinning out enough power to take care of thousands of homes, all without killing birds, polluting or increasing our dependence on foreign countries.

The architecture is inspiring and the sounds are amazing. The entire project is something to admire, but I can’t help but wonder what took so long, the wind has been blowing and the mountains have been there since time began. Windmills have been in use for most of recorded history.

Whether it was politics or economics that suppressed alternative energy sources they are both popular and economically viable nowadays. If you haven’t seen them you owe it to yourself to visit, just head towards Burney, California and look to the northwestern mountains nearby. I promise you will see them.

See you there!

JP