Zion 2011: Day 9 & 10

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

I spent much of Day 9 scouting the east side of the park in search of mud textures from the snow melt. Though I found some areas with nice mud textures, I had difficulty locating an area free of debris. With that shot out of the question, I returned to the canyon, and used my panoramic camera to capture some interesting reflections on the river.

 

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

On my last full day in Zion, I hiked the very scenic trails to Hidden Canyon and Observation Point. I hadn’t been on these trails before, but it was fun to check them out, and see Zion from a different vantage point. No photos today, but some of the trails were absolutely beautiful! Thanks for joining me on this trip! I’m already packing for my next one (Thus the rush to get these videos posted!)

Zion 2011: Day 8

Monday, November 7, 2011

on the morning of Day 8, I was treated to wintery conditions on the east side of the park. Without a specific shot in mind, I set out with my Fuji panoramic camera and several rolls of film. I found several pockets of fall color tucked away in the sandy washes, and hoped to capture a photo of fiery maple leaves frosted with fresh snow. I scouted several areas, but nothing really jumped out at me.

I ventured further east, and hiked through several washes until I found just the scene I was looking for. Three young pine trees, covered in fresh snow, stood out against a reddish/orange sandstone formation. I shot two rolls of  120 film for a total of 8 shots. I set the aperture to f/22, and metered my shutter speed at 1 second — which is ideal. Exposures longer than one second cannot be timed automatically by the camera. This meant I was able to enjoy the scene, rather than worry about properly timing my exposure.

The snow didn’t last long. A gentle breeze jostled snow from these trees while I packed up my gear. It was a fleeting moment.

Fuji GX617 | 105mm | 1" @ f/22 | Fuji Velvia 50

 

Scrabble Anyone?

As one might expect from my blog, I spend much of my time photographing nature. On shooting trips, I avoid man-made subjects. This isn’t for for any sort of philosophical reason, it’s just not what I set out to capture.

That being said, one of my favorite subjects is urban decay. There’s something about the color, texture, and graphical nature of these scenes that I am drawn to. This is nothing new, urban decay has long been a popular subject among photographers.

This past Monday, I found myself strolling through Balboa Park with a newly acquired Hasselblad 500CM, 50mm lens, and a roll of Kodak’s new Portra 160 film. I wandered through the arched walkways, and manicured gardens until I found just the right subject.

A drained fountain caught my eye. I suppose it will be worked on in the coming days, but it reminds me of a wicked game of scrabble.

Fountain in Disrepair: Hasselblad 500CM | 50mm | Kodak Portra 160