Grand Canyon - Pima Point

Tax cuts ...

It would appear that the Republican tax cuts are going to pass ... what a surprise. The one thing that party can do well is give even more money to the already obscenely rich. Of course, in a few years when the deficits start to swell they will start screaming about how they have to fix that by taking more money away from the other end of the economic spectrum ... the poor and the elderly. They will leave that to the Democrats who are experts at taking things away from those demographics. It's all a scam ... you do understand that, right? It's also very unnecessary. All you need to do is read up on Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) to see why. In short, taxes do not pay for government expenditures. This is something none of the congress members understands as they are almost all lawyers or doctors. They think a government should be run like a household. But a monetary sovereign (a government that controls it's money supply) doesn't have to work like a household. It prints money! No household does that unless they have an illegal printing press in the basement (but that's another story). Sovereign governments can print as much money as they need. I know ... but what about inflation? Well, excess money doesn't lead to inflation ... the last few years of rampant quantitative easing proves that. A lack of things to buy is what causes inflation. But we are awash in things to buy ... just visit a local WalMart or look at the massive warehouses being built everywhere by Amazon and others. We also have a huge oversupply of autos that are unsold and waiting for someone to find the money to buy them. Inflation won't happen as long as there are things to buy. And we need infrastructure investments ... to the tune of 3+ trillion dollars so that also applies to paying wages and buying things to fix the broken roads and bridges. The government could turn on the presses tomorrow and run them day and night for years without causing any inflation. But they won't because that would rob the bankers of their cut of the very lucrative money market where the government borrows money. We could, literally, eliminate the deficit by printing 20 1 trillion dollar platinum coins and drawing against them to buy back all those government bonds we've sold over the years. Without generating any inflation. But don't hold your breath waiting for our incompetent elected officials to fix the problem. No gona happen ... ever! Too much money to be made.

Grand Canyon - Pima Point

As always, my first stop during this last cycle was Grand Canyon. I find that this park sets the tone for my trip and it was certainly true this time. For the first time I found the campground full and was forced to leave the park after only one day. There is no overnight parking except in the established campgrounds so I was forced to leave. They are very strict about this rule. This bad start was an omen that overshadowed my entire trip. I got some very nice images along the way but the trip itself was one bad thing after another. Anyway, to salvage my trip to the canyon I wanted to get one good panorama before I drove south. I took the red line bus out to Pima Point which is about a far west as one can go on established roads and went to setup on the rim. I've never seen an overlook so overrun with people. They were everywhere, even hanging off the rim. I had to elbow my way through so I could get out on the very edge to take my traditional pano. I found a nice rock outcrop where I was alone and, for the most part, out beyond the crowds. I did catch some people in the very edge of the pano but was able to clip them out of the finished image. It was a beautiful evening with just enough clouds to get a nice sunset. What I got is below.

I have one thing that happens at least once during each cycle. I get antsy and finish shooting before the action is finished. If you've watched a lot of sunsets you know that there is a certain process to how the light ebbs. There's the anticipation as the sun approaches the horizon followed by the first big burst of color. Shutters are going like crazy trying to capture this phase.Then there's the inevitable lull where the clouds go gray and the scene gets very boring. That's the time when most people gather up their gear and exit stage left. The patient pro knows there's likely to be more and he waits. Eventually, if the cloud conditions are just right, there's a second, even more spectacular color burst that lasts only a short while. That's when the sun breaks under the clouds and illuminates the bottoms with very intense red light. Over time this fades and you enter the blue period where the sky slowly darkens from light blue to dark blue to black. You can get some very spectacular shots during this second surge but, as I said before, you have to be patient. Well, being the first day of the cycle, I forgot this cardinal rule and broke my setup when the gray period came. And I was horrified to be standing at the bus stop when the sky lit up bright red again. It was too late to run back to the rim and setup so I could only watch as an amazing picture came and went, unrecorded. But this is a time to be very careful, especially around the rim, as accidents can happen when you are flustered and in a hurry. In the rush to setup you can make a mistake and get dead. So I just reminded myself, once again, to wait until the scene if 100% over before breaking my setup. Someday I'll remember this before I make a mistake.

This is a composite picture made from 80 separate images. I took bracketed sequences of 5 images each for a total of 16 blocks. Each block was run through Photomatix to give me an HDR image and then stitched together in Photoshop to produce the final panorama. There's a lot of work in this image as the tonal variation across the HDR blocks was very broad and I had to do a lot of cleanup. Some people think panoramas are easy ... just take your pictures and stitch them together. That's rarely all that happens. Panos can get very messy and it takes a trained eye and a lot of patience to fix all the problems. But the result is truly spectacular ... don't you think?

Pima Point - Grand Canyon 24mm,f/18,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Mesa Arch

Election Day...

Well, it's election day in the US. We get the big choice between the grifter and the clown. Didn't vote this time as it's really a waste of time and energy. I've already spoken about my thoughts on this earlier so I'll not rehash old musings. If Hillary wins, as everyone seems to expect, I'm really concerned with her feelings about Putin and Russia. So far my life here has been OK as few people give me any notice but that could change real quick if the rhetoric between the two leaders gets too heated. I don't want to be thrown out and I live in a very sensitive part of Russia so that's more than a small possibility. I really don't want to become part of an international incident. I'm also leaving here in February for my yearly medical recuperation and photography trip and really don't want to have trouble either leaving or coming back. I really don't have good feelings about where this is going.

Speaking of health, mine isn't. The lung problems are getting worse as winter settles in and I'm already sucking on my rescue inhaler far too much. Even developing some junk in my lungs which is not a good sign this early in the season. Last year I waited too long before leaving so this year I expect I'll be heading home in mid-February and will stay there until mid-May. 3 months this year as I'm sicker than before and need longer to recuperate. Also, last year was just too short at 2 months. I really had to rush my travels and my photography suffered as a result. This year I want to take my time and do it right.

Mesa Arch

Mesa Arch is in Canyonlands NP, just to the east of Bryce Canyon in Utah. I mentioned Mesa Arch a few posts ago ... it's one of the screen saver images found in Windows 7. The best shots come early in the day, around sunrise. I missed that moment (and the big crowds) as I arrived a few minutes too late but it was OK because the clouds were in a cooperative mood and gave my a nice pallet to work from. I was able to catch the sun just as it met the bottom of the arch and there were some nice "God beams" to add interest to the composition. For those who don't know what a God beam is, it's the streak of light that you see when the sun shines through breaks in the clouds. You can see them in the upper center of the image. They always add a nice bit of drama. I love the amazing colors in this photo ... compliments of the beautiful sandstone that is everywhere in this area. So enjoy.

Mesa Arch - 21 mm,f/11,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Grand Canyon Yaki Point Storm

It's Been a Wonderful Trip ... NOT

As most of you know by now, I spend part of my year in Crimea. A few years ago, just after the Maidan disaster in Ukraine and after the corrupt president, Viktor Yanukovitch left the country, Russia came to Crimea and basically took us from Ukraine. There was a referendum but no one the west accepted the result. Despite this contention, Russia annexed Crimea in the spring of 2014. The west responded with crippling sanctions that cut the Crimea off from all international banking including Visa/MasterCard, Western Union and SWIFT. But, until this last trip I was always able to access my accounts in my financial advisor (who shall remain hidden as I don't want any trouble). Not so this time. I found I was locked out from all my accounts, unable to use my ATM card even for purchases in the US and unable to do anything in my IRA. I got home with a few bucks in my pocket and a big itch in my trigger finger. I went to my advisor's local office and they told me that due to my being in Crimea and actually "living" there they had the right to essentially confiscate my money and there was nothing I could do about it. The conditions for returning the money were horrendous to say the least and a circular firing squad with no resolution.

The big instigator of this problem is a little known US office called the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC for short). OFAC monitors and enforces all the sanctions on all the countries presently in the US doghouse. That includes North Korea, Cuba (still), half the Middle East, other assorted bad boys and Crimea. OFAC sets the rules for any financial transactions that transpire between the US and the sanctioned country. No two situations are the same. But, and it's a big but, my financial advisor wanted to apply the same rules to all sanctions and wanted to apply the most draconian rules to all of them. Now I know, from personal experience, that the OFAC sanctions on Crimea allow me access to my money when I'm not in Crimea and also allow me to transfer money to my family for personal expenses. Only business and 'charitable contributions' are not allowed. I tried, for 4 days, to get this across to my advisor but he refused to comply or even talk to OFAC for guidance. He held that it was within his right to enforce rules that were more stringent than the OFAC guidelines and there was nothing I could do. His instructions were so ludicrous that I won't even repeat them here but the essence was my wife and daughter had to leave Crimea. Not going to happen in my lifetime so the money was trapped. In desperation, I sent an email to OFAC explaining the situation and requesting their help in solving the problem. They came back with the same stipulations I outlined above. I gave this email to my advisor and waited. It took 2 days for them to get in touch with OFAC and get told, rather forcefully I'm understand, to cut out the crap and give me access to my money. That they did and I'm in the process of moving all my assets to another location. So pox on my financial advisor for being a total jerk. If you're nice to me I might even tell you who it was. One of the big boys I'm afraid.

Grand Canyon Yaki Point Storm

After 5 days of beating my head against a brick wall I finally got my money. I was exhausted and needed someplace that would lift my spirits. That place is and will always be the Grand Canyon. I have a few friends there and I love the beauty and serenity of the canyon. So I packed up all my gear and headed west. Due to the El Nino warming, the weather in the West has been a lot wetter and somewhat colder. Last year it was very dry but this trip we had lots of rain and cold winds. Didn't matter really. It was just great to be there. I visited some old photo sites and found a whole new look due to the clouds. One such place was Yaki Point, a few miles to the east of the main encampment. This is a beautiful overlook and the heavy clouds gave it a very different feel. I shot this during the daytime but the image is still very dramatic because the sun is being filtered by all the cover. I like it very much and hope you do too.

Grand Canyon Yaki Point - 16mm(1.6 crop),f/18,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

North Rim Sunrise

New Gear for the Trip

I have a fairly short list for the new gear I'm getting this time out. I've decided I really need a second camera body as I spent $200 getting my sensor cleaned twice during cycle #1 due to the dirt that got inside during lens changes. Even being very careful it's almost impossible to keep dirt from entering the body. Images taken during the last few weeks of my trip looked like they had chicken pox with all the black shadows. It's very time consuming to fix them (in Lightroom) and I always worry about degrading my images while trying to fix the problem.

Anyway, I found a great deal on a Canon 6D at B&H which combines the camera body with a Canon Pixma 100 photo printer at a price less then the camera body alone. I'm not really too excited about the printer yet (it's the razor while the blades ... ink and paper ... are the real cost items) but it'll come in handy if I want to print some small (12x18 is max size I think) samples for proofing my processing and for handing out to prospective clients for my much larger prints. I actually save $250 with the combination which is almost 20%. I'm also getting a super wide fast lens (Rokinon 14mm f/2.8) for astrophotography and some miscellaneous items for my computer. Not a lot of money but will help me get the job done.

North Rim Sunrise

I spent 2 days on the Grand Canyon's north rim at the end of Cycle #1. Slept in my truck in the parking lot of the lodge as there was no room and it's very expensive. Not even a campground site could be found. The north rim is only open during the summer (starting May 15th) and early fall. Too bad as I suspect the canyon is amazingly beautiful when it snows there. There are ways around the closure but they entail a very dangerous dirt road which I'm not inclined to attempt with my little Nissan pickup.

I wanted to get a sunrise shot so managed to drag my nearly dead body out and wandered to an overlook near the lodge. I was the first person there but soon others managed to make the trek to see the sun break on the canyon's eastern edge. As I've stated before, sunrises are spiritually different than sunsets. The air is dead calm and cool. The birds put on a great show, singing to greet the new day. It's such a wonderful feeling to wait and watch the world come alive.

Grand Canyon NR sunrise - 16mm(1.6 crop),f/18,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Grand Canyon North Rim Sunset

Getting those Amazing Shots...

I get the most horrified looks sometimes when I set up my rig to take these amazing panoramas. As I edge closer and closer to the abyss people's eyes start to get larger and their facial expressions are of genuine fear. "You're going there?" they often ask as I carry my camera and tripod across the rocks and stand at the edge looking down into a 1000 foot drop. "It's what I do!" is my usual answer but that does little to assuage their fears. "I'd never do that" has rung in my ears more often than I can remember. But, to get the really spectacular images one has to take chances ... to go where no one has gone before. Otherwise it's just another photo like thousands (or sometimes millions) that came before and will come after. That's not me ... not even close to me. I want to bring home something unique so I go to the edge. Not that I'm careless ... I'm very careful and respectful as I approach the edge. I make sure, when possible, that the space is cleared of stray rocks and loose dirt and I never stand up or play around. I'm almost always on my knees and keep my weight leaning backwards. I often hook my tablet to the camera so I can view the sensor output from a safe distance and make adjustments without having to lean out over the edge as I rotate the camera to the extreme angles. I always hold the tripod to make sure the camera is stable and I'm not forced to grab the gear in case it starts to fall. I try to be a careful as I possible can be and, so far, that's been enough.

To give you an idea of my typical vantage point, look at the picture below. It's from the Grand Canyon and shows my tripod at the edge. One inch further and there's a long drop to the valley below. But also note that the tripod is not fully extended so I can stay low. This is for safety and also because it allows me to position the camera closer to the edge and thus to shoot more vertically as I sweep the camera through the angles for the panorama. If you look at my last post, from Horseshoe Bend, the bottom center of the image looks straight down. The camera was positioned on a very small ledge of rock jutting out into the canyon. There's no other way to get that kind of photo except by being right there on the edge. Although it looks dangerous, in most situations, it's not ... if one is very careful and aware.

On the Edge at Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon North Rim Sunset

As an example of what I discussed above, this is an image taken on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Take the road from the hotel, turn right at the fork and go as far as you can. Don't let the burn area discourage you although it's interesting in it's own right. Lots of dead trees. Just keep going until you can't go anymore. There's a large overlook just beyond the parking lot and a picnic area (designated as a place for large parties ... weddings, birthdays ... can you imagine having a wedding where a drunken guest could just walk off the edge? Scary thought for sure). The vantage point is just beyond this picnic grove and places you 1000 feet above the valley floor. It was an interesting day ... I'd seen heavy rain earlier which was a blessing as it washed away some of the junk that was obscuring the canyon. I hung around the parking lot for most of the afternoon and wandered out to this location just before sundown. I always like to get there an hour or so before the main event as it gives me time to scout the location and to get in the correct mindset. I got one of those questions from a young couple sitting a respectful distance from the edge and gave them one of my pat answers. I think they were more than a bit disturbed because they soon stood and wandered away. Guess the thought of watching someone stumble over the edge didn't sit well with them. Oh well.

As the sun sets, I start my cycle. Camera in portrait orientation and my 16-35 f/4 set to 16 mm for maximum coverage. F-stop is usually set at f/18 for maximum depth of field (I don't worry about diffraction too much ... depth of field is most important). Camera set to make a bracketed series (3-5 images per set). Shoot, rotate camera so I get at least 1/3 coverage between adjacent groupings (have screen set with 1/3 grid so I can easily judge rotation), then shoot again. When I complete the first sweep, adjust camera angle down until I can see bottom of canyon in view screen, go back to the starting angle and repeat the series. I usually get between 60 and 90 photos before I'm done. And sometimes I'll do this multiple times if I think the sunset is getting better. I usually stop when the bracketed shots are hitting the 30 second wall meaning I'm out of time and the sequence is no longer accurate. This is always well after sundown and I'm shooting the orange halo and often seeing the earth's shadow to the east (you see it in this photo as the bluish ting just above the horizon on the left side). I then use my standard technique of Photomatix to combine the brackets and then into Photoshop to create the panorama followed by Lightroom for cropping and final color adjustments. And the result ... breathtaking as always.

Grand Canyon North Rim - 16mm(1.6 crop),f/18,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Horseshoe Bend Redux

The Russian Airliner...

The news today indicates it's highly likely the Russian Airbus A321 was brought down by a bomb planted in the cargo hold. I guess this isn't really a surprise. After Russia came in to help defend Assad it was only a matter of time until someone found a way to take revenge. The Arabs are nothing if not persistent ... especially the fanatics. I'm curious how president Putin will react. This is one of those times when he has very little choice. He can't admit he made a mistake and pull out. He really can only double down and keep bombing ... this time seriously targeting ISIS and their associated groups. He's walked into a quagmire (as did our president Obama) and now he's stuck. Funny how sometimes the enemy becomes your friend ... as now we see Lavrov and Kerry surgically attached at the hip and walking the same path together. Ukraine is forgotten as it probably should have been long ago. It was and is a mess with no easy solution. So now the US and Russia face a common enemy and an equally messy and dangerous path to vanquish this foe. It should get interesting as we go forward.

Horseshoe Bend Redux

Was going through my photos from the first cycle and came across the images from Horseshoe Bend in northern Arizona. This was one of my first panoramas and, although amazing, it was not the best work. Some of the colors were over saturated and there was distortion around the center feature. Not sure where that came from but it really damaged the overall image. I also did extensive work in Photoshop and I probably overdid some colors. So, I redid everything, using the techniques I mastered later in the trip. Went back into Photomatix and found a better set of adjustments and then, avoiding Photoshop except for stitching together the pano, I used Lightroom to find the proper color balance. I've gotten comfortable using the color adjustment tools and don't push the saturation nearly as much. I also let the depths remain somewhat dark although I did lighten things just a bit. This gives the image greater depth (almost 3D) and mystery which is something the canyon has in spades. I enjoyed my time in Page so much I may add this area to my second cycle, around the same time as this image was taken (mid-April). That was a nice time ... not too hot and not too cold. We'll see.

Horseshoe Bend - 16mm(1.6 crop),f/14,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Grand Canyon Sunset from Desert View

The New Cameras...

It's been a big year for some of the camera manufacturers. They've been busy pushing the envelop with new sensors and new bodies plus more than a few new and exciting lenses. Canon fired the first shot with the 5DS(R) cameras containing a mind boggling 50 megapixel sensor. The photos are amazing and I think many serious Canon shooters have already made the transition. However, the sensor does have some serious noise issues (as do all Canon sensors) and the files are very large. This is a tripod only camera for in-studio use and for dedicated landscape photographers who are comfortable with that. Not good for action and, seriously, only outputs HD video ... when many in the world are already shooting 4K resolution. Hope that's just a software issue and not a limitation on the hardware because Canon, who really pioneered video from DSLR cameras, is now behind the 8 ball on that score. Then came Sigma ... yes, Sigma ... who are creating a whole new line of lenses called the ART series and these are really good glass. I think they just introduced a new zoom but the primes are truly amazing. I'm looking at the 24mm f/1.4 for astro work and it's as good as the much more expensive Canon offering. At less than $900 it's a real bargain. On my wish list as I write this. Then Sony came out with the new A7R ii and it too is an amazing camera. A forest of new features including 5-axis in-camera stabilization, 399 cross focus points so the camera can track action, a new back-lit sensor that is very low noise and sensitive and has 42 megapixels and 14 stops of dynamic range at low ISO. Almost ... and I say that with great hesitation ... almost a perfect camera. But there are increasing reports of overheating when recording 4K in-camera video (4.2.0 which isn't great but a first for a mirrorless camera none the less and 4.2.2 to an external recorder). Not a good thing if you plan to use this camera as a backup or primary when recording interviews or other long time sequences. Seems the problem is so bad the camera shuts down after 15-20 minutes even in a cool environment. If I was primarily planning to shoot video I'd bypass this camera but I'm not ... I'm shooting high resolution, high dynamic range stills mostly so I don't think this is an issue for me. So, as I type this the A7R ii is on my wish list too. It's not cheap ... only a few hundred below the Canon 5DS so I'll be selecting based on performance and how clean the images are. Oh ... and Sony has a lossless compression in the mix so that's also an issue. Why, I wonder, would they go to all the trouble of developing this amazing sensor and then crap all over it with a lousy compression algorithm? Rumor has it they've been listening to the wailing and are working on a new software fix to give users the option of getting the 14 bit RAW right from the sensor as an option. I hope so. Even if it slows down the shooting speed a bit. Please, give us the RAW data ... we can handle it.

Grand Canyon Sunset from Desert View

As you enter the south rim of the Grand Canyon on Rt. 64 there's a campground called Desert View. In the early days they constructed an observation tower on the rim so you could see the Colorado River deep in the canyon. It's a much quieter place than Grand Canyon City further to the west and the views are even more spectacular. I spent several days there, capturing sunsets and the amazing beauty of the canyon. This image was taken from a vantage point to the east of the tower and shows the river and red bluffs in beautiful detail. This is, of course, an HDR panorama. If you haven't been to Desert View, I strongly encourage you to make a stop the next time you're in the area. You won't be disappointed.

Grand Canyon Sunset - 16mm(1.6 crop), f/18, HDR, ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Grand Canyon ... one more time

It's Still Raining...

Day three of the unusual rain pattern that seems to be stuck over the canyon. Last night was very uncomfortable as the wind blew and the rain came and went throughout my night's sleep. Woke early and lay there thinking how wonderful it will be when I get a bit lower (presently at around 7000') and find some warm, dry air. That happens later today after I finish this post and visit a local gallery that may be interested in my stuff. Keep your fingers crossed that they want to work together ...

Not the smartest move...

As I was waiting for the library here at the park headquarters to open, an older woman came limping in requesting help. Turns out she had been through major surgery a month ago and her doctor had said it was OK for her to travel. Don't think she told him her mode of travel ... an old van which was her bedroom and everything else. Last night she went through a very miserable time as the cold weather finally got to her. The park rangers suggested, rather forcefully, that she go to the clinic here and see someone. Not sure if she did but I hope so as she was in pretty bad shape. Certainly not well enough to undertake the long drive back to the east coast. I feel for her as I've spent more than a few mights freezing my a** off but I'm in reasonable shape and have the gear to survive a really cold night. I wish her luck as she tries to get home.

The Canyon ... one more time

We've had some miserable weather here in Grand Canyon as I'm sure you know from my previous notes. Rain, cold and wind have made the last couple of days pretty miserable. As you also know, bad weather is the best event a photographer can ever hope for. Just before and certainly after a major storm the air is very clear and the clouds provide all the drama one can ever want. Well, on Saturday we had a big rain that broke, fortunately, in late afternoon so, by the time I got to the canyon rim, much of the fury was spent and only the dark clouds remained. This time I set up on a rock outcropping east of the visitor's center because, quite frankly, I was exhausted and had no desire to ride a bus back and forth to some remote location (especially after dark) and freeze while the event unfolded. I was quite surprised when I found a very nice spot, with a big rock sticking well out away from the surrounding rim and right over a large side canyon. As you may have surmised by now, my pictures get most dramatic when there's a very deep plunge near the bottom center. Well, we got that and then some with this picture. I'll let you enjoy and then come back with the details (which you probably know by heart by now).

Grand Canyon from Mather Point - 16mm(1.6 crop),f/18,HDR,ISO 200,license CC BY-NC 4.0

This is a 5 exposure bracket. Again I went through Photomatix to get the tonemapped images and then, because my sensor is still crapped up, into Photoshop to do some cleanup. I then took the collected images back into Photoshop to merge into a cylindrical panorama. Cropping and final color correction was performed in Lightroom. Hope you enjoy and please comment. I really want to know what you think.

Desert View

It Doeth Sucketh...

Was at Desert View, a remote area near the east entrance to Grand Canyon for a few days. Really beautiful area with amazing views of the canyon. You can actually see where the Colorado River widens out to become the Grand Canyon. Got some great shots but now have a problem with my camera. The sensor is dirty. Several streaks of junk run across my images requiring me to do major repair surgery on every one. When I look at the sensor I can see them so they are definitely real. When the final image is composed of upwards of 20 separate HDR images that's a lot of repair work to do. Of course, this happened in a remote area where there aren't any repair shops so I'm stuck until I get back to Albuquerque later this week. I'm going to do some internet searches to see if there's a way I can do it but that's probably risky. I want a clean camera, not a broken or destroyed one.

Desert View and the Grand Canyon

As you head east out of the Grand Canyon on Rt. 64 there's a small outpost called Desert View near the park's entrance. Back in the 20s they erected a tall tower on the canyon's rim so people could climb up and get a major impressive view (not that you need any added incentive to be impressed but what the hell). As is my custom, I wander along the rim, searching out spots where I can get out over the abyss and see as much of the canyon depths as possible. That's why my panoramas are so dramatic. I found several possible spots and shot one each night as the sun went down. Unfortunately, the sunsets were not really all that impressive because a band of clouds always sat stubbornly on the horizon, blocking the sun at just that critical point when the sky should light up in the most spectacular way. Something about the geography and interaction with the prevailing winds seems to cause this problem more often than not. Most of my canyon shots exhibit this issue but what can I do? Don't have a direct line to the weather god so I've got to live with what I'm given.

Anyway, last night I positioned my now crippled camera on a very precarious ledge about 200 yards west of the watch tower and waited. Again there was that pesky band of clouds just at the horizon only this time there was a small crack just wide enough for the sun to shine through. There weren't any impressive displays of fireworks but still a nice, muted show of color. The result is shown below. If you look just to the right of center, you can see the Colorado River as it emerges around the corner from it's deep slot canyon into the Grand Canyon.

Grand Canyon Sunset at Desert View - 16mm(1.6 crop),f/18,HDR,ISO 100, license CC BY-NC 4.0

5 exposures per position, into Photomatix for merging and a bit of color enhancement, into Photoshop for repair work to fix the dirty sensor streaks and then into Photoshop to create the panorama. Finished off in Lightroom with final color adjustments and some spot removal of shadows caused by dirt on the sensor. Damn ... I hope I can find someone to quickly clean that sensor or it's going to be a long road ahead. Enjoy and let me know your impressions.

Grand Canyon - One More Time

Sorry About Not Keeping the Google Map up to Date

Living in a tent and depending on spotty Internet access really puts a crimp in my blogging style. When I was in Zion National Park a while back I had to drive 20 km to find a good connection. Here in Grand Canyon there's really only one connection that's not an arm and a leg to access ... at the library in the park admin building. So every morning I lug my laptop (sans battery which has swollen so big it no longer fits in the space allotted) there and plug in. The connection is dirt slow but it's all they have so I'm grateful. So, I have to make choices and the Google map is low on my priority list at this point since my following is a bit slim right now. Once I get in better shape with a loyal group of companions I'll do better.

Grand Canyon for the Last Time ... for a While

I'm leaving the main part of Grand Canyon to explore an area close to the entrance ... Desert View. They have a primitive campground there and not much else. But it's a different part of the park and I'll get different views to admire and capture. So bear with me for this last image. I took this at a place called Yaki Point which lies just to the east of Grand Canyon City. I crawled out on a large rock formation away from the crowds who came to watch the sunset and waited patiently for the main event. You can usually judge a sunset (or sunrise) by the clouds floating around and how clear the air is. Last night there were some very nice clouds, in about the right place and the canyon air has been exceptionally clear the last few days. So I expected it would be at least nice and perhaps spectacular. But ... there's always a but isn't there ... as the sun approached the horizon a band of clouds appeared in just the wrong place and obscured it's progress. So, instead of a fiery sky I got some backlit clouds and a bit of red but nothing to really get excited about. Since I was there anyway I took a sequence. 5 photos per view this time because of the strong contrast between the sky and the deep canyon. The processing is pretty standard so I'll not bore you with those details.

Grand Canyon from Yaki Point - 16mm(1.6 crop),f/18,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

I'm reasonably satisfied with this picture given the sun's bad behavior but it could use a bit of touchup in Photoshop. Because my Wacom tablet died I'm not really able to do that right now. I've been told the new tablet is on its way so I'll pick it up next weekend. When I get time, I'll go back to this image and make the necessary adjustments. When that's done I put it here again.

Grand Canyon Sunrise

Grand Canyon Sunrise

Woke up very early this morning so figured I might as well drag my sorry bones out of the warm bag and go see what a Grand Canyon sunrise looks like. Took the camera of course. It was very cold at the visitor's center and I froze waiting for the sun to peek over the horizon. Brain wasn't working all that well so I didn't get a full 2 row panorama like I usually do. The bottom was truncated and I was basically limited to the top row. Nice colors but the canyon came out a bit dark. Because of generator restrictions and my dead Wacom tablet I'm not really able to effectively use Photoshop to correct such problems. But I've been told the truck cap is ready end of next week and I've already ordered a replacement tablet and the wireless kit so connectors won't break anymore. Let's keep our fingers crossed this one lasts a bit longer than a few weeks.

Grand Canyon Sunrise - 16mm (1.6 crop), f/11, various exposures, ISO 100
license CC BY-NC 4.0

Usual treatment so I'll just let you admire the view.

Grand Canyon

Generator Hours...

There's no electricity in national park campgrounds. Private places usually offer the option for power but it must be a 'thing' with the park service to make camping as natural and primitive as possible. So, when in these situations, I fire up my little Honda generator and process the day's images without external help. However, the park service, again for unknown reasons, has this really irritating generator runtime policy. 2 hours in the morning (usually around sunrise) and 2 hours in the evening (usually around sunset). So, you can only run your generator during those hours when you should, if you're a serious photographer, be out shooting. Not sure of the logic but I'm convinced, somewhere in the deep bowels of the bureaucracy, there's a little guy slaving away at these types of problems and arriving at solutions that satisfy everyone ... right?

Grand Canyon ... round one

I spent much of yesterday scouting the 'red route', a bus trip that runs from Grand Canyon City to a place called "Hermit's Rest' about 25 miles to the east. In the old days this was a vacation resort for people who wanted to get away from it all. They took a special train from ... Phoenix? ... and then a long buggy ride to this location. The lodge still stands but is now a souvenir stand and snack bar. Anyway, along this road there are numerous stops where one can view the canyon. Unfortunately, the park service is always worried about people getting too close to the edge so they have erected barriers to keep us out of harm's way. However, us resourceful photogs know how to get around this and I did. Found a lovely little spot with a large granite  protrusion where I could set up my equipment and get really good views of the canyon and sunset. Once I'd decided on the place, I just had to make the time. Left my campsite (went back to rest and get my equipment) around 5:30 and arrived an hour later. There were some kids taking selfies on 'my spot' but they soon disappeared and, for a few moments, I had the place all to myself. But good places attract good photographers and soon Adam Schallau (www.adamschallau.com) and a few students arrived to join me for a wonderful evening of shooting and talking photography. Adam specializes in landscapes and is often seen in the pages of Arizona magazine and others. He was teaching a fellow from India the finer points of shooting the canyon. I learned a lot just listening to the banter as they worked the scene.

I complained a while back about Zion and it's horrible orientation ... well Grand Canyon runs east to west and is perfect for sunrise and sunset images. As the sun goes down the shadows create the most interesting shapes on the mounts and valleys of the canyon. The colors are beyond spectacular. During the day the canyon is OK but grand colors aren't really it's specialty when the sun is most intense. But during the golden hours it puts on it's finest party dress and dances a riot of earth tones and sky blues. But why should I explain this when an image speaks so much better...

Grand Canyon from Powell Monument - 16mm (1.6 crop), f/11,various exposures, ISO 100
license CC BY-NC 4.0

You're pretty familiar with the drill by now. Bracketed exposure of 3 images, 2 ev apart. Tried a wider aperture this time (f/11) to speed up the process a bit and bring down diffraction. Then Photomatix for minimal adjustment, mostly blacks and whites plus some strength and then into Photoshop to create the cylindrical panorama. Like a previous pano, Photoshop screwed up the crop so I took the image as a TIF into Lightroom to crop and apply finishing touches. Not bad don't you think?

Now, before I leave, notice one thing ... to the left you have the majestic sunset while, to the right you have the earth's shadow cast above the horizon. When this works out right you get intense blues just at the horizon with pinks and reds above. Did I do it right?

Horseshoe Bend

The Selfie Craze

Stood on the edge of Horseshoe Bend in Page, AZ and peered down into the abyss. It was a long way down and sudden death if one stepped too close. I'm told no one has fallen yet (hard to believe) but that day inevitable due to a new craze that's sweeping the world ... the selfie stick. For those of you who've been living in a cave for the last couple of years, a selfie stick allows you to mount your camera (usually a cell phone but now even large tablets) on a long stick and to take a picture of yourself without assistance. Just hold the pole in one hand and smile. Nice idea for the terminally self-absorbed but potentially fatal in a place like Horseshoe Bend. I was talking to Kevin Burk, a pro photographer from LA, a few days ago and he pointed this out to me. He'd watched several Chinese tourists, with their selfie sticks fully extended, edging ever closer to the canyon edge in pursuit of the perfect picture ... their ugly mugs dead center in the Colorado River. I saw the same thing when I was there but didn't make the connection. They were so intent on getting that picture that they didn't even know where the edge was. Just looking at the cell phone and getting ever closer to the edge ... and the first fatality at Horseshoe Bend ... ?

Horseshoe Bend

I wandered up and down the path leading to the bend several times, lugging all my gear. Didn't exactly know what to expect but, when I finally arrived, the panorama is breathtaking. You stand on the edge, without protection, and look into this deep river valley. Wondered how many people had fallen. I took a few test photos and went back to my truck to prepare. I wanted to be on the edge as the sun set. Unfortunately, there were few clouds in the sky so the best I could hope for was sky glow. Even that would give me an interesting image for sure. Spent a while getting my generator running (I'd left Albuquerque with it still unchecked) and setting up my nodal slide. There's a unique rotation point for your lens (and for each zoom setting) where parallax just cancels out. If you're interested, check out the many videos that show how to find the nodal point for your lens on YouTube.

Anyway, the time finally came and I once again trudged up and down the hill until I stood at the edge. As is often the case, all the tourists had fled and only the diehard remained. I found a great place for my setup and waited. I'd decided to do an HDR panograph as this is really the only way to capture both the grandeur and amazing depth of color that emerges as the sun rises.

The Bend at Sunset - 16mm (1.6 crop), f/18, varying exposure, ISO 100 license CC BY-NC 4.0

Click on the image to get a larger view. Processing was a challenge. I'd let the camera decide on exposure levels because the light varied so much from one angle to the next. I took two rows of images, one down in the canyon and another capturing the sky. I took a representative set of images into Photomatix and made my adjustments until I had a reasonable result. One has to be careful not to overdo the sliders as you can get a very freaky result. Then I batch processed all the images using the settings from my test run. I've been testing both Photoshop and Hugin (an open source pano stitcher) and have, for the most part, settled on Photoshop. Hugin does weird things with your images and I'm just not comfortable relying on it yet. Photoshop does a great job with pano stitching. I use the cylindrical setting and check all the boxes (vignette and distortion correction) and then sit back to see what it does. Now, the problem comes when the dynamic range of the images gets too extreme. Photoshop adjusts exposure levels on the images until you get seamless integration. In the case of this image, the far reaches of the canyon were in deep shadow and basically disappeared in the initial run. I tried several approaches to fix the problem but nothing worked. Simply lightening the recesses produced a very flat, lifeless image that I found unsatisfying. I put the image aside for a few days and let my subconscious think ponder on the problem. I've found over the years that it is much smarter than the rest of my brain. Finally, after a few days, the solution appeared. I took the brightest images from the brackets and made another pano from them ... with the exact same settings. What emerged was a very bright image with the shadows now visible and useable. I carefully overlay this on the main pano (on a separate layer) and then created a luminosity mask that selected shadows so I only worked in the the darker parts and had automatic feathering on the edges. With a feathered brush I worked the shadows, letting the brightest layer come through. I made several other minor adjustments including enhancing the greens along the river and the result is shown above. It's dark and ominous but that's the effect I wanted. I've seen so many images of this landscape where the photographer has worked to bring out the bright colors and it looks fake (but does wonders on the tourist brochures). That's not what you see at sunset. You see a bright sky and the canyon in shadow. So, what you see in this image is what it looks like as you stare into the canyon (at least to my eye).