Desaturated image

I decided to desaturate the colors somewhat in this image, and I kind of like it. I also kept the darks a bit darker, and I believe that it helps the overall image. Generally, abstract images like this tend to be a very colorful affair, but some times "less is more". The color scheme tends to give it a mysterious feeling to it. Upper Antelope canyon has a different feeling than nearby Lower Antelope Canyon. There is a bit more space here, it is more open, but both lend themselves to beautiful shapes and colors. No two images taken here will look the same. One of my favorites.

Arizona

I love Arizona. It allows me to fulfill my passion of photography, in particular it enables me to develop my artistic inclinations as a photographic artist. I have always loved color, and the colors of Arizona are unmatched. The state has an endless opportunities to explore one's artistic passions, from the Grand Canyon to Canyon de Chelle. I have by no means seen all of Arizona. But I plan to see as much of it as possible. The remoteness of much of the state gives it an aura of vastness and of the grand landscape. I have been to the American south west five times, taking part in photography workshops with Alain Briot. His workshops are unique, in that Alain teaches about the art of photography, not just how to take "pictures". Cameras take pictures, people make art. My skill as an artist keeps developing and growing, and I attribute this in large measure to Alain.

The Sentinal

Another image from the "Boulders" area north of Page Arizona, across the border in Utah. This is an amazing area to photograph. The boulders are not far from the gravel road, and one can easily walk up to the immense rubble deployed at the base of the mesa. I try to give a feeling of the immensity of these boulders. The pedestal on the right is at least 20 to 30 feet in height. The mind boggles at the scale of the formations. It is quite obvious how most of the rubble came to be; the boulders gave way from the cliff up above, and rolled down the incline. Did this pedestal formation also roll down from above? How does it stand on end like it does? Is it in its original location?  We see a mixture of red sandstone and siltstone underneath. This is one place I will return to.

The Right Angle

This image just came out of nowhere. It was the very first shot I took during the first outing of our workshop. I had only one lens on My Leica, my Zeiss Biogon f2 35 mm. I do not own the Leica 35mm, one reason being the cost, but the Zeiss is a very nice alternative. Most of my shots are with this lens. It is said that most Leica owners shoot predominantly with a 35 mm lens. It just seems the right lens in most situations. I prefer it over my Leica 50 mm f2 Summicron, which is also a terrific lens. The Leica lenses seem to impart a slightly cooler image than the Zeiss lenses. Either way, both are great lenses. Once you own a Leica or a Zeiss lens, you will never switch. The image is nicely balanced, like someone set it up that way, but this was the positioning as I found it. The color scheme is very nice as well. I love the warm tones that one finds in Arizona. Hard to believe that this is in "poor light".

Hoodoos, Page, Arizona

These hoodoos are found 20 minutes from Page, south off highway 89. A very beautiful spot, accessible with four wheel drive only. Taken at sunset, this image shows the warm colors imparted by the setting sun, which are a nice contrast to the cooler shaded areas. Even the shaded areas have nice warm colors, which would not be as prevalent in the mid day sun. Being a fine art landscape photographer demands that one rises very early in the morning for sunrise shots, which for us was about 4:30 in the morning, but thankfully sunset shots and late afternoon shots can be taken at a more bearable time. Our group of photographers rose everyday very early, drove to our chosen location in the dark, hiked to the viewpoint in the dark, and set up before the sun rose. We then had a quick breakfast, went to our next destination by about 11:00, which in our case was a slot canyon, shot there for about 3 hours, and retreated for lunch. The afternoon was spent having discussions about the art of photography and print critiquing for about two hours, and then we would head out for our next shooting location, culminating in the sunset shoot. Then the cycle would repeat itself, for a total of 4 days.

Upper Antelope Canyon

Another beautiful example of the lighting conditions in a slot canyon in Arizona. The location was Upper Antelope canyon, minutes out of Page Arizona. It is located on the Navajo Nation, and to get into  the canyon, one is accompanied by members of the Navajo nation, on the back of an open air 4 x 4, over a soft desert road, (if  one wants to call it that). The trip lasts about 20 minutes, and the entrance to the canyon is easy to navigate. In fact, it is totally accessible, with no encumbrances at all. Inside, one can set up a tripod relatively easily, with the only problem being the many tours that pass through every 10 to 15 minutes. One needs to be careful about wanting to exchange lenses inside the canyon, because very fine sand can end up on the sensor of the camera. Therefore, it is advisable to have you chosen lens attached to the camera body prior to entering the canyon. A tripod is a definite accessory, since the light level is low. While shooting, it is important not to capture the opening at the top of the canyon where the sunlight enters the canyon. This would create a hot spot which is not at all desirable to have in the image. I shot with a wide angle lens, a 17 - 24 zoom on my Nikon D700. To diminish any digital noise, one should shoot at the lowest ISO possible, with a cable release. A right angle viewer attached to the viewfinder is almost a necessity.

Painted Rock at Horseshoe Bend

What caught my eye here was the beautiful rock in the foreground. This image was taken at Horseshoe Bend, 20 minutes south of Page Arizona. It was 6 am in the morning when we arrive at the trail head to the canyon. The snow was coming down hard, it was very cold, and there did not seem to be any possibility that we could get a decent photo. By the time we arrived at the Bend, a 20 minute hike, it was still overcast, but the snow had ceased. Slowly some light filtered through the clouds, and we started shooting. This is a very good example of how seemingly poor lighting conditions can still result in beautifully saturated images. If the sun had been beating down on us, this image would not have been possible to achieve. I love the painterly quality of the colored rocks in the foreground. In fact, almost all the shots I took were of this variety: near:far compositions. It is difficult to conceive of the grand vista that lays behind the foreground rock. Yet, it is still a striking image. The traditional photo of Horseshoe Bend has been seen by thousands, and I wanted to steer away from that familiar image. For me, this is far more memorable.

Boulders Area, Utah

This image was taken in an area north of Page, Arizona, just across the Utah border, in the "Boulders" area of Glen Canyon. This was a wonderful spot to shoot, where boulders, after having rolled down from a high mesa,  are spread out over a wide area. One gets the feeling that another one could come crashing down at any moment, especially right at the base of the high cliff where we were roaming about. The two boulders in the above shot are massive, the larger one being at least 15 feet high.  I especially liked the opening between the two resting boulders, which is the primary focal point in the image. Taken with my Nikon D700.

Cathedral Rock

Cathedral Rock is located near Sedona, Arizona. It is best viewed late afternoon and early evening for that warm glow from the setting sun. This is the more popular setting. The image can be seen in many publications and advertisements for the Red Rock area around Sedona. I tend to shun these "popular" areas, since one finds many other photographers trying to get the same shot, at the same time as you are. In addition, this image is seen every where, and it is hard to get an original version. Be that as it may, I took the shot, with the Leica M9, and here it is. I hope you like it.

Evening shot in poor light

This image was taken with my Leica M9. The lighting conditions seemed poor at first glance. The sky was overcast, and light was beginning to fade in the western sky. However, this kind of light actually can be superior to direct sunlight. Colors are more saturated in partial or open shade than in direct sunlight. The Leica cameras are wonderful to work with. They are very light, compact, and usually one only requires one lens for most shots. I did not have my camera back pack with me at this location. Just the camera hanging from my neck. Since the Leica is a range finder camera, there is no mirror to flap up prior to taking the shot. One just squeezes the shutter, hand held. My favorite lens to use with the Leica is a 35 mm Zeiss. The Zeiss lens is relatively inexpensive compared to the Leica 35 mm lenses, yet the quality of images that result from the Zeiss lenses are excellent.

Lower Antelope Canyon, AZ

There are two Antelope Canyons near Page Arizona, Upper and Lower. Both offer amazing compositions. What we view inside is a "slot canyon", a fairly narrow passage, which is open at the top to sunlight, which streams in onto the sides of the inner walls, producing a beautiful glow on the opposite wall. The amount of sunlight inside the chamber decreases from the top down. As seen here, there is a huge gradient of light, from bright areas to the lower dark areas. It is almost impossible to capture the full range of light in one shot. This image, however, is only one shot, although I bracketed for at least 5 shots. One definitely needs to use a tripod and cable release, or shoot at high ISO, typically 800 or higher. This was taken at 200 ISO, for a 3 second exposure at f22. A very useful accessory is a right angle viewer for your camera, due to the fact that the camera needs to be pointed upward, very close to the ground. Otherwise it is difficult to look through the viewfinder. All of my shots were taken with a wide angle lens.
Both Upper and Lower Antelope have a risk associated with flash flooding, which can occur without notice. Seven people died in 1997 when a flash flood occurred. It does not even need to rain nearby for a flash flood to occur. Rain falling several miles away can funnel into the canyon. Still an awesome place to visit.

Grand Sunset

This was taken at the Grand Canyon, at a location called Desert View, at the entrance to the park at the west end. I used my Nikon D700 for the shot, with a very wide zoom lens, the 17-24 mm. I used this lens for a lot of my images on my trip to Arizona this past week. Zoom lenses generally are not a favorite of mine, since they result in soft images, due to the large amount of glass in the lens itself. Primarily I shoot with "prime" lenses (pun intended). However the 17-24 wide angle zoom is a relatively fast lens, an f2.8, and very sharp, as is my other wide angle prime, the Nikon 20 mm. The down side to the lens is that it is big and heavy. But it sure is a beauty, and produces sharp images. A second camera that I had with me was my Leica M9. It produces stunning images, which have a different "look" than those produced by the D700, being much sharper, and slightly cooler color wise. I will post some M9 images soon. Overall, this is one of my favorite shots from my trip.

Page Arizona

I am back from my trip to Page, Arizona. I spent a week in Arizona, shooting new images for my portfolio. The weather I experienced was of two extremes: freezing and blustery cold at one extreme, and extremely hot temperatures at the other. This is typical, however, of the "Four Corners" region, in Northern Arizona. I have come to love this part of the United States. It is a great place to photograph, and I plan to return there again. I will post new images in the following weeks, of images taken at Upper and Lower Antelope Canyons, other local areas, the Grand Canyon, and Sedona area.

Leica WATE Tri-Elmar

This shot is part of series that I shot last spring. A fellow photographer and I found a fabulous deserted farm laden with lots of photo opportunities. I believe I shot this with my WATE (wide angle tri-elmar) Leica lens on my Leica M7, a 35 mm film camera. The WATE is a wonderful lens. One can frame an image at 16 mm, at 18 mm, or at 21mm, although it is not a zoom lens. This was shot at 16 mm, and note the lack of distortion, and the fact that all the corners are tack sharp, unlike a lot of zoom lenses. The only drawback, and a minor one, is that the lens is an f4, which is slow for a Leica lens, but I usually shoot on a tripod with a cable release, so it is not an issue with me. To top it off, the lens only weighs 11 1/2 ounces. It can be stored in a jacket pocket. That is the beauty of Leica equipment, that it is small and light weight.  I will be returning to this location soon, after some of the snow melts, and then I will shoot some color shots there.