The Day Wanes At Woton's Throne

Another from my trip to the North Rim and Coyote Buttes North over the Labor Day weekend.

Sunset Season

It's that time of year again, the sun goes down behind the mountains and sometimes lights up the sky timely, right about the end of the work day.  Though the sunset captured in my Sunset Pano taken a couple weeks ago was the best of the season so far.
Here are a couple more including another image from that night to start off with.

November 8

Novermber 17

November 20

November 21

Sunset Pano

The sky lit up last night over Heber Valley with a storm system approaching.  Three image panorama

Ruin Panorama

The last of a handful of attempts I made at a more scenic bokeh panorama or Brenizer method last weekend.   For this one shot 30 images at 50mm f2.8, stitched using Hugin.  This often photographed ruin in Beef Basin was my willing subject.  My other attempts last weekend all include a group of moving people but will have to see how they turn out.



#17 of 30

Bokeh Panorama Experiment

disclaimer =  some technically challenged photos below but chalked up in the name of learning ; ).

After learning of a process to boost the narrowness of the depth of field of an image this morning using panoramic stitching of multiple overlapping images taken with a longer lens  instead of shooting the same field of view  in one shot with a wider lens,  I had to experiment as soon as possible.

I've shot panoramics with longer glass before to increase level of detail and angle of view, such as this wide rock art panel at the Horseshoe Shelter site last year.
I've also contemplated the benifits of a long lens wide open in different situations, but never put two and two together.

Below the  first image is a panoramic of 16 overlapping images taken with my 40-150mm at 40mm (x2 crop) and wide open at f4.  Stitched with an old version of Hugin (as was the above image), please excuse the parallax errors,  exposure variences, and mostly a gross lack of scenery.
 

Now for the "control", I changed to my 14-42mm lens, took a sip of the drink, and shot at 14mm and wide open at f3.5,

In spite of a lower aperature,  much sharper throughout, less bokeh, and broader DOF. 

I'm sold on trying this on an actual subject of interest or a good friend standing somewhere scenic this weekend!

Ferguson Canyon 08'

A long exposure scene I photographed in Ferguson Canyon, spring 08'

Watch of Wotan

A photo from my Labor Day trip taken at sunset out at Cape Royal, Grand Canyon.

South Coyote Morn'

aka October trip 2012 part 2,
My first visit to South Coyote Buttes, we spent a morning out at Cottonwood Cove, where I shot "Red" from a couple posts earlier.  Here are a few more from that morning.

Provo River

Long but scenic is my commute.  I've often wanted to stop every fall and winter to shoot this stretch.  I finally had a few extra minutes to stop for a change, though not the same as I've always invisioned from the higher perspective of the roadway.  A couple "test" photos along the Provo River before the next storm finishes off all the leaves.

Red

One from day two of last weeks vacation.



Red

South Coyote Buttes

October Trip 2012 Pt 1

Taking up to a week off  to go exploring around Southern Utah and beyond has been an annual fall tradition of mine since around 2002.   Just got back and this years trip was another great one.

Some of my images from just the first evening at White Pocket.

Fall Landscapes 2012

Not since my Pentax Zx5n would still eat film have I been out to look for Fall colors.  Finally spent a short evening after work to at least see what I might find before yet another season was over.

Book Cliffs: light and storm

The drive home from Southern Utah along an otherwise tedious stretch of two lane is often spiced up by inspiring views of the Book Cliffs.

Couldn't Wait

A couple of my photos of the Wave, Labor Day Weekend 2012.



Randy lends some scale to the scene.

Labor Day Weekend 2012

Another trip to the Arizona Strip brought with it a bunch of scenic distractions.  Here are a few early favorite photos for now to keep me motivated to eventually get caught up.

The Wave and surrounding environs was prominent on the to do list for this trip.
I've got many photos to go through and there look to be some promising ones in there.
I liked the composition on this one with Randy adjusting his tripod for a reflection shot,
and our soon to be new acquaintance from Germany frozen taking a step.



But not before passing through a storm or getting a Jeep out of some quicksand.






A visit to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon was also on our agenda. 
My "vision of Vishnu" Temple is a definite favorite so far.



Challenged but this was my first experience with the sunburst effect first thing Labor Day morning.



Now catching up will be hard to do while I hope to be elbow deep rebuilding a Jeep engine.  But there will eventually be much more to come from this trip.

A big thanks to my friend Randy for an invite to use an extra permit and open passenger seat.  His "adventr" blog can be seen here.  He will have a full trip report of this adventure posted there by about this weekend no doubt. 

Timp Meadow, Film Favorite to Digital Delight

The Wasatch Mountains are the most common scenic distraction for me by far over the years.

On the left, a snapshot envisioned while hiking back from the summit of Mt Timpanogos, and then almost carefully composed after retracing a few steps and taking a few steps off the trail (I still wish the whole shelter were included).  Taken some time in the mid 1990's, captured on an Olympus Infinity Jr 35mm point n shoot with Kodak Gold film no doubt.  A shoe box favorite ever since getting the prints back, often residing in a frame on a desk or dresser, and blown up large on the wall.
On the right, a re-shoot just about the same time of the season, late in the evening while en route to the summit (eventually), captured on July 2010 with my Olympus E-510 DSLR and 12-60mm zoom lens.

Spring on Mt Olympus

Hiking after work yesterday before sundown, a chance to get some exercise and see this years crop of spring wildflowers in bloom. Photographing wildflowers over the last few years has for me been a good means to an end of learning to identify them.

A new to me Parsley was in bloom.

Always on the lookout for a better shot of Glacier Lilys.
Still not quite there yet.

Phlox has been on my list to re-shoot also and I'm happy with these.

Hunting For Redbud

A quest taking me to redrock canyon country and the successful failure to find a sandstone entrenched redbud tree in bloom. No, did not find the tree this time but had a wonderful time trying. Hiked the rimlands around Seven Mile Canyon, the narrows of Smith Fork, an interesting hike to Brimhall Bridge, and wrapped it up with long full day hiking to and photographing Happy Canyon. Great company, great food, great scenery. An excellent extended weekend in Southern Utah.

A sample of Happy Canyons halls of light.

Remembering Film

I think it was a love hate relationship for me.
Broads Fork, Memorial Day 2000

Took six that day, liked one, frame was scratched.

Last Thursday's clear bluebird morning sky

My old E-510 delineated the sky's subtle changes in tone with lines of noise, annoying.

Winter Light

Over the holidays the Niece and Nephews were playing around the house with Grandpa while I had the camera out to document our lack of typical winter weather.
My Niece was about to wack me with a christmas wrap tube when I notice a patch of winter light coming through the kitchen window, bouncing off the hardwood floor, beaming narrowly in to the living room, and catching her mid mischevious intent. Good times.