Gone to See America October 2008 Road Trip. Eighth Annual Nikonian Photography Adventure Trip. Day 6: Yosemite National Park.
On the last day of ANPAT 8, we did a walkabout in Yosemite Valley. First, we visited the smallest waterfall in the valley at Fern Spring. It is just off the road and in the shade. Well worth taking the time to visit and photograph. I also got some images of mushrooms/tree fungi. While I was busy with the mushrooms, the rest of the group tried to get a picture of a small brown bear running to the Merced river.
Fern Falls in Yosemite Valley. Image taken with a Nikon D3 camera and 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 42 mm, f/16, 1/2 sec). (David J Mathre)Yosemite’s Smallest Waterfall at Fern Spring. Image taken with a Nikon D3 and 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 70 mm, f/16, 5 sec). (David J Mathre)Tree Fungus in Yosemite National Park. Image taken with a Nikon D3 camera and 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 35 mm, f/16, 4 sec). (David J Mathre)Tree Fungus in Yosemite National Park. Image taken with a Nikon D3 camera and 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 35 mm, f/16, 4 sec). (David J Mathre)
Gone to See America 2013. Nikonian Annual Photography Adventure Trip. Day 4: Page, Antelope Canyon, and Horseshoe Bend.
The US Government was in shutdown mode while we visited Arizona. All the National Parks, Monuments, and other “non-essential” government facilities closed. The organizers of ANPAT 13 scrambled to find other locations for the four vans of photographers to visit. The original plan was to spend most of remaining time in Grand Canyon National Park. Many folks signed up for the trip specifically to see the north rim of the Grand Canyon and not surprisingly disappointed and angry. Our van’s revised assignment for the day included Lower Antelope canyon, on Navajo land, and thus not closed. Horseshoe Bend, where the upper vista point is on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land — technically closed, but not preventing visitors hiking to the vista point. Finally, Glen Canyon Dam, where the visitor center closed, but the dam and power generation remained in operation. Like us, tourists from all around the world were looking for alternative things to do and see leading to overcrowding at some locations.
We first drove to Page, and then Upper Antelope Canyon. I’d been there before on a Photography Workshop with Winston Hall. It is a target rich environment for photographers. You can only visit Antelope Canyon with a Navajo guide, and this time we had to sign a release regarding use of images and safety. The sky was cloudy, so we didn’t have the light beams coming down into the narrow slot canyon — but it still was a wonderful place to get some very unique images. The next stop was Horseshoe Bend. I’d also been there before with Winston Hall. The parking area was nearly full, and the only evidence of the government shutdown were locked restrooms. We hiked to Horseshoe Bend vista point, and found many folks already there. Rather than fight for a spot at the favorite viewpoint, I found a different place with a good view. I mounted a camera Nikon 800 camera with a fisheye lens on a sturdy monopod, then held the camera over the edge. It’s quite a view. A bit later I saw a National Geographic photographer put a camera out over the canyon wall with an even longer pole. This was before the days of drones.
Horseshoe Bend, Arizona. Image taken with a Nikon D4 and 16 mm f/2.8 fisheye lens (ISO 100, 16 mm, f/11, 1/100 sec). Camera mounted on a monopod held out over the cliff. (David J Mathre)
Individual images from theses slideshows can be viewed here.
Gone to See America October 2008 Road Trip. Eighth Annual Nikonian Photography Adventure Trip. Day 5: Yosemite National Park.
The Park Service recovered all of our belongings from the tent-cabins in Curry Village. We then checked into various Yosemite hotels and lodges (gratis). Much higher end lodging than the sparse tent-cabins. Before dinner, Michael Mariant as a special treat after all the weeks commotion took us for a walk along a quiet and peaceful section of the Merced river. The diffuse and sublime lighting made for some great images.
Gone to See America October 2008 Road Trip. Eighth Annual Nikonian Photography Adventure Trip. Day 2: Bodie State Historic Park.
After breakfast at the Whoa Nellie Deli in Lee Vining, our van went to Bodie State Historic Park. This is a Gold Mining Ghost Town. California maintains the park in a state of arrested decay. It is a favorite location for photographers, and a site for filming movies. The van from the group that visited the day before had issues with one of the park rangers, so we departed before closing time (17:00) — even though the sun hadn’t set.
School Marm’s Hat. Bodie State Park in California. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 200 mm f/2 lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/4, 1/320). (David J Mathre)Bodie Panorama. Composite of twenty images taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 200 mm f/2 lens. (David J Mathre)
Individual images from the slideshows can be viewed here.
Gone to See America 2013. Autumn Rocky Mountain Photography Safari in Colorado with Jason Odell. Day 3: Leadville.
Turquoise Lake Early Morning Panorama. Near Leadville, Colorado. Composite of three image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 85 mm f/2.8 PC-E lens and SingRay neutral density filter (ISO 100, 24 mm, f/16, 30 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro, and the composite generated with AutoPano Giga Pro. Let me know if you like the color or monochrome (sepia) version.
Turquoise Lake Early Morning Panorama. Near Leadville, Colorado. Composite of three image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 85 mm f/2.8 PC-E lens and Singray neutral density filter (ISO 100, 24 mm, f/16, 30 sec). (David J Mathre)Turquoise Lake Early Morning Panorama. Near Leadville, Colorado. Composite of three image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 85 mm f/2.8 PC-E lens and Singray neutral density filter (ISO 100, 24 mm, f/16, 30 sec). Sepia conversion with NIK Silver Efex Pro. (David J Mathre)
