Purely for Fun

This picture is purely for fun. No artistic merit whatsoever. The Tunnel Log at Sequoia National Park is one of those places you used to see on post cards. (Post cards? What are post cards?) I couldn't resist staging our Prius driving through the log.

The Persistence of Summer

I guess I am so fascinated with ferns, moss and water because of the contrast with the desert where I have spent most of my life. Any evidence of a an abundance of water is always notable. These plants show the effects of very little rain, but at the same time there is enough water that the it is running down the rock. Only in the jungle did I see plants that had not grown to the absolute limit of the availability of water.

The Great White Throne, Zion National Park, Utah

Another iconic view from Zion National Park. The Great White Throne is one of many such landmarks with Biblical names. The name comes from Revelation 20:11-15. The rock is composed of Navajo Sandstone and is often used as the symbol of the park. The top of the rock is 6744 feet above sea level and the facing cliff is over 2,300 feet. In the foreground, almost not visible is the Virgin River that runs through the park.

The Salt Lake Valley

This is Little Cottonwood Canyon, looking west down the canyon to the Salt Lake Valley. Little Cottonwood Canyon is a classic U shaped valley created by glacial action when the valley was a huge lake, called Lake Bonneville. I have lived in two worlds, the low deserts of Arizona and the high mountains of Utah. They don't have a lot in common and I miss the mountains but don't miss the desert, especially this week with temperatures in of 116 degrees.

High into the Wasatch

I realize this picture is somewhat of a departure from my usual flowers and landscapes, but I like it because it shows some of the places I go to get these pictures and the fact that I don't always climb or walk. As I got to the top of the Snowbird Tram, I realized how many of the surrounding mountains I had climbed over the years. I do think however, that I am at the stage in my life when I will probably take the tram rather than climb up to the 12,000 feet to take pictures.

A Step Back in Time

There are few places where you can connect with a living thing over 2000 years old. The trees evoke a sense of reverence for something that has been growing and survived over such a huge span of time. I could have spent weeks just taking pictures of individual trees. These portraits are composites taken with multiple shots and stitched together. Even with my wide angle lenses, the trees are too large to get into one picture without distortion. Be sure and click on the image to see an enlarged view.

A Sense of Perspective

There is no way to adequately portray the impact of the giant sequoias. No photograph can really capture the spirit of these ancient trees. The older trees have survived dozens, perhaps hundreds of forest fires. Their bark in almost 30 inches thick and is built to resist fire. But even with their unusual bark, the trees still suffer damage for the fires. But the sequoias have amazing recuperative powers. They will continue growing even though their bark is almost entirely destroyed. So many of the older trees show signs of previous fires.

The Water of Life

This is obviously not the desert. As I write this, the temperature outside is over 110 degrees. These lovely green plants would last about 10 minutes outside and then I would have a completely different picture. But all things considered, I would rather live in the desert, maybe not my first choice but better than many others. Although there is something to be said about mountains... especially with a view.

Clover Creek, Sequoia National Park

Stepping back a little from the close-up of the waterfall, you can see the entire beautiful stream. Sequoia is one of the places you don't have to wonder why it was made a National Park. As John Muir said, "I never saw a discontented tree.  They grip the ground as though they liked it, and though fast rooted they travel about as far as we do.  They go wandering forth in all directions with every wind, going and coming like ourselves, traveling with us around the sun two million miles a day, and through space heaven knows how fast and far!"

Waterfall on Clover Creek

Going from the low desert to the high mountains is more than a journey in time and space. It is also a journey to a land of streams and waterfalls from a parched land of drought. I can stand fascinated by a waterfall or a stream. Just as I can watch it rain with amazement. You have to click on this photo to see the water! It is that impressive.

The Frozen Bird

The more I look at this image, the more it looks like a huge bird with its wings outstretched. Of course, it is a cave formation in the Crystal Cave at Sequoia National Park. When we were thinking about going to Sequoia, one of the deciding factors was the cave and the tours of the cave. We find out that Sequoia has over 300 caves but only one of them is "open to the public." Cavers (Spelunkers) are extremely possessive about their caves and rightfully so. Caves are complex ecosystems with an extremely delicate balance of humidity and other factors. Many caves with formations have been destroyed by the thoughtless and mindless acts of tourists and rock collectors. Sad experience has shown again and again that the only way to preserve these unique places is to control access.

The Forest Floor

Nature is in the details. In Sequoia National Park it is easy to spend all of your time looking up at the big trees. But once and while, it is a good thing to look downward and see the beauty of the forest floor. The patterns of life are here among the remnants of the fallen giants.

Color

The Arizona Highways had a feature article with black and white photos. So let's see what happens to this photo.

I guess you have to choose your subject matter because I don't think the black and white works at all. I did take a few black and white photos years ago and they seem to work well with people and some other subjects but I work mainly with color and texture and black and white is too limiting for my tastes.

Canyon Walls

This is not a fake picture. This rock, that looks sort-of like a giant molar, is on the side of Sevier Canyon in Central Utah. The rocks really do come right out of the side of the canyon like this picture shows. We didn't stay long taking pictures because the area was full of mosquitoes. If you are familiar with Sevier Canyon, this rock is just south of Big Rock Candy Mountain.

On the stage

The perspective of this panoramic photo is interesting, it makes the Manti Temple look sort-of like a stage set rather than a large and imposing building. Photos do not convey the "reality" of a scene, but their own reality. The photographer perceives a scene but the camera records what it sees, not what the photographer sees. I like panoramas because they give the viewer a slightly larger window into what the camera sees. The photographer's job is to let the camera see something the photographer thinks is interesting. The way this photo came out, there are some elements that are really strange.  Remember to click on a photo to enlarge it.

The heart of the earth

I have spent a good deal of my life climbing mountains and exploring caves. Whenever we pass a cave, we cannot resist spending the time to go exploring or take the tour. We recently went to the Crystal Cave in Sequoia National Park. It turned out to be a very nice cave at the end of a longer than usual walk. Taking pictures in caves in an entirely different matter. The pictures seldom come out like you hope, but this is one of Crystal Cave that did come out well.

More than a seed

 The tree is more than first a seed, then a stem, then a living trunk, and then dead timber.  The tree is a slow, enduring force straining to win the sky.  ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Wisdom of the Sands, translated from French by Stuart Gilbert. It is interesting how your education in the world grows. I had never heard of Saint-Exupéry until I lived in Argentina. One of my friends gave me a copy of The Little Prince in Spanish. Unfortunately, I didn't read until much later, but by then my Spanish was much improved and I understood the book. I am fascinated by the patterns in tree bark. They are like miniature worlds.

A Fractal Design

Nature imitating art or at least mathematics. Both trees and ferns are fractal in nature and can be modeled on a computer by using a recursive algorithm. See Wikipedia:Fractal. One of the first computer programs I was able to write successfully created a fractal pattern. Actually, I copied most of the code, but I still got the program to work. These ferns are growing in the dark forests of Sequoia National Park in California's Sierra.

A portrait of a giant

John Muir said, "A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship.  But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease.  Every hidden cell is throbbing with music and life, every fiber thrilling like harp strings, while incense is ever flowing from the balsam bells and leaves.  No wonder the hills and groves were God's first temples, and the more they are cut down and hewn into cathedrals and churches, the farther off and dimmer seems the Lord himself."  I admit, I stand with my mouth open in absolute awe of these trees, the giant Sequoias. This photo is a composite panorama, not in the ordinary sense of a wide view, but a composite of the four pictures it took to encompass this huge tree.

The High Sierras

I have long been an admirer of John Muir. I have read nearly every book he wrote and am currently in the process of re-reading all of them. One of our favorite things to do is say something like, "I wonder what John Muir would have thought of this desert..." He was Scottish and you would probably not find anyone who is a greater contrast to your average environmentalist than Muir. He loved the outdoors and his concern for the "environment" came from love. He had no discernible selfish motivation to protect the wilderness, he just didn't like to see beautiful things die. He said, "God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods.  But he cannot save them from fools." We went to Sequoia National Park, where we, as a nation, are trying to save these wonders of all wonders from fools. As usual you can click on the image to get a larger view. 

The impact of a panorama

In the last post, I had a picture of a summer thunderstorm over the Bradshaw Mountains north of Phoenix. At the time I took that picture, I also took a composite panorama and a 360 virtual reality panorama. I linked to the 360 but here is a copy of the composite panorama. This is 10 shots taken in rapid succession and stitched together. Compare the impact of the three different media.

Remember to click on the photo to get an enlarged view. The main limitation of the 360 degree virtual reality panos is that they can only be viewed on a computer, they are like a movie of the location. Both the single photo and the composite panorama can be printed.

A Summer Storm

The winter in Arizona is characterized by blue skies and warm dry weather. All that changes in the summer. It is not only distinctively hot, it is more humid than any other time of the year. Now when we talk about humidity, this is not the Mid-west. In June the humidity dropped to 0%. Yes, you guessed it, the humidity was so slight as to not be measurable. So when the humidity goes up to say, 25% that is a dramatic increase for us. It is when that moisture starts falling out of the sky in July and August that things get really interesting. By the way, if you would like to see a 360 degree view of this photo, you can go to my other photo site, PhotoArizona360.blogspot.com

Dinosaur Track

Dinosaur tracks are more common than you might think. Probably the capital of the world for dinosaur tracks in St. George, Utah and its small suburb Washington, Utah. This track was found out in the wild, so to speak. It is at the end of a very short hike down a steep sandy bank to the bottom of a dry wash. There are several such tracks going in different directions. It is amazing how something so transient could have been preserved so long.