Wupatki National Monument

Ancient Trees-Wupatki National Monument

 Black and White, Desert, Grand Circle, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, Sony α900, Wupatki National Monument  No Responses »
Feb 182010
 

Ancient Trees, Wupatki National Monument. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 24mm. Image exposed at ISO 200 at f16 at 1/2 of a second.

This image is from Wupatki National Monument. After a day of field surveys I ended up in an area of the park called the Box Ruin. As the light begin to fade a huge storm blew in over the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff. As the storm built up, strong winds whipped the clouds across the sky, dropping rain upon the grasslands. I watched the clouds build for some time and on the walk back to the car found these old trees to photograph as a foreground element to contrast against the clouds.

The RAW file was processed in Adobe Lightroom and exported to Photoshop. Post processing included a conversion to black and white and a series of curve adjustments to bring out details in the trees and add depth to the cloud formations.

This image was recently chosen for the The Mindful Eye’s Daily Critique . You can hear Craig’s review at http://www.tmelive.com/

For more information on Wupatki National Monument please visit the park website at http://www.nps.gov/wupa/index.htm

Thanks for stopping by.

Bob

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Sunrise on Wukoki Pueblo

 Arizona, Grand Canyon, Landscape, National Parks, Photography Trips, Wupatki National Monument  2 Responses »
Jan 062010
 
First light illuminates the Wukoki Ruin at Wupatki National Monument, Arizona. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Sony SAL 20mm lens, at f16 at 1/8 second

First light breaks on Wukoki Ruin, Wupatki National Monument. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm at 24mm, ISO 100, f16 at 1/2 second.

Today’s image was shot at Wupatki National Monument in Arizona. Located between Flagstaff, Arizona and Cameron along Highway 89, Wupatki preserves the ruins of red sandstone pueblos built by farming Ancestral Puebloan People between 1120 and 1250. The Wukoki Pueblo is one of the best preserved sites and is sited on a small hill affording fantastic views towards the San Francisco Peaks.

This picture is all about scouting and pre visualizing the shot. I knew where the sun would rise and was looking for a position to capture the light as it first broke across the ruin. I spotted the slabs of stone and realized there was an open position underneath that could form a shooting window that would frame the ruin. I arrived well before sunrise and positioned the camera in the alcove of sandstone. As sunrise approached I took several test exposures to be sure of my exposure and composition. As the sun rose and started to light the ruin the inner walls of the sandstone fins began to glow as well, a surprise I did not expect. It was a truly beautiful sunrise that morning. I imagined the ancients would have agreed with me. For more information on Wupatki National Monument please visit www.nps.gov/wupa/

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