Raven Mountain Images: Blog

Photographic Inspiration 2018

(Raven Mountain Images) — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 23:36:19 GMT

Where do I turn for photographic inspiration? I peruse photos on 500px, photo.net, Instagram, Facebook, and NPN. I see many tens of thousands of photographs every year. My tastes change from time to time in terms of subject matter and post-processing. I seek out and study other people’s work so that I may learn and realize new subjects, techniques, and artistic vision.

Currently I have a short list of photographers who consistently amaze me with their vision and skill. This lists changes with time but I thought I would share my current sources of inspiration with you for two reasons. First, these artists will amaze you! Second, many of these artists are less well known and don’t get the exposure they deserve.

So sit back, grab a beverage, and enjoy some of the best nature and landscape photography available today!

Dag Ole Nordhaug
Dag is from Norway and it was his images of that part of the world that I first noticed. Dag is a master at ethereal, moody light. Check out Dag’s work representing his homeland but then also take a look at his images from other parts of the globe including the US.

Paul Marcellini
Paul’s photography of Florida and the deep South really shows off the beauty of swamps, wetlands, beaches, storms, and the flora and fauna of the region. Amazing sunsets and storm light abound in Paul’s body of work.

Wayne Suggs
A fellow New Mexican, Wayne’s eye for composition and his mastery of night photography present the landscapes of New Mexico and the southwest in amazing color and detail. Wayne specializes in the southern New Mexico deserts and often photographs ancient rock art and the animals that call the desert home.

Perri Schelat
Perri’s landscapes are breathtaking. I can think of no other way to put it! So grand and colorful and usually with dramatic weather occurring! I’m particularly fond of her mountain scenes, especially her work from Glacier National Park and the Canadian Rockies.

Klaus Priebe
Klaus hails from Santa Fe, New Mexico and specializes in landscapes and night photography of the southwest. Klaus’ amazing Milky Way and lightning shots will dazzle you! Also check out Klaus’ digital artwork where he takes his photographs and turns them into an expression of his mind’s eye!

Charlotte Hamilton Gibb
Based out of Northern California, Charlotte has a unique way of seeing and she is able to translate that gift into her photography for all to share. From subtle intimate shots to epic landscapes, Charlotte has developed a style unmatched by others.

David Thompson
David specializes in dramatic landscapes of the southwest but has also been amazing his followers with his images from the Cypress Swamps of the south. Dramatic light, reflections, and fall colors are David’s hallmark.

Tin Man Lee
Wildlife photography is incredibly difficult. It requires extreme patience, knowledge of the subject, and complete mastery of one’s equipment. Tin Man is the best. His images are thoughtful, emotional, and present wild animals in the best possible light.

Peter Coskun
An Arizona based photographer, Peter’s imagery of the southwest is full of dramatic weather, light, and an epic scale. Peter has recently quit his day job to pursue photography full time and I have no doubt he will be wildly successful.

Chris Williams
If you like black and white landscapes, you must check out Chris’ work. Chris is able to achieve a tonality that is just unmatched. His black and white mountain and waterfall images will leave you spellbound. Oh, and his color photos are every bit as spectacular as his black and white images!

Steve Schwindt
Steve specializes in landscapes of the Pacific Northwest where he resides. If I had to pick one word to describe Steve’s body of work I would pick “Dramatic”. Steve’s images are so dynamic and colorful that you will be wondering how he does it.

Dionys Moser
Dionys is a Swiss photographer who travels the world photographing people, landscapes, and animals. He has to be, by far, the most prolific photographer on the planet! But what is amazing is that, despite the sheer number of images he produces, each one is wonderfully composed, colorful, educational, and inspirational.

Photographing Mesa Verde National Park

(Raven Mountain Images) — Tue, 15 Nov 2016 23:46:44 GMT

Text and photography copyright © Phillip and/or Monica Noll. All rights reserved. July, 2004.

A place of mystery and imagination. What must it have been like to live high on the canyon wall in a cliff dwelling 800 years ago? Who were these people? Why did they spend up to 70 years building such large stone communities only to abandon them a few years later? Why did they leave? Where did they go? Many questions; few answers. Perhaps it is the mystery of Mesa Verde that draws us there. The architecture of the ancient cities is both stunning and massive. Shadows play on the walls and windows as the sun makes its way across the sky. Bathed in the warm light of sunset, the cities appear to be constructed of solid gold.

Today, Mesa Verde is set aside as a National Park located in southwestern Colorado midway between Cortez and Mancos on U.S. 160. The main attractions at Mesa Verde pertaining to photography are the massive cliff dwellings. Spruce Tree House, Cliff Palace, and Balcony House on Chapin Mesa and Long House on Wetherill Mesa are the largest. Most of the ruins require a short hike along paved trails but the elevation (>8000 ft.) and the intense sunlight can make getting around a little difficult if you are arriving from sea level and/or carrying 40 pounds of camera gear! Be sure to always take a lot of water and something to snack on for energy. It can get quite hot in the summer so dress appropriately and keep your film in a cooler.

Spruce Tree House is open to the public throughout the day. Visitors can climb down a ladder into a restored kiva and take their time viewing the ruins. Rangers are on hand to answer questions and provide information. Spruce Tree House, which faces southwest, receives interesting light in the late afternoon and early evening. Many compositions are possible as the evening light dances across the ruins. Multiple story buildings, T-shaped doorways, round kivas, and square towers are some of the subjects found here.

The other three large ruins that are open to the public require Ranger-led tours. Cost for the tours is $2.75 per person per tour and tickets can only be purchased at the Far View Visitor Center. Each tour is roughly an hour long. Carrying your camera gear, setting up, shooting, and staying with the tour can be challenging, especially for Large Format shooters! Stairs, ladders, and very small tunnels force some photographers to “travel light” when touring the ruins.

The early morning or late afternoon light at Mesa Verde generally exceeds the dynamic range of film and digital sensors due to brightly lit walls and very dark shadows in the recesses of the alcoves. Print film may allow for a little more dynamic range than slide film, however, bracketing or very careful metering is recommended. Digital shooters can make two exposures, one for highlights and one for shadows, and combine them later in Photoshop to extend the dynamic range of the scene. A polarizing filter is not generally necessary due to the elevation. Shooting in overcast conditions will even out the light within the alcoves allowing for easier metering and eliminating the need to bracket. If shooting color film in overcast conditions, use a saturated film to bring up the colors a bit.

Cliff Palace is the largest of the ruins with 150 rooms. It boasts both square and round towers, kivas, T-shaped doorways, and many other rooms. This ruin also faces west-southwest so the best light is in the late afternoon and evening. The 5:00 and 5:30 pm tours tend to have fewer people as many tourists head out for dinner at about this time. Carrying a full camera backpack and tripod is not a problem at Cliff Palace. Plenty of time is allowed for photography as the Ranger talks about the ruins and the people who built them.

Balcony House is one of the few ruins to face east, thus a morning tour is recommended to catch warm light on the structures. Entry into Balcony House requires climbing a 30 foot ladder and crawling through several very narrow passages. Exiting the ruin requires crawling through a tunnel, climbing a ladder, and then climbing up the cliff face while holding on to chains! For these reasons it is recommended that you travel light at Balcony House. Use a faster film or set your digital camera to a higher ISO so that you can get sharp photos hand-held. Use a photographer’s vest instead of a backpack and carry only one or two lenses; one being a wide angle lens. Once inside the ruin, take in the impressive view down the canyon from the main balcony. Remember to bracket as you shoot the ruins!

Another very photogenic ruin is Square Tower House. This ruin is closed to the public but can be viewed from an overlook. Facing southwest, the four story Square Tower House has dramatic light in late afternoon.

There are many other subjects to photograph within the park including mesa top ruins of various styles, beautiful canyon views from the overlooks, wildflowers, and wildlife. Several wild horses seem to have taken up residence in the canyon next to the Far View Visitor Center and mule deer and coyotes are abundant throughout the park. There is also a large petroglyph panel along the 2.8 mile Petroglyph Point Trail in Spruce Canyon. If you have the time, a trip to Wetherill Mesa provides photographic opportunities at Long House, Step House, and views of Kodak House.

Photographing Mesa Verde takes some planning to be at the right place at the right time and to know what to carry at the various sites. Don’t leave your photography to chance! Talk with the Rangers, plan your tours, carry only what you need, and be prepared for wildlife! A visit to Mesa Verde will become forever etched in your memory and a little planning will pay off with spectacular photographs of a very unique, mysterious, and scenic location.

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Photographing Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument

(Raven Mountain Images) — Tue, 15 Nov 2016 23:45:58 GMT

Text and photography copyright © Phillip and/or Monica Noll. All rights reserved. May, 2008.

It probably began with a series of earthquakes, each progressively larger than the previous. There may have been fumaroles and geysers; small clouds of ash and steam rising into the sky. Then one day—it blew! A massive eruption sending tons of ash and rock skyward in a cataclysmic event. The gigantic column of glowing debris collapsing under its own weight sending superheated freight trains of volcanic ash and hot gas thundering down the mountainside, eventually coming to rest in the low-lying areas adjacent to the volcano.

Such was probably the scene 6–7 million years ago in north-central New Mexico. The multi-colored fine layers of ash are now eroded into beautiful cliffs, slot canyons, and hoodoos among piñon and juniper trees on the east side of the Pajarito Plateau just southwest of Santa Fe. The Tent Rocks area is called “Kasha-Katuwe,” meaning “White Cliffs” in the Keresan language of the Pueblo de Cochiti, whose tribal lands are adjacent to the monument. The national monument was established by President Clinton in January 2001 and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

At roughly 5500 to 6700 feet in elevation, the area is considered a “high desert” and actually sits on the eastern flanks of the Jemez Mountains. The most conspicuous features of the area are the many tent- or cone-shaped spires of ash and pumice that are usually topped with cap rocks. Some of these hoodoos reach upwards of 90 feet tall! The hoodoos are everywhere—some standing alone, some in groups, some protruding from the canyon walls.

A well marked trail leads to the base of the cliffs and then enters a narrow canyon interspersed with towering Ponderosa Pine trees, Manzanita, and Chamisa. The canyon quickly becomes nothing more than a deep slot in the rocks with beautiful sculpted walls and curves revealing the intricate layering and subtle pinks, grays, browns, and whites of the ash and pumice layers. The trail winds through the slot canyon and then passes through a stunning display of spires and hoodoos before climbing to the mesa top for sweeping panoramic views of the Rio Grande Valley and several mountain ranges.

The trail is 1.5 miles from the parking area to the mesa top. From the parking area through the slot canyon the hike is very easy. Once through the slot however, the trail climbs over 600 feet to the mesa top and can be a bit difficult—especially on very hot days or during the winter when the trail often has icy spots. Be aware of rapidly changing weather conditions, especially during the rainy season (July and August). New Mexico is second in the nation for lighting strikes and a flash flood could race through the slot canyon with little or no warning. Make sure you check local weather forecasts and keep your eyes on the sky!

From the mesa top, backtrack down the trail and back through the slot to the base of the cliffs and then take the Cave Loop Trail along the cliff face and eventually back to the parking area. This section of the trail is also very easy and passes by a “cave” that is actually a portion of the cliff hollowed out by ancestral Puebloans in the fourteenth century as living quarters. From the cave to the parking area the trail winds for 0.75 mile through piñon-juniper forests along the base of the cliffs which are studded with numerous hoodoos.

While the main attractions of the area are the unique geologic features, there is also a variety of wildlife that calls the area home. Coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats, elk, and deer frequent the area. There are also squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, rattlesnakes, and numerous lizards scurrying about. Ravens, hawks, scrub-jays, canyon wrens, and swallows are some of the birds you may see while visiting.

Best times to visit? It can be very hot in the summer (90–100ºF) so bring lots of water. The fall is a great time to visit Kasha-Katuwe with mild temperatures and golden Chamisa. Access through the slot canyon may be blocked by snow in the winter and early spring but it is usually passable. The early morning sun will light up the east-facing cliffs and hoodoos and can be quite pleasing. Mid to late afternoon is preferable if you plan to climb to the mesa top—the panoramic views to the east and south are best in the late afternoon. Depending on the time of day, you may see a slight golden color on the walls of the canyon. Use a polarizer and/or neutral density filter to prolong the shutter speed and bring out the natural colors. Be careful with your polarizer when incorporating the sky in your photos here! The New Mexico sky is so deep blue that you can easily over-polarize. Also, you may need to use a graduated neutral density filter to reduce the dynamic range or shoot multiple exposures and combine the images later using HDR software. In some places, the canyon walls and floor are very bright white which may fool your exposure meter. Keep an eye on your exposure or histogram and open up a stop or two if needed!

Directions
From Albuquerque, take I-25 north to exit 259. Take NM 22 and follow the signs. From Santa Fe, take I-25 south to exit 264 and head west on NM 16. Turn right onto NM 22, and follow the signs. A portion of the 5-mile gravel access road crosses Pueblo de Cochiti tribal land. The monument is open for day use only and may be closed (rarely) by order of the Cochiti Pueblo Tribal Governor. Fees are payable at the entrance: $5 per private vehicle or present your America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass at the entrance. Commercial tours and non-profit organizations require a special-use permit from BLM. Contact the BLM Rio Puerco Field Office at 505-761-8700 for more information.

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