Category Archives: National Park

Photo of the Week – Kim Hadley

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Photography as Art

Kim Hadley-Juniper in Bootlegger Canyon

Kim Hadley-Juniper in Bootlegger Canyon

Kim recently returned from a photographer’s paradise, the area surrounding Moab, Utah where millions of images are captured by hiking visitors each year. The opportunities are everywhere and therein lies the challenge: capturing something unique and truly outstanding. Kim has here answered the challenge. This scene was photographed in Bootlegger Canyon en route to Corona Arch. She says, “The entire trip I was fascinated by the designs in the sandstone, particularly the striations of lines and swirls. In this shot the twisted trunk in the juniper seemed to mimic and almost merge with those in the slickrock.” One could write extensively on why this image is so powerful but an alternative is to let each viewer study the image and come to their own mental conclusions. Or better yet, post his/her thoughts as a comment to share with others. You’re encouraged to do this as an exercise to help understand what constitutes good photography and then apply the same principles to your own work.
The facts:
Canon EOS 50D
Focal Length: 17mm
Lens: EF-S17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
1/320 sec @ f11
ISO-200
May 9, 2013 @ 10:20 AM

Photographer’s Choice – Nicole Robinson

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Looking for a Shot, Finding Another

Nicole Robinson - Point Bonita Lighthouse

Nicole Robinson - Point Bonita Lighthouse

Nicole was looking for a vantage point to photograph the Golden Gate Bridge and stumbled on this scene of the Point Bonita Lighthouse in the Marin Headlands, just north of San Francisco. Hoping for something unique and to properly convey the scene, she set up her tripod and opted for the very long exposure of 20 seconds which allowed the ocean waves to appear more like wispy fog than moving water. This softness provides a strong contrast between the soft spray and the rugged, prominent rock formations. Because the light was far too intense to use this slow shutter speed without blowing out the scene, she attached an 8x neutral density filter which brought the effective shutter down to about 1/13 second. Using an aperture setting of f/11, the total light reaching the sensor was controlled.
Her camera is the Canon EOS 50d with the excellent EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens. For this scene, the lens was zoomed to 125mm. The final image is certainly an excellent capture.