Considering the Nikkor AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens

I have had my eyes on the new (relatively new, it was announced in August 2015) AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens. It looks like an amazing lens. I just haven’t been able to pull the trigger yet and I don’t know why.

This lens has great reviews from just about everyone on the major sites such as Adorama, B&H Photo, and DP Review. Even Ken Rockwell had good things to say about it. I’m waiting for Thom Hogan’s review but he hasn’t posted much – but he has hinted that he likes it.

Nikkor AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR

I’m not going to go over the specs of the lens; you can read details about the lens at many other and more informed web sites. But I will mention why I want it and why I’m hesitant to get it.

I have shot enough to know that at times I wish I had a longer lens. In particular, this last summer on my trip along the Oregon coast, I shot some sea lions from distances that I would like to have had more reach available. By the time I shot and cropped what I could shoot with my 200mm lens, there wasn’t a lot of image left.

For my Nikon D610 I have the Nikkor 70-200mm f/4G (with the lovely gold band) and like it a lot. I had a plan to get the Tamron 150-600mm but a friend convinced me that the 70-200mm was a better lens, that I’d like the image quality (IQ) better on it. So I went that route and haven’t been disappointed at all with my choice other than the lack of reach.

When the Sigma 150-600 came out and had reports or reviews that it had better IQ than the Tamron, plus it had the docking station available to get firmware updates, and the lower priced version was right even with the Tamron, I started thinking that I’d pick one of those up. I was more interested in the less expensive version, not feeling that basically doubling the price was worth what the “sport” version offered for how I shoot.

Then, this last August, Nikon announced their 200-500mm lens. This is a tough call. It’s a little narrower focal range than the 150-600mm. That means that on the short end I might be able to use the Tamron or Sigma for a particular shot but I may have to swap out the Nikkor to my 70-200mm if I really wanted to be shorter than 200mm. If you’re backed up against a wall or cliff and want to include more of a scene than 200mm will allow, the choice is to swap lenses or compromise on the composition. Or, have the Tamron or Sigma.

On the long end, 100mm extra on the Tamron or Sigma probably wouldn’t be noticed quite as much. I might have to crop the Nikkor shot a bit if I needed to remove something from the shot that I couldn’t get rid of through extending the lens that extra 100mm but it wouldn’t be nearly as bad as the difference between the 200mm maximum I have now compared to the 600mm of the Tamron or Sigma. That’s 3 times the distance or 200% increase! Between the 500mm to 600mm there is only a 20% increase.

Nikon has a cool angle (or field) of view simulator that you can also use to see the dramatic difference (or lack of difference) between focal lengths. It is online at:

http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/lens/simulator/

For a full frame camera, the diagonal angle of view for 150mm is 16.4 degrees and for 200mm it is 12.3 degrees which is fairly significant. The diagonal angle of view at 500mm is 5.0 degrees and at 600mm it is 4.1 degrees. That end is not very significant as can be seen on the Nikon simulator.

The Nikkor is somewhat more limiting at both ends when compared to the Tamron or Sigma. The difference is that Nikon can fine tune the optics easier since they are providing only a 3x zoom, compared to the others that are a 4x zoom. This is born out in the reviews where actual users state pretty convincingly and in sufficient numbers that the Nikkor has improved IQ.

In addition to the focal length, the Nikkor also offers a larger and constant aperture of f/5.6. By comparison, the Tamron and Sigma aperture is f/5 to f/6.3.  The Nikkor will support using a teleconverter, if desired and your camera supports it, at all focal lengths while providing auto focus.

All three lenses have image stabilization by the Nikkor claims that their new version offers 4 stops worth of stabilization. All of the lenses expand and contract according to the focal length so they’ll all have breathing to do.

My biggest factor in my photography is striving for IQ. Because of this, I believe that the Nikkor is the best choice for me. I’d rather swap a lens at the short end and gain any edge in IQ. I’m still a Nikkor only guy with my lenses and have been pretty satisfied with all of them. And, if I mount the 500mm focal length on my D3200 I end up with a 750mm equivalent!

Okay, I’ve convinced myself regarding WHICH lens to get, I just need to convince myself that I truly need a longer lens. I think I need one more photo shoot where I come across a situation that I could ACTUALLY benefit from a longer lens. Once I do, I think I’ll order a copy!

P.S.(es)

1.  Purchasing this lens at roughly $1,400 US will be my third lens of $1,000 or more. In fact, all told I think it would mean I will have spent about $3,600 on lenses ($1,000 for the 16-35mm f/4, $1,200 for the 70-200mm f/4, and the $1,400 for the 200-500mm). This is after having been into photography for less than 3 years. Also note that I have my eye on the Nikon D810 which is also about $3,000. Sheesh. I may need to sell a guitar or two!

2.  I don’t use my D3200 crop camera enough. Next time I want more focal length I should really get out the D3200. I actually have the 55-300mm DX lens, which provides an equivalent of 450mm at the long end. I’ll admit that I did NOT get that rig out when shooting the sea lions and now I wish I’d taken the time to do it. I did think about it at the time but didn’t do it (it was cold and windy, I was parked a bit away from where I was shooting and the D3200 was in my Explorer, I would have had to put the quick release plate on the D3200, and I could probably come up with more excuses – such as I never seem to be as happy with the D3200 IQ in anything other than bright light).

In addition, one other thing that’s been on my mind lately, is that I’ve never tried my more expensive lenses on the D3200. I should see if the IQ is better on the D3200 if I use a better lens.

Improved View

John Muir

I haven't been out shooting, or even out not shooting, due to other activities around Christmas. And I don't expect I'll be able to get out until January sometime. But my heart has actually been getting some improvement...

I've been reading John Muir for the past month or so. I noticed today that on my way out of my office, I was looking at the big cumulus clouds over the Phoenix area (it is cloudy here once in a while) and calling them "sky furniture", "sky flowers", and wondering what wonderful descriptions Mr. Muir would apply to them.

That made me realize how much his books, his thoughts, are affecting me, and in a positive way.

I REALLY enjoyed his "My First Summer in the Sierra" and am now enjoying his "Steep Trails" book. I've read others, including "The Yosemite" and "The Grand Canyon of the Colorado", but the First Summer and Steep Trails are my favorites.

In these two books he offers narratives of his travels. The others are more simple descriptions. They are all fantastic if you like reading about nature with a very literary prose and knowledgable facts. He was clearly well educated and knew very much about botany, geology, and perhaps even human nature.

He discusses various measurements and I have no clue as to how he determined the values such as the height of trees or girth of their trunks. I assume he must have had some instruments with him but I've yet to read of any other than a barometer. How did he know his elevation at various locations he visited?

I really get a kick out of some of his sayings and observations. His writing makes me want to follow in his exact footsteps, heading off into the wilderness with nothing but flour, sugar, and tea.


Here are some links that I think anyone would enjoy looking at:


John Muir: A Brief Biography http://vault.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/life/muir_biography.aspx
A great, quick overview of the man on the Sierra Club website, the organization that he co-founded.

John Muir - WikiPediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Muir
More details with more dates as only WikiPedia can do it.

John Muir Books on Amazonhttp://www.amazon.com/John%20Muir/e/B000API2FA/ref=la_B000API2FA_af?rh=n:283155,p_82:B000API2FA
If you have a Kindle there are a number of these that you can get for free.

I think he will certainly inspire me to pay more attention to what I see in the world, starting with today's cloud formations. I only wish I'd encountered his books earlier!

---

NOTE: I believe the John Muir images to be public domain images (according to my Googling).

Ooops – wrong format – learn your Camera!

This last weekend I had a problem that I haven’t had for some time. I changed a setting on my camera without noticing it and ended up with less than optimum photographs.

View of Tucson from a viewpoint on lower Mt. Lemmon

I was up at the ski resort on Mt. Lemmon, just north of Tucson, Arizona. Who would think that there’s a ski resort there? But there is; located near the 9,159 foot summit, it claims to be the southernmost ski resort in the United States. And, there was some snow!

It was pretty chilly (by Phoenix standards anyway) with a gentle breeze. My Ford Explorer said about 37 degrees Fahrenheit. I got out of the car to reconnoiter the area for possible shots, taking my dog with me. I had him tucked inside my jacket and he was shivering. I found some shots I decided to take so I put him back in the car and grabbed the camera which was already mounted on the tripod after taking a few shots at a viewpoint on the way up the mountain.

I set up and took my first shots. I had my Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 wide angle lens mounted to my Nikon D610.

Looking at the histogram, I really wanted to move the curve to the right, brightening it up. I was using an f/9 aperature and didn’t really want to open it up any more in order to try to keep as much depth of field (DOF) as possible. And, I was already shooting at 30 seconds.

I decided to increase the ISO. I always have the camera at ISO 100 and thought I’d bump it up to 400. On the D610 you have to push a button on the back of the camera and change the main command dial.

I was working in the dark and didn’t have a flashlight with me. I thought I pushed the correct button but nothing happened when I changed the dial. So naturally I pushed other buttons and changed the dial, observing through the view finder any changes. I finally got the correct button and dial combination and bumped up the exposure. I liked what I was seeing on the histogram.

It wasn’t until the following day when I imported the images and started processing them that I found out I had changed the format to JPEB FINE / SMALL. When I saw that the images were JPEG and only 3,008 x 2,008 pixels in Adobe Lightroom, I knew immediately what I’d done and that the images were not going to be able to be adjusted as much as if they were RAW format.

I hopped up from my chair and verified the setting on the camera. I also verified my sinking feeling and disappointment. The camera was indeed set on JPEG FINE / SMALL. I switched my mode dial from my U2 setting and back again to reset everything.

I’ve learned that I need to keep my skills a bit more polished. I was pretty sure the ISO button was the bottom button on the left side of the back of the D610, and it is. I must have hit the button above it at first and then, in my confusion, just started hunting and pecking instead of taking the time to know for sure what I was adjusting.

Looking north from Ski Valley on Mt. Lemmon

One of the 3 books I’ve got on the D610, probably the Thom Hogan book, said you should learn the camera so that you can adjust it in the dark. I worked on that because I seem to gravitate towards shooting at night. I’ve been pretty good. I think that in this case I had been using Live View a bit to try to focus, zooming in and out. This requires the use of two different buttons on the back of the camera (different than the ISO button).

The zoom in button, which is the one right above the ISO button, and which I’d been using with Live View, also doubles as the QUALity button, meaning that when I changed the command dial with that button pushed in I had changed the format to JPEG. Darn darn darn.

Don’t let this happen to you! You really should learn all of your cameras controls well enough to operate them blindfolded, especially if you are going to take night shots. This means you don’t need a flashlight. Flashlights ruin your night vision and if you’re shooting with other people nearby, a flashlight can ruin their shot or their night vision as well.

Quick Tip - John Muir

Excuse me while I diverge from pure photography again…

Aspen along FR 611

I was really changed by my trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in October, 2015. It was beautiful, peaceful, and very rejuvenating. I can’t claim to be an explorer, or to be brave when it comes to facing the heights. But nonetheless I was affected to my bones with the experience of being alone in some of the “remote” areas I visited.

The best for me was found at two locations.

Basically anywhere I went along Forest Service Road 611 – there were very few other cars or people on that road. I was able to park my Explorer alongside the road with the windows down and not worry about anything. I was able to walk off of the road and into the trees (trying not to damage or even alter growing vegetation as I did so). I could hear the wind blowing through the upper reaches of the Aspen and the birds calling to each other. The air was clean, cool, and invigorating.

My and my Explorer on FR 611

I took a number of pictures of the Aspen, and even some of the road, but as I look at them I realize they fall short of conveying the peace of the place. Perhaps they show some of the beauty but, while that is commendable, the peacefulness is missing. I am transported back but only because I experienced it firsthand. That is a great aspect of photography – being reminded of life events. But I know when my wife looks at the photographs her experience is limited to what is presented within the borders of the image. I want to try to figure out how to incorporate more feeling into my photographs whether through capture or post processing.

The other location I truly enjoyed losing all sense of time at was at a small meadow on the side of the paved road leading to Point Imperial. I was there early in the morning, having just been to Point Imperial and watching the sun start to rise over the eastern edge of the Grand Canyon. Driving down from there I stopped at a paved wayside by a small meadow. There was frost on the ground and I could seem my exhalations. The meadow stretched up into some hills on my left and the sun was just starting to light the tops of the trees that bordered the grass.

Frosty Meadow near Imperial Point

The frost shimmered in the light becoming even more obvious. There were very few birds chattering. The air was very still as if holding its own breath while waiting for the sunlight to reach down and warm the meadow.

Again I stepped into the grass. I did step on the wintry grass. I had to immerse myself. I took some photographs. These photographs seem to portray a cool meadow with abundant frost. I like these images but perhaps I’m jaded again by having been there to take them.

I am mentioning these two locations because I just started reading a book that imparts a joy of location and experience to me. I read quite a bit but probably 99% of what I read is technical writing (I’m a software engineer and tend to stick to that type of reading). I did finish War and Peace recently, and although it’s main characters are supposed to be fictional, the book intertwines Napolean’s conquest of Russia with the details of life there so I consider it semi-fictional.

Kindle book free with Amazon Prime

The new book that I started and highly recommend to those with a literary interest is “My First Summer in the Sierra” (http://www.amazon.com/First-Summer-Sierra-John-Muir-ebook/dp/B004TS16CU) by John Muir. The Kindle version is available for free if you have an Amazon Prime  from Amazon but I read reviews that said the print version, with the Muir sketches, is much better so I’ve got a copy on order.

The text alone, though, is impactful to me. I don’t know much about John Muir (yet) but it’s clear he is an educated and thoughtful man with great command of the written language. His writing style is different than anything I’ve read – factual yet poetic. There are passages with a lot of Latin botanical names which kind of escape me but the rest of the writing is very refreshing. He is getting to the essence of how I’m beginning to appreciate the natural wonders I’m exposing (pun semi-intended) myself to now that I’ve got my photographic excuse to visit nature!

Quick Tip RE: Topographical Maps

While posting photographs from my visit to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, I wanted to use the actual names of the various locations, buttes, mountains, etc., that appeared in my photographs. There are some that are easy to find on the web simply by searching for the locations where the photographs were taken.
 
However, I had a hard time finding all of the names, especially for the areas on Forest Road 611 which is in the Kaibab National Forest and not part of the Grand Canyon National Park. Searches for the viewpoint I went to out on that dirt road didn't come up with much.
 
I turned my searches to finding topographical maps of the Grand Canyon. I found a decent site with selected maps of the Grand Canyon and other areas called http://www.pickatrail.com/ but it didn't list the Kaibab area north of the park. However, the maps on "pickatrail"are actually United States Geological Survey (USGS) products so I decided to search for "usgs topo maps" and got to their site: http://store.usgs.gov/.

To find a map, I first did a search for "kaibab national forest" and then zoomed in and located the area I wanted (note that this wasn't that easy - it took a while to find Forest Road 611 on the interactive online map).

Screenshot of the USGS website

Once you find an area of interest, choose the "MARK POINTS" radio button left of the interactive map and then click on the map to add a marker.

Options for related maps available

Clicking on the marker brings up a smaller dialog box with options for various maps available for the selected marker.

In my case there were many maps available for download. Apparently some maps cost money but I was able to download the "Dog Point US Topo" 7.5x7.5 GRID map for free. It is actually provided as a ".zip" file so you do need to have the ability to "unzip" the file.

Note that I've downloaded a few of these and they're about 30MB per zip and final, unzipped folder (not a lot of compression apparently). They have quite a bit of detail (the 7.5x7.5 versions).

Once downloaded, I could see that I had captured a photograph of the Saddle Mountain Wilderness area in general, and I found out that, at least according to the USGS, the butte I photographed is nameless. There is a name for the wash, however: "North Canyon Wash". I can also see from the map that I was at roughly 8,850 feet elevation.

North Canyon Wash

North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park

After securing my campsite at DeMotte Campground, on Tuesday, 10/6/2015, I headed on down Arizona State Route 67 for my first visit to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Sounds virginal - and it was and I was feeling that way, I have to be honest (if, perhaps, a little too honest).

Bison Warning, Heading south on State Route 67

After turning right onto SR 67 from the campground, I immediately encountered something to start my imagination flowing, perhaps because my heart rate ticked up a notch. I had never seen anything like this before, a yellow road sign warning of bison! I had not read of nor heard that there were free roaming bison in Arizona.

It turns out they're actually a bit of a nuisance because the herds have gotten quite large, to the point that the state has authorized hunts for them. I talked to the man at the North Rim Country Store about this; he had recently had a customer come through with a decapitated bison. I hate to hear of or think about it. I had just been talking to my wife about hunting, which neither of us do or understand.

We both feel we can tolerate people that do it who genuinely need the meat, such as the people on those shows of Alaskan wilderness folks, or hopefully in the case where government agencies are authorizing hunts for population control. But in either case were skeptical and just hate the thought of animals being killed. However, that's another topic...

Finally,  I made it to the entrance gate.

Park Entrance, Grand Canyon N.P. North Rim

Yes, it was still cloudy, and that was both a disappointment and a bit exciting. As I sat waiting in line at the park entrance, I was mulling over the weather. Everyone, I'm sure, has seen the pictures of the Grand Canyon bathed in sunlight or perhaps with monsoonal rain clouds. I don't recall seeing many pictures of thick clouds or gray skies.

I was thinking that perhaps I could get some pictures, and if they show enough of the Grand Canyon, they could be rare captures of the canyon with clouds in them. On the other hand, they could be duds. But, it was supposed to be cleared up the following day so I knew I'd probably be able to get some then. Today could be a day for scouting and just taking in the scenery as much as possible.

I decided to just head straight to the lodge. The book I bought about photographing Arizona mentioned a number of locations besides the lodge, but I thought I'd start there anyway. Bright Angel and the view points behind the lodge were also mentioned as great places to take pictures from.

The Park Menu

I asked the park ranger at the gate about the bison. He said that normally they are in the meadows of the park, and not in the meadows north of the park entrance. But they typically head for the forest when the weather is bad like it was that day. I got my 7 day pass for $30 and drove on.

The road into the park continues through more meadow for a bit and I was scouring for signs of buffalo but to no avail. Dangit! I did see some deer, barely, but there was no place to get off the road at that point. If I have one complaint about the area, it is that I wish there were more pull offs on the side of the road. They do exist, but maybe only every couple of miles or so, and there are no warning signs when you're approaching them so it's easy to zip by them (as I recall, the speed limit is 55 before you get to the park, 45 in the park until you get to more populated areas).

About a mile after passing through the meadow you get into some more pine and aspen forest. How refreshing. There are pine forests elsewhere in Arizona but these seem different for some reason. Perhaps it was because it was about 50 degrees Fahrenheit that day. Perhaps it was because I was there instead of at work. For whatever reason, I was immersed in a feeling of humility and humanity - I was a being on planet earth instead of a software engineer in a cubical.

The prime parking spot - the lodge is to the left

After passing by the road to Cape Royal and the parking lot for the Kaibab Trail, when you near the lodge you pass by a picnic area on your left which offers your first glimpse of the Grand Canyon. Wow. Even though I've seen it before (from the South Rim, it was breathtaking).

I continued on to the lodge where as luck would have it I got the parking spot nearest the lodge. How cool was that!?! I don't know who to thank. It is a large parking lot and every time I returned over the 3 days I spent in the park I always seemed to find a spot in the section nearest the lodge but never again in the primo spot. I was surprised at how much people come and go but after driving to the other areas in the North Rim, you find out why people are anxious to visit all of them.

Cabins at the North Rim.

I walked through the east group of cabins available for renting, wishing my wife and our dogs were with me. There were a lot of other older couples there, and a lot of people
speaking languages other than English. So many, in fact, that on that first day I felt like a minority.

The cabins look cool so I had to take some iPhone pictures of them. Big, heavy log construction with friendly porches complete with chairs and/or rocking chairs. Even in the rain they looked inviting and conducive to spending some very pleasant hours with a beverage of choice such as coffee, hot chocolate, or maybe even something stronger.

The end of the walk through the cabins

After passing by the cabins, I noted the balcony of the lodge on my right, but in front of me I was confronted with my first view of the Grand Canyon from outside of my Explorer. It was right there, over the top of a sign pointing to some trails. The book had said the Bright Angel Point was a place to take a great photograph from so naturally I turned left.

Along the trail you first encounter another view point on a ledge, thankfully with a railing around it since it was wet and slippery rock.

I decided to get my feet wet, literally, by taking in this first view point. It was also my first slap in the face from my vertigo. I'd hoped it wouldn't get to me but like a bad penny, it turned up and, literally, took my breath away. This was not going to be the only time it happened at the park.

Vertigo go away

The east viewpoint below the lodge

I'm not going to post all of the pictures here, but even my wife could tell as she looked through them - I took a lot of pictures from the top of the stairs to the viewpoint. I was building up my nerve, trying to look like I was calm and just taking pictures from every possible vantage point. The truth was that I couldn't immediately bring myself to head down the stairs.

I don't know why I have the fears I do. I just feel like I'm not completely in control of my ability to walk and that it will just be dumb luck if I venture down a path such as the one in front of me without spilling over the edge. I hate the feeling but I feel even more that when I force myself I loose even more control and the chances are even greater that I'm going to become a casualty. When I push myself my heart rate jumps up, my vision seems to get narrower, and I can even become paralyzed (that happened to me for a few minutes at the Chiricahua National Monument, I became glued in place on the side of a cliff).

It didn't help that the railings at the top (the brown ones in the picture) are about 2-1/2 feet above the ground forcing me to stoop over. Nor was it reassuring to have wet, slippery rocks for steps. Eventually I bucked up, the thought passing through me to ask the guys who came up from the viewpoint if I could borrow their cojones (as if joking in the face of immense and imminent and grave danger), and I grabbed tightly on to the rails with both hands on both sides of the steps and moved one foot down onto the first stone. I actually gasped (to myself, but regardless, I'd waited until no one else was around to see the funny old fat man) and then slowly made my way on to the platform. I held on to the rail as I eased out into the nothingness. I did make it, and I did take some iPhone pics to prove it. I was excited about the view, amazed that I made it out alive, but at no time was I relaxed.

Deathcrack #1

Deathcrack #1

The platform has a large crack on the left side at the front. It's not big enough to fall through but it's big enough to see through, probably about 2 inches wide. There's nothing below that crack but death. Okay, maybe it's actually beauty of the Grand Canyon. But why do we have to have a crack there? Then, there's another large gap at the bottom of the railing at the back end of the platform. It is big enough to possibly slip through. I did NOT let go of the railing with both hands at the same time. I did NOT breath normally nor did my heart beat normally.

The view from the east viewpoint below the lodge

I took a picture of the canyon in clouds, looking south east from the view point. I also took a selfie to prove I was there. The grin on my face may or may not be due to realizing I made it out there alive and didn't need to change my underwear.

When I got back to the trail, the trail now seemed like a death march waiting for me, with chances of survival at 50/50 at best. Since I'd walked it already I was somewhat comforted, but instead of heading on out to Bright Angel I headed west towards the lodge.

When I got to the path I'd come down, it looked menacing so I continued to the west, and trying to ignore the drop offs on the side of the trail, I came to the viewpoint on the west side below the lodge. Oh great.

Me laughing at danger on the east viewpoint

However, the railings were more impressive. It was a little wider at the top. But there was no railing on the right side of the stairs. I decided to give it a go. What did I have to lose?

After similar hesitations and nerve wrangling, I made it down onto the west platform. I took some iPhone pictures. I haven't mentioned it, but I did NOT have my Nikon with me - I was just kind of scouting. I can't imagine trying this while lugging my camera, bag, and tripod. I did not need anything else to affect my balance.

The west viewpoint awaits
those who dare. I dared.

After a few pictures, I made it back up from the open arms of death by falling again (otherwise who'd be writing this blog?). That was enough adventure for a bit so I decided to climb the stairs near the west viewpoint up to the lodge. I felt like I'd gambled and won, but there was no reason to press my luck any farther.

The west viewpoint

It was a nice introduction to the canyon. After making it up to the lodge I was able to actually just look at the canyon and observe the constantly changing clouds as they nuzzled up to the canyon walls. They made their way through the canyon, maneuvering as necessary to get around the beautiful yet terrifying shapes of the canyon mountains and walls.

I was mesmerized and extremely humbled. I was humanized. Nature had modified my very awareness of myself. I was struck once again by how little justice a photograph does to capturing that incredible feeling of the beauty, changing and fleeting permanence, tolerance, vulnerability, patience, and dominance of the great outdoors. Of our planet. Of my little, insignificant, and short time on the planet. It makes me think of a movie I saw recently (and may have mentioned before) called "The Ride" with Helen Hunt. Her son states "I want to work to live, not live to work". The experience of the Grand Canyon makes me question my purpose in life. How grand is that?

View from the west viewpoint

A Metamorphosis Begins

First, I can't believe it's been almost a month since my last post. Time has been flying but not due to much fun.

Not that things have been horrible, it's just that I haven't been shooting pictures for the last month. I've been trying to get out but for one reason or another I haven't made it. In part because I've been recovering from my Oregon trip. I REALLY enjoyed that trip and have been disenchanted with the Arizona offerings - mainly because I'd been almost every area in the state and just wasn't feeling the drive to go back to any of the places. I was just in a funk.

Then, I ordered a book about photographing in Arizona, from the same company where I bought the book about photographing Oregon. I mentioned this book in an earlier post. 

The only large area in Arizona that I hadn't been to was the "Arizona Strip", the area north of the Grand Canyon. As I was reading the entries for this area, it mentioned Toroweap. I have had an urge to go to Toroweap since hearing about it shortly after moving to Arizona in 2001 but had not gone. I pondered for a few minutes and then found a photography tour that was going out in early October from Dreamland Safari Tours and called them to discuss it.

To cut to the chase, I didn't end up going on the tour and after my trip described below, I'm still okay with it. But it sounds like a good deal if you think you can stomach it!

Off to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon

Rainy Day at Conoco on U.S. Route 89 in Flagstaff

I decided to take some vacation days (originally scheduled for the Toroweap visit) to go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park. I hadn't been to any of those areas, I'd never headed west from U.S. Route 89. I left Phoenix about 5:45 AM on Tuesday, 10/6/2015 and headed up, travelling alone, without even my pup Elmer.

It was a rare rainy day. I stopped in Flagstaff after getting on to U.S. 89 to fill up the fuel tank in the rain and brisk weather. I didn't know what fuel would cost up the road but I thought I'd get it for as cheap as possible. 

I ended up pretty much just driving straight through to DeMotte Campground to try to get a camp site. There were no reservations available online, all spots that could be reserved were taken, but they did have walk up sites so I was hoping I'd get one of them, which I did (I stayed in sites #7 and #18 on different nights). The campground at the North Rim was booked solid through the last day of October which is when they close for the winter. DeMotte Campground is 7 miles north of the park entrance so it's not too much of a drive. Plus, there's a small store and gas station almost across U.S. 67 from the campground.

Highway 89, half way between Cameron and Tuba City

I didn't do much sight-seeing or photo taking on the way up except for a couple of iPhone snaps because it was very socked in and I really couldn't see anything more than 1/2 a mile or so from the road. I did notice the bridge over the Colorado River at Marble Canyon / Lee's Ferry area but since I was pressed to try to get a walk in campsite I didn't stop.

And by not stopping, I learned a lesson as a budding photographer. After heading south on Arizona State Route 67 at Jacob's Lake, you pass through a nice pine forest. After about 5 miles (as the crow flies) there is an area that was hit by a forest fire, and then after another 5 miles or so you re-enter the pines. On my visit, there was a dusting of snow and it was beautiful. As an Arizona resident I rarely see snow unless I drive where it is. I really wanted some photographs of the pines with snow but I drove past thinking I'd come back. I didn't - I ended up going on to the Grand Canyon. 

The lesson is that if you see something you really want a photograph of, stop and take it. You may never see it again. It ended up that there were plenty of camp sites and delaying an hour to take pictures of the snowy pines wouldn't have hurt anything. And if the camp sites were already gone it wasn't going to matter anyway - I'd have to figure something else out.

Entrance to DeMotte Campground

After the second drive through the pine forest, SR 67 heads into a wide meadow with forest on each side. The green pines were broken up with aspens that were a nice yellow. If the sun had been out I thought it would be very brilliant - which is indeed the case as I found out in the following days as the storm passed and the sun shone.

Eventually you arrive at the North Rim Country Store on the east side of the road, and Kaibab Lodge and Demotte Campground on the west. At about 11:30 AM, close to 6 hours after leaving home, I turned onto the short dirt road leading up to the campground, pulling up to the pay station. I noticed a road barricade with a "Full" sign folded up and placed behind the station so I felt relieved. The instructions said to go find a site, note the number, and return and fill out the paper work. I did, claiming drive through site #7. I was set for the night!

DeMotte Campground, Site #7

As you can see from the picture of the campsite, the campground looks out over the meadow, which is about 1,000 feet wide at this point. Although I didn't end up trying I thought you might be able to venture out there in the dark to get some star shots.

Since it was raining I decided not to put up my tent but to just sleep in the back of my Explorer. Armed with my REI self inflating air mattress, my heavy sleeping bag and a blanket, I knew I'd be plenty comfortable. I'm getting to where I prefer not messing with a tent, especially if there's a lot of moisture. So, with my lodging planned for the night, I left the campground and headed on south to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park. Woo hoo! 

I'm a Happy Photographer!

I've been noticing these things for a while but my trip to Oregon and Washington last month really brought them to the forefront of my senses. So what else can I do but write about them!

Elmer and I at Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona

One of my initial goals of taking up photography as a hobby was to get outdoors instead of sitting at a computer all weekend. I normally work Monday through Friday as a software engineer, sitting at a computer all week with very little interruption.  For many years my weekends were filled writing and recording rock and roll songs (http://www.RandyMorter.com/music) which was mostly sitting at a computer as well. In 2013 I decided I had to make a change, and decided to take up landscape photography which would include camping and being away from a computer.

Over the last couple of years I have certainly achieved that goal. I’ve spent most of my weekends out taking pictures, and a lot of those, perhaps about half, have included camping or “moteling” (of which I prefer the camping unless the Arizona temperatures make it too warm to get a good night’s sleep!).

Some benefits I’ve reaped are that I’ve lost a few pounds, I’ve met some people, I’ve got some photographs that my wife wants hung on the walls, I’ve had a lot of alone time with my pup Elmer. But there have also been some benefits I hadn’t expected or dreamed of…

While driving along the Oregon coast on my vacation, especially when driving along roads I’d driven many times before, I found I was noticing things I had never taken the time to notice or appreciate. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve driven the coast from Coos Bay to Lincoln City when my wife and I lived in Coos Bay and drove up the coast to get our children for our weekends (from our ex-spouses). What I can tell you is that those trips were almost entirely done with the purpose of getting from point A to point B and back again without absorbing the scenery to any great extent. Note that some trips were made from Coos Bay to Interstate 5 and up to the Portland area but with the same lack of attention to the scenery.



Alongside the Coquille River, Oregon

On my vacation in August 2015, I found almost the opposite. I truly did not have much of a deadline for the days I was on the coast. I arrived in Coos Bay on Monday and did not have to be anywhere particular until that Friday when I had a high school reunion event. According to Google Maps, along the coast that is only 472 miles, taking about 10 hours. I didn’t think I’d have any problem covering that distance in 4 or 5 days.

I actually planned my first couple of days on the coast with short driving distances between my sleeping areas, and then the day that I would be driving into Washington was longer since I knew there wasn’t as much in southwest Washington that I thought would be photogenic (the roads are inland and mostly tree lined and I've driving that road a few times before). That meant on the Oregon coast I had about 100 miles or less to drive each day and all day to do it.

As I drove up the Oregon coast I found I was looking at the scenery with an eye towards looking for photogenic scenery. I had that thought in my head, but it also dawned on me how much beauty there was almost every mile of the drive. I wanted to stop and take pictures of everything! I felt like I had wasted all of my earlier drives along the highway by not soaking in the beauty as I blindly whizzed by, more concerned about making time than lifelong memories and appreciation of the Oregon coast.




Driftwood Beach Wayside, Oregon

I pulled off in a lot of waysides, rest stops, parks, etc.  Not as many as I would have liked to, but enough to fill up my travels so that I didn’t waste much time at a campground. The night after leaving Coos Bay (okay, actually Charleston), I didn’t get to the campground until after dark and I left at first light.
I looked at things from different angles and vantage points, driven by my desire to find a good photograph, but with the added result of noticing more about the various locations.

For example, at one place I found a cool stump with some great exposed roots. I was moving around the root system looking for angles that would help bring out the structure. By doing that I was noticing the structure in much more detail than if I’d been walking by it without any desire to take a photograph.

When I was at Oceanside and shooting the Three Arch Rocks at sunset, I found myself looking through the viewfinder, noticing things in the composition, and then looking around without the viewfinder to see how I might improve the shot. I was taking in much more detail than if I hadn’t been looking for something to include or exclude from the shot. I was noticing how the reflections were playing on the shore, where the sun was in relationship to the rocks, how I could walk out on the sandbar. If I’d been sitting in my car I wouldn’t have noticed those things.

Sunset at Seal Rock, Oregon

When I was at Seal Rock, again trying to shoot a sunset, I did the same things as at Oceanside. However, the sun just kind of fizzled out. But because I really wanted to try to get a good picture, I waited and watched as the sun completely set, watching as the beach turned from light to dark, as the sea gulls changed from white to black silhouettes flying against the orange sky. I saw the colors change in the pools of sea water on the beach in front of me. I noticed that it got a bit cooler after the sun went down. I noticed that there were very few other people left on the beach after it got dark.

The bottom line was that I NOTICED. I absorbed. I was involved. I was in the moments. I was a living part of the planet and conscious of it.

I was happy.

As I write this a few weeks afterwards, I find I have a longing to be back in a similar situation. It doesn’t really matter where I am, just somewhere besides behind a computer. I want to breathe in the smell, hear the sound, and see the sights of life on the planet. And just maybe, at some point, I’ll be able to get in touch with the planet enough to create some photographs that capture some of what I experience so that I can share it with others.

Marina at Charleston, Oregon

I stayed in Charleston, Oregon on Monday, August 3, 2015, which I wrote about in my blog entry "My 2015 Vacation, Part 5 of 7". On Tuesday morning I spent some time at the marina with the hopes of getting some good nautical pictures.

I did have my bag of lenses with me but ended up loading the 50mm f/1.8 prime and that was all I used. There were a few shots I took of the other side of the bay that could have possibly used a longer lens, and there were a few shots I took on a pier that could have used a wider lens. Overall, however, I really like the simplicity of the prime lens.



Charleston Visitor Center Parking Lot

If you end up like I did, at the marina after the sun was up and only the one chance for shooting, you are immediately giving up any golden hour light. In my case there was some haze. It was NOT a clear blue sky, especially as you looked into the sun.

Since the sky was almost gray I figured I'd be getting almost perfect conditions to do black and white processing, or near that anyway. I also didn't have to worry about composition as much from the standpoint of where the light source was. It was pretty even lighting all around, as though I had a lot of soft light sources everywhere!.

That light also reduced the need for a circular polarizer to get rid of reflections from the water surface.

Because I was there kind of early (I expect for the fishermen 7:30 AM or so wasn't early) there wasn't much traffic on the water itself which should help with reflections of boat rigging. It still wasn't mirror flat on the bay, however, so ripples did affect my reflection shots.

Coming from Phoenix, Arizona, I don't have much opportunity to shoot pictures in a working marina full of fishing vessels and sail boats. This was my first attempt and I sure hoped it would work out!

Early bird gets the shell fish

I took some pictures of the mud since the tide was out. I'm not sure how picturesque they are but I kind of like the reflections. This one to the right has reflections of the fish processing building along with the low tide flats and a seagull to boot. I tried working with various lines in the pictures too (all of them, not just the mud flats).

This picture to the right purposefully has a diagonal of the sea weed starting in the lower left corner and pointing to the upper right, while the reflection and waterline kind of come from the upper left and point to the lower right. I'm not sure how effective it is but it does seem like a pleasing composition to me even if the subject isn't the best.

What I might do differently is to try it without the gull in it and use a longer exposure with an ND filter in order to smooth out the water more. I like how you can see through the water just enough but still have the reflection of the building. I did use a polarizer on the lens the morning I took these but no additional ND filters.

Seaweed flowing under bridge

This image is of seaweed flowing in the steady current (the tide was still going out) under a bridge. Again I played with the angles of the lines, which was easy for this shot because there is no obvious up or down or correct angle.

I am not sure, however, that you can really tell there is a current flowing here. Nor am I sure this is a picture that would really appeal to anyone. Perhaps if there was a crab on the sandy bottom it would be more interesting but I didn't see anything stirring on the bottom at all. I'd love to have some comments about this pic!

I do like the colors and angles though. I did pump up the saturation in this pic.

Pillars of the Bay

Here's another abstract shot that I thought was interesting at the time. I like the ship's bow between the pillars as well as the pillars themselves. I tried different crops in Adobe Lightroom but just didn't come up with anything I preferred over the full shot.

In this I tried enhancing the gold colors to try to make it look like there was some golden hour lighting going on but I think the lack of long shadows as well as not getting enough gold makes it obvious this is just a daylight picture of nothing terribly remarkable.

I took these from the end of a pier next to the fish processing building. I also shot pictures across the bay and of the boat tied to the processor's pier as they offloaded their catch.

I like this shot of a couple of boats tied up, and I like it best in this black and white treatment. What I don't like is the amount of water. I could fix that with a different crop ratio but I tend to be wary of crops like 9x16 because you just don't easily find frames for a picture like that. They do tend to be okay if you're just displaying a picture on the web, however.

But this picture shows a nice way to take advantage of the gray sky, in my opinion. It almost looks hazy which I think would really set these pictures off. I also would like to have flatter water but taking a longer exposure here would be hard since the masts would move. One solution I would try if I get back there is to take a couple of different shots, one properly exposed with a quick shutter speed to freeze the position of the masts, and a second with a long exposure (and ND filters) to smooth the water.They could then be combined in Photoshop.

Galway Bay

This is a picture of the boat tied up to the processing pier. I think a wider lens would have helped here. I could not get the bow in the picture with the pier and it just looked weird. I took some pictures with more of the pier but they showed some of this boat but not enough. They looked like they should show as much of the boat as possible and that they were accidental pictures as opposed to pictures taken on purpose with the intent to be worthy of hanging on a wall.

I didn't bother changing the lens due to my other time constraints. This still leaves me with an uneasy feeling where I hate being rushed. On the other hand it makes me realize that in all of these locations there is reason for return visits and with each visit better pictures may be envisioned and captured.

I still like this picture as it is although I wish I had the full bow or superstructure. I got more of the bow in a landscape orientation but that cut off more of the superstructure. Like I said, this picture could have used my Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 lens. Or possibly a 35mm prime.

Galway Bay and Processor

Note that I did talk to the guys on the pier and asked if it was okay if I took pictures of the boat and the activities. They said it was. That removed my feeling of "stalker" and allowed me to feel comfortable about taking pictures. I hadn't done much of that in the past but this started my asking permission often on my trip. I also think it may be a way to generate some sales in the future. I can ask permission and give them a card to my SmugMug site where they can find the pictures of themselves and possibly buy a print, and they may see a print of something else they might like enough to buy!



Piling

This shot of a piling was also from the end of the pier. Another shot that might have benefited from the wider lens which would have allowed me to show the piling from the water to the top. As it is I have a floating piling. I do like it as a "scouting" shot - it would be great to go back and shoot this in the golden hour (probably sunset since at sunrise the sun would be behind the piling - this is looking basically south east from the pier).

I moved from the pier next to the bridge over to the nearest set of docks at the marina. There was a sign that said it was okay for the public to go down on the docks so I did! I figured I was a public dude!

I took some pics from the bank first and they're okay but I really wanted to be closer to the water. I really think these look best with the black and white processing from Lightroom. It hides the gray sky, making it seem like these were taken with this processing in mind.



Waiting for the Master

Once again, to be critical, I wish the lens had allowed me to get the entire corner of the dock on the right side. Composing that way with the 50mm resulted in the stern of the boat being too close to the left edge of the image.

Stepping back caused me to start showing the shore and bank at the bottom of the picture. My final choice was to cut off part of the doc. It seemed like the least of the worst. And nothing was going to get me the reflection of the full mast.

You may also notice a sliver of a piling on the left side of the image. My choice was to include it a bit or have more of a shot that was straight down the dock and ships bows. I liked lining up the sterns more because it gave more separation between the ships masts.

There were a lot of decisions in this composition. Regardless of the resulting shot, I was very pleased with myself for noticing all of the issues in the viewfinder and trying to manage the conflicting decisions. I don't profess to be a master yet but I am certainly attempting to notice composition issues in the viewfinder and to try to solve them before committing the image to the SD card!



Fisherman's Parking Lot

 
On the way to the docks I spotted these bikes and had to get a picture. I really like this picture with both bikes but didn't notice that I'd cut off the back tire of the pink bike until I'd left the scene. Even the tire on the front bike is closer to the edge of the frame than I like. I don't remember even seeing that when I shot the picture. I don't know if I was at the limit of space and lens. 

How many times do you see a boy and girl fisher-person bike tied up together on a pier? And I cut the tires off. Some shots only come around once and you need to be prepared to get them. The boy scout in me let me down.

Out on the docs I got a few different pictures.

I got some of various smaller items such as buoys, a cleat, and a crab pot. I like these with both the color and a black and white treatment. My plan is to print them as a set of three and frame them together in a collage frame, probably as 5x7 prints.

I like the way my other collections have turned out when I've done that in the past and I'm sure this will be no exception especially since I don't get pictures like this in Arizona.

I'll likely combine them with a large print of the sailboats and their reflections giving me a nice bit of wall art.

The trick for me with all of these shots was trying to find different subjects to enable me to have a collection of at least 3 images. There was more that I could have shot but I stopped after a few items because I was also taking some pics of the boats.

I took a few shots of bows of some rugged looking boats. But what I couldn't easily do down on the docks with the 50mm was get an entire boat in the shot. Again, in retrospect, I think the 16-35mm lens would have been a better choice.

In the end, I spent about an hour total at the marina. If it was sunrise or sunset I could have easily spent that much time again. I didn't exhaust the possibilities there, meaning I have to go back! Darn the bad luck!

Misty Anne Morning

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