Month: August 2009

Grand Canyon Dawn

When we got to our campsite in Grand Canyon North Rim I was a bit confused about the time zone.  We came from Southern California (Pacific Time) and Arizona is in Mountain Time.  The thing is California is in Pacific Daylight Time and Arizona doesn’t mess with that daylight stuff – it was in Mountain Standard Time.  So the times are the same.  But I set my cell phone clock ahead one hour anyway.  Oops.  Then I set the alarm for 04:30 to make a 05:00 appearance at Bright Angel Point exactly 45 minutes before sunrise.

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Wild Fire on the North Rim

A wild fire was burning on the North Rim along the road to Cape Royal.  It started from a lightning strike.  The forest service fire crews were keeping an eye on it but letting it burn.  They figured it would continue to burn until the first rains or snows put it out.

This made for some fantastic early morning photography from Bright Angel Point – the fire with the Venus and Orion looking down.

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Digital Camera Program Modes

Photography Tips – Your Digital Camera’s Program Modes

 

Modern digital cameras are in reality complex computers.  They have memories, processors, input and output devices.  And, like computers, their capabilities (read ‘processing power’) doubles every 18 months to 2 years. 

One of the advantages of all this progress is the program modes that are available.  In this photography tips article we’re going to take a look at some of these modes and get an idea of what they can do for us.

Often the program functions are accessed via a dial on the computer.  In other cameras they are accessed from the menu.  Or, some cameras use a combination of both.  Your camera manual will spell this out for you.

The modes are divided into three broad categories – automatic, semi-automatic and manual.  Let’s look at each beginning with Automatic. 

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Reflections on Cliche Photographs

I was surprised again last week to learn that one of my photographs received another award at the Orange County Fair.  Virgin River and the Watchman received a Purchase Award; that is, the fair purchased the photograph for its permanent collection.  Actually, I was more than surprised.

This is a shot that literally thousands and possibly tens of thousands of people take every year.  If you’ve been to Zion you are probably aware that photographers line up on the bridge over the Virgin River nearly every day at sunset to photograph the setting sun on the Watchman, the magnificent face that towers over the south entrance to the park.  It’s one of those places that has become an “Excuse me, may  I squeeze in here?” photography site.  From one end of the bridge to the other, photographers are set up with their tripods legs almost overlapping.

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Eastern Sierra Workshop – Mono Lake Morning Song

 

The sunrise was about the orange sky and the blue water.  There were only about 20 or so of us on the lake shore that morning.  The water continues to recede.  There wasn’t a cloud in the sky but it didn’t matter.  It was an intense orange.  And the water was an equally intense blue.  Some mornings on Mono Lake are violent, wind-tossed affairs.  But this morning was tranquil and energetic, both at the same time, a peaceful glory, a song that touches the soul.

 
Mono Lake Morning Song
Mono Lake Morning Song

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