Monument Valley – Stuck in Customs
16
Apr 2023 : Sunday
filed under  Camera Gear, Monument Valley, Sony NEX-7, Travel, United States of America, Utah

The Wolf Howling at the Sunset Sky

Daily Photo – The Wolf Howling at the Sunset Sky

The shapes in Monument Valley are right out of all the westerns you watched when you were a kid. So, when I was there for the first time it was a bit surreal. Now, I know many reading will have been there several times and they are experts at this area… but it was all fresh and new to me! As long as there are good clouds, I think it is relatively easy to get a good shot here! Sort of a lay-up, I think! Some photos you have to work really really hard for… and those are fine… but I also like a few of these that make themselves a bit easier.

The Wolf Howling at the Sunset Sky

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2013-08-22 12:40:14
  • CameraNEX-7
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/60
  • Aperture5.6
  • ISO100
  • Focal Length55.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
  • Exposure Bias

Comments
29
Feb 2016 : Monday
filed under  Monument Valley, Utah

A Beautiful Morning in Monument Valley

My 35mm Lens

I must say that the Leica Lens I use the most for people/family shots is my 35mm f/1.4. I bought it a few years ago… and it’s great for most any situation! My people shots DO look better with the 90mm f/2 I think, but the 35mm is more general purpose. You can see more in my Leica Lens Buying Guide. If you want to see some samples with the 90mm f/2, check out my Papua New Guinea Photos.

Daily Photo – A Beautiful Morning in Monument Valley

Once again, it was a perfect day in Utah. I don’t think I had bad weather more than 5% of the time… I don’t know if that is normal or not for Utah? Who knows… Anyway, I was thankful for all these magical mornings that felt like the cover of a Larry McMurtry novel!

A Beautiful Morning in Monument Valley

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2013-08-22 12:47:16
  • CameraNEX-7
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/15
  • Aperture7.1
  • ISO100
  • Focal Length55.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
  • Exposure Bias+2

Comments
11
Nov 2014 : Tuesday
filed under  Arches National Park, Monument Valley, Utah

The Flaming Anasazi Ruins

Getting Super-Lost

What is the most lost you’ve ever gotten? I get lost a lot, and it usually doesn’t bother me. The one below did a little bit because I did have a much-desired destination at a certain time of the day for the light! It caused me a bit of stress, which I usually don’t have… was not a big fan!

Daily Photo – The Flaming Anasazi Ruins

Good lord this place was hard to find! I had quite unremarkable directions. First, it was almost impossible to figure out where to turn off the main highway. There were many dirt road options, and none of them seemed right. And then, at one point, I had to figure out how far down that dirt road to go! I went way to far at once and got myself into a serious car-trouble-situation. I somehow got myself out of that then doubled-back to find a probable spot. The next step was walking about a mile down a canyon where I had no idea where I was going! There were no trails, no signs, no nothing. I got to the point where I was thinking, man, I’m not even close. And then, there it was.

The Flaming Anasazi Ruins

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2013-08-21 23:25:13
  • CameraNEX-7
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/80
  • Aperture11
  • ISO100
  • Focal Length10.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
  • Exposure Bias

Comments
30
Mar 2014 : Sunday
filed under  Monument Valley, Photography Tips, Utah

The Wolf Howling at the Sky

Lighting Decisions

When I process a photo like this, I usually go through a bit of a decision matrix about lighting. Since I’m combining multiple shots, I can choose to have everything equally lit, or go with a full-on silhouette. Such power! Haha… sometimes all the decisions can make you seize up a little bit, which is not a good thing. I try not to get caught up in the decision and just try different things and let it flow. In this case, I went with mostly a silhouette, but I did a bit of lighting in the foreground. I think it adds a nice layer right there in front of you.

Daily Photo – The Wolf Howling at the Sky

The shapes in Monument Valley are right out of all the westerns you watched when you were a kid. So, when I was there for the first time it was a bit surreal. Now, I know many readers here have been there several times and they are experts at this area… but it was all fresh and new to me! As long as there are good clouds, I think it is relatively easy to get a good shot here! Sort of a lay-up, I think! Some photos you have to work really really hard for… and those are fine… but I also like a few of these that make themselves a bit easier.

The Wolf Howling at the Sky

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2013-08-22 12:40:14
  • CameraNEX-7
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/60
  • Aperture5.6
  • ISO100
  • Focal Length55.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
  • Exposure Bias

Comments
23
Nov 2013 : Saturday
filed under  Monument Valley, Utah

Moonset through the Valley

Speaking of the Moon…

I wanted to recommend a movie! Have you seen “Moonrise Kingdom”? If not, I super-duper recommend it… one of my favorite movies over the past few years.

Daily Photo – Moonset over the Valley

I don’t know if I was lucky. Okay, I was lucky.

I happened to be driving down this rather wonderful road in Utah just as the moon was setting. I’m not one of those mega hardcore photo-nerds that knows every moonset and the status of the moon… I kind of wish I was. Or, I wish I had a little helper monkey that would inform me of these things. But, I just occasionally get lucky and have my camera with me. Or, rather, I always have my camera with me, and, like a stopped clock is right twice a day — it’s the same with the full moon and me.

Moonset over the Valley

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2013-08-22 00:09:06
  • CameraNEX-6
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time15
  • Aperture6.3
  • ISO200
  • Focal Length210.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramManual
  • Exposure Bias

Comments
19
Oct 2013 : Saturday
filed under  Monument Valley, Utah

The Alien Surface

Thanks for loving Stuck On Earth!

For those of you that don’t know, this is a free app for iOS, Android, and the Mac. Enjoy! I built it for MYSELF because I needed something just like it. Now it has hundreds of thousands of downloads and has become a great tool for so many people like me that needed a new kind of travel guide. Visit the StuckOnEarthApp.com (we couldn’t afford StuckOnEarth.com!) site for more!

Daily Photo – The Alien Surface

I saw this amazing place in Stuck On Earth and I simply had to visit! I mapped out my whole trip to Utah and was sure to include this. It was unclear if it was right by the side of the road or if I needed to walk. You never really know unless you read the description, and sometimes (okay, often) I am lazy. Like when I went to visit the Delicate Arch, I had no idea I had to hike for an hour in the burning summer sun to see it. That’s two hours round-trip for those of you scoring at home. Anyway, I was happy to find that this remarkable structure below was plainly visible by the side of the road… and it looked great from the from and the rear.

The Alien Surface

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2013-08-22 14:29:27
  • CameraNEX-7
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/4000
  • Aperture6.3
  • ISO100
  • Focal Length24.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
  • Exposure Bias-2

Comments
17
Oct 2013 : Thursday
filed under  Monument Valley, Photography Tips, Utah

A Panorama of the Monument

Your favorite panorama software?

I used to use PTGui quite a bit, but now I’ve been using Photoshop more and more. It’s pretty smart. But sometimes it messes up. I know it depends (well, I THINK it depends) on the order in which you select the images for the panorama. But the way Photoshop figures this out is completely inscrutable.

Daily Photo – A Panorama of the Monument

Regulars here on the website know how rarely I make panoramas. It is both a combination of being lazy and the general feeling that a 18+ megapixel picture is more than enough. Maybe I won’t feel like this in the future, but it’s the way I feel know. But, I do occasionally make exceptions… like here on this morning in Monument Valley.

A Panorama of the Monument

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2013-08-22 01:49:29
  • CameraNEX-6
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/400
  • Aperture6.3
  • ISO100
  • Focal Length55.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
  • Exposure Bias

Comments