Between Boulder City and Escalante, Utah the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument includes the middle watershed of the Escalante River’s 90-mile run from the confluence of Birch Creek and Upper Valley Creek on the eastern slopes of the Escalante Mountains to Lake Powell. Here the great petrified dunes of Navajo Sandstone play out to the redrock canyons that line the Colorado River. Among the great dunes that skirt the lower reaches of Boulder Mountain, Calf Creek runs its course in preparation to join the river. Not the spires and hoodoos of the Red Rock here, but the rounded sculpturing of cream and tan that often weather like giant checkerboards. It is a beautiful part of the great diversity of the Grand Staircase-Escalante.
A focal length of 300mm gave me the narrowed angle-of-view that isolated a small section of the giant dunes with the lower shoulder of the mountain in the background and a textured sky above. An aperture of f/22 provided depth-of-field and a shutter speed of 1/30th second at ISO 100 gave me an overall medium exposure.
The Escalante region is a powerful statement about the importance and diversity of our amazing public lands. Their great beauty reminds us of our obligation to preserve and protect the inheritance we have been given.
Loving all the layers of colors and textures in this picture. It seems every week I am finding “S” curves that lead me into the scene and this week is no exception. The diagonals formed by the ridges also stand out for me. So glad you had clouds for this moment in time. Thank you again for everything you have done to educate me about the preservation of natural beauty in our great country.
Hey Kev. It’s great, as always, to have you with me. First, I want to say “Thanks” to you for believing that my thoughts and observations were worth listening to. It has been a very real pleasure sharing them with you over these years and having the excellent discussions we have enjoyed. I look forward to many such opportunities to come down the road. Texture and layer were words that came to my mine looking at this scene. It was tempting to zoom in and remove the sky and clouds, but to do so would have narrowed the angle of view on the cliffs much more than I wished; and as we discussed last week, I felt that the sky did merit a presence of some degree in the image. The diagonals were mostly a gift of the resulting angle-of-view, so it became a matter of aligning them in a way that “made sense.” Be safe, stay well, and Walk in Beauty. Best to Elizabeth.
Don, another bright spot on my Sunday mornings, thank you. While this landscape is intriguing to me, and I know I’d enjoy exploring it, I think I’m (overly) conditioned to yearn for green — whether dense eastern forests, or dry western ones with towering conifers — and its absence leaves me uneasy, the shortcoming of a verdant-aphile! This is an area for me to develop in my appreciation. In the meantime, your images present beauty to help on that journey. Good luck with WordPress! Ray
Hi Ray. Thanks, as always, for joining us. You have given us a very apt description of most of us who were raised east of the Great Plains, including myself. I recall my first couple of experiences with the Colorado Plateau and the feeling of being “exposed” that I constantly felt. Needless to say, I eventually got over it and began to feel a very real oneness with the Red Rock Country. The desert flora has its own verdancy that does come to grow on you after a while; and it’s actually fun to cultivate it. I honestly feel that I’m going to like – if such is possible of this technology – WordPress. Thanks for your thoughtful comments. Be well and safe in these uncertain times.
Don, I really appreciate this image. Repetition, form, texture and color that create beauty and enjoyment. The eye challenged my mind with the Principles and Elements that you strive to instill into all of us to make us better photographers. I can appreciate what Ray says about green. It gook me two trips to the SW before I could fully feel comfortable working with no, or limited green, but now I miss it. Those cool colors really looked inviting as we sit at 100 degrees this morning. Stay safe.
Hey Chuck. I really enjoyed talking with you this afternoon, but a reminder of how we miss having you and Lois closer. I truly appreciate your comments here and hope that they will guide Ray in his quest to become part of the Red Rock world. I well remember our times together in the Southwest and watched as you let that country soak into you veins as you enjoyed the creativity it shared with you. Although there is plenty of green on the Colorado Plateau, one soon learns that it’s the rock that forms the main attraction and the green is merely a minor player in the drama of this land. As you suggest, its the forms, textures, and patterns that really catch our eyes. Your 100 degree days in the Eastern Shore are not to be wished for, so please take care and be safe.
This is epic and breathtaking. All that beauty captured through a 300mm lens means you must have been humbled by all the beauty around you. I am glad you chose this spot that shows so much depth, shapes, lines and color. The hills on the right seem to be bowing in appreciation for being placed in such an awesome spot on the planet. I wish I could have been there but, I would have been so overwhelmed, I would have been walking in circles trying to decide where to sit my tripod. Thanks for finding, capturing, and sharing.
Hey Nancy T. It’s so good to have you back with us. I was quite surprised when I reviewed the metadata and saw that I had used 300mm for this Image. You’re so right, it gives you a very clear sense of how vast are the views in this landscape. I am so hoping that you are going to be able to join us in the Southwest in ’21. You will find more stories to tell than you ever imagined, and you will never be overwhelmed. I’ll call you this week so we can catch up on what’s been happening; meanwhile stay safe and be well.
I want to think that the blue in the background is the sea! Could use a good ocean swim today!
Hey Robin. It’s great to hear from you! You know, you are not far off in your thinking. All of this amazing land was once beneath an inland sea, so swimming in the ocean is a good analogy. Stay safe and be well. Don’t let the haints out; I don’t think they swim well.
Thank you all very much for joining me for this discussion. It’s wonderful to be able to share thoughts and observations with folks who truly love photographic imagery and the amazing Beauty of our natural world. Please take good care and remain safe as we move through these times of uncertainty. Walk in Beauty.