The Ultimate Photo Road Trip (Fall)

I've just returned home after 12 days out of town.  Essentially it was a 2 day trip followed by a weekend wedding of my daughter, followed by a week of hanging out with family and friends in Sedona, AZ, then the trip home via the southern route.  (Phoenix to Tombstone to Albuquerque to Denver)  Nothing out of the ordinary except that our route took me through some areas I'd never seen before.  Over and over again I found myself saying "I need to come back and photograph that..." which started my mind working and thus, the Ultimate Photo Road Trip (Fall version)  Keep in mind, this trip would require quite a lot of time so it may not occur for a year or two but here's how it goes. 

Sometime in late September: 

Parker to Walsenburg, CO.  Spend a night in Walsenburg and head down the Highway of Legends from LaVeta to Trinidad, CO.  I've driven over Cuchara Pass before and the display of changing aspens can in some years rival Kebler Pass near Crested Butte.  Spend a sunrise and mid-morning shooting aspens before heading down to Trinidad and back onto I-25.

Trinidad, CO to Santa Fe, NM:  Driving north on I-25 today I was impressed by the poofy white clouds and the patterns they make on the prairies just north of Las Vegas, NM.  Given the right conditions and spending some time to find a suitable foreground subject, this could make a powerful image.  On to Santa Fe and spend a night here.  Great food and wonderful galleries to kill some time.

Santa Fe, NM to ????:  Here is the first option.  From Santa Fe head south either straight down I-25 to Socorro, NM for a sunset and sunrise at Bosque Del Apache or take Hwy 285 south to Alamagordo, NM and spend a sunset and sunrise at White Sands.  I'm not sure if it's too early in the year for cranes to be at Bosque and currently my longest lens is a 70-200mm so I'd probably opt for White Sands.  Of course there's the possibility of driving to Bosque after the sunset at White Sands.  Time to choose!

Alamagordo, NM to Dragoon Mountains, AZ:  Whether it's Bosque or White Sands, after shooting the sunrise I'd head south and hit I-10 somewhere around Las Cruces, NM.  For the most part this is a pretty boring drive heading west into AZ but there are some areas where the right sky and clouds might make an interesting image looking across the basins.  Mostly I'd be concerned with getting to the Dragoons by late afternoon.  When we drove through there a few days ago the rock formations near I-10 would be amazing in the right light.  Head on into Benson, AZ for the night.

Benson AZ to Tombstone to Tucson, AZ:  We spent some time in Tombstone but due to a late start from Phoenix and hotel reservations in Albuquerque we didn't have nearly enough time to spend there.  I'd like to spend at least 3 or 4 hours in Tombstone but that's another blog for another time.  On to Tucson for late afternoon shooting of San Xavier del Bac mission in Tucson and sunset at Saguaro National Park.  From here it's a short drive to Erin and Sean's house in Queen Creek to spend the night.

Phoenix to Tuba City, AZ:  No real sunrise shoot in mind here so have a leisurely breakfast with the kids before heading north towards Flagstaff and on to Tuba City.  From Tuba it's not too far to Coal Mine Canyon which I've seen images of from other shooters and would like to see for myself.  Then there's another secret location near Marble Canyon that requires a campout to appreciate sunset and sunrise light. 

Marble Canyon, AZ to Farmington, NM:  Here's another choice depending on how the mood hits me. Leave the Marble Canyon area and head to Page, AZ for some time in Antelope Canyon.  I haven't been there in a few years and could use some new digital files from Lower Antelope.  From there head to Kayenta and make a decision:  north to Monument Valley or southeast to Farmington and Bisti Badlands.  I've been to MV several times and while it's definitely not old hat, this time I'm headed for Bisti. Hopefully I'll get there in time to hike into the Badlands for sunset.  Definitely I'll spend a sunrise there.

Farmington, NM to ???:  Here's another tricky spot and this one depends on the weather.  If there's snow or the possibility of it I'm headed southeast towards Taos. I've never driven that route and have no idea of the photographic possibilities but I'm sure it would be wonderful.  If we have nice weather I'm going up through the San Juans for more changing aspens.  Durango to Silverton, Dallas Divide, then over Kebler Pass to Crested Butte.  This will most likely be my last night on the road as it's a short 4 hour drive home from CB. 

So there you have it.  10 nights, probably 2000 miles or more, and numerous photo possibilities.  If I were to take this trip I'd probably play tourist or spend an extra night or two at Erin and Sean's making it into a 14 day trip.  What do you think?  What's your Ultimate photo road trip? 

Breakfast Follies

Okay, I admit 2 things about this blog.  First, this image has nothing to do with the blog...I just like it.  Second and more importantly, I am blatantly stealing this idea from a blog written by Todd "Cloudman" Caudle, one of the best Nature Photographers around.  I read a similar entry on his blog and it made me laugh out loud so I feel compelled to relate my similar experience.

Once in a while, probably way too often, I stop in at Jack in the Box near my home to pick up breakfast.  It's the same time of day, about 6:30 am and I always order the same things:  Grilled Breakfast Sandwich and a medium Diet Dr. Pepper.  Always the same, and I always order it the same way.  Problem is, the folks at Jack's place are tasked with selling up.  And the conversation usually goes like this:

JITB:  Welcome to Jack In the Box..my name is (fill in the blank), would you like to try our Jumbo Breakfast Platter (this changes based on what new stuff they have on the menu) today?

Me:  No thank you.  I'd like a Grilled Breakfast Sandwich and a medium Diet Dr Pepper and that's all.

JITB:  Would you like to add hash browns and make that a meal?

Me:  No thank you.  Grilled Breakfast Sandwich and medium Diet Dr Pepper and that's all.

JITB:  Do I have your order correct on the screen? 

Me:  Yes.

Then I pull around to the window to pay and get my stuff.

JITB:  How has your visit been today?

Me: Just fine thanks. 

That's how it usually goes.  Sometimes, though, I have a tendency to be a bit grumpy in the morning and there's a whole new dynamic.  After the same conversation every time I go in there, one day I was a bit cranky.

JITB:  Welcome to Jack in the Box, my name is (fill in the blank) would you like to try our new Uber Hyper Mega Breakfast Platter today?

Me:  No thank you, I'd like a Grilled Breakfast Sandwich and a medium Diet Dr Pepper and THAT'S ALL!

JITB:  Would you like to add hash browns and make that a meal?

Me:  No...when I say That's all, it means that's all...I don't want hash browns.  If I wanted hash browns I'd order the #7 meal.

JITB:  Is your order correct on the screen?

Me:  No...I said DIET Dr Pepper, not Dr Pepper.

JITB:  Is your order correct on the screen now?

Me:  Yes, thank you.

I pull around to the window to get my food.

JITB:  How has your visit been today? 

Me:  I'm a little tired of 20 questions and when I order and say "That's All" I mean that's all.  Can I just get my order and move on?

Yes, I am quite aware that I'm a jerk sometimes and this is one of those times.  But sometimes I wonder what part of "That's All" they have problems with?  Maybe it's just me.

Thanks Todd, for the laughs and the inspiration.

Just Cloning Around

A friend recently asked me what I use in my Digital Darkrooom and when I started listing all the software I was a bit overwhelmed.  Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Nik SilverEfex, Nik HDR Pro...those are the software products I've purchased.  I've also tried several other demo products such as Helicon Focus, Topaz Adjust, and others too numerous to mention.  To say the least, it's a bit intimidating to think of having to learn all this stuff. 

It's tempered, though, by my minimalist approach to software.  I don't do a lot of "gee whiz" alteration of my images, preferring to stick mainly to techniques similar to what I used to do in a chemical darkroom.  Of course I try to get things as nearly perfect in the camera as I can.  I use the histograms for exposure control and I'm not yet really proficient with the gradient filter feature in Lightroom so I carry filters with me to even out the exposure.  This may change once I get more acquainted with HDR Pro but that remains to be seen.  Once I get an image file in the computer I limit myself to cropping, exposure control, contrast control, a bit of color control, and selective burning and dodging.  I shoot all my images in RAW format so there is also some sharpening involved.  Mostly, though, I don't do a lot of unusual stuff with software...yet.

About a year ago I posted a blog entry about photographers who choose to use software to add elements to their images. (http://wcbeanphoto.blogspot.com/2010/08/when-icons-have-feet-of-clay.html) and how I feel about that.  If you're adding penguins or cloning zebras, if you're placing a full moon inside Delicate Arch, if you're adding an element that wasn't there I feel you've falsified your image and it ceases to be a photograph.  I don't like it and I'll never do it. 

When I was listing the software, though, I started thinking about why I have different processing programs.  Well, here's the story:

Adobe Lightroom...this is my primary software of choice.  I use LR for probably 90% of my digital darkroom processing.  It's also got a really nice cataloging feature that lets me sort in several different modes and makes it easy to add my watermark to images.  I make all my exposure and contrast corrections in LR and also work to manipulate the color as extensively as needed.  If I buy a newer printer and they add a clone tool I would have no need for Photoshop Elements.

Nik SilverEfex Pro...This is a wonderful tool for converting color images to B&W files.  The amount of control you have over the image is much greater than the conversion tools in Lightroom or Photoshop.  I love this tool!

Nik HDR Pro...I'm new to this tool but I think it's going to be a really useful element in my digital workflow.  It's used primarily to reduce the difference in exposure from foreground to background.  Many times the sky is much brighter than the foreground or main subject.  If you expose for the sky the shadow areas turn black.  If you expose for the shadows the sky turns white.  HDR can balance those exposures and I'm looking forward to learning it.  Just need to remind myself to avoid the cartoonish images you sometimes see when there is a heavy hand on the HDR controls.

Adobe Photoshop Elements...I don't use Elements so much anymore since I've gotten pretty adept at Lightroom.  I use it for a couple of primary functions though.  When burning and dodging is needed I find the burn/dodge tool in PSE to be a bit easier to use than the one in Lightroom.  I also do all my printing from PSE.  Lightroom has a really good print function but sometimes it has difficulty interfacing with my old Epson 1280 printer.  Even when all the LR settings are correct it sometimes does crazy things to the final print so I print everything from PSE.

But the main reason I keep using PSE is the clone tool.  It's a tool used to make an area of an image look like an adjoining area of the image.  I use it primarily to remove unwanted items from images.  The images above of CoffeePot Rock near Sedona, AZ, are an example of how I use the clone tool.  I think it works much better without the jet contrail in the bald blue sky.  In the bottom image I have removed the contrail with PSE's Clone tool.  And here lies a quandary.  As upset as I get about photographers adding elements to their images, here I am talking about taking an element out of an image.  Hypocritical?  Maybe....I guess it depends on your point of view.  Leave a comment and we'll discuss it.

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

Got an old (or new) truck with no bedliner?  Can't afford $500 or $600 for a drop-in or spray on bedliner?  Sounds like me and my situation.  When I bought this '92 Toyota truck to replace the '89 that was murdered in front of my house late one night, one of the things I liked about it was the fresh paint.  At first glance, the bed was pristine, so much so that I almost didn't want to put anything in the back for fear of scratching it.  But hey, it's a truck!  You're supposed to haul stuff in it so I started looking for a bedliner.  I searched Craigslist and Ebay but every time I found one that was close and inexpensive it was gone before I could get there.  So I started shopping around for a spray on bedliner.  I looked at Rhinoliner and similar products.  They are really a lot cooler than the plastic drop in styles but pretty expensive.  If this were a brand new truck I'd have no problem ponying up $600 for a Rhinoliner but this is a 27 year old vehicle.....so I kept searching.

One weekend I was watching Power Block tv and the guys on Trucks showed a kit that allows you to roll on your own bedliner.  Same as Rhinoliner but it isn't sprayed.  And the price was equitable!  Not only that, I had some of the stuff at home.  A couple years ago Chris took his Mother's Land Cruiser 4-wheeling and virtually destroyed the coating on her running boards.  I thought I'd get some of the roll on bedliner stuff to replace the plastic cover that Chris had gashed and slashed.  Never got around to putting it on so I had a full quart.  Now to the web to get some tips and tricks. 

Research done, I decided today is the day so I grabbed the orbital sander and started working.  Here is a step by step guide:

First thing is to prep the surface.  Rinse it with a hose to get off all the loose stuff and let it dry.  Once it's dry you can start sanding.  Keep in mind, you don't have to get down to bare metal, only to rough up the painted surface to give it some "tooth."  If you don't prep the surface the product will peel off easily once it's dried.  That's bad.  Anyway, it took about 30 minutes with my little sander to rough up the entire surface of the bed.  Surprise, surprise...my grey truck was once red!

Next, clean the surface.  Directions recommend using Acetone or some such liquid but I was able to run my shop vac over the surface and eliminate the dust and particulate matter.  This is a crucial step.  You can't roll paint over a dusty surface.  Once the surface is clean you can start painting. 

Start in the corners with a brush.  Once that's all covered you can start rolling the sides and wheel wells.  I found a 3" roller to be ideal for this purpose.  The smaller roller allowed me to get the grooves between the slats.  Per the directions on the can it's best to put down one thin coat to begin then once it's dry, apply a second, thicker coat.

I said earlier it was around $600 for a sprayed on bedliner.  Well, the roll on version cost me about $50 for materials and roughly 3 hours of my time.  Now that I CAN afford. 

Finally, here are some tips and tricks I learned:

1.  Mask off the surfaces that aren't supposed to be rolled.  This stuff gets everywhere you don't want it to.

2.  Be sure you have enough material.  Read the coverage chart on the can or online to figure out how much stuff you need then multiply by 3 or 4.  The first can of stuff I used was by DupliColor and it indicated I should be able to cover my whole truck bed with 1 quart.  Wrong Answer!  I got started rolling and ran out of stuff about 1/2 way into the job. (Top photo)  So, off to Lowes for more bedliner paint.  Ultimately I ended up using 2 1/2 quarts total and have a good, even coating.

3.  Use a roller cover made for rough surfaces.  It will give a little more texture to the finished product than a smoother roller.  And don't get the idea you can clean the rollers and brushes when you're done.  This is some nasty stuff!

4.  After it's dried stand back and admire your work....then if it's a hot summer day like today, use some of the $550 you saved to go to Coldstone or Maggie Moo's for ice cream! 

So there you have it.  Don't be afraid...it's quick, it's easy, and you'll save a lot of money.  And don't forget the sense of accomplishment you get when you tackle something like this and get 'er done.

Suits me to a T(ie)

Have you ever had a vision?  No, I don't mean a peyote induced dream, I'm talking about where you're driving down the road or cleaning the garage or doing some other mundane activity and it hits you...the little man in your head starts screaming at you about something.  I had a vision this afternoon, one that took me back to one of the more stressful days in my life. 

It's been many years since my Dad passed away.  When we got the call it was a complete shock.  My Mom had been the one in poor health, the one that had been seeing doctors regularly so I figured she would be the first one to go.  So when the call came that Dad had passed it was pretty devastating.  I set about making preparations to attend the funeral.  Packed some clothes, tossed my only dark suit in a bag and caught a plane to Oklahoma City.  Fast forward to the day of the funeral...showered, shaved, time to put on my suit.  Keep in mind, it had been a couple of years since I'd worn this suit.  Well, the pants were a bit tight but after a minor struggle I was able to get the zipper up....and in doing so managed to rip the pants from waist to thigh.  I think I came as close to a total meltdown that morning as I ever have.  Fortunately there was a clothing store open in Holdenville and I was able to come up with a pair of slacks and a blazer that fit. 

But what about the vision?  Well, some of you may know that my daughter, Erin, is getting married in September.  9/10/11 to be specific.  I've been a bit concerned that I might have to wear a tux but after much gnashing of teeth Erin said I could wear my dark suit with an off white shirt and a tie that is purple, black, and silver.  Knowing it's been a couple of years since I last wore a suit (more on that later) I've been saying I need to try on the suit and see how much weight I need to lose to fit in it but haven't made it a priority...till today.  I don't know what triggered it but there I was, driving to meet Heather and Judy to look at some patio furniture when the vision hit me.  I saw in my mind's eye me standing there with a 12 inch rip in the front of my suit pants all those years ago and knew I needed to do this and do it NOW!  When I got home I went immediately to the closet and pulled the suit out to try on the pants and....(drum roll please)....it's going to be fine.  Granted, it needs to be cleaned, but the pants while snug, are in no danger of ripping.  In fact, they fit pretty well.  If I manage to drop a few pounds between now and the wedding I'll be fine.  If not, I'll still be fine. 

But what about the tie?  I hate ties....if I could go the rest of my life without wearing a tie I would be okay with that.  But there are, in fact, 4 reasons that I will wear a tie.

1.  Someone is getting married.
2.  Someone is getting buried.
3.  A job interview.
4.  A beautiful woman (My wife or one of my daughters) asks me to.

9/10/11 someone is getting married and my beautiful daughter, Erin, has asked me to.  Done deal!

A Sunday Drive (On Saturday)

My daily commute to work is 48 miles each way.  Since I despise freeway traffic I always take the "old" highway 83 from Parker to Colorado Springs.  It's a pleasant drive with enough curves and hills to keep your interest and along the way I see some great sights.  With that in mind I headed out Saturday morning to photograph some things I see everyday on my drive.  There were some pseudo wildflowers planted in the medians of some of the streets in Parker which would be nice at sunrise.  And just a mile or so past Castlewood Canyon State Park one of the ranchers has some Longhorn steers that look awesome with a bit of backlight.  Then there's the bison ranch a few more miles down the road and my ultimate destination, Paint Mines Interpretive Space near Calhan, east of Colorado Springs. 

Well, the best laid plans.....when I got out of bed Saturday morning before sunrise the wind was blowing pretty hard so photographing flowers was out.  Then I broke one of my photographic rules:  "When traveling with the possibility of seeing wildlife alongside the road, keep the telephoto lens on the camera."  I rolled up to see the Longhorns near the road but by the time I popped the hatch, got the camera out of the bag and attached the tele zoom, they had looked me over and decided to move off into the distance, presenting me with a grand view of their butts!  Further down the road, the bison were about 1/2 mile off the road in the middle of the pasture so no shot there.  Finally arriving at Paint mines, the wind was blowing even harder and it was after the 30 minute "magic" light so finding compositions with good lighting was pretty much impossible.  Again, no shots. 

One good thing came of my travels, though.  I headed north out of Calhan to Kiowa and on the road there decided to head up Comanche Creek road to see if Prairie Wind Wildlife Refuge is still operational.  I'd photographed all sorts of critters there back in the 90's but hadn't been there in nearly 15 years so I was pretty amazed that I remembered the route.  Sure enough, the tigers were pacing their cages and there was a new lion enclosure.  I didn't stop because they don't much like to have folks drop in unannounced, but I did take a trip down memory lane. 

I stated a few months ago that I was going to post some essays from my original website and this is the perfect chance to bring one of them out of mothballs.  Sit back, relax, and enjoy.

Every Picture Tells A Story, Don't it…

And mine are no exception. Take the Cougar series for example. I don't often have nightmares or dreams that wake me up in the night but when I do, they usually involve a cougar. We all have our phobias and that's mine. So when I was given the chance to photograph one of the cougars at the Prairie Wind Wildlife Refuge I gave it considerable thought before deciding to go for it.
The nights leading up to the weekend photo session were restless for the most part and as the time drew nearer I became more and more anxious. Was this thing going to eat me? Chew me beyond recognition? I'd seen deer and elk that were cougar kills and as an illustration of a cat's power and ability I've even seen a housecat kill a rabbit in one swift motion. The power per pound of these animals is awesome. It took all my will power and resolve to avoid picking up the phone and calling to cancel. But I was strong!

Saturday morning dawned clear and beautiful on the plains, the first rays of the sun lighting up the Front Range in my rear view mirror on the drive. That served to calm me a bit, but I was still more nervous than I'd been in a while. The orientation speech Michael gave did little to bolster my confidence. "Whatever you do don't run or show any signs of fear. These may be pets but they're still wild animals." That's code for "they will kill and eat you if you're not careful."

Okay, done with the speeches, tripods and lenses set up, film loaded, and my shooting site selected. The cat is released by one of Michael's assistants and comes over the hill about 100 yards away headed for Michael and the tidbits of meat he offers as incentive to behave. Right away I notice that the beast seems to be fixated on me. His eyes meet mine over the distance and I immediately look away. ("….don't make eye contact, they think it's a challenge.") The cat, Cheyenne, lopes up to me then walks in a slow circle around me giving me the once over. "Relax" Michael says, "he just likes your deodorant." (which by now has failed miserably)

Finally after 10 seconds which seemed like 10 minutes, the cat comes closer and drags his tongue up the side of my head then plops down to rest about 5 feet from my camera. I could have tugged his tail if I'd been so inclined. Check out the Critters portfolio and you'll see the results.

Stoopid Human Trick

Will Rogers once said "Everything is funny...when it happens to someone else!"  I often profess that while I'm not really a stupid person I frequently portray one in real life.  To illustrate this, just about the time I start to think I'm pretty darn sharp, something happens to keep me humble.  Listen up...

I can safely say that almost every photographer I know is a gearhead, myself included.  As my friend Bret says, we "worship at the altar of Gear."  One of my friends who shall remain nameless takes it to the extreme though.  My wife often tries to get me to quit visiting or shooting with him because there's always some new toy he has to show me that I want to buy.  In the past we've loaned each other lenses and stuff and it seems like every time we're swapping lenses he says "take this...how bout this...why not take this...."  Sometimes I have to tell him to just QUIT!  I got enough of your gear to add 10 pounds to my backpack! 

A few days before my recent trip to Moab, Utah, I was at his house to retrieve my 70-200 f4 lens and he started running through the list.  Seems he was between trips and pretty much everything in his bag was available.  After running through his "catalogue" of lenses, one of the things that I found desirable was a plain jane 50mm lens, the same kind of lens you used to get in the old days when you bought a camera with a "normal" lens.  In this day and age of high quality zoom lenses I haven't owned, much less used a 50mm lens for probably 2 decades but I wanted to do some night sky photography in the desert and the 50mm would be ideal.  Light enough and fast enough for my purposes so I tossed it in my bag. 

Well, the night sky photography didn't come to pass.  It was really windy in the desert all the time I was there which stirred up enough dust to make the air seem hazy.  It was great for sunrise shooting and amazing for sunset shots.  Night sky....not so much.  Besides, even if there were no dust and haze in the air the steady wind would have made a 30 second exposure impossible even with a solid tripod.  I did manage capture a few images with the 50mm one afternoon though and it was kinda fun.  I had to actually act like a photographer and move closer or further from the subject to frame the image properly.  Also, the lens is light, easy to use, and scary sharp!  Check the image with this blog for proof of that.  Ultimately, I kind of like this little lens and here is where the stupid human trick comes in. 

Arriving at the decision to acquire a 50mm of my very own (I still want to do some night sky shooting) I started haunting Craigslist when I got home from Moab.  Sadly, there were no 50mm Canon AF lenses to be had.  Lots of zooms but no 50's.  On to Ebay...tons of 50mm Canon lenses.  I narrowed my search by selecting Canon, Autofocus, Digital, and Prime as lens categories.  Scrolling through the listings I came across a 50mm f1.8 that was ending soon and had a pretty low bid on it so I decided to place my own bid, making it low enough so if someone outbid me it wouldn't be a problem.  To my surprise, the next morning I had an e-mail telling me I won the thing.  I promptly went to Ebay and arranged payment via PayPal and waited for my new toy to arrive. 

It came today and like a kid on Christmas, I had to open it before even taking my jacket off when I walked in the door and that's when my heart sank.  The lens I received is an older Canon FD (manual focus) mount lens.  There isn't enough hot glue and duct tape on the planet to make this thing fit on my autofocus EOS mount cameras!  You can imagine my outrage...someone had listed this lens as AF and sold it to me under false pretenses!  I fired up the computer and brought up the lens listing and sure enough, there in the information section of the listing it said....FD mount!  Duh me....it was right there and I missed it.  I operated on the assumption that since I narrowed my search criteria it had to be an AF lens so I didn't double check the fine print.  I now have a 50mm Canon lens but there is no way it will work on my camera.  It might as well be a paperweight.  Unbelievable...

I often tell my kids something that my Daddy told me a long time ago when I was a little bitty baby boy...he said "Son, if something appears to be too good to be true, it probably is.  I've been shopping 50mm lenses for a while and the going price for an AF 50mm f1.8 seems to be around $100 so what ever made me think I was going to get one in pristine condition for $40?  If it seems too good to be true........ Anyone out there got a manual focus Canon camera and need a 50mm lens?