Posted by Guy Schmickle on February 6, 2009 at 9:23 PM
I was grateful to be allowed to tag along with Jim Talaric, Rod Hanna, Bret Edge and Rene Pirolt (for one evening) while exploring the Page area earlier in the week. The main objectives were the White Pocket and North Coyote Butte areas with a couple of other side trips thrown in. It was a great time with fun people and some nice scenery to boot. Here's a sampling of some shots from the trip starting with a moonlit scene at Stud Horse Point. We made a number of attempts to light paint this scene but, in the end, I liked nature's paint job the best!
Posted by Guy Schmickle on February 6, 2009 at 9:25 PM
The Second Wave at North Coyote Buttes...just moments before my 5D and 24--70 went crashing to the ground (never to be used the remainder of the trip).
Posted by Guy Schmickle on February 6, 2009 at 9:25 PM
Rod making his way through The Wave
Posted by Guy Schmickle on February 6, 2009 at 9:26 PM
Some nice glow at Lower Antelope Canyon
Posted by John Mumaw on February 6, 2009 at 9:58 PM
What a coup!!
You certainly made the rounds, and really made the best of those cloudless days.
I like 'em all, but the first and last are quite unique and are my favorites.
NE Arizona rocks!!
Posted by bill meikle on February 6, 2009 at 10:18 PM
Guy, can you write about how you made the first one, camera settings and stuff? I love the sky.
Posted by Guy Schmickle on February 6, 2009 at 10:54 PM
Bill, the settings for the first shot were 25s, f/8, iso 1600 at 40mm. I haven't done much in the way of star shots before and was amazed at how well both the clarity tool (in Lightroom) and judicious web sharpening really bring out the stars. It brought out many more than we saw with the naked eye. The noise was handled pretty well with Neat Image. I won't be printing this at 16x24 however!
I should also mention that the last shot involved a two image manual blend to tame the dynamic range between the glowing orange sandstone and foreground magenta walls.
Wow, Guy. Fabulous stuff. I agree with John on one and four. That last one just stopped me in my tracks. Ok, Hanna, let's see your take!
Posted by Bill Brennan on February 7, 2009 at 12:15 AM
You set the bar very high. Wow is right.
Bill Brennan
Posted by Bret Edge on February 7, 2009 at 12:17 AM
Well, I don't even wanna post any of my stuff from the trip after looking at these amazing photos, Guy. That Antelope photo is KILLER! Actually, they're all gorgeous. I really like the photo of Rod wandering through the Wave. He must have heard about it from Martell & Henchman.
Great to meet you, Guy. Hope to meet up and photograph with you again soon!
Posted by Todd Caudle on February 7, 2009 at 1:03 AM
Good stuff, Guy! Thanks for sharing the tech info on your star shot.
Posted by Don Eason on February 7, 2009 at 1:37 AM
Wow, Guy, those are all top-shelf images! The first is most unusual and evocative. Desert nights are on my short-list of very favorite experiences, and that shot totally captures the magical mystery. Congratulations!
Don
Posted by John Klotz on February 7, 2009 at 2:28 AM
Fantastic set of images Guy! What can I say that has not been said already! I gotta go there!
Posted by Paul Beiser on February 7, 2009 at 10:50 AM
Excellent Guy! Sounds like a fun group as well :-). Loved the first shot and thanks for sharing your settings.
Posted by Joshua Hardin on February 7, 2009 at 1:20 PM
Excellent collection Guy. Your NR technique on the first shot seems very well done. The blend on the antelope shot is seemless too. How badly damaged is your 5D/lens?
Posted by Paul Wegemann on February 7, 2009 at 2:14 PM
If these are the last shots you ever get to take with your 5D, then you put that thing to good use. Great stuff here, Guy. I like them all, but the first one is my favorite and I think an outstanding image. One of the better night shots I've seen.
Posted by Nick Moore on February 7, 2009 at 3:54 PM
These are all great images, but #1 and #4 are killer. Thanks for posting the camera settings info for #1, that turned out really nicely!. You came away with some very unique images, got to add this area to my list :).
Posted by Guy Schmickle on February 7, 2009 at 4:27 PM
Thanks for the kind words everyone. Joshua, the 5D came away pretty unscathed. The bubble level fitted into the hot shoe took a majority of the impact. It actually exploded fairly loudly and we all initially thought it was the lens glass shattering. The only real problem is that the focus confirmation lights are no longer lighting up. The only reason I'm gonna bother fixing it is because I'd like to still sell it if Canon gives it a clean bill of health (even if I have to discount it a bit).
The lens didn't fare as well. Cosmetically it's ok, but I'd say about 75% of the time it is unable to lock focus on anything (even when mounted on my 50D). Also, something got bent up on the mount as it takes some finagling to attach and remove it from a camera body. Now I get to see how much my carelessness is gonna cost me!
Posted by Jim Caffrey on February 8, 2009 at 12:43 PM
Well I guess it's all been said, but I'll say it again: beautiful set. The second is my favorite, but they are all spectacular! Congrats.
Posted by Rick Dunn on February 8, 2009 at 1:41 PM
#3 is really cool. I've never been to The Wave, and have never derived a sense of scale from other shots. That's amazing....
The colors in #4 are sweet, and I like how the 'path' and dark opening in the distance pull me through. Nicely done!
Posted by Stan Rose on February 8, 2009 at 2:11 PM
Great stuff, Guy! I really love that Wave shot, it looks different than most of the comps ive seen from that area. Nice!
Posted by Dan Walters on February 9, 2009 at 9:23 PM
Great images! Like the way the stars really pop out in the first image and I also like the color and the detail in the second image.
Discussion
21 repliesYou certainly made the rounds, and really made the best of those cloudless days.
I like 'em all, but the first and last are quite unique and are my favorites.
NE Arizona rocks!!
I should also mention that the last shot involved a two image manual blend to tame the dynamic range between the glowing orange sandstone and foreground magenta walls.
Bill Brennan
Great to meet you, Guy. Hope to meet up and photograph with you again soon!
Don
The lens didn't fare as well. Cosmetically it's ok, but I'd say about 75% of the time it is unable to lock focus on anything (even when mounted on my 50D). Also, something got bent up on the mount as it takes some finagling to attach and remove it from a camera body. Now I get to see how much my carelessness is gonna cost me!
The colors in #4 are sweet, and I like how the 'path' and dark opening in the distance pull me through. Nicely done!