Boy, we were seriously exhausted at the end of the day. That’s why I’m getting this post up a day late. Plus, it’s a lot of work to be out shooting all day and then come back and process photos at night! Anyway, we got up for the sunrise…and it was BITTER cold. Went back to the hotel for breakfast, then came back out again once it had warmed out and hiked for the next 5 hours. Took the Navajo Loop at Sunset Point down into the canyon again, but then hooked up to the Queens Garden trail, which led us through the canyon and finally back up again to Sunrise Point. (The Queens Garden trail is GORGEOUS.) Then we followed the Rim Trail back over to Sunset Point. I pulled out my “Hiking Zion & Bryce Canyon National Parks” book, excited to see how many miles we had gone. Only three! It sure felt like a whole lot longer! How did it manage to take us 5 hours? You know, I’m really not into sports, so I’m really quite proud of our afternoon hike. Of course, as I become more and more drawn into landscape photography, I look forward more and more to hiking. It’s worth it! Plus, I usually do much better with hot, but now I feel like I can do cold! We really prepared for this trip – expedition weight Duofold thermals, double gloves – LowePro photographer’s gloves with the texturized palm/fingers with glomitts on top, Little Hotties hand warmers and toe warmers, brand new North Face TriClimate Down jacket… And it all worked! Only thing I’d change is to not skimp on the socks! I should have bought those expensive wool hiking socks that my husband got…my toes are cold! Plus, a lot of hikers had snowshoes, hiking poles, or those spiky things you attach to your shoes that help in the ice. We’ll have to look into those next time…
"Fairytale Canyon" - Bryce Canyon, Utah
Anyway, for the day’s photo, I decided to go arty. The image is from sunrise at Sunrise Point. I shot four exposures with HDR in mind: 1/8 sec, 1 sec, 2 sec, and 4 sec at f/22, ISO 50, and 60mm focal length with my Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 24-105 mm f/4L USM lens, and tripod. (If you don’t know what HDR is, see my blog post on HDR – high dynamic range imaging.) After combining the exposures to make the HDR image, I then used a Photoshop plugin to enhance color and add the textured background. I like the look because the hoodoos (“columns of weathered and unusually shaped rock”) remind me of fairytale kingdoms, and I feel like the enhancements here add to the fairytale effect. In fact, the Paiutes (Native Americans who lived in the region) believed that the hoodoos were “Legend People” turned to stone by the coyote. I think I’ll name this image, “Of Fairytale Kingdoms.”
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Thanks! I appreciate your detailed explanation. I have heard about HDR, but grasping it’s uses was a bit vague. Plus much of the HDR I had seen was not nearly as well done as what you showed me. I still can’t get that one photo out of my head – the one you had under the coffee table with the vibrant orange texture at the top. It reminds me of fabric I used once when my children were in elementary school. We did a whole section of the various types of fabrics in different cultures, what the colors mean, what the patterns meant, how those fabrics were handed down over time. I think it was my son’s 4th grade year we actually did a modified kente cloth quilt for his teacher. Each child did a block of color and signed their name, then I put it all together with a pre-printed kente cloth fabric. The teacher loved it. In fact, years later when Katie’s class did the international festival the teacher had the quilt on display in her room. Anyway, I loved your photo.