Evening light on the Palisades in Dusy Basin, Kings Canyon National Park, California
Dusy Basin in Kings Canyon National Park includes the largest concentration of 14,000 foot peaks in the Sierra Nevada range, and one of the southernmost glaciers in North America. As a major entry point for the John Muir Trail along the Sierra high route, this popular spot also makes a relatively easy weekend trip from the town of Bishop, passing through the John Muir Wilderness and over Bishop Pass.
Here the warm alpenglow on the The Palisade Group is reflected in one of the many alpine tarns scattered among this beautiful hanging valley. These pristine lakes are fed only by surrounding snow melt, and their glassy waters are the perfect complement for photographing magic hour in what John Muir so eloquently called the Range of Light.
Evening light on Watchman Peak above the Virgin River, Zion National Park, Utah
Back in the days when I shot film filters were an indispensable part of my technique that enabled me to control the light, balance dynamic range, and give a little extra snap to every image. Well guess what? Fast forward to the digital age and the same still holds true.
It’s easy to get caught in the trap of saying “I’ll just fix it in post”, but the truth is filters are every bit as important in the digital age as they were in the days of film. Photography after all is about shaping and controlling light, and whether your image is preserved in celluloid or pixels there is still no substitute for capturing the best possible image up front.
Two filters that I consider essential are the graduated neutral density (GND) and the polarizer. The GND is available in several densities with both hard and soft transitions allowing you to ideally balance the contrast in the scene. This magical filter works best for landscapes where the foreground is in shadow and the background has direct light. Through the viewfinder washed out clouds suddenly become more defined and foreground subjects emerge from the shadows and retain their natural color. Positioning the filter takes a little practice so that the transition seamlessly blends into the horizon and is not obvious in the final image.
The polarizing filter blocks scattered light rays to remove reflections from water and foliage, and definitely spends more time on the front of my lens than any other. By turning the filter you can control the amount of polarized light reaching the lens, which has the added benefit of saturating colors, darkening skies and increasing overall contrast. In addition, the polarizer works like a neutral density filter to slow exposure times allowing for a silky effect when shooting flowing water.
There are many other excellent filters available, but these two are a great starting point for creating more dynamic images and saving considerable time at the computer.
Saguaro cactus at sunset, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona
The American Southwest is known the world over for its unique environment and cultural significance. It’s plants and animals are exotic by any standard and, combined with thousands of years of Native American history, it has all the elements for truly great photography. Spring is one of the best times to visit when the temperatures are mild and vibrant wildflower displays and the occasional lightning storm provide a dramatic backdrop for stellar image making.
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on the Mexican border in southern Arizona, is one of the least visited units of the National Park system. The unique namesake cactus (found only in this remote section of the United States) and the iconic saguaro dominate this other-worldly landscape where sunsets seem to last forever.
Further east on the outskirts of Tucson, Saguaro National Park is rich in native american history and desert flora. Two units separated by the city, the Tucson Mountain District to the west and the Rincon Mountain District to the east, provide two distinct environments. Signal Hill in the Tucson Mountain District includes hundreds of ancient petroglyphs surrounded by dense saguaro forests and wonderful views of the local mountains. The Rincon Mountain District to the east is a desert sky island home to cougars, bears, and the elusive coati.
Crossing the border into New Mexico, White Sands National Monument is another visual experience that is not to be missed. Set on the edge of the vast Tularosa Basin, it is one of the largest deposits of pure gypsum sand in the world. The shifting sands are an active dune field – constantly moving from west to east at a rate of thirty feet per year and creating wonderful patterns in the process. And as the sun goes down the shapes and forms of this ever-evolving landscape are illuminated by a special quality of light found nowhere else.
This is just a sampling of what the Southwest has to offer. But if you’re looking to leave the world behind and immerse yourself in spectacular scenery that will clear your senses and inspire your creativity, you don’t have to go to Iceland or Namibia – it’s all right here.
