“Moose, I didn’t know you can run!” You’d be surprised what I do for the photo!

With calls of hurry up floating across the landscape, I looked one last time to see this. There was no way of knowing 45min earlier that we’d even have a single cloud let alone this magnificent one. The wind storm off in the west kicking up a huge dust storm put enough particles in the sky for the killer color. What you see here is what I saw. Other than the camera set to Vivid, the processing was simply holding down the Shift Key and letting ACR do its stuff.

How many amazing photos go uncaptured because time is not invested? How many images go untreasured because the wrong guess is made that nothing will develop? There is nothing I hate more then to see a great sunset in the rear view mirror. Because of that lesson, seeing that great sunset behind me, putting in the time just comes naturally now. The rewards even if I don’t get the click are too great not to put in the time. In this case, I do have the click to share. I was very lucky, again!

Photo captured by D3x, 24PC-E on Lexar UDMA digital film

You might be seeing this and saying to yourself, “That Moose is one lucky son a gun!” And you’re right, very, very fortunate but guess what, this is not the photo I wanted! Seriously! In the time it took from the last photo to this, we walked, no I ran 80yards across the sand dune to get to this position to make this shot. A thunderhead that was about 3-4 miles off and towering way into the sky ended up falling apart and was blown into the background you see here. And when did this all happen? Just as the sun set and the color came in. Wow, how lucky was that? Well the photo you see here is a 5frame HDR, yeap, taken handheld with a PC-E lens. That wasn’t luck, that’s good old fashioned well practiced hand holding technique. And even with this while thrilled with the turn of events, I wasn’t satisfied. I had lost the sand dunes from this position. I wanted that element. Would time play out?

Photo captured by D3x, 24PC-E on Lexar UDMA digital film

So the shadows across the sand dunes get sexier and sexier as the sun slowly sinks in the west. It’s at this moment I ponder of leaving the D3s setup on a tripod on the rim doin a time lapse. Why? I don’t have a tripod to do any kind of HDR and dork me, I left my split grad back in the truck (idiot!).

Nope, Totem didn’t fall over while we were shooting. Yeap, I’m shooting the PC-E handheld and as the sun set, the wind came up and the sand under my feet kept settling. There should be a sign on my back about now…beginner!

The shadow kept creeping up the sand dune. The last thing I wanted was a foot print in this virgin sand so I didn’t creep up until the shadow did. After about 10mins, the shadow got me right up where I wanted to be. And look, a cloud, even though pretty darn whimpy, crept in. I still have the same tools but the light gods are starting to play with me. What will time do, will waiting until this day, the time to walk out into the dunes, will it reward us with the scene and then the photograph? The next few minutes will tell the whole story.

Photos captured by D3x, 24PC-E on Lexar UDMA digital film

I had seen this amazing photo of the Totem formation in Monument Valley a long time ago. And I’ve wanted that photo for myself for a long time. So our appt with time this day was to get out into the sand dunes to get that shot. This is not it!

Clouds are ~everything~ and within minutes of arriving in the perfect spot (Thanks Jerome!) the one puffy in the sky as you can see blasted out of here! You can see in the top photo the Totem was in shadow from a cloud, you can see the one behind it but they all left. Isn’t the light on the sand dunes in the lower photograph sexy though! So, I’m shooting with a PC-E so there is no lean to the Totem. I’m shooting with the D3x to capture all the detail in the dunes and yet, the bald sky is doing me in. That’s the way it work sometimes and there is nothing you can do about it. I’ve been preaching a lot lately though about time, giving yourself and your photography time. Today’s postings, I hope to illustrate that point.

Photos captured by D3x, 24PC-E on Lexar UDMA digital film

I was suckered in, again! Yeap, you can tell from the photo that this over grown “stick” and its shadow made me stop and go click. Why oh why don’t I learn?!

Photo by suckered, again

When you’re in the backcountry of Monument Valley, you can’t help but be overwhelmed by the mesas that make the valley. they tower into the blue sky and set the stage for the giant Hogan the Navajo call home. To give you a sense of size, that’s Russell Brown walking down the sand dune after checking out Ear of the Wind.

Wondering just how long, as in centuries it took to eroded such features as Eye of the Sun still makes me ponder. And bless those clouds as they float by!

And then there are the ancient Anasazi ruins that remain in the shadow of these massive towering giants. Tucked up into the cliff, just a micro dot in the photo lets you know just how small we are in the scale of things. Wow!

Many have asked who we use for guides. We don’t use guides but this particular day, we went out with our best friend’s cousin who does guide photographers. With his permission, I’m providing your with his information because as you’ll see this week, he delivers! His name is Jerome Richards and you can reach him at 928.429.7653. Tell him Moose sent ya, you won’t regret it!

Photo by D3x, 18AF on Lexar UDMA digital film

I’m not sure what it is about rock art, but I really love to find it, look at it and with 21st century eyes, try to read it.

At the same time, I try to make art of the art using the 21st century digital camera. The irony of such an act is never lost on me.

Light is very important. I prefer a soft, diffused light and if I don’t have that, a side light. In this case we were in the shadow of a mesa so had a nice, soft light. Now for the life of me, I couldn’t find my polarizer which I needed to remove the reflection of the blue sky. I didn’t find it until I was back in the truck (wouldn’t you know it) so I knew I would have to do a little extra finishing in post. The Feet (middle image) would have come out better if I had a polarizer from the start. Oh well, a reason to go back!

Photos by D3x, 24PC-E on Lexar UDMA digital film

It was for these six minutes but probably not over the century it has seen photographers come and go. And that’s just the thing when you’re shooting with just a heartbeat of time to make the image. Often, regrettably we have to make the most of the opportunity with just a moment of time.

Photo by D3x, 18AF on Lexar UDMA digital film

Moving back and changing the angle of attack to minimize that cloud still isn’t getting it. The tree is now “flat” against the mesa and with that massive rock, it’s just lost in the frame. Like John Shaw once said, “Your tripod has legs, so do you!”
Photo by D3x, 18AF on Lexar UDMA digital film