Road Trip #8: Odds 'N Ends
Kory Lidstrom
Registered Users Posts: 251 Major grins
This is the eighth and FINAL post in my series from my 32 day road trip through the western US.
#1 "Lost Ladybug" (Larger version and EXIF can be found here.)
This was taken in Great Sand Dunes National Park in southern Colorado. I never thought I'd find a ladybug in the middle of a vast sea of sand dunes, but I was wrong. What this ladybug was doing there I can not say, but I'm pretty darn sure that she (or he?) was lost. She kept trying to climb to the top of a sand ridge, and every single time the wind would blow her back down. It sort of reminded me of Sisyphus and his rock.
I went B&W with this one because there wasn't much color in the scene to begin with, and I thought that the B&W helped increase contrast. But, the ladybug did have some color, so I left the color of the bug intact. I rarely do selective coloring on my images, but I did in this case because I feel that the orange of the ladybug helps draw the eye to it.
#2 "Struggling Ant" (Larger version and EXIF can be found here.)
Another image similar in style to the one above. Also taken at Great Sand Dunes NP.
If I were to grade this ant, he would get an A+ for effort. Watching him struggle uphill against the powerful wind-driven sand was quite impressive. I watched him for awhile, and waited until his head peeked into the sunlight before taking the picture. I used a shutter speed that would capture the movement of the blowing sand to help emphasize the struggle the ant was enduring. I did not go B&W with this one because the color on the shaded side was important to show the blowing sand grains. In addition, trying to selectively color the ant effectively would have been a real pain in the you know what. :giggle
#3 "Long Shadow" (Larger version and EXIF can be found here.)
Yet another image from Great Sand Dunes NP -- boy I was having fun there, wasn't I? :lol
Anywhoo, I bet you had no idea that I was so freaking tall! Ha ha ha. In all seriousness, it's just a shot of me looking down the slope of a huge dune. I went to a bunch of different places before I found a spot where the sand was unspoiled, the slope of the dune big enough, and the angle of the sun was correct to create the shadow you see here. I went B&W again for the same reasons as in shot #1.
#4 "Painted Hills Sunset" (Larger version and EXIF can be found here.)
This is the Painted Hills National Monument in central Oregon. It's one of those places that's been shot quite a bit, and if you've followed my work for any length of time, you know that I'm not a big fan of getting the same ol' shots of the same ol' spots that everyone else has. Knowing this, Marc suggested that we shoot this other group of hills, which you see here. I'm glad he did. The two hills, with one in front of each other, convey a lot of depth. And, the clouds were being very cooperative that day which really added to the shot.
I never even used one shutter click on the other, "main" group of hills that one sees so often, and I'm just fine with that. Of course, the shot I did end up taking has also been done before I believe, but not nearly as much. So, it works for me!
#5 "Lonesome Butterfly" (Larger version and EXIF can be found here.)
This is the most calm, patient butterfly I've ever seen. He was very cooperative, and held still while I shot several photos of him. He almost seemed depressed. I suppose I would be too if I was alone in the middle of miles and miles of sand dunes.
I lightened up the butterfly in a separate layer to make him backlit, almost glowing, to help draw the eye to him.
Taken at sunset in White Sands National Monument in southern New Mexico.
#6 "Cycle Of Life" (Larger version and EXIF can be found here.)
Another on from White Sands NM. This image, while not "pretty" in the traditional sense, holds a lot of power for me because of the story it tells. All one need do is glance at it for a moment to know what has happened here. I'm quite fond of images that tell a story.
#7 "A Piece Of The Past" (Larger version and EXIF can be found here.)
This is a very special photo to me, because it is of something that I never thought I would see, and will likely never see again.
My uncle, a lifelong New Mexican, took me out to the crumbled remains of an ancient village about 20 miles outside of Santa Fe. The unusual thing about this little-known place was that it had not been touched by any archeologists yet. (It is scheduled to be excavated by archeologists, but not for several years due to budget constraints.) As such, there were pottery shards and other artifacts literally everywhere on the ground. That's pretty darn amazing, considering that the site is nearly nine HUNDRED years old!
I didn't think there were any untouched archeological sites left in the United States. Turns out I was wrong. I'm glad I was. For a few hours, I got to step into the shoes of Indiana Jones!
I added some Orton Effect because I think it adds texture to the image and helps diffuse the harsh lighting. If I had a diffuser, this would've probably been a good spot for it. :lol
#8 "Desert Grandeur" (Larger version and EXIF can be found here.)
I don't feel that this one is as strong as my other landscapes from the trip primarily due to the harsh midday light. But, I still included it because to me it is the quintessential desert scene, complete with Prickly Pears in the foreground and giant Saguaro Cacti in the distance. As you can see, the clouds were being quite cooperative, but alas, when the good light came at sunset, and at sunrise the next morning, there was nary a cloud to be seen. So, this ended up being the strongest shot from the area.
Taken at Gates Pass just outside of Tucson, Arizona. Being that this is PRIME rattlesnake country, I was a bit worried about accidentally stepping on one, but my desire to get the shot outweighed my fears.
Well, that's all folks! Hope you've enjoyed this series. Thanks to all of you for following along.
#1 "Lost Ladybug" (Larger version and EXIF can be found here.)
This was taken in Great Sand Dunes National Park in southern Colorado. I never thought I'd find a ladybug in the middle of a vast sea of sand dunes, but I was wrong. What this ladybug was doing there I can not say, but I'm pretty darn sure that she (or he?) was lost. She kept trying to climb to the top of a sand ridge, and every single time the wind would blow her back down. It sort of reminded me of Sisyphus and his rock.
I went B&W with this one because there wasn't much color in the scene to begin with, and I thought that the B&W helped increase contrast. But, the ladybug did have some color, so I left the color of the bug intact. I rarely do selective coloring on my images, but I did in this case because I feel that the orange of the ladybug helps draw the eye to it.
#2 "Struggling Ant" (Larger version and EXIF can be found here.)
Another image similar in style to the one above. Also taken at Great Sand Dunes NP.
If I were to grade this ant, he would get an A+ for effort. Watching him struggle uphill against the powerful wind-driven sand was quite impressive. I watched him for awhile, and waited until his head peeked into the sunlight before taking the picture. I used a shutter speed that would capture the movement of the blowing sand to help emphasize the struggle the ant was enduring. I did not go B&W with this one because the color on the shaded side was important to show the blowing sand grains. In addition, trying to selectively color the ant effectively would have been a real pain in the you know what. :giggle
#3 "Long Shadow" (Larger version and EXIF can be found here.)
Yet another image from Great Sand Dunes NP -- boy I was having fun there, wasn't I? :lol
Anywhoo, I bet you had no idea that I was so freaking tall! Ha ha ha. In all seriousness, it's just a shot of me looking down the slope of a huge dune. I went to a bunch of different places before I found a spot where the sand was unspoiled, the slope of the dune big enough, and the angle of the sun was correct to create the shadow you see here. I went B&W again for the same reasons as in shot #1.
#4 "Painted Hills Sunset" (Larger version and EXIF can be found here.)
This is the Painted Hills National Monument in central Oregon. It's one of those places that's been shot quite a bit, and if you've followed my work for any length of time, you know that I'm not a big fan of getting the same ol' shots of the same ol' spots that everyone else has. Knowing this, Marc suggested that we shoot this other group of hills, which you see here. I'm glad he did. The two hills, with one in front of each other, convey a lot of depth. And, the clouds were being very cooperative that day which really added to the shot.
I never even used one shutter click on the other, "main" group of hills that one sees so often, and I'm just fine with that. Of course, the shot I did end up taking has also been done before I believe, but not nearly as much. So, it works for me!
#5 "Lonesome Butterfly" (Larger version and EXIF can be found here.)
This is the most calm, patient butterfly I've ever seen. He was very cooperative, and held still while I shot several photos of him. He almost seemed depressed. I suppose I would be too if I was alone in the middle of miles and miles of sand dunes.
I lightened up the butterfly in a separate layer to make him backlit, almost glowing, to help draw the eye to him.
Taken at sunset in White Sands National Monument in southern New Mexico.
#6 "Cycle Of Life" (Larger version and EXIF can be found here.)
Another on from White Sands NM. This image, while not "pretty" in the traditional sense, holds a lot of power for me because of the story it tells. All one need do is glance at it for a moment to know what has happened here. I'm quite fond of images that tell a story.
#7 "A Piece Of The Past" (Larger version and EXIF can be found here.)
This is a very special photo to me, because it is of something that I never thought I would see, and will likely never see again.
My uncle, a lifelong New Mexican, took me out to the crumbled remains of an ancient village about 20 miles outside of Santa Fe. The unusual thing about this little-known place was that it had not been touched by any archeologists yet. (It is scheduled to be excavated by archeologists, but not for several years due to budget constraints.) As such, there were pottery shards and other artifacts literally everywhere on the ground. That's pretty darn amazing, considering that the site is nearly nine HUNDRED years old!
I didn't think there were any untouched archeological sites left in the United States. Turns out I was wrong. I'm glad I was. For a few hours, I got to step into the shoes of Indiana Jones!
I added some Orton Effect because I think it adds texture to the image and helps diffuse the harsh lighting. If I had a diffuser, this would've probably been a good spot for it. :lol
#8 "Desert Grandeur" (Larger version and EXIF can be found here.)
I don't feel that this one is as strong as my other landscapes from the trip primarily due to the harsh midday light. But, I still included it because to me it is the quintessential desert scene, complete with Prickly Pears in the foreground and giant Saguaro Cacti in the distance. As you can see, the clouds were being quite cooperative, but alas, when the good light came at sunset, and at sunrise the next morning, there was nary a cloud to be seen. So, this ended up being the strongest shot from the area.
Taken at Gates Pass just outside of Tucson, Arizona. Being that this is PRIME rattlesnake country, I was a bit worried about accidentally stepping on one, but my desire to get the shot outweighed my fears.
Well, that's all folks! Hope you've enjoyed this series. Thanks to all of you for following along.
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