Not so badlands

Cornflake

These were taken in and around Petrified Forest National Park. Criticism is welcome.

1



2



3



4



5



6

roaddog52

Great set! really like the close up of #3 and wonderful light of #4.

We're planning a month long stay in Sedona in march, then moving north to the Canyon, Page, Monument Valley, Colorado and Utah the following 2 months. I may have to work this location into the schedule. Thanks for sharing.

Phil

Eia

I think these are very strong and stunning in their composition and color. #3 is very cool! It gives me a sense of being right there. And what a contrast with the first 5 compared to 6! It looks like two different places. Very nice!

Cornflake

Phil, Eia, thanks!

black mamba

Very nice work.

I was in a gallery in Jackson, Wyoming recently. They had a slab of a petrified tree for sale that was about 3 inches in depth and roughly the same shape and size of the larger sections you show in shot #1. I thought is was forbidden to traffic in such stuff....apparently there's a loophole to those restrictions.

BTW, that slab was priced at $275,000. Yep, that's not a misprint.

Tom

denisegoldberg

I love the first and second images. I agree with AnnaMaria - the two photos both give a sense of being there.

--- Denise

Cornflake

Tom, a lot of petrified wood is found on private land in this same area. A lot of it gets sold. I had a similar thought when I saw the shops that were selling it--we're losing an irreplaceable fossil heritage. But it's legal.

Denise, thanks. With this kind of photo, my goal is to convey what being there is like.

jerryr

#4 very cool - great job!

David_S85

Beautiful light in #4. My favorite is the macro.

Eldon Shea

Very nice set. I really like the shots that set the scene. Compared to what it is today, it's amazing to think that the area was once a lush tropical forest. It's also mind boggling that Arizona was located near the equator in those days. Good work!

bristlecone

Nice set again Don. I like the light in all of them. 5 & 6 are my personal favs. We were just by there a couple three weeks ago.... wasn't in the plans to stop. I always love this place.
best,
-Len

Eldon Shea

There is another petrified forest in Southern Utah, near the town of Escalante between Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef national parks. There is a significant amount of petrified wood on private land in that vicinity also. The park is Escalante Petrified Forest State Park. It's a nice small park with a campground, a bit off the beaten track. I'll post some pics in a separate thread.

Cornflake

Jerry, David, Bryan, Len, thank you all. Mostly the light was poor, but I did a lot of shooting in the brief periods when it wasn't. Bryan, I'd like to see your shots. I've been in the Escalante area but it's been a while.

Juano

Very nice set. I like the detail in 3, 4 and 5.

Stumblebum

Nice light in many of them......
I feel the foreground is bit overwhelming in some, and combined with low POV, they are almost obstructing view and blocking the vast expanse that "badland" conjures up....
JMO.

Cheers Don!

Cornflake

Cristobal, thanks. Taz, as always, thanks for the candid critique. I had trouble getting foreground and background to coexist in all that open space. The obvious answer was to use a telephoto to compress the scene, and I did that with the first one. The necessity of staying on the path (for good reasons) limited my use of that option.