The South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park

Now for sale our latest image from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.  The image is 40x30 and is offered either on paper or metaltic.

The cost of the paper print is $135.00 and the metaltic print is $650. 

The paper print will be shipped (CONUS) rolled in a heavy duty tube for $12.50.  All you'll need to do is visit your local framer and have it matted and framed to your specifications.

The metaltic print will be shipped flat in its own packaging with the cost depending on location.  The metaltic print comes to you ready to display on your wall.  When hung the image appears to float from the wall (approximately 1/2 inch).

This is a limited edition print not to exceed 50 in either print media.  Contact us for ordering and payment information.  This image will also be added to our web gallery shortly.


Sandy & Don

Don's Moab

Phase One DF/IQ180 Hartblie 45mm Super-Rotator

 

 

Phase One DF/IQ180 80mm

Phase One DF/IQ180 Mamiya LS-55mm 

A couple days ago we posted images that Sandy took while we were in Moab last December and now it's my turn.  Sandy and I try not to shoot next to one another however we often see the same things.  I'm more of a wide landscape person while Sandy enjoys seeing the smaller things; of course that can be difficult when you have the grand vistas of Moab.
 

Phase One DF/IQ180 Hartblie 45mm Super-Rotator

Cambo WRS/IQ180 40mm HR (3-image stitch)

The National and State Parks in the Moab area all offer beautiful views whether they're close in your face or miles in the distance.  Blue skies, white clouds with red rocks and stunning sunrises as well as sunsets is what you'll normally see while in the Moab area.

Phase One DF/IQ180 Hartblie 45mm Super-Rotator

 

Behind the scenes of what it took to capture the above...

 

 Phase One DF/IQ180 Mamiya LS-55mm 

Phase One DF/IQ180 Mamiya LS-55mm

Color photography is the norm in Moab while black and white can often depict the beauty as well.  And then there's infrared.  I've found that IR photography works well in bright light and the heat of the day; something that can be lacking in December when the temperatures range from -15 degrees to a balmy 30. That said, I attempted to see what I could get away with shooting in the 590nm range and came away pleased.

Sony A7r FE16-35 (35mm) 590nm IR 

Sony A7r FE16-35 (16mm) 590nm IR

Sony A7r FE16-35 (16mm) 590nm IR

Park Avenue

Sony A7r FE16-35 (24mm) 590nm IR 

This trip was my first chance to put the 80 megapixel Phase One IQ 180 to work that I just upgraded to.  The medium format samples shown here are a combination of using the IQ180 on a Phase One DF and Cambo WRS technical camera.  There are single shots as well as a panorama with the WRS using a combination of lenses.  The widest medium format lens used was the Hartblie 45mm while I used the new Sony FE16-35.

Phase One DF/IQ180 80mm

Sandy shared this of me sitting down on the job so I thought it would be nice to share what I was doing.
 

Phase One DF/IQ180 150mm

Like all of our previous processing, the files were first opened in Capture One Pro where they were evaluated, lens correction applied and light processing before being saved in a Tiff format and sent to Photoshop CC for further processing.  Once in PS-CC the image was opened where further processing was done according to the image needs using either a infrared processing and/or a combination of Nik Software filters, then resized and saved as a Jpeg for web use.  In the end, some images took little to no additional processing while others took more.

 

Sony A7r FE16-35 (24mm) 590nm IR

We spent the last morning at Arches where we were greeted with a mixture of low clouds, rain, snow and fog.  Perfect weather!

 

 

Phase One DF/IQ180 Mamiya LS 55mm (that's Sandy in the middle, just goes to show the conditions)

 

Phase One DF/IQ180 Mamiya LS 55mm

We ended up acting like two kids in a candy store as everywhere we looked it looked great in the fog. 

I wanted to visit Delicate Arch during our brief stay however there simple wasn't enough time for us to take the hike out to it.  So we did the next best thing and went out to the overlook which is approximately 1/2 mile from the arch itself.  This turned out to be a perfect time to test the effectiveness of a 80-megapixel digital back; it's too bad I only had a 150mm lens with me and not the 240 LS Phase.  Still, it shows me that if I do everything correctly (not shoot handheld like the sample) I should be able to capture great images.

 

Phase One DF/IQ180 150mm (full frame)

 

  100% crop

Sandy & I agree that this is a much better way of presenting what we as individuals saw while in Moab and plan on doing the same with our next location, the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

 Grand View Overlook

Phase One DF/IQ180 Hartblie 45mm Super-Rotator

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did putting it together and will continue to visit as we share photographic locations and talk about the cameras we use.

 

 

Don (and Sandy)

Sandy's Moab

We decided to separate our images for the Moab blog.  No, we didn't have a fight; we just wanted to show Moab as it was seen by the individual and not have one camera type compete or be compared with the other. 

It's been 12-months since I got the Sony A7r and gave up the Canon 1DsIII and couldn't be happier.   Lighter weight, smaller and high resolution are all things that were on the wish list and all were met. 

Since we live near Tucson Arizona the drive to Moab takes us through the Navajo Nation near Chinle, AZ.  Driving Route 191 north takes you through a diverse scenic landscape dotted that hasn't seen change in years; vast countryside dotted with sandstone monuments and a horizon that stretches for miles.  Time it right and you'll encounter stunning sunrise or sunsets. 

We were fortunate enough to experience the tail end of a stunning sunrise as we made our way north into Utah and Moab.

 

Sony A7r FE24-70 (24mm) f/4 1/160 ISO 50

We timed our arrival in the Moab area getting there late morning driving out to Anticline Overlook which is approximately 25-miles off Route 191.  The road is marked at the beginning for Needles and Anticline with Anticline being the furthest.  After viewing both overlooks we like the view from Anticline the best and decided to go there.  The road is part paved and part hard packed dirt with the majority covered in a combination of snow, ice and in some spots mud.  However, the view is worth the trouble. 

We decided to park and walk into the area where this tree was located, a short uphill walk off the road to the overlooks. 

 

Sony A7r FE24-70 (39mm) f/4.5 1/250 ISO 50

And then there's the view from Anticline Overlook at high-noon

Sony A7r FE24-70 (43mm) f/8 1/250 ISO 50

The following day was spent exploring the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park.  One of the neat things to see is Newspaper Rock State Park on the drive to Needles.  Best time to photograph this unique spot is in the morning as the sun is rising. You might also want to bring a wide lens with you.

Sony A7r FE16-35 (16mm) f/11 1/200 ISO set to auto (2000)

Walk off the path in Needles and you'll find an Ancestral Puebloan granary tucked into a ledge above a dry wash.  We learned the area around Needles has dozens of similar storage yet few dwellings.

Sony A7r FE24-70 (66mm) f/22 1/3200 ISO set to auto (6400)

The rest of our too short stay was taken up visiting Arches National Park where we visited Park Avenue ...

Sony A7r FE24-70 (48mm) 3-shot panorama f/5.6 1/100 ISO 50

 

Here's a sample of the vastness of Arches with Don walking to capture a landscape shot with his technical camera.

Sony A7r FE24-70 (70mm) f/0 1/100 ISO 50. 

(Notice this was shot as tight as I could with the lens at 70mm)

Travel north on Route 191 and you will come to a road leading to Dead Horse State Park and Islands in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park.  The drive to both takes you through beautiful scenery filled with views of sandstone walls, arches and  the LaSalle Mountains in the distance.  Don't be in a hurry and try the many turnoffs along the way. 

We stopped at Dead Horse State Park as Don wanted to try to capture the stunning views.  Sadly both of us were disappointed that morning as the conditions just weren't as good as we'd like; however this is still a great place to visit.

Tree growing out of the rock near the overlook at Dead Horse.

Sony A7r FE24-70 (39mm) f/8 1/500 ISO set to auto (4000) 

This is what you're left with when the landscape isn't working for you.  The first shot is what Don was doing with his Phase One DF/IQ180 attempting to get a very low level image.  The second is my attempt at the same thing without the use of the groundpod.

Sony A7r FE24-70 (48mm) f/4 1/250 ISO 125

Leaving Dead Horse State Park we ventured into Islands in the Sky and were fortunate enough to have Mesa Arch all to ourselves which is unheard of--what a treat!

Sony A7r FE24-70 (24mm) f/8 1/4000 ISO set to auto (2000) 2-shot panorama. 

We couldn't be in the Islands in the Sky District without stopping at the Green River Overlook which didn't disappoint us.  Disclaimer here - while it looked great this is more of an artist rendering rather than the actual conditions...

Sony Ar7 FE24-70 (41mm) f/11 1/500 ISO 640

 Don sitting down on the job at the Grand View Overlook.

We had one last morning before heading to the South Rim, Grand Canyon and decided to spend it back at Arches.  The morning was a combination of rain, snow and low clouds with fog.  Simply great conditions to capture an image at Garden of Eden

Sony Ar7 FE24-70 (30mm) f/8 1/25 ISO 50

A note on processing.  All images were first opened in Capture One Pro where they were viewed and graded.  We also did slight processing in C1 such as lens correction and in some cases working on highlights and shadows.  The files we liked were saved in a Tiff format before sending them to Photoshop CC where they were opened, and processed using a combination of NIK Software before they were saved as Jpegs.  I'm very pleased with the Moab portion of the trip as I came away each day with at least one gallery print that will be posted to our web gallery for sale. 

What do I think of the Sony A7r after one-year?  I love it.  Lightweight small body with a combination of equally lightweight lens that allow me to shoot handheld most of the time.  The combination of the FE lenses, 70-200, 24-70 and 16-35 all give the focal length I desire.  Having the much higher resolution also helps. 

Thank you for visiting.  Don says he'll post his views of Moab shortly.

One last image of the walking bridge north of Moab as it crosses the Colorado River.

Sony A7r FE24-70 (24mm) f/6.3 1/125 ISO 50

 

 

Sandy (and Don)