Swirling Water (Click image for larger view)

In my earlier shot looking down the face of the Hoover Dam it’s a detail of the surface of the water between the two generator buildings.

Without having said what this was an image of, it’s difficult to know. It could just as easily be a shot of some metamorphosed rock or perhaps the bark of a tree.

Production Data

Camera: Canon EOS 5D
Lens: Canon 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III USM (B&H)
Processing: Lightroom 4 beta
Processing: Photoshop CS5
Processing: Nik Software Silver Efex Pro 2 Software (B&H)

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Trash Cans (Click image for larger view)

At this time of year, March, it wasn’t exactly high tourist season either and everything was closed. In one of the parking lots I came a cross a trailer for recycling aluminum cans. The wheels had been removed from the trailer to make theft of the trailer slightly more challenging.

It’s said that the eye is immediately drawn to red items. I think that’s certainly the case in this image where I find my eye is immediately drawn to the Dr. Pepper can. But what I find even more curious is the total absence of Coca-Cola cans. I’ve looked over and over but don’t see a single one.

Production Data

Camera: Canon EOS 5D
Lens: Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM AF Lens (B&H)
Processing: Lightroom 4 beta
Processing: Photomatix 4.02
Processing: Photoshop CS5
Processing: Topaz Adjust 5

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Joshua Tree (Click image for larger view)

I spotted this particular specimen having left Grand Canyon West, gotten back onto Pierce Ferry Road, and headed north to Pearce Ferry and South Cove. In the background of this shot is Grapevine Mesa. While this particular specimen was on private land, just off the highway, the Grapevine Mesa Joshua Tree forest, a few miles to the south of where I took this shot, is claimed to be the best display of Joshua Trees in the USA, better even that the Joshua Tree National Park in California.

According to Wikipedia, Pearce ferry is named for James Pearce, but is often misspelled as Pierce – such as on mapquest and Google Maps. Back in the late 1800′s it was an important crossing on the Colorado river. It marks the boundary between the Grand Canyon and Lake Mead.

The ferry has long since gone and the boat ramp was shut down in 2001 when the water level in Lake Mead dropped below 1175ft. It now stands at 1100ft having dropped over 120ft in the last decade! With the silt load of the Colorado river at 3 – 5 tons er second, after the construction of the Hoover Dam the upper reaches of Lake Mead have silted up. There are some great images of the area at this site.

Production Data

Camera: Canon EOS 5D
Lens: Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM AF Lens (B&H)
Processing: Lightroom 4 beta
Processing: Photomatix 4.02
Processing: Photoshop CS5
Processing: Topaz Adjust 5

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Bowl of Fire - Detail (Click image for larger view)

So yesterday I posted a wide angle (17mm) shot of the Bowl of Fireand today I’m posting a detail. If you look at yesterday’s shot there are two outcrops of the red Aztec sandstone, one on either side of the frame. This is a detail from the right hand outcrop.

Taken two minutes after yesterday’s shot, this was taken with an earlier version of the Canon 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III USM (B&H). Again, the exif data on this show shows the lens was at 135mm so these red rocks are not as far off the highway as yesterday’s shot might have made them appear.

While this lens isn’t particularly fast, at just $179, I think it’s very affordable and has a nice range of coverage.

Production Data

Using the mild telephoto in the mid-range for this lens, I’ve been able to capture the detail in the rock formations. Comparing with yesterday’s shot from the same location, one can see how the choice of lens can dramatically alter the interpretation of the scene.

Camera: Canon EOS 5D
Lens: Canon 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III USM (B&H)
Processing: Lightroom 3.6
Processing: Photomatix 4.02
Processing: Photoshop CS5
Processing: Topaz Adjust 5

The post Daily Photo – Bowl of Fire (detail) appeared first on Richard Davis Photography.

Bowl of Fire - Wide (Click image for larger view)

This is a wide angle view of the Bowl of Fire. As the crow flies, it’s about 30 miles east of Las Vegas to the north side of Northshore Road in the Lake Mead National Recreational Area.

While the work ‘fire’ might lead some to think it’s volcanic in origin, the red rocks are actually a sandstone that contrasts with the surrounding gray limestones. There are a number of trails that take you right up to the rocks where a number of hiking trails are laid out. You can get pretty close in a 2WD vehicle and closer still in a 4WD. But, as with any backcountry adventure, make sure someone knows where you’re going and when you’re expected back and stick to your route plan so if you break down or something untoward happens, someone can raise the alarm. And don’t rely on having mobile phone coverage!

Again, this is a mid-day shot. I was on a run-and-gun trip to run from Las Vegas, round the Northshore and back through the Valley of Fire to Las Vegas in a day so I didn’t have time to wait for the golden hour.

Production Data

As the notes below show, I took this with my old but trusty EF 17-35mm f/2.8L. The exif data shows I had the lens at the 17mm end of the range. One of the features you get with wide angle lenses is strong diagonal features as the lens tends to pull everything to the center. I’ve chosen to emphasize the clouds in the sky that show this diagonal emphasis.

Camera: Canon EOS 5D
Lens: Canon EF17-35mmf/2.8L
Processing: Lightroom 3.6
Processing: Photomatix 4.02
Processing: Photoshop CS5
Processing: Topaz Adjust 5

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