Red Rock Country

Arches National Park.  Blue sky.  Some feathery clouds.  Bright red sandstone.

Let's go black and white.  Yes, black and white.  In the mid day light I was not sure how the colors would work out on Velvia, but thought the black and white could work and work well.

I had my trusty Efke 25loaded and ready to go.  I saw this scene and thought it had potential.

I framed up the red cliffs with the Fujinon 125mm so I could fill most of the frame with the rocks.  Used rise to keep the perspective right.

It looked good on the ground glass and I used one sheet.  This was it.  I got the exposure pretty good and it looked great on the light table.  I did not know it when I took it but it was a good shot.

Forge Rock

Arches has a great many famous locations that people visit.  I visit those same locations too as views like Delicate Arch are truly awesome.


I also like to get off the beaten path and try to find images others have not.   I posted some views of the red rock country a couple of weeks ago that showed some of the Park Avenue area in hopefully a different way.


This post is hopefully something different too.


I found this rock several years ago on a visit to Arches and kept thinking there was an image here.  I made several attempts at it but never could get the right light.


This last trip I decided to give it another go.  I had somewhat struck out with trying to get magic light here,so I decided to try seeing what I could get in monochrome during the day.


I set up the camera and made a couple of exposures on Efke 25.  I also set about trying to get a color image and did one on Velvia.

I figured the Efke would handle the scene better but I think I liked what the Velvia did that day.


I have to say I really like this location but this was still not the potential for what the area has.  I have worked on getting a night image here on a couple of occasions but even that has been more miss than hit.  I have never been able to get a film image here.  I did however make a night image with my digital camera that I like.

I would love to be able to do an image like this with the large format camera but just do not think it will be possible.  I have no lens that goes close enough to this wide and the exposure would run into the hours.  So for now I think this is about the best I can get it.

I call it The Forge of Odin.

Walking Along Park Avenue

Walking along Park Avenue.  After spending almost a week up in Canyonlands, I moved over to Arches National Park to work on some of the areas there.  A nice walk with some great rock formations is Park Avenue.  It is about a mile and the road passes by either end.  So if you are not wanting to walk two miles (one of which would be up hill), you can get someone to drop you off at the top , walk down to the bottom and get picked up.

I parked at the bottom and started walking up hill.  I was scouting for potential sunrise locations and also using the opportunity to make some black and white images.

I had not gone far when I saw this scene. 

I liked the sandstone monuments.  I also liked the rocky stretch this trail was on.  I thought they both might make good images.

First I set up with the longer view and the sandstone bluffs.  Went with the 210mm to make the image more the rock formation.

Once I had that one, I went wider for the sweep of the rock leading up Park Avenue.

The film of choice was Efke 25 that I would get processed at DR-5 into a B+W chrome.  Most folks who do black and white use film and make negatives.  I use a standard B+W film but through the DR-5 process you get a black and white positive.  I find them outstanding.  I can "read" a positive much easier than a negative and there is always the wow factor from any chrome on a light table.

This is one of those locations where there are image possibilities everywhere and even when looking at both of these shots, I still cannot decide which one I like more.  The only "more" I really know is I want more time out in locations like this.

See more images from Utah on my website galleries:

Utah Gallery

In Arches

One from Arches National Park from atop the forge rock.

Well this rock does not really have a name, but I call it that. Every since I first looked at it in 2002 I knew it could be a place for a neat image. I have tried a few different times and even though I have yet to get the image I think I can get I have had fun trying.

Here is from my last visit on an afternoon with just enough clouds to give B+W a try. I have framed up the crack and rocks with my 75mm wide angle. It is locations like this I sure wish I had a 47XL.

See my night attempt on my Wilderness Photographer blog.

Rock at Night

Park Avenue

Looking up Park Avenue toward the fins and rocks of Wall Street in Arches National Park.

The classic view is from the other end but I always liked hiking in from the bottom and seeing it in a way most people do not.

It is a classic short hike and easy on top of that.

In Arches

During a mid morning in Arches National Park, I went out in search of black and white images. I spent some time chasing big rocks but then found Courthouse Wash with it's cottonwood trees and decided to give it a try.

I liked the rocks and the branches with the clouds in the sky. Walked around the creek bed rocks until I found the right angle and went to work.

One Year and Counting!

The Traveling Camera Blog is one year old!

From the wilds of west Texas, to my own backyard on the Trinity River, to Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wisconsin. I have hauled the 4x5 and made images with it and of it.

If you have been reading, thanks.

For that one year moment-here is a view from the red rock country of Arches National Park. I am set up overlooking the Garden of Eden. The sky might be clear but with a view like this-who cares.

The Garden of Eden

Late one afternoon in Arches National Park I found myself in an area called the Garden of Eden. It was an area of rocky red spires.

I took the camera and wandered into the spires looking for an image. On a steep slope I found a view that took in the spires and the distant La Sal Mountains.

As the last light of day stretched across the valley, I made a couple of images. Then I waited for the glow that happens after the sunset. The sky was clear and sure enough about 20 minutes after sunset the pink glow spilling across the landscape bathed the area in light. Another couple of images.

See the camera set up on the steep slope with the dunes beyond. It was a bit of a balancing act, but that is what a good tripod is for.

Rock Dunes

Arches National Park is obviously home to a few arches. It is also home to some great slick rock, red rock, and rock dunes. Rock dunes? Shouldn't dunes be made of sand? Yes, but sometimes they get buried and compressed into rock. Normally they are compressed into sandstone, but in Arches there are some petrified dunes. So they look a lot like dunes even though they are rock.

Here are the petrified dunes with the La Sal Mountains rising beyond at sunset.