Postcard from the Painted Hills

This may not be the most artistic photo in my collection, but it certainly counts as one of the most colorful. Just look at the colors in this picture…Everything from black to white, including various shades of reds, yellows, oranges, green, blue and more. And all were created by nature. The Painted Hills of Oregon is an amazing place to see nature’s artistic creativity.    

I love the Painted Hills of Oregon…and if you ever get to see the Painted Desert of Arizona, you will notice an amazing similarity. But, even though Arizona is now my home, the Painted Hills are my favorite of the two places.

I also show you this photo as it is part of the newly revamped Painted Hills section of my Website. I invite you to look at all my works from this fantastic spot in Central Oregon.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from the Arches–Twin Fins

I’ve showed you several images from the Arches National Park recently, mainly because I have been revising and revamping those images for my Web site. I have recently posted these new images and I invite you to take a look.

This image, appropriately named “Twin Fins” shows two very large fins inside the park. You can see they are pretty tall as measured against the trees in the foreground. They are called fins as they closely resemble fins on a shark…and they are extremely important in the formation of the Arches National Park. 

Although length, height and width vary, a fin is a long wall of rock. The fins here began as a series of cracks in large layers of sandstone. The cracks formed because of a great concentration of salt beneath the sandstone. I won’t go into the details of the long geologic process that continues to form the final shape of the fins…but suffice it to say that fins are the perfect place to form an arch.

Years of wind, blown sand, and water has scoured the fins. Some parts of fins are harder than others; the softer parts wear faster, and sometimes wear away completely while harder rock remains. In other fins, water seeps into the sandstone, then freezes during Moab's bitter desert winters. Water expands when it freezes, so it cracks and fragments the rock. Eventually it leaves holes in the fins. In other cases, water puddles on top of a fin wear deeper and deeper holes over the Millennia; some of these "potholes" eventually tunnel down and form an arch.

Presently there are no arches to be seen on these fins, but I bet you a dollar to a donut that the process is already underway. Sadly, I won’t be around to see the new arches when they finally emerge.

From a photographic standpoint, I really like this image. I hope you do also.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Oregon

A few thoughts about flowers from minds greater than mine:

"There are always flowers for those who want to see them."
-  Henri Matisse

"In joy or sadness, flowers are our constant friends." 
-  Kozuko Okakura   

"Little flower, but if I could understand what you are, root and all in all, I should know what God and man is." 
-  Tennyson

"Who would have thought it possible that a tiny little flower could preoccupy a person so completely that there simply wasn't room for any other thought." 
-  Sophie Scholl 

"When bright flowers bloom
Parchment crumbles, my words fade
The pen has dropped ..."
-  Morpheus

"Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made and forgot to put a soul into."  
-  Henry Ward Beecher, Life Thoughts  

"More than anything, I must have flowers always, always."
-  Claude Monet

"Where flowers bloom so does hope."
-  Unknown

"If you pass by the color purple in a field and don't notice it, God gets real pissed off."
-  Alice Walker

Postcard from The Arches Campground

Can you imagine waking up to this scene in the morning? I did on one of my photographic adventures into the Arches National Park in Utah. This was a sunrise I saw from my campsite. It was wonderful to sit and have my first cup of coffee and see this magnificent scene.

I’ve always been an early riser, and in the wilderness, one goes to bed early so one rises early. I am also an avid coffee drinker, so when the feet hit the ground, the first thing that happens is the morning coffee making ritual. Ever since I spent time in Italy, I want strong coffee. So, even when camping, a make a cup of espresso coffee with my genuine Italian espresso pot, cut it with some water and cream, then add some sweetener. Actually its what I do here at home every morning, using the same kind of espresso maker I used in the wilderness. It makes fabulous coffee, no matter where I am.

I also use a coffee cup with a lid on it so it stays hot longer…usually about an hour. So I wind up drinking far less coffee than many people as one cup lasts so long. Smart, eh?

I didn’t mean to turn this into a blog about coffee, it just happened. But, in the wilderness, after coffee, I would head out to try and capture the early morning light at some preplanned location. Here is a hint on how I do that:

I always carry a special book for photographers that tells me what locations are best shot in the morning or evening. During the middle of the day, I would scout all the locations and make my plans for morning and evening shots. At midday, one is dealing with pure white light which doesn’t usually make for very good pictures. Avid photographers shoot at sunrise and sunset, then scout locations during the day (and often sneak in a nap). So the next time you are looking at photographs by professionals, notice how many were done at sunrise or sunset.

For me, after an early morning shoot here in the Arches, I went back to my campsite, made breakfast and relax and read…then drive or hike to locations to do some scouting.

So that is the life of a nature photographer out in the field, shoot picture, drink coffee, scout, sleep, then grab the camera and hope there is beautiful light, some clouds, and a great sunrise or sunset. I got lucky with this one. I didn’t have to even move from the table.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Oak Creek

Sometimes when it is over 100 outside here in Tucson, which it invariably is, I think about the cooler days of winter…especially snow scenes. This is the bridge on the trail to the entrance to Oak Creek Canyon. Not much of a trail on this day, but fortunately I know the way.

I may romanticize the coolness of that day, but it was very cold…just below freezing actually…but it sure looks inviting when it is 103 outside here as it is today. By the way, Oak Creek Canyon is just a few miles north of Sedona, AZ. I’ve hiked through the canyon in the Autumn (you may have seen a few pictures here in past editions), but, it is a bit more difficult in the heart of winter.

I did give it a shot, but didn’t get very far. The canyon itself is almost always in shadows, so the snow has no chance to melt. So there was a lot more snow on the ground than you see here. Down the road in Sedona, there was absolutely no snow on the ground…just cold.

So, if it is hot where you are, I hope this cools you down a bit.

Postcard from the Arches

Here is another image from one of my favorite National Parks. When you have a day in a beautiful place such as this, one cannot stop shooting…and this was one of those days were the amazing clouds ruled the landscape. Long-time followers of my blog and photography have seen some of the images already…but there are more, like this one, you have not seen.

Yesterday, on Twitter, I posted the following quote from the great Ansel Adams, pioneer of landscape photography:

Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter.

That was this day in the Arches. The clouds were beyond belief! I considered myself one of the luckiest men with a camera on the planet that day. For your information, this formation of rocks and arches is located just to the left of the famous Double Arch. There are several fantastic arches in this same area including the two Windows Arches and Turret Arch. There is a turnoff from the main road in The Arches to get to all these arches. You will find it just past Balanced Rock.

Definitely make The Arches National Park one of your destinations in the future. PS: The Island in the Sky portion of Canyonlands National Park is only a few miles up the road from the Arches. How handy is that?

Postcard from Canyonlands–Sunset on the Needles

Sunset

Every night
The horizon lights up
Swirls of pink and orange
Fading to blue and purple

Few bother to look anymore
At a blessing
That only comes once a day

Each sunset is different
No two exactly alike
Difference flows throughout
While it is the only similarity

 

Over the ocean
Or through the sky scrapers
Out on the prairie
Or in an apartment

 

You can still see a piece
A piece of something
Something never to return
A sunset

For the colors are shimmering
For a moment they stay
Only to disappear into change
Change just as beautiful as the last

 

This is why
No matter where you go
One thing remains the same,
A difference in sunsets

In your very own sunset

Jessica Millsaps

Postcard from Sedona

This part of Sedona is called Long Canyon. I took this image in December of 2009, early in the morning. You can see some snow on the mountains…and, trust me, it was cold…below freezing, for sure.

That morning, my friend Dave and I had arisen well before dawn and took our cameras high up into the mountains on the airport road to photograph the city and mountains behind it at sunrise. Well, guess what? The sun was hidden by clouds and the lights was awful. I suggested we drive down off the mountain ASAP and head into the Long Canyon country, hoping the light would get better…which is exactly what we did.

By the time we got there, the light had indeed gotten better and I was able to shoot this photo. I like it and am surprised I haven’t shown it here before. But I am correcting that oversight now. I hope you like it as much as me.

Actually, we had not planned to visit Sedona on this trip. Dave and I met up in Phoenix and were hoping to get to either Zion or Bryce to do some snow photography. However a massive snow storm shut down the Interstate south of Flagstaff, so we had no hope of getting anywhere close to Utah in the time we had allotted. So we did the next best thing…we got off the Interstate and headed into Sedona.

It had snowed there recently, but not when we were there. But, as I said, the temperatures were very, very cold. But we never let that stop us from trying to get some good images in this very beautiful spot. By the way, we got up very early the next morning also and managed to get some good images of Sedona and its mountains from the airport road. So all turned out well in the end.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from The Oregon Coast

Stick me in front of my digital darkroom on a boring, rainy Sunday afternoon and sometimes I go a little crazy. Take this image, for instance. It was a lovely scene when I first shot it (using an older digital camera), but when I looked at it on the screen, it just laid there…interesting, with possibilities, but it had no life.

The early digital cameras sometimes had exposure problems with fog. So what I saw when I was there was not quite what showed up on the screen. Aha!! A challenge. So I went to work. I was intrigued with the sun’s rays breaking through the fog when I made the photograph, but they were not that intense on the screen. So, that was my first priority…getting them to stand out.

It took a lot of work, but then the rest of the scene became less interesting…so I just kept working and working the problem…using some of my latest tools and a few old ones. I just kept going and going…sometimes backing up and starting again. I won’t bother you with all the steps…frankly, I don’t remember all of them myself. But, I do know that early on I decided to do something entirely different…something artistic, bold and innovative.

In the end, I came up with the above image. I let it sit overnight to see if I still liked it in the morning…and I did. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I like it…and in the world of photography, and all art for that matter, that it what counts. But, secretly, we all want our audience to like what we do. I would be interested in hearing your comments.

PS…this was not the only image I worked on during that crazy Sunday. Stay tuned…

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Capitol Reef

This lovely scene is from the Scenic Drive in Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. The road is ten miles long and starts near the west entrance of the park and dead-ends at Capitol Gorge. But, along the way is some of the best scenery in the park. This is Red Rock Country and there is plenty of that here.

There are also two large washes along this road…the aforementioned Capitol Gorge and The Grand Wash, just a few miles from the start of the road. Both are geological wonders…displaying beautiful rock formations as well as the power of water. If it looks like it might rain, do not go into either of the washes as you will probably drown. While being very beautiful, the is also flash flood country. And did you know that 1/4” of rain is enough to cause such a flood? Living in the Southwest as I now do, I can testify to how quick a flash flood can start.

FYI, the park gets its name from The Waterpocket Fold…a nearly 100-mile long warp in the Earth's crust. The fold is a classic monocline: a regional fold with one very steep side in an area of otherwise nearly horizontal layers. It resembles an ocean reef, hence the name.

I stayed a few days in the park and went up and down the scenic road several times with my camera. The colors are truly magnificent and make for great photographs. The best time of day to take pictures along this road is late afternoon. By the way, the park’s campground, located at the beginning of the scenic road, is one of the nicest campgrounds I have ever stayed in.

Capitol Reef is one of America’s less popular national parks…in fact they don’t even charge an entrance fee. So if you are ever fortunate enough to visit some of Utah’s parks, be sure and put this one on the list. 

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Arizona

This image is from my architectural studies collection of buildings in the Tucson area. This is just a tile roof at the University of Arizona. It is one of those images that is far more effective in black and white than in the original color.

Without the distraction of color, you are able to discern some of the simple elements that make for an interesting photo. Here, you see diagonal lines and semi-circles repeated over and over in an organized pattern… simple but effective. There is also a bit of texture on the tiles and the white weathering on most of the tiles break up any monotony of similar grays tones. From your own understanding of roof construction, your subconscious is telling you that the roof is rising from the lower left corner to the upper right corner…which, of course it is.

Sometimes less is more.  

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Cannon Beach

If I had to pick a favorite town on the Oregon Coast, it would probably be Cannon Beach, Oregon. I am sure that many of you who have traveled that magnificent coastline would say the same. It is what I call “Artsy-Cutesy.” Whether by design or by good fortune, the city attracts a ton of tourists every year. It is an enjoyable place to walk around and window shop as its filled with art galleries and boutiques of all kinds.

For me, it is an ideal place to walk with my camera to do both cityscapes and ocean landscapes. The oceanfront is famous for its long sandy beach, with Haystack Rock and the south end and the beautiful Ecola State Park on the north end…a state park that offers both beach front and rain forest scenery. It is a the perfect setting for city like Cannon Beach.

This image shows a a real estate office, if you can believe that. The time of year is late summer and the flowers have been percolating for many months to show you their full glory. In another month, they will pass away, only to be reborn the following spring. To their credit, the business owners work hard to keep the town looking beautiful all year round.

The first white men to explore this area were part of the of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Cannon Beach is only 20 miles south of the mouth of the Columbia River, where Lewis and Clark wintered after completing their journey to the Pacific Ocean. William Clark bartered with the local natives and bought 300 pounds of whale blubber and whale oil. Today, the town has about 1,700 full time residents. It is definitely worth a visit if you come to the northern Oregon Coast. There will be more pictures from this area in the near future.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.