It must have been with no small satisfaction that John Burr could look back, having gained the top of the tortuous incline that he had created and which now bears his name, the Burr Trail (Road), and appreciate the distant Henry Mountains now behind him, the Waterpocket Fold below him, and the San Rafael Swell at his feet. Burr’s cattle trail gave his family access for their herds between their summer grazing homestead in Burrville, 154 miles to the northwest, and the winter grazing grounds near the base of the Henrys. The route of Burr’s trail remains today a visual delight, a geologic wonder of ancient rocks carved by water and wind; buttes and mesas that soar above deepening canyons; tilting strata of stone shaded in every warm tone of the eye’s imagination.
A focal length of 180mm, moderate telephoto-land, gave me the narrow field-of-view I wanted with the many-folded side of Swap Mesa and the erosion-exposed, laccolith-spawned Henrys in the distance, with magnification and compression for emphasis. An aperture of f/18 provided depth-of-field, and a shutter speed of 1/15th second at ISO 100 gave me an overall slightly-lighter-than-medium exposure, which still served to darken the shaded foreground ridge that was somewhat backlit at the time.
Although this land is under the protection of the National Park Service, it sits next door to the troubled Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, equally beautiful and equally in need of our attention and effort to protect.
Simply beautiful! The layers of texture and color represent the unique geology of our Southwest well Before visiting the Southwest several years ago, I wondered how others could just leave where they lived to go there—and why they would choose to make their home there rather than seek a more hospitable place. The answers? Just go—and why would they ever want to leave such beauty.
Your image brings all that rushing back.
Being now in AZ (greater Phoenix area) for the winter/spring, and surrounded by beautiful landscapes, I am ever more aware of what it takes to compose an artistic photograph of their beauty. I love your tonal and textural contrasts, and the eye-leading of the reverse C through the valleys. Thank you.
Don, this is such a pleasing image. I liked learning the story of John Burr, and your tribute to his perseverance is terrific. So many strong lines and distinct fields of color or light. Ray
Lovely photo of a beautiful area! We can only hope that preservation of these parks and areas can survive for future generations!
Since we did our big trip out west this year, Yellowstone to Capital Reef and everything in-between, your public lands images are even more meaningful to me. I now understand the haze that often blurs the distance and really appreciate the clearness of this picture. the landscapes we encountered were indeed incredible. Being a New England yankee all my life I found seeing such a different view of the planet to be transformative. I had your examples in mind as I worked with my camera settings trying to get images that could even approach the truth of the landscape.
This beautiful story has so much depth. The 50+ shades of blue seems to represent the past, present, and future where the sky is the limit. I remember a workshop where you kept telling us to, “Think like a lens”. You seem to have gone even further and learned to make the lens talk to us. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and images.
Good morning Everyone. Thank you all very much for being with me and for being part of our conversation this morning. The roads of Western North Carolina and the streets of Asheville and Buncombe County have a glaze of ice this morning. Winter is slowing, but steadily, arriving in the mountains.
I do sincerely appreciate all of the thoughtful comments that have been offered for our consideration, so let’s get to it.
Hey J. Warren. It’s always good to have you with us. I believe you have exactly captured the essence of “why” visiting the Desert Southwest is, in my humble opinion, essential to a complete understanding of the amazing beauty of our land. I do recall that you and I have stood on this spot and marveled at what lay before us. And I know that your heart burned with the emotions that we felt, as did mine. We are blessed with beauty and the only response is gratefulness. I appreciate your kind words. I hope you and Freda have a great Christmas.
Hey Donald. Glad to know your temporary location is complete. I hope to will take plenty of time to explore into Utah and New Mexico. Wish I could be there to share it with you. This is a good day-(or two)-trip from where you are. I appreciate your description of the relationships and elements here. Have an excellent winter, my friend.
Howdy Ray. Somehow the land and the stories of the people who have been on the land seem to be enmeshed. John Burr’s middle name was “Atlantic” because he was born on a ship while his parents were crossing to North America. As you so well know, the desert is nothing if not line and light; and when we are there, those seem to leap from the landscape. Some of Barry Lopez’ descriptions from “Crossing Open Ground” come to mind, and I try to evoke them sometimes as I work. Take good care, and be well.
Hi Beth. Thanks so much for being with us. I would cautiously suggest that we have come to a point in our being on the land that the only way for the preservation of which you speak to continue is for all of us – each of us – to become directly involved in that effort, to speak up and speak out, and to join with others so that our collective voices are listened to and followed. Otherwise the beauty we love will sadly disappear. Thanks for your excellent words.
Hey Linda. It’s great to hear from you. I do, indeed, remember that you and your family had planned a western journey for this past summer. And it sounds like the experience was, indeed, transformative. Wonderful! Once you have visited the mountains and deserts of the West, you have a completely different sense of the geography and geology of this country. Wallace Stegner well-understood this when he penned the title “Beyond the Hundredth Meridian.” I hope you are well. We look forward to seeing you again somewhere down the road.
Hi Nancy T. I hope you are having a wonderful visit in the Sunshine State. You have been on my mind a lot lately, which can only mean that I will soon be talking to you. Thanks for your wonderful descriptive journey through the image and it still seems to me that “thinking/seeing like a lens” is one of the essentials of photographic creativity. If you can manage to pull that off, a lens will surely talk to you, and in the shared conversation what you will find is art. Take good care and we will talk soon.
Thanks, again, everyone. As we enter fully into this Holiday Season, your words and thoughts will continue to encourage my eyes and heart. Walk in Beauty.