When the great, roughly ovular uplift that became the San Rafael Swell was formed, the lands to the south and east came ultimately to lie within the rain shadow of the imposing uplifts, and the lands it circumscribed became known as the San Rafael Desert. How apt it is that San Rafael, the beloved angelic being, is charged with healing both the Earth and humankind. This landscape is beautiful and barren, if you are not familiar with the life of the desert; but if you are reasonably attentive, you quickly recognize that the San Rafael is a sea of living things, including the rocks and the soils they become. The San Rafael is life itself: often hard, harsh, and prickly. This land belongs to all of us, and to become familiar with it is to open a doorway into how we manage the Commons for the benefit of the many rather than the few.
With the early morning sun at an angle left-to-right behind me, a focal length of 108mm, surprising in that it actually represents short-telephotoland rather than wide-angleland, gave me the somewhat-narrower-than-you-might-imagine-angle-of-view. An aperture of f/20, focused about a third of the distance between the closest foreground and camera infinity, which in this instance was about the tilted rock slab in from the bottom of the frame, gave me depth-of-field; and with a shutter speed of 1/15th of a second at ISO 100, created a medium exposure.
Perhaps the give-away that this is not wide-angle work is the relative size of the background uplifts which would “appear” smaller if seen through wide-angle focal lengths. The San Rafael Desert is a spectacular example of how easily great beauty can become lost in the Southwest’s greater icons; Bryce, Zion, Capitol Reef, and the others. Please join me in advocating for the San Rafael Deserts of our world. They are too precious to lose.
Don, good morning and good luck in your ongoing recovery. I like the image of the San Rafael Swell (great name, too). The discovery of the thin band of rounded hills winding through the top third was pleasant — yet another ‘field’ in this multi-layered photograph. I’m not sure if it would have even been possible (or desirable), but would some additional contrast have helped define the foreground rocks more? I had a good four days in Missoula last week; work duties stole my time during daylight hours, but I did have fun one evening attempting some nighttime shots of the Bitterroot range from the quiet, isolated center of the Lee Metcalf NWR. I also learned, sadly, that that well-visited NWR has had its staff cut in recent years from 15 to 3, far insufficient for resource protection, interpretation, etc. Another indignity in our government’s short-sighted view of how to steward public lands.
Hello Don. Another beautiful image of the desert southwest. The boulders in the foreground lead the eyes to the mountains. We do need to protect these lands as they provide a place of reflection and personal tranquility. When I have the opportunity to travel to the natural world I am at peace with myself. Good luck on your recovery. I know that your passion for photography will give you the drive to fully recover. Hopefully our paths will cross again in the future. Say hello to Bonnie from Sue and myself.
What a grand image! For all who have been there, it would take far more than 1000 words to describe its image. Thank you for reminding us of a memory that will last as long as it remains undisturbed. . . .
Once again, you are highlighting an image demonstrating something I need to work on. My use of the foreground is not as good as I would like it to be. Not long ago, you demonstrated the technique in a wide angle shot. This time, t was more telephoto. Looks like we know what my focus will be during our Acadia trip. Will call this week to see how you are doing.
Don, Best of luck with your foot recovery. This image is really captivating and interesting. The deep foreground and limited field of view, but just enough to be satisfied while still wanting more of it. Beautiful!
Don
What a gorgeous invitation to go boulder-hopping! Ok, “hopping” might be an exaggeration for both of us, but hoping your recovery proceeds well, so that the sentence isn’t too much of a verbal stretch. It’s good to have your weekly image back!
It looks like Mother Nature and Father Time have been collaborating for a while building this masterpiece. Thanks for capturing and sharing it with us. It looks like you could go back and capture it over and over and it would tell a different story each time. This one looks like an invitation to do just that; the leading stones showing the way to an adventure even Disney could not have imagined.
You should be able to skip across those rocks on no time!
A very good morning to Everyone. I hope this finds All doing well and enjoying this first month of a new decade and a new year. As much as I would wish to continue to draw attention and conversation to all things beautiful and photographically creative, I also want to integrate into our time together thoughts on preserving our cherished public lands from the threats of loss and devastation that have arisen recently. I will always believe that photographic beauty can be found and expressed anywhere; but I will always, too, consider the natural world as my primary studio and will work to make-safe the beautiful lands with which we have all been blessed. And I will encourage your help in that effort.
Good morning Ray. It’s always good to have you with me. Thanks for your kind wishes. What you and the folks at NFF do for the good of the Commons is deeply appreciated and I am honored to have you as a part of our creative community. The San Rafael Desert here looks westward toward the Swell and Capitol Reef National Park. Where I am kneeling for this image has been impacted by expanded off-road vehicle usage which can serve only to damage a fragile desert ecosystem. With a few clouds I could easily spend days here for the beauty of the San Rafael is amazing. Thanks for pointing out the rounded hills in the mid-ground. I spent significant energy in figuring out how to include them. Your suggestion about adding contrast to the foreground boulders is interesting. Since those boulders were originally part of the surrounding landscape, I’d have to think about adding contrast, which, even if it did not alter the existing tonalities, might have the effect of making them seem to be from a different landscape, if that makes sense. I’ll play with your suggestion and see what happens. Walk in Beauty.
Hey Chris. Thanks, as always, for your kind words and for being with us as we begin a new year. Your description of how you respond to being in the natural world is exactly why our public lands are so vitally important for so many reasons. I wish for you and Sue a beautiful year, and Bonnie and I certainly hope that our paths will cross again as the days go forward.
Hi J. Warren. It’s great to hear from you. You are, indeed, a short-timer my friend. I hope the plans continue to unfold as you and Freda would wish. I well-know the connection you made with this part of the world, and I am deeply appreciative of it. Hopefully, we will both get back out that way very soon. Thanks for your very kind words about the Image. Be well.
Hey Kev. We have some wonderful ideas to explore in June and Acadia will be a perfect venue for the exploration. I’m looking forward to talking with you. Hopefully y’all have been able to avoid the worst effects of the mid-west storms we’ve seen so far this winter. The chances of snow in our mountains seems to grow less and less with every passing week; it’s good that the wonderful beauty remains. Walk in Beauty, my friend.
Hi Don. Thank you very much for your kind words and for being with us as we begin this new year. What you lose in angle-of-view with images like this, you gain perceptibly in the magnification of background elements. Imagery is always the art of compromise: you gain something by giving up something to achieve it.
Donald, how good to have you with me as we get back on track in a new year. Thanks for your very kind words and thoughtful wishes. We might not do any rock-hopping, but we could have a great time telling stories about it. This would be a long daytrip for you, but you could stay in Torrey, Utah and be in the desert the following morning. It’s a BLM dirt road, so be careful of Bentonite clay. We hope our paths will cross in the unfolding year. Hope you’re having a great winter.
Hey Nancy T. I can’t imagine beginning a new year with out having you in it somehow. I can’t remember your return date to West Tennessee, but if you are back home, I hope all is well; and if you are not, I hope your time in the Sunshine State goes equally well. I know you would love dearly this treasured landscape, and would fill it with your stories; and I hope we are able to visit it together one day ‘fore too long. Talk soon.
As we begin this Ninth Year of Image for the Asking I want to express my gratitude to all of you for the wonderful conversations you have engendered and thoughtful expressions you have offered. Here’s to an excellent year of enjoying beauty and its creative expression in photography.