Even in the low-contrast light of an overcast sunset late-afternoon, Fisher Towers is a remarkable piece of Earth. As they emerge from the larger mesa on the left, these spires of Cutler Sandstone, capped with Moenkopi Sandstone and stuccoed over with iron-rich red mud, stand out in wonderment. The geologic forces that began the erosional cycle of the towers originated with the igneous intrusion of a great laccolith that is seen now as the La Sal Mountain peaks, reaching 12,000+’, dark in the background. Unseen at my feet, the Colorado River churns its way to destiny.
This land is “owned” by the Bureau of Land Management, BLM, which means it is owned by all of us; and as “Public Land” it is our job to see that it is preserved for everyone to enjoy. The “Colorado River Road,” Utah Highway 128 is fairly short, but it is filled with the beauty of landscapes such as this. My dear friend, Kevin Desrosiers, and I came upon this scene a couple of years ago as we headed for Moab down the River Road.
A focal length of 210mm, the extreme long-end of medium-telephotoland, gave me the relatively narrow slice of the scene that I wanted and some magnification, as well. An aperture of f/20 with the camera-to-subject distance, provided depth-of-field; and a shutter speed of 2.0 seconds in the waning light at ISO 100 gave me an overall medium exposure.
This land is our land. I think it’s time we began to treat it, as every other aspect of our Democracy, as what it is, which is to say “Sacred.”
Hello Don! Another beautiful image. The contrast of the sandstone spires and the mountain peaks brings out the majesty of the desert Southwest. I hope that your recovery is going well.
Beautiful, Don, thank you.
I agree!
Thank you Don, for continuing to send us your thoughtful and inspiring photos. I hope your recovery has been going well!
Don once again a beautiful picture along with info about it which makes it even better.
The colors by themselves give the image a lot of depth. The contrast between the shapes and texture of the structures in the foreground vs the mountains in the background makes it look like different worlds. How can they be so different and yet they are neighbors? Thanks for the image that will help preserve it in the books for future generations. I hope your recovery continues to go well. I am back home from my holiday travels.
Good afternoon, Everyone. Thank you all very much for joining me for this conversation. Where the Blue Ridge Parkway winds through the Elk Mountains a bit northeast of Asheville, the clouds sit low over the peaks obscuring all but the lowest ridges. An earlier snow shower turned to rain and now has stopped altogether. The sun of January’s last day has edged past its zenith. Winter in the Southern Appalachians is the meteorology of beauty.
Hey Chris. It’s always great to hear from you. I completely agree with your description of the elements and principles of design at work here. Contrast is, in my mind, what shapes and informs the desert southwest; and it shows itself wherever you look. In another couple of months, those peaks would already be on their way to snow cover, but July is still the time of heat. The recovery is going well; thanks for asking. And thanks, too, for your kind words. Hope you and Sue are both well.
Hi Lynne. Thank you for those kind words. We really enjoyed our adventure to Dobra with you and John. I promise the next one will be to a good coffee shop. Let’s get together again soon. Walk in Beauty.
Hey Beth. It’s good to have you with us. Thanks so much for your kind comment; Lynne Diamond-Nigh is a good person with whom to agree. Hope you are doing well.
Hi Joani. Thank you for continuing to enjoy the things I put out there. It’s always good to hear from you. I hope, too, that your surgery has proven to be a complete success and the healing has been complete. Thank you for asking. So far the recoup has gone very well. I’m looking forward to the start of PT in about a month. Walk in Beauty.
Howdy Mike. I hope you are enjoying the winter. As always, it’s good to hear from you and to have you with us. I really appreciate that you enjoy the bits of metadata and the descriptions of process. I do enjoy sharing how the images are conceived and executed. Glad to know they are helpful.
Hey Nancy T. I’m so glad to know you are home safely and that your visit with family went well. What an excellent pick-up you have shared with us. Warm tones very much advance and those gray tonalities in the background, while more neutral than cool, do certainly enhance the feeling of receding. And the difference between foreground texture and background shape helps add to this. To the Earth, all things are one. Thank you, the recovery continues to go well. Wish you could have been here last night, you would have really enjoyed the adventure to Dobra’s. Talk soon!
Looks like the clouds are steadily settling into a valley fog. There is hardly a breath of wind among the trees. It’s always a delightful time when I have a chance to share beauty with all of you. I see opportunities for creativity coming down the road. We’ll enjoy them when they arrive.