Over the course of the past several years Capitol Reef National Park has become one of my favorite public lands from among the many that we share. It is a wonderful amalgam of human and natural history in one of the most beautiful settings the Colorado Plateau has to offer; and that’s saying quite a bit.
There are just enough remnants from the defunct Mormon settlement of Fruita to capture our attention and imagination. Fruita was known for its orchards. Some of these are still part of the history of the landscape. Along the edge of one of the remaining groves rimmed in rabbitbrush, copses of old cottonwood trees just off the Fremont River attest to the harshness of growing conditions as they slowly in their olden age bend back toward the waiting earth.
A focal length of 262mm, medium telephoto-land, gave me the very narrowed angle-of-view I wanted along with compression and some magnification. An aperture of f/20 provided depth-of-field from the camera-to-subject distance in a relatively flat scene ; and a shutter speed of 1/6th second at ISO 100 gave me elemental stillness and an overall medium exposure.
Although there were never more than ten families living in Fruita at a given time, there were more than 2000 fruit trees of various species, nourished by the waters of the Fremont River and Sulphur Creek, truly an oasis in the Red Rock Desert, and now part of the common wealth we hold in trust for the future.
Don, beautiful sinuous lines. And, the angle tells the story of where that tree’s next phase of life (more likely life for others) will take place. Thanks for this image and all those that precede it. Good for you starting out the second decade of this project as if there is no end. We’re all better for it!
Hi Ray, thanks very much for joining me for this conversation. I truly appreciate all of your keen observations and kind comments offered during the time you have been part of our creative family; and the great work of your organization in protecting our public lands and the forests of this country earns our gratitude and appreciation every day. Since Capitol Reef is not particularly known for its woodlands, I thought an image from the narrow footprint of the Fremont River would be a good way to ring in the New Year. The arc of the cottonwoods is definitely suggestive. One thing I have learned from Hal Herring is that the battle for our sacred common wealth is on-going and never-ending. Greed will always seek to satisfy itself at the expense of everyone. Have a great 2021 and Walk in Beauty!
How wonderful of Mother Nature for providing the perfect color combination and contrast, and for you finding it! We also loved visiting this area for its beauty and history.
Hey Joani. As always, thank you for joining us. Hope the shoulder continues to heal. I’m really glad you had a chance to visit Capitol Reef. It is part of a larger landscape that is beyond special. I hope you and Mark will continue to be engaged in the work to preserve this amazing land. Happy New Year; be well and stay safe.
Has it really been just 10 years? I’ve gotten so into the habit of rising on Sunday morning and, first thing, checking my email for this week’s image, that it seems longer. Again today, as on so many prior occasions, your comments have led me into viewing photography, or even life itself, just a little bit differently. Thank you, Don! I’m raising a glass of pineapple & pomegranate juice to 10 more years!
Ah Donald; my how time flies. I gladly return your pineapple and pomegranate juice toast. It has been a real pleasure getting to know you and having you as part of our creative photography family over all of those years. Thank you for being so keenly open to where the journey may take you. May it always be well for you in the coming year and beyond. In 2021, it is my fond hope that our paths will cross again somewhere in the Beauty of this land. Take good care and stay safe.
And may you always walk in beauty too.
Lynne, what a wonderful joy it has been getting to know you and John this past year. The two of you make Sunday morning a true pleasure; and I hope that 2021 will see a on-going continuation of those delightful experiences. Your kind wish is sure to encourage that my steps will always fall on the path that Beauty has made. I look forward to a New Year filled with the friendship that the two of you have so freely shared.
Howdy Don, love your use of textures and composition in your image. I see a floral ocean wave breaking in the surf. The simplicity of the image is its greatest strength.
Howdy Michael. It has been eight years since our first meeting where you so adroitly shepherded my presentation at NECCC. I have truly appreciated the astute comments you have offered to the Image for the Asking over the years since then. You have a wonderful sense for going to the essence of an image and highlighting its strengths, as well as its shortcomings, in a clear and thoughtful way. And you always find a poignant metaphor with which to offer your words. Have a beautiful winter; stay well and be safe. I am trusting that our paths will cross yet again somewhere down the road. Walk in Beauty.
What a year we have all experienced, this Year of 2020. I know that I could have never imagined the tortuous road down which we would all be taken twelve months ago. I hope that the images I have shared have offered all of you something worthwhile for your own creative journeys. Sharing the great Beauty of the natural world is a gift with which we have been all been richly blessed and it is, as I have come to see it, a solemn obligation we have taken upon ourselves: to hold up that Beauty to a world so very sorely in need of its on-going expression; to work to preserve that Beauty so that it can be enjoyed by the generations of those who come after us.
Have a great New Year and always Walk in Beauty’s light.