Portraits of Wildflowers

Perspectives on Nature Photography

Closing an eventful day

with 6 comments

 

Late in the afternoon on October 18th we stopped at Camel Rock on US 84 north of Santa Fe. While no colorful sunset came to meet us there the way it had in 2017, for a brief time the sun did pierce the western clouds to spotlight parts of the badlands prominent on the eastern side of the highway. That dedicated light advantaged me, as did focal lengths at the long end of my 100–400mm lens, when I hurried to portray the illumined badlands formations before the clouds settled back in.

 

    

In the top picture, the snow-covered Sangre de Cristo Mountains provided the background. That’s where this one remarkable photographic day began. It included yellow aspens and cottonwoods and willows, forests, badlands, hoodoos, and of course snow-covered mountains. It has provided the material for 10 posts with at least two photographs apiece. I could easily have done more posts about that day but the time has come to move on, even as the next day saw us moving on.

 

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Yesterday on a local television program the announcer spoke about “a California nursing home facility.” That last word is redundant because a nursing home is a kind of facility. Nothing is lost in saying “a California nursing home.” Similarly unnecessary is the last word in often-heard phrases like “in a school setting” and “in a hospital setting.” It’s sufficient to say “in a school” or “in schools,” “in a hospital” or “in hospitals.”

  

© 2022 Steven Schwartzman

 

 

 

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Written by Steve Schwartzman

December 7, 2022 at 4:32 AM

6 Responses

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  1. Those mountains in the distance provide a nice setting for the badlands highlighted by the setting sun.

    Robert Parker

    December 7, 2022 at 9:50 AM

    • A nice setting indeed, though I wish the location allowed a better alignment of the illuminated badlands formation with the snow-covered part of the mountains. I’d probably have had to walk several hundred meters, and by then the bright light would have vanished.

      Steve Schwartzman

      December 7, 2022 at 11:44 AM

  2. The second photo reveals a three-dimensional effect, which I always find impressive.

    Peter Klopp

    December 7, 2022 at 9:51 AM

    • The low elevation of the sun and the resulting strong shadows, plus the contrast between the brightly lit formations and the darker background, account for that.

      Steve Schwartzman

      December 7, 2022 at 11:45 AM

  3. It’s really amazing how much you were able to see and photograph on that one day. The extended foliage display and the good weather conditions certainly conspired to offer up a wealth of opportunities. I suspect Eve will count the day as one of her best birthday celebrations.

    shoreacres

    December 7, 2022 at 6:59 PM

    • You’re right: she was quite happy with the restaurant and the meal she had there. And we sure did manage to cram a lot into that one day. Fortunately a few more busy days and scenic sites still lay ahead.

      Steve Schwartzman

      December 7, 2022 at 7:33 PM


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