White Sands Panorama
While exploring and photographing the dune fields of White Sands National Park a few weeks ago, I found that the landscape lends itself well to panoramic compositions. One of the features of my Fujifilm GFX 100S I have come to appreciate is its ability to take photographs with a 65:24 aspect ratio. At first, this aspect ratio sounds odd, but it has some history in the Fujifilm company.
While exploring and photographing the dune fields of White Sands National Park a few weeks ago, I found that the landscape lends itself well to panoramic compositions. One of the features of my Fujifilm GFX 100S I have come to appreciate is its ability to take photographs with a 65:24 aspect ratio. At first, this aspect ratio sounds odd, but it has some history in the Fujifilm company. If you place two 35mm film frames side by side, you basically end up with the same ratio. This is exactly what Fujifilm did in its partnership with Hasselblad to produce the XPan camera in 1998. That camera enabled photographers to shoot panoramic photographs on 35mm film, which resulted in a negative measuring 65x24mm. Being able to exclude large portions or all of the sky and foreground is nice in certain situations and can result in unique photographs. On top of that, I just find it a fun format to shoot!
During one of my days in White Sands, I was hiking the Alkali Flat Trail and noticed a dune in the distance that was higher than those immediately surrounding it. That was intriguing enough on its own but, as I was considering it, I looked to the San Andreas Mountains in the distance and noticed some compelling symmetry between the shape of the dunes and that of the mountain range. After walking around for a little while, I found a vantage point that best emphasized this symmetry to me. I set up my tripod and camera in that spot and then waited for a much longer time until the passing clouds lit the scene in a way I found appealing.
For more photos from the park, please visit my White Sands gallery.
Image Information
Camera: Fujifilm GFX 100S
Lens: Fujinon GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR
Exposure: 1/220 second at f/11
White Sands National Park
Last Sunday, I returned from New Mexico, where I spent three wonderful days in White Sands National Park. The park has been high on my list of places to go for quite a while, and it exceeded my expectations. The park is often described as "otherworldly," and I think that description is accurate. It is certainly unique. The dunes are comprised of gypsum sand, which gives them their white color. There are only three gypsum dune fields in the world, all of them within the Chihuahuan Desert. White Sands is the largest.
Last Sunday, I returned from New Mexico, where I spent three wonderful days in White Sands National Park. The park has been high on my list of places to go for quite a while, and it exceeded my expectations. The park is often described as "otherworldly," and I think that description is accurate. It is certainly unique. The dunes are comprised of gypsum sand, which gives them their white color. There are only three gypsum dune fields in the world, all of them within the Chihuahuan Desert. White Sands is the largest. While there are established trails in the park, you can also just wander out into the dunes and explore on your own. I did this and was amazed by the expansiveness and quiet of the environment, and the feelings of solitude these qualities provoked. The light is spectacular as well. It changes from moment to moment as the winds move the clouds, creating shifting textures on the landscape. And the evenings, just after the sun sets, are magical. The sky and sands take on pastel hues, and the park somehow seems to become even quieter. This picture from my first evening in White Sands hopefully gives a sense of that feeling. The textures in the fore- and mid-ground are remnants of dunes that have been moved by the wind.
I plan to post more pictures from the park in my newly created White Sands gallery in the coming days, so please check back if you are interested.
Image Information
Camera: Fujifilm GFX 100S
Lens: Fujinon GF 50mm f/3.5 R LM WR
Exposure: 1/8 second at f/11
Rock Harbor Shoreline
Last summer, I spent six days exploring Isle Royale National Park in Michigan. Located in Lake Superior, just below the Canadian border, Isle Royale is one of the more remote and least visited national parks. Comprised of one large island that is 45 miles long by nine miles wide, numerous interior lakes and over 450 smaller islands, the park’s shoreline is one of its distinct features and compelling photographic subjects.
Last summer, I spent six days exploring Isle Royale National Park in Michigan. Located in Lake Superior, just below the Canadian border, Isle Royale is one of the more remote and least visited national parks. Comprised of one large island that is 45 miles long by nine miles wide, numerous interior lakes and over 450 smaller islands, the park’s shoreline is one of its distinct features and compelling photographic subjects. I made this photograph of the shoreline of Rock Harbor on a cloudy evening just before a period of rain set it. I used a polarizing filter to reduce reflections on the water and bring out the rocks below, combined with a strong neutral density filter to give a smooth effect to the surface of the lake and clouds.
Please visit my (gradually expanding) Isle Royale gallery for more photographs from the park.
Image Information
Camera: Fujifilm GFX 100S
Lens: Fujinon GF 30mm f/3.5 R WR
Exposure: 60 seconds at f/16
Cedar Creek
Black and white photograph of Cedar Creek in Congaree National Park. Image details: Large-format, 5x7 photograph taken with a Chamonix 57Fs-2 view camera and Nikon Nikkor-M 300mm f/9 lens on Ilford FP4 Plus film.
Cedar Creek in Congaree National Park
Image Information
Camera: Chamonix 57Fs-2
Lens: Nikon Nikkor-M 300mm f/9
Film: Ilford FP4 Plus