Southwest US photos - Part 1

Things are a bit slow here, so I thought I'd show some pix from a recent two-week RV camping trip through California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. All images are taken with my OMD E-M10ii and various lenses, except a few with an IR converted E-PM2. EXIF data will give more details. Click on Original Size to fill the screen.

We did a very similar journey two years ago, back then I also had an FF camera which I sold in the meantime. While it is tempting sometimes, I am pretty happy with the results I got with my small, light & cheap MFT setup so for the time being GAS is under control.

First stop was at the Kern river near Kernville. Whenever I see clouds like this, I think "infrared!".   After a wet Spring the river was still pretty impressive. Not good for swimming...

I frequently take a couple or more shots and combine them afterwards for a) a wider angle view than my lens FL allows and b) to better fill a widescreen monitor. Photoshop works well to merge them.

Going East, our next stop was Death Valley in California. July is a terrible time to go. Arriving here we found out that the AC in our RV only blew hot air. On the bright side, it was not as bad as 2 years ago, only about 110F of dry heat, could have been worse. The campground was almost empty!

Badwater is the lowest point (-282ft) in North America (with the highest point in the lower US, Mt. Whitney, being only 85mi away). Really an otherworldly place. What looks like water isn't something one can drink...

Walking out onto the salt flats is not recommended after 10am. We started around 9:30 so we were okay. It gets pretty hot here, and the sun reflecting from the salt is merciless. Sunglasses, sunscreen, water, and perhaps an umbrella come in handy. Best not to go in July!

Four shot panorama. Is this better than the single shot below? For printing perhaps yes, or slideshows with animation, but on a regular monitor it wastes a lot of screen real estate.

Another must-see in Death Valley is Zabriskie Point. Easy walk up to the viewpoint and so worth it.

Single shot

As soon as the sun goes down life gets a bit more enjoyable. After dinner watching the Milky Way over Furnace Creek. Lot's of light pollution, still a pretty funky galaxy up there.

3-shot merge, Oly 17 Pro wide open

Comments and questions are welcome, and will motivate me to post some more of these vacation snaps.

I love all of these shots. I have never particularly wanted to visit Death Valley, but your photos might make me change my mind.

Oh, and I prefer the pano to the single shot image.

Nice.  I like the milky way panorama from the Furnace Creek visitor center/campground area.  Too bad the light was not so good with the other locations.  In Death Valley, during the super hot summer months, night photography is the best time for pics.  Kudos to you for getting out there in the hot sun.

Thank you for the feedback!! Means a lot.

Our next stop was the fabulous Valley of Fire in Nevada, not far from Las Vegas, but oh so different. Well, it's just as hot, but much less visited in the middle of Summer. Driving into the area it just seems such an incredible colorful splash in midst of the flat gray Nevada desert.

Climbing around in the White Domes area:

What's a desert without cacti... Barrel Cactus, just caught the last flower. Spring is a better time.

Cholla... something best to avoid. Once I playfully kicked one of the fallen off limbs. It stuck to my sandal, and when trying to kick it away it came up and buried itself into my naked toes. Ouch.

Evenings are nice. A large group of Bighorn Sheep climbed next to us through the rocks, searching for food and drink. That was a surprise.

Next morning we strolled over to Atlatl rock and found a bunch of Paleo Graffity (Petroglyphs) in the area behind the official stair and exhibition.

We didn't do as much hiking as I would have liked to since we were a bit time strapped on our way to Zion. I'd love to spend two or three full days here, maybe in Spring, to explore the Park a bit more. Here is a shot from two years ago, the famous "Fire Wave".

Good set, varied imagery and all interesting. The pano image is much preferred compared to the single - I shoot many manual panos.

Love the Milky Way pano, food for thought

kaphinga wrote:

I love all of these shots. I have never particularly wanted to visit Death Valley, but your photos might make me change my mind.

Oh, and I prefer the pano to the single shot image.

Thank you K!

I wouldn't consider Death Valley a sole vacation destination, but if you are in the vicinity, it's definitely worth a visit. For us, it is a good stepping stone to get from coastal California to the destinations in Utah. Same with the Valley of Fire.

Much nicer to go in Spring, but with kids and their vacations sometimes it's tough to avoid Summer.

Our next stop was Zion NP, always a favorite even though it is very popular place. Fortunately private cars are prohibited in the Park during Spring/Summer/Fall, and one can use the free Shuttle Bus service to reach the various highlights.

I am a 3-lens hiker: my kit consists of the Roki 7.5 Fisheye, a "normal" lens, and the small 40-150. Depending on the severity of the hike, I take the super-light PL 15, or the more versatile 12-35 as my "normal" lens.

One of the most frequented hikes in the park is up Angels Landing. "Walters Wiggles" provides an easy way to gain altitude, quickly. Soon the concrete surface disappears for a more authentic trail experience.

So when I want to go light, the PL15 does most of the capturing.

It makes sense to go really early, both to escape the mid-day heat, and the masses pilgrimaging up to enjoy the view. We thought we started early enough (~6:30am) but as you can see, many had the same idea... Time to get in line.

For other subjects a bit of a telephoto range can be useful.

At the destination a bunch of these furry, well-fed rats are waiting for their share of the hikers meals. They are not really timid, climbing into backpacks and whatnot. Matter of fact, they seem to know how cute they are and put up quite a show.

Besides being light, the PL15 is so small that nobody takes it really serious, unlike some of the Pro Zooms. Helps when pointing it at other people.

The problem with this hike is that there are many stretches where only one person can pass, and when there is a line of 50 or 200 hikers waiting to go up or down one can practice a lot of patience. Making matters worse, some of the other popular hikes were closed due to a rough Spring with rockfall and storm damage.

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The 12-35 provides good IQ and flexibility and it was by far my most-used lens.

Female (above) and male (behind and below) Collared Lizard. They were not shy at all and seemed to enjoy themselves a lot without worrying about all those humans. I can't remember them as bold and colorful from previous visits to the Park... always something new.

No problems shooting wide open - sharp corner to corner, and still enough DOF.

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The wet Spring also kept the water level of the Virgin River higher than usual, so we did not (as we had planned) hike the Narrows. Sneaking in a shot from 2 years ago, when we spent a wonderful day hiking in the river.

Best captured with a Fisheye lens - here the Rokinon 7.5.

One can easily spend a week or more in Zion NP, so much too soon we had to continue to our next destinations. On the way out East we passed the Canyon Overlook (all parking spots taken) but did a short hike/climb up Checkerboard Mesa.

Another 2-shot merge for a wider composition. More MP too, but then it gets down-sampled anyway. 12 or 16 MP are more than enough for me...

Thanks for looking...

Just a few more... Next stop was Capitol Reef NP. While not as popular as some of the other big ones, it is very impressive and not quite as overcrowded.

Typical postcard... just to give an idea about the area. The whole Colorado Plateau is a Geologists dream, with 2-billion year old rock exposed in some places.

Impressive Stanleya in the evening sun...

This may have been nicer with a bit narrower DoF. Perhaps I should cheat a bit with some Gaussian blur?

Cassidy Arch is a popular destination for regular hikers, and thrill-seeking rock climbers. One of the many occasions where a photo cannot do it justice. The views!

Two shots merged to get a slightly taller view than the 15mm FL allows

Continuing to Canyonlands and Arches NP... On this trip I talked to a few fellow Olympus shooters. One with an EM5 with the 7-14 Pro lens, the other had an EM1ii with a 12-40 and 40-150 Pro. Friendly folks who didn't mind exchanging cameras and lenses for a closer look.

1960 Matador? A bit de-saturated , but not much to be done about the road surface painting.

Impressive arches right next to the Devils Garden campground.

2-shot merge, IR converted EPM2 with kit lens. Nik Silver Efex to touch it up.

Tension released in Summer Lightning. After watching it for a long time from inside the camper, I finally got up at around 3 and did a few captures. I think it was worth it...

Live Comp makes this relatively easy...