Category Archives: art

art, landscape, nature, photography, travel, writing

guadalupe mountains // an overnighter

Another quick stop I made on the road trip was Guadalupe Mountains National Park, on the border of Texas and New Mexico.

Yet another first for me.  I mean, I’ve passed this park on the long drive from Dallas to El Paso a few times, but never stopped long enough to photograph.

So, on my way from ABQ airport, where I dropped Elle off, to Big Bend National Park, I stopped to stay the night at Pine Springs Campground the Guadalupe Mountains.

I arrived after dark… so the darkened outline of mountains against a big sky full of stars were all I could see…

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The Milky Way shone bright and colorful.

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I got a few hours of sleep, then woke before the sun to find a spot to photograph what is called “the signature peak” of West Texas, El Capitan.

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This exercise reminded me how insanely difficult it is to show up, in the dark, at a brand new location, and expect to find “the perfect” location for a sunrise shot.

I did my very best, but never really felt I came away with the image  wanted.  Oh well… a good excuse to go back and explore this beautiful park!

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I tried several locations, and then decided it was time to move on and high tail it to Big Bend!

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On the way, the ranches of the Chihuahuan Desert beckoned me to stop frequently to shoot…

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I was excited and anxious to get to Big Bend.  Like I’ve said before, I’ve been going to Big Bend every year for the last 10+, with the exception of 2012.

It was high time to get in a good visit to this desert/ mountain/ river paradise.

all images + content © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2013

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art, film, landscape, nature, photography, travel

petrified forest + painted desert

A really great spot we happened upon was Petrified Forest National Park.

You probably won’t want to spend a week there, but it’s a fascinating and beautiful day trip at least.

They do have backcountry camping, but I would not advise it in the summer.

Thankfully, we had great clouds and summer storms to add to the already dramatic landscape.

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Remnants of ancient trees litter the desert…. now huge, colorful stones that were once a lush forest.

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And the painted desert!  Probably my favorite section of this park, for the amazing earthen colors and big blue sky.

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The historic Painted Desert Inn.  Worth a quick stop.  Ask a ranger to show you one of the rooms… amazing!  Great views too.

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all images and content © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2013

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art, photography, random thought, travel

a look back // nyc

I woke up this morning with New York on my mind.

Not sure why.  Perhaps a dream I can’t remember?

But then, while morning interweb surfing, I came across Jay Maisel workshops…. I want to go to there.

More on Jay later.

It reminded me of the amazing times I have had in New York.  And then I started to remember specific images, and I wanted to see them again.

So, sorry if this nostalgic post bores you.  It’s more for me than it is for you :)

Elle has never been, and I haven’t visited since 2010!  So I feel a NYC trip is in order soon…

Until then, however, I’ll remember the feel of this lovely city through a few photographs I made in the past.

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I believe my style has changed quite a bit since these pictures were made on my first visit to NY in 2008, but I loved the gritty feel.

It really captures the way the city felt to me.

Colorful and rich, yet grainy and rough with heavy brush strokes.

New York, to me, feels like humanity in a hyper-state of artistic realism.

A land of living contradiction.

It’s so fast paced, but at any moment, one can feel as though he is moving in slow motion.

It’s hardened and tough, yet I found strangers to be quite friendly and helpful.  It’s hip and trendy… but also the oldest of old-school.

It’s graceful, and at the same time dirty.

Perhaps like a soul.

What is your experience?  What about you NYC dwellers out there?  Is this a more a voyeuristic, outsider-looking-in, idealistic interpretation?

I’d love to hear all of your comments… so HAVE AT IT!!  Thanks for reading…

all images & content © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2013

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art, film, landscape, nature, photography, travel

canyon de chelly // a disappearing act

When I was in college, I worked for a man who frequently raved about Canyon de Chelly National Monument in Arizona.

But I’m rarely passing through Arizona unfortunately, so it doesn’t often pop into my periphery.

On this trip, however, because of my planned route, a visit to the little known canyon that Ansel Adams photographed a half century ago began to materialize.

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Crossing into Navajo country near Four Corners was a whole new experience.

The vast, open, dry plains and amazing monuments rising out of the desert floor were simply awe-inspiring.

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And, at least for a while, the clouds didn’t disappoint.

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But then we got to the canyon…

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This ancient place was inhabited by the Anasazi first, it is believed, several thousand years ago.  Until, they seemingly disappeared.  Just like in Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon.

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Then the Navajo moved in and began cultivating and farming the fertile canyon floor, and are still living off the land there to this day.

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Since the Navajo own, and many of their families inhabit this land, it is illegal to venture into the canyon without a Native guide.

The only exception being the White House hiking trail.  And since we were just passing through, and didn’t have a tour planned, we decided just to hike down.

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It was the wrong time of day to photograph the amazing homes carved into the side of this sheer cliff, but it was fascinating none-the-less.

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The visit really was too short to properly take this magnificent place in, but I’m glad we at least got a glimpse.

It truly is a beautiful and haunting place.

all images and content © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2013

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advanced, art, equipment review, landscape, nature, photography, travel

canon 24 f/1.4L II // field review

Another lens I’ve coveted from a distance for the last few months is the Canon 24mm f/1.4L II (US $1749).

This super fast wide angle prime lens is supposed to be one of the sharpest that Canon has ever produced.  Great for landscape photography, and certainly low-light situations.

And for this, I’ve been dying to test it in the field with my night landscapes.

So, along with the new 500/4, Canon sent me the new 24/1.4 for my Rocky Mountain National Park trip.

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Photo courtesy Canon

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As you can see, it is quite low profile and inconspicuous.  I could see myself using it quite a bit while traveling and walking foreign cities.

While obviously not as versatile as the 24-70/ 2.8, the ease of use, amazing sharpness, and small design make it really appealing to me.

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Forest and Creek, Canon 24mm f/1.4L II, Canon 5D MKII, 13 sec. @ f/22, ISO 200, 77mm Canon Circular Polarizer, 77mm Hoya Pro 1 Digital NDx16

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Forest and Doe, Canon 24mm f/1.4L II, Canon 5D MKII, 1/10 sec. @ f/8, ISO 320, 77mm Canon Circular Polarizer

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Forest Trail, Canon 17-40mm f/4L, Canon 5D MKII, 1/800 sec. @ f/1.4, ISO 160

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Fishing The Alluvial Fan, Canon 24mm f/1.4L II, Canon 5D MKII, 1/5 sec. @ f/22, ISO 50, 77mm Canon Circular Polarizer

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Dream Lake Night, Canon 24mm f/1.4L II, Canon 5D MKII, 15 sec. @ f/1.4, ISO 1000

One of my favorite applications for this lens while in RMNP was capturing the landscape at night.  It’s difficult to achieve a shot like this without a really fast lens, unless you’re wanting a star trail (from the longer exposure time) or a lot of grain and noise (from the super high ISO).  The 24/1.4 was perfect for keeping the grain and noise low while still shooting fast enough to leave the stars in place.  And this was on a night when the moon light was minimal.

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Dream Lake Star Trail, Canon 24mm f/1.4L II, Canon 5D MKII, 240 sec. @ f/5, ISO 250

I was even impressed with its macro capabilities.  With a closest focusing distance at 3 in., gorgeous wildflower shot are possible.  Though not a true macro lens, I was impressed with its close-up abilities.

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Alpine Forget-Me-Not, Canon 24mm f/1.4L II, Canon 5D MKII, 1/640 sec. @ f/2, ISO 100

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Bear Lake, Canon 24mm f/1.4L II, Canon 5D MKII, 1/60sec. @ f/11, ISO 100, 77mm Canon Circular Polarizer

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The Alluvial Fan, Canon 24mm f/1.4L II, Canon 5D MKII, 1/8000 sec. @ f/1.4, ISO 100, 77mm Canon Circular Polarizer

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Half Moon Over Odessa, Canon 24mm f/1.4L II, Canon 5D MKII, 1/250 sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 250

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Odessa Lake Reflection, Canon 24mm f/1.4L II, Canon 5D MKII, 1/50 sec. @ f/4, ISO 400, 77mm Canon Circular Polarizer

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Stars Over Odessa, Canon 24mm f/1.4L II, Canon 5D MKII, 0.4 sec. @ f/1.4, ISO 4000

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Odessa Lake Night Panoramic, Canon 24mm f/1.4L II, Canon 5D MKII, 0.4 sec. @ f/1.4, ISO 3200

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Odessa Lake Sunrise Panoramic, Canon 24mm f/1.4L II, Canon 5D MKII, 1/80 sec. @ f/4, ISO 400, 77mm Canon Circular Polarizer, Singh-Ray 4×6″ Galen Rowell 3 stop Soft-Step Neutral Density filter handheld

I have a suspicion that this lens comes in handy most with weddings because of how insanely fast it is.  But because of its sharpness and relative versatility, it’s a great landscape/ nature lens.  My main issue with this tool was focal length.  At 24mm, I found myself backing up and still wanting to see more.  I may have found it more helpful with landscapes if it were a 20/1.4.  However, it’s not.  So, with that said, I found it to be gorgeous, with just a few limitations.

Overall, the Canon 24mm f/1.4L II is sharp, fast, versatile, and well built.  This lens is a great tool in the Canon arsenal!

For more detailed specs, I again relied on the great people at the-digital-picture.com.  They have fantastic reviews and accurate information.

all content © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2013

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