The wonders of the natural landscape remain one of America’s most alluring attractions to the world. Our national parks host landmarks that are globally unique.
Images 7–1 and 7–2 showcase, arguably, the single-most unique monolith in the world: Half Dome at Yosemite National Park. Ansel Adam’s fame was closely tied to this park, and many of his most iconic images feature it. One tip for photographing landmarks such as Half Dome, which must have been photographed millions of times, is to photograph it when the conditions around it are special. Image 7–1 caught the last few seconds of light before sunset, cast squarely on the Dome and nothing else. Image 7–2 has stunning clouds that are lit by the twilight. Including the small figures in the lower right corner was a plus. They not only give us a reference point for understanding the scale, their obscured identity might also let us get away without model release forms.
Images 7–1 and 7–2 both depict the famed Half Dome at Yosemite National Park. The high horizon in image 7–1 emphasizes the geology, whereas the low horizon in image 7–2 emphasizes the meteorology.
“Our national parks host landmarks that are globally unique.”
Image 7–1. KEYWORDS: California; dusk; forest; glacier; Half Dome; hike; mountain; national park; nature; outdoors; rock; sunset; Trinity Point; U shape valley; valley; Yosemite
Image 7–2. KEYWORDS: geology; glacier; granite; Half Dome; Metamorphic rock; nature; tourist; U shape valley; valley; Yosemite
Oregon’s Crater Lake National Park is another one-of-a-kind natural wonder. Crater Lake is a collapsed volcanic caldera that is now flooded with blue water (caused by minerals dissolved in the lake water). Wizard Island, the volcano within a volcano, is the cone shaped island in the middle of the lake. How fascinating is this unusual assemblage of elements (images 7–3 and 7–4)?
Image 7–3. KEYWORDS: caldera; Crater Lake National Park; national park; nature; Oregon; park; reflection; snow; trees; volcanic; volcanic lake; volcano; winter; Wizard Island
Image 7–4. KEYWORDS: caldera; Crater Lake National Park; national park; nature; Oregon; park; reflection; snow; trees; volcanic; volcanic lake; volcano; winter; Wizard Island
Image 7–5. KEYWORDS: canyon; geology; Grand Canyon; layer; moon; moonrise; national park; rock; sediment; shadow; sunset
Image 7–6. KEYWORDS: canyon; cloud; dusk; geology; Grand Canyon; layer; national park; rock; sediment; shadow, jet trail
The Grand Canyon has the geological history of the world recorded in its layers, which date back 1.8 billion years at the deepest part of the canyon. Images 7–5 and 7–6 depict these intricate layers under the very special conditions provided by the last of the sky’s light after the sun had set.
Image 7–7. KEYWORDS: batholith; Enchanted rock; Fredericksburg; geology; granite; inselberg or monadnock; pluton; rock; stone; Texas; texture
Image 7–8. KEYWORDS: batholith; Enchanted rock; Fredericksburg; geology; granite; inselberg or monadnock; pluton; rock; stone; Texas; texture
The Enchanted Rock State Natural Area in Texas is home to the second largest granite dome in the USA. Climbing on this rock, you might see features like those shown in images 7–7 and 7–8. These peeling-off layers of rock make you feel like a little ant walking on an onion. The color and texture are two supporting attractions that come after the unique forms.
Images 7–9 and 7–10 are saguaros at Saguaro National Park in Arizona. These giant cacti have lots of individuality and many personalities. No wonder some Native Americans regard them as people. These two images showcase them with great simplicity. Isolating the cacti is a great departure from the more common images that depict a whole forest of saguaro.
“Isolating the cacti is a great departure from the more common images.”
Image 7–9. KEYWORDS: cactus; Carnegiea gigantea; desert; moon; plant; Saguaro; Saguaro National Park; sky
Image 7–10. KEYWORDS: cactus; Carnegiea gigantea; desert; plant; Saguaro; Saguaro National Park; sky
Image 7–11. KEYWORDS: California; cavern; cave; limestone; Shasta Lake Cavern; solutional cave
Limestone caverns have amazing formations. They are also one of the hardest scenes to photograph because of the dim illumination and wide scope of view. Our eyes can easily adapt to these challenging conditions, but most cameras aren’t that good. Lo and behold, the Samsung S5 delivered stunning quality in these images. Even zoomed in, the noise level is amazingly low.
“Our eyes can easily adapt to these challenging conditions, but most cameras aren’t that good.”
Image 7–12. KEYWORDS: California; cavern; cave; limestone; Shasta Lake Cavern; solutional cave