• A Race Against Time [In A Moving Car] • (Revisited)

It seems that a lot of people on here go through their archives at the end of the year to post shots they may have overlooked, forgotten to post or are favorites worthy of a reposting. I like all those ideas and despite going through my archives quite often--especially when I haven't shot a ton lately--I wanted to start sharing both some from along the way and also re-edited versions of shots I've already posted at some point. Also, the dog and I began our 4,000+ mile road trip a year ago today and it's really hard to believe. A lot has changed over the year photography-wise but also in just about every other regard and it was really challenging and almost overwhelming at times. It doesn't feel like that trip was one year ago already and most of the details and experiences are still very fresh in my mind. Most importantly, the old dog who's now been on over 100,000+ miles of roadtrips with me is not only still around but after throat surgery a month ago, is getting better and better each day.

 

I still consider myself pretty new to photography since before a few years ago, my only connection to photography was using a point and shoot to capture Scotch wherever we went, always on automatic settings. About 2 years ago, I finally decided to switch over to manual and went in with no real expectations and certainly zero knowledge of how photography worked. Like none. For the year leading up to my move to California with Scotch, I practiced every type I could, slowly teaching myself the basics and improving a bit each time I went out. I don't delete photos so I can often go through my lightroom archive and see the shots from the first time I used manual focus, used a tripod, went out for night photography, long exposures etc and it's both gratifying and frustrating to see the progression. Gratifying in the sense that I know I've progressed a lot but frustrating because so many shots were taken with weird settings or poorly chosen styles of shooting and also I know the the amount I still have yet to learn is far greater than the amount I already have.

 

In the last year living in Southern California, my abilities have improved more than I expected, my shot selection and efficiency are much better but perhaps most noticeably, my style of editing has changed drastically. It makes things easier when photos are shot better of course, but learning how to edit seems a lot like learning to photograph. Each step along the way can be slow and erratic and like photography, when I'd figure something out that I was trying to do after many attempts, it feels like a breakthrough of sorts. Many of the shots I took even less than a year ago that I really loved at the time are no longer images I enjoy seeing. While I feel like I'm getting closer to a style I can keep and just polish, I know it's well down the road and it's frustrating to think that many shots I post and love now might be images I hate in a year.

 

This was shot was taken on December 23rd and towards the end of my 10 day journey across the country as I'd arrived in Hollywood on Christmas Eve. The highlights for me along the way were the times spent in New Mexico and Arizona even if the dog and I were pretty cranky from terrible weather, awful hotels, high altitude and an amazing amount of time spent inside the car. The conditions in both New Mexico and Arizona were on the extreme end and it seemed like the wind never dipped below 25mph and the windchill never got about 40 degrees. Even getting out of the car to put down the tripod and shoot were difficult and my choice for settings very limited. The dark overcast skies mixed with the really gusty winds often meant the biggest aperture I could get and really quick shutter speeds. I could actually see the camera shaking in the wind, so many shots were set up quickly and not at all how I intended. The weather also made it difficult to stay in one place for long and I couldn't get try many of the shots I wanted to.

 

If you are going to visit a national park, a few days before christmas in the middle of nowhere with terrible weather is the way to go. There was almost no one in there when we went past the gate and having never really been to a national park like this, I almost expected to just drive the 28 or so miles enjoying the view and not get out of the warm car. It was late afternoon when we got there and the park only stayed open until 5 but as soon as I got to the first overlook, my plans changed and I began a slow crawl from one overlook to the next, not budgeting my time whatsoever. About 15 minutes before the park was set to close, I realized I had only driven about 4 of the 28 miles and called the information center when I found a stretch with cell reception to make sure I would've get "locked" in. I was told I wouldn't get locked in but would have to remain in the car after 5 and make my way to the exit. Of course this was right at sundown and heading in the direction facing it so I was constantly slowing down to a near stop to try and take shots out the driverside window or stopping quickly when there were no cars in sight to get a better shot. I was in fact moving in this one which is why there's so little detail in the foreground. I had some settings set to manual but was using auto focus after 5pm since I couldn't stop and I figured it's better to at least try rather than have no photos from this part of the park. I didn't know if/when I'd ever be back there and I felt obligated to document as much as I could before exiting. In retrospect, I wish I had either stayed an extra day in Arizona and gone back the following morning or just stopped at areas like this to set up the tripod and take whatever warning any ranger might give me. the 24 miles I covered at the end were amazing to see and I regretting not pacing myself better at the beginning. It still looks a little painting-like/cartoonish to me but it's way better and more accurate than the first post was and I wanted to show this again in a re-edited form. Hopefully I'll still like this one in a year :)

 

WHEN & WHERE

Petrified Forest National Park

Holbrook, Arizona

December 23rd, 2015

WIND: 24mph

TEMP: 34°F

TIME: 5:20pm

 

SETTINGS

Canon T4i

EF-S 18-135mm IS STM

@50mm

ISO 320

f/5

1/60th second

CPL

 

 

Done