View allAll Photos Tagged whitepocket
I love how I can keep going back to White Pocket and finding something new to photograph. This little arch caught my eye, especially with the dark storm clouds behind it.
A lone tree in the most perfect place at White Pocket. It’s like it knew where to grow to be the most photogenic.
This might be my favorite shot from White Pocket. I was lucky to find three pools of water in the area, two of which made for some very nice reflection shots…and a nice way for my dogs to cool off in the desert heat! ;) I loved how on this morning the clouds did that pillowy thing almost mimicking the pillowed shape of the stone. It was a lovely morning wandering about this amazing place without another soul around.
Thanks as always for stopping by for a look!
© Jean Day ~ Please see my profile page for prints and licensing.
Jean Day Landscape Photography * 500px * 72dpi * Google+ * Facebook
Out of everything on this trip, and usually, on most trips, what I look forward to the most is an experience with pure wilderness. On this trip, that came in the form of Vermillion Cliffs National Monument and White Pocket.
Coincidentally, it’s also the Bureau of Land Management’s anniversary, today. The BLM is under The Department of the Interior, but is managed differently than The National Park Service. With this in mind, public land usage on BLM land can include grazing, fracking, mining, and could even be sold off by the federal government, which is currently a possibility. On the anniversary of this arm of The Department of The Interior, it’s an apt time to remember what their mission statement is: “to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.”
To me, that reads no differently than 1916 Organic Act that created The National Park Service and protects the wonders of the American landscape. And when you consider places like White Pocket, nestled in the wilderness of Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, it should be apparent that no matter what branch of Interior is caring for it, the importance of saving and protecting these landscapes is paramount.
Buried deep in the wilderness of Arizona and down wild dirt roads that require a 4×4, White Pocket is a surreal and ethereal wonderland of carved and sculptural sandstone, stretching and undulating almost as far as the eye can see. It’s impossible to go to this amazing place and not be spellbound and to not let your imagination wander and try and make sense of the exquisite colors and textures at your feet. Places like this are a gift and a challenge. This is what is so vital and what needs to be protected at all costs.
THIS IS WHAT WE ARE FIGHTING FOR. Speak up and defend what is yours.
As the year draws to an end, it is time to look back.
In 2016, I have been able to visit and photograph some unforgettable places. One of the best experiences certainly was my overnight trip to White Pocket with David Swindler from actionphototours.com. David not only brought me to one of the most incredible landscapes I have ever seen, but he also made me a much better photographer in just two days...
Furthermore, I was lucky enough to be able to expand my possibilities with some new equipment. My astro-modified Canon EOS 6D, together with two new lenses, a Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 and a Samyang 24mm f/1.4 have quickly become my workhorses. They have enabled me to take images I would not have thought to be within reach of my skills just one year ago.
So the choice for my final post for this year was an obvious one: It had to be White Pocket at night taken with the equipment I bought this year.
- Astro modified Canon EOS 6D
- Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8
- Sky: 4 x 20s @ ISO6400 stacked with fitswork
- Reflection: 2 x 40s @ ISO6400 stacked with fitswork
- Foreground: 1 x 180s @ ISO1600 & 5 x 40s @ ISO6400 stacked in PS
Thanks to all my followers and visitors for your support.
A Happy New Year to all!
On our vacation to Utah we took a trip to White Pocket, Arizona. It was a very beautiful place, with amazing and unique landscape of sandstone. We were going to rent a 4x4 but decided to hire a guide from Dreamland Safari Tours out of Kanab Utah www.dreamlandtours.net/ . Our guide was Andrea, she was great.
you can buy my art at james-sage.pixels.com
This is a picture taken from White Pocket in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona. The layers of the rocks tell millions of years of earth history.
This rock formation at White Pocket is called the "Octopus" for its shape and radiating arms. When we got there in the morning, it was clear blue skies but an approaching snowstorm at sunset brought some exquisite light to these rocks.
After substantial rains in May and early June, I had the luxury of some reflection shots.....albeit with a bland sky. This is an image taken late in the day. The next morning is also featured in my photostream.
As nightfall prevailed a front of Altocumulus mid-level clouds refract some of the last rays of a setting sun to create a dramatic sky to backdrop the splendor of the Citadel mounds. Hoof holes on the brain stone create a visual leading line to the twin mounds. Learn more about this image on the expose post page on my website sonyphotographer.info.
Interesting geology at White Pocket, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument.
See previous photo for a wider shot.
Shortly before astronomical dawn, a thin haze started to cover the sky, slightly blurring the stars. While I normally prefer the sharp and crisp stars of an absolutely clear sky, I kind of like the contrast between the alien looking foreground and the dreamy looking sky.
The image was taken during my overnight trip to the White Pocket area on the Paria Plateau in Arizona. Two LED panels were used for Low Level Lighting of the foreground.
Astro modified Canon EOS 6D
Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 @ 15mm
Sky:
Stack of 10 x 20s @ ISO6400
Foreground:
1 x 80s @ ISO1600
Thanks for all the kind comments and faves.
Walking into the center of the White Pocket is like stepping into another world. Incidentally, this shot shows the landmark's namesake; a pocket in this part of the world is a rocky place that holds rainwater puddles.
If you get out your map of Arizona and look up north along the Utah border for the biggest open area, with no development, then put your finger in the middle of that space, you’ll find the remote and unspoiled 280,000-acre Vermillion Cliffs National Monument. 490 square miles of geologic treasure, with some of the most spectacular trails and views in the world. If you look very closely, you’ll find White Pocket. A unique landscape like no other on Earth. It’s 35 miles on rough dirt and sand roads from the highway, should take you about an hour and a half in your four-wheel drive. It’s an astoundingly wondrous place.
I never knew that sky could look like this. I have never seen such rich browns, purples, oranges, reds, pinks, all on display in a way that defied explanation and doubled the heartbeat. Twisted tubes of turbulent air, brightly colored rain bands, a mix of light and ink-dark clouds, lightning, and fierce winds. On this very special afternoon, two critical elements combined: a break at the western horizon perfectly timed at sunset plus an incredible fast moving and fast brewing storm above Page, AZ. It was forming so quickly that even mere 15 minutes before this spectacle began, I was still determined to shoot the last bite elsewhere. However, when I saw the almost black clouds forming so fast and expanding over White Pocket, I became one of those comical panting sprinting photographers who carry a baton called tripod. I ran in a Usain Bolt style to the famous resilient pine tree that saves the day when you (again) do not know what to compose directly east. Like the clouds twisted by turbulence, I twisted the famous composition to have the tree appear on fire. I was on fire as well witnessing the inferno, the gateway to hell, the unimaginable, your wildest dreams. The only one at White Pocket, I was scared looking up the menacing vortex, but I knew that I had to preserve this moment for mankind. For myself. For all of you who love nature and stand in awe before violent but beautiful weather.
What you are looking at is my personal thunderstorm, which I called Olaf after the snowman character in Frozen. Olaf formed from a small inconspicuous cloud two hours before sunset right above the White Pocket Monolith. Most importantly, Olaf was a stationary storm stuck in the same spot. Stationary storms are g r e a t because one can always use them - just hike/drive around to position them where you want/need them to be. In my case, I did not have to do anything. Olaf settled down exactly where I would ask him to. The second key ingredient was the absence of wind and the presence of water that filled up empty puddles at White Pocket in late June. Olaf kept illuminating the sandstone playground for hours and well into the night. When it got too dark to shoot anything but lightning bolts, I put the lens cap on, bowed, and thanked Nature for this rare and memorable opportunity.
Some of you asked about the blues. This is because Olaf was also small. The blues are simply the blue sky shining through and reflecting. You will get the whole picture when I post more images from this day.
Aiming for a Fibonacci spiral from ten vertical panels is hard. But here you go. This was my handshake with White Pocket last summer. A mix of warm and cold, lines and curves, light and shadows, excitement and calmness. In case you are wondering what is with that f18 ... the foreground is very close and there was no time to focus and exposure bracket and pano all at the same time.
There's good reason why White Pocket is one of my most popular tours. It's off the beaten path, hard to get to, and offers so much photographic potential. Here's a shot showcasing the many layers you get in the brainrock out here.
I met this little guy on a remote planet named Arizona. Communication with the rocky lifeform was not easy, but if I understood him correctly, he was visiting from somewhere north of the Sadr the region.
He was very calm until that huge black cloud creeped in and slowly started eating up the Milky Way. I tried to calm him down by telling the story about the intelligent Black Cloud from Fred Hoyle's equally named science-fiction novel. That did not seem to help, though, and the little guy decided to call home for help. His pose kind of reminded me of E.T., although I was missing the glowing finger...
EXIF
Canon EOS-R, astro-modified
Tamron 15-30mm, f/2.8
IDAS NBZ filter
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Sky
2 panel panorama, each a stack of 10x 90s @ ISO1600, unfiltered & 5x 180s @ ISO6400, filtered.
On our vacation to Utah we took a trip to White Pocket, Arizona. It was a very beautiful place, with amazing and unique landscape of sandstone. We were going to rent a 4x4 but decided to hire a guide from Dreamland Safari Tours out of Kanab Utah www.dreamlandtours.net/ . Our guide was Andrea, she was great.
you can buy my art at james-sage.pixels.com
This is the end of the light show from "On Fire". The short but intense fireworks ended with the most yummy pinks in the sky I have ever seen.
A surreal landscape of swirling sandstone lies at the end of a rugged 4x4 road in a remote area on the Utah-Arizona border. I've wanted to visit the White Pocket for quite a long time, but my Subaru Forester was apprehensive about the many miles of deep sand, wet mud and sharp rocks. I know all too well that getting bogged down in the middle of nowhere is a colossal headache. But after seeing one too many great photos of that spectacular place, I loaded up last weekend and dove headlong into the deep sand. The Subaru handled the road beautifully. Now I can't wait to tackle another rugged backcountry road--you know, the kind that leads right to a www.lonesomelandscapes.com
Looking north from White Pocket on the Paria Plateau, toward Paria Canyon and the progression of mesas that make up the Escalante Staircase, with the skyline near Bryce Canyon.
The formations of White Pocket defy any logical explanation (at least for someone lacking a background in geology). The rock is all of a similar age (Navajo Sandstone), with variation in the white, orange, and red associated with different chemical states of iron, due to different amounts of oxygen in the sediment. The twisting of the layers, along with the variation in color, make it very unique and beautiful. The deformation (twisting) occurred when the sand was saturated with water and prior to its becoming rock. Some interesting potential explanations for the magnitude of the twisting and contortions include a massive landslide triggered by an earthquake, a meteorite impact, or an extreme precipitation event. See cedarandsand.blogspot.com/2012/07/white-pocket-confounds.... for an interesting discussion of the geology of White Pocket.
Decided to inject some red into my feed! :)
A colorful sunrise in the northern Arizona red rock desert fills the landscape with rich reds and purples. While visiting White Pocket in northern Arizona, the light often did not cooperate, but on this morning, the sky filled with beautiful colors to accentuate the sandstone formations.
🇬🇧 Well, we start with the first photo of the recent trip to the West Coast of the United States with Felipe, Paco and Delfin.
This photo is the first contact we had there, it was an afternoon when the sun was shining, I was exploring many sites, it was not easy to choose because they were all good. The case that little by little and without predicting it well (because I didn't look too much at the sky) clouds and good light suddenly appeared, but only in certain directions, so I had to act fast and look for compositions, I omitted the tripod raising a little the ISO to work faster and this was the photo I took.
🇪🇸 Pues empezamos con la primera foto del reciente viaje a La Costa Oeste de Estados Unidos junto a @felipesoutophoto , @pacofernandezalmeria y @delfingarcia60
Un buen sitio para elegir una foto era White Pocket, después de estar dos días casi enteros allí, os podréis imaginar que las tarjetas SD llegaron a rebosar.
Esta foto es el del primer contacto que tuvimos allí, era una tarde que pegaba bien el sol, estuve explorando numerosos sitios, no era fácil elegir porque todos eran buenos . El caso que poco a poco y sin predecirlo bien (porque no miré demasiado al cielo) aparecieron nubes y buena luz de repente, pero solo en ciertas direcciones, así que hubo que actuar rápido y buscar compos, omití el trípode subiendo un pelín la ISO para trabajar mas rápido y esta fue la foto que saqué.
This was what I call a surgical visit. I was visiting Capitol Reef but the forecast looked good for the Paria Wilderness. I drove for one day from Escalante to White Pocket just to catch the light. It was rainy before sunset but the hope was there. The sun managed to penetrate the clouds just for a few seconds. And when this happens, the magic happens. The only sad moment came when I realized that this famous tree has died. The drought was just too much.
Early morning light hitting the creases and folds of White Pocket while two photographers search for the perfect composition.
Sandstone is nature's art medium. Formed in layers and sculpted by the elements, it comes in every shape and color. In the Vermilion Cliffs of southern Utah and northern Arizona, ancient winds created large sand dunes of alternating layers. Gravity and water caused them to flow and bend, creating swirls and folds like cream in coffee. The dunes eventually petrified. Now the forces of erosion are revealing the amazing patterns hidden within.
This is another image taken during what I call the "Salmon Light" phase of twilight. While dim, the light is very balanced and luminous during this time. Exposures of 30 seconds or more bring the glow to life. Some of my photography is done in high dynamic range light situations that require the blending of multiple exposures. When photographing in a high place with an open sky during twilight quite the opposite is true. The light in this scene was very soft, balanced and low dynamic range, well contained within a single exposure. Developing mostly involved bringing out contrast as well as color balance and saturation work and some dodging in the foreground areas.