Monthly Archives: April 2022

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April 24, 2022

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Photographic Thoughts — 04/17/2022 to 04/23/2022

“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” — Annie Leibovitz

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

This week we visit the north rim of the Grand Canyon.

Sunday, 04/17/2022: Posted photo — Bison outside the Park.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/6, 1/500 s, 300 mm.

This week I am posting from a trip we took to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Not many people go to the north rim since it is not near any population area. To drive from the north rim to the south rim of the Grand Canyon takes about 8 hours from closest entrance to closes entrance.

Before you get the sign for the north rim, you go past a bison farm. What a majestic animal to see up close.

Monday, 04/18/2022: Posted photo — North Rim Entrance.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/60 s, 32 mm.

Here is the sign for the north rim. I have signs from all the national parks that I have entered. It is a good way to remember what parks the following photos were taken. I also like to take photos of signs along the trails.

Tuesday, 04/19/2022: Posted photo — View from our Campsite.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/8, 1/100 s, 55 mm.

This is the view we had when we woke up the few days we were at the north rim. Not a bad view!

Wednesday, 04/20/2022: Posted photo — Prehistoric Ruin.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/6.3, 1/100 s, 20 mm.

We were walking the Transept Trail to Bright Angel Point to head into the canyon. We saw a sign for ruins that were used 1000 years ago by Pueblo people. There are many historical ruins in Grand Canyon National Park and other parks in the area.

Thursday, 04/21/2022: Posted photo — Western Tanager.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/6.3, 1/320 s, 300 mm.

As we were approaching the trailhead area, I spotted this colorful bird in a bush. I like how colorful it is. I have sold a few prints of this photo during some of my gallery showings.

Friday, 04/22/2022: Post photo — Lightning.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/10, 1/400 s, 70 mm.

We did not go down into the canyon because of storms in the area. There was tornado and severe thunderstorm warning in the area. When this storm was approaching, I took out my camera and started to take photos. I did not see the second bolt of lightning until I looked at the photo on my computer.

Saturday, 04/23/2022: Post photo — View of the Canyon.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/8, 1/125 s, 40 mm.

As we were leaving the canyon to go from the north rim to the south rim, we stopped an looked at the temples.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

For more photo of other project I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

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April 17, 2022

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Photographic Thoughts — 04/10/2022 to 04/15/2022

“We are making photographs to understand what our lives mean to us.” — Ralph Hattersley

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

Happy and blessed Easter Sunday to your all. Here are my thought from last week. This week’s post has somethings new and somethings old.

Sunday, 04/10/2022: Posted photo — Daffodil.

Settings: Google Pixel 2, ISO 37, f/1.8, 1/125 s, 4 mm.

Sign of spring, our daffodils are blooming. I have not gotten out of the house much these last few months. Was able to get out today to walk around our yard. Nice to see plants flowering. We do have more daffodils and tulip in front of our house that I have been watching as I walk from the car to inside the house. I have not noticed any crocus this year. I must have been inside when they were blooming.

Monday, 04/11/2022: Posted photo — Roadblock.

Settings: Google Pixel 2, ISO 62, f/1.8, 1/198 s, 4 mm.

The turkeys are back. On my way into work, we ran into this rafter of turkeys. I am still not driving so I took this photo from the passenger seat.

Tuesday, 04/12/2022: Posted photo — The Cause of My Pain.

Settings: Google Pixel 2, ISO 251, f/1.8, 1/120 s, 4 mm.

I have not looked at my microspikes since my accident. There were put in the back seat of my car when one of my hiking companions drove my car back to my house. I just left them there since the car was not used that often. My car has a manual transmission, so I am not able to shift since I cannot use my left foot for the clutch. We are trading in my car for one with an automatic transmission so I can drive myself to work.

I took out my microspikes to see if they were broken. The first one I looked at had a stick embedded in one of the spikes. The was why I went down, no spike available to grip the ice! What a freak accident. I am glad that I know what happened and happy that it was not an equipment malfunction.

Wednesday, 04/13/2022: Posted photo — Hoodoos.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/8, 1/160 s, 37 mm.

These are hoodoos in Goblin Valley State Park. Goblin Valley State Park is in Green River, UT. Goblin Valley was the set for the movie “Galaxy Quest”, one of our favorite movies. We were surprised that we were able to into the goblins, which we did, and we reenacted some scenes from the movie. The park features thousands of hoodoos, referred to locally as goblins, which are formations of mushroom-shaped rock pinnacles, some as tall as several yards.

Thursday, 04/14/2022: Posted photo — Sunrise.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/16, 1/2000 s, 300 mm.

This is the sunrise from Goblin Valley. We had a wonderful dark sky night and a great sunrise.

Friday, 04/15/2022: Post photo — Delicate Arch.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/200 s, 300 mm.

This is as close as we were to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. Delicate Arch is a 52-foot-tall freestanding natural arch. What you do not see is the drop off just after the arch. Delicate Arch stands at the edge of a cliff. We arrived in the park late and did not do the hike out to the arch. We did other hikes in the park the couple of days we were there. The longest hike was about a 10-mile hike in extremely hot weather. We followed the rule of at least one gallon of water per person per day. I carried the water and my wife and son carried other supplies during our hike.

Saturday, 04/16/2022: Post photo — Upper Slot Canyon.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 640, f/3.5, 1/25 s, 18 mm.

We found Antelope Slot Canyon by accident. We were looking for grocery stores in the area as we were traveling between the north and south rim of the Grand Canyon. We saw pickup truck that had Antelope Slot Canyon on then. My wife had a friend that went to a canyon in that area that looked like a great stop for us. We did some research and found out the canyon was Antilope Slot Canyon. We arrived in Page, AZ midday to the upper slot canyon was the only place we could get tickets. I know of others that have gone to lower slot and they also looked impressive. Need to go back to visit.

For those of you who know the area, we did not go to Horseshoe Bend since we were just camping at Goosenecks State Park a few nights before.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

For more photo of other project I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

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April 10, 2022

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Photographic Thoughts — 04/03/2022 to 04/09/2022

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” — Aaron Siskind

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

Here are some more photos of a road trip we took. Looking forward to traveling again this summer. Hiking will be limited, but I will pick up my 50th state (North Dakota).

This week’s blog will only contain information that I have referenced off various web sites. This was the easiest way for me to describe each location. I could ramble on and on about the wonders and beauties of each of these parks.

Sunday, 04/03/2022: Posted photo — Monument Valley.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/400 s, 150 mm.

“Monument Valley, a red-sand desert region on the Arizona-Utah border, is known for the towering sandstone buttes of Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. The park, frequently a filming location for Western movies, is accessed by the looping, 17-mile Valley Drive. The famous, steeply sloped Mittens buttes can be viewed from the road or from overlooks such as John Ford’s Point.” ― Google

Monday, 04/04/2022: Posted photo — Goosnecks State Park.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/11, 1/250 s, 18 mm.

“On the edge of a deep canyon above the sinuous river meander known as a gooseneck, this small park affords impressive views of one of the most striking examples of an entrenched river meander on the North American continent. The San Juan River twists and turns through the meander, flowing a distance of over six miles while advancing one and a half miles west on its way to Lake Powell. Gaze at the results of 300 million years of geological activity, where the San Juan River winds and carves its way through the desert 1,000 feet below.” — https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/goosenecks/

Tuesday, 04/05/2022: Posted photo — Balance Rock.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 100, f/8, 1/125 s, 45 mm.

Arches National Park

“Balanced Rock, one of the most iconic features in the park, stands a staggering 128 feet (39m) tall. While this formation may appear to be an epic balancing act, it’s actually not balanced at all. The slick rock boulder of Entrada Sandstone sits attached to its eroding pedestal of Dewey Bridge mudstone. The exposure of these two rock strata layers are ideal for the formation of arches and balanced rocks.” — https://www.nps.gov/arch/planyourvisit/balancedrock.htm

Wednesday, 04/06/2022: Posted photo — Landscape Arch.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/8, 1/125 s, 24 mm.

Arches National Park

“Landscape Arch is the longest arch in North America with a light opening of 306 feet (93.3 meters). This awe-inspiring expanse is only 6 feet (1.8 meters) in diameter at its narrowest. Large segments of the arch came crashing down in the 1990s – proof that the park’s landscape can change dramatically in a instant. Although other arches have fallen, Landscape Arch still hangs on by a very thin thread.” — https://www.nps.gov/arch/planyourvisit/devils-garden.htm

Thursday, 04/07/2022: Posted photo — Amphitheater.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/10, 1/200 s, 42 mm.

Bryce Canyon National Park

“By far the most iconic section of the park, the Bryce Amphitheater is home to the greatest concentration of irregular rock spires (called “hoodoos”) found anywhere on Earth. Viewpoints along the first 3 miles (4.8 km) of the main road provide access to views overlooking this area. This area is referred to as an “amphitheater” as it is a bowl-shaped area shaped by the drainage of seasonal rains and melting snow (not truly a canyon, as those are shaped by flowing rivers)” — https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/see-the-bryce-amphitheater.htm

Friday, 04/08/2022: Post photo — View from Navajo Bridge.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/10, 1/125 s, 48 mm.

View from the Navajo Bridge

“Those traveling across the country on Highway 89A between Bitter Springs and Jacob Lake, AZ arrive at two bridges similar in appearance spanning the Colorado River. These two bridges, one historic and one new, represent one of only seven land crossings of the Colorado River for 750 miles (1207 km).” — https://www.nps.gov/glca/learn/historyculture/navajobridge.htm

Saturday, 04/09/2022: Post photo — Carlsbad Caverns.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/4.5, 6 s, 33 mm.

“High ancient sea ledges, deep rocky canyons, flowering cactus, and desert wildlife—treasures above the ground in the Chihuahuan Desert. Hidden beneath the surface are more than 119 caves—formed when sulfuric acid dissolved limestone leaving behind caverns of all sizes.” — https://www.nps.gov/cave/index.htm

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

For more photo of other project I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

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April 3, 2022

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Photographic Thoughts — 03/27/2022 to 04/02/2022

“Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality truly is.” — Anonymous

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

This week I will be posting a few highlights of one of my trips. We called this trip our norther National Part trip. We traveled through Montana, Alberta, Banff, Jasper, Washington state, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa during this trip. This trip included visits to many national parks in the United States and Canada, visiting family, visiting natural movie sets, and when to an amusement park in the Mall of America in which I held with the design of a few of the rides.

Sunday, 03/27/2022: Posted photo — Lake McDonald.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 100, f/8, 1/400 s, 75 mm.

The first stop on our northern national park tour was in Glacier National Park in Montana. What a wonderful park. It does have many glaciers, some growing and some receding.

Monday, 03/28/2022: Posted photo — Mountain Goat.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 100, f/5, 1/125 s, 200 mm.

While we were in Glacier National Park, we took a hike out to Hidden Lake. On the way out to the lake, we had a few mountain goats walk along the trail with us.

Tuesday, 03/29/2022: Posted photo — Hidden Lake.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 100, f/9, 1/160 s, 25 mm.

This was a destination, Hidden Lake in Glacier National Park. For your information, this hike took place on July 4 and we did most of our hiking in the snow.

Wednesday, 03/30/2022: Posted photo — Johnston Canyon, Lower Falls.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/11, 1/4 s, 33 mm.

Johnston Canyon to Lower Falls is an extremely popular and scenic trail in Banff National Park, in addition to being one of the busiest in the Canadian Rockies. We were driving around Banff and found the falls. We camped in Baff on our way to Jasper National Park.

Thursday, 03/31/2022: Posted photo — Lake Louise.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/13, 1/250 s, 29 mm.

Lake Louise is world famous for its turquoise lakes, the Victoria Glacier, soaring mountain backdrop. We went to Lake Louise on a weekend, so it was very busy. We took a few photos and then went on our way.

Friday, 04/01/2022: Post photo — Diablo Lake.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/13, 1/250 s, 35 mm.

On our way back from visiting family in Bellingham Washington, we took a trip to Northern Cascades National Park. One of the hikes we took was out to Diablo Lake.

From an information search, it was verified that Diablo Lake is a reservoir in the North Cascade mountains of northern Washington state. It was created by Diablo Dam and is located between Ross Lake and Gorge Lake on the Skagit River at an elevation of 1,201 feet above sea level.

I really like the color of the water in the lake.

Saturday, 04/02/2022: Post photo — Mount Rainier.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/11, 1/250 s, 42 mm.

Mount Rainier National Park. I am impressed every time I see this mountain. Either up close or from the city of Seattle. One time we flew past the mountain. That must have taken about five minutes to do since the girth on the mountain is so great.

Mount Rainier is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest standing at 14,411′ in elevation. The volcano last erupted in 1894, and when Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980, all eyes were on Mount Rainier since the mountains are in the same chain. It is very interesting to camp in an area that has warnings about the possibility of lava flow. If the mountain erupted, I would think that the lava flow would be the least of our worries.

When we travel to Mount Rainier, we like to visit the Paradise area. I have photographed a few waterfalls in Paradise. When we visited this time, the snow was still very deep. Remember, this was early to mid-July. There was one waterfall that I wanted to photograph in the snow, and I could not find it. I had the GPS coordinates from the times before that I took photos of it. Looking at the GPS coordinates, I came to realize that I was standing on top of the falls.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

For more photo of other project I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.