We
decided to separate our images for the Moab blog. No, we didn't have a fight; we just wanted to
show Moab
as it was seen by the individual and not have one camera type compete or be
compared with the other.
It's been 12-months since I got the Sony A7r and gave up the Canon 1DsIII and couldn't be happier. Lighter weight,
smaller and high resolution are all things that were on the wish list and all
were met.
Since we
live near Tucson Arizona
the drive to Moab takes us
through the Navajo Nation near Chinle,
AZ. Driving Route 191 north takes you through a
diverse scenic landscape dotted that hasn't seen change in
years; vast countryside dotted with
sandstone monuments and a horizon that stretches for miles. Time it right and you'll encounter stunning
sunrise or sunsets.
We were
fortunate enough to experience the tail end of a stunning sunrise as we made
our way north into Utah and Moab.
Sony A7r
FE24-70 (24mm) f/4 1/160 ISO 50
We timed
our arrival in the Moab
area getting there late morning driving out to Anticline Overlook which is
approximately 25-miles off Route 191.
The road is marked at the beginning for Needles and Anticline with
Anticline being the furthest. After
viewing both overlooks we like the view from Anticline the best and decided to
go there. The road is part paved and
part hard packed dirt with the majority covered in a combination of snow, ice
and in some spots mud. However, the view
is worth the trouble.
We
decided to park and walk into the area where this tree was located, a short
uphill walk off the road to the overlooks.
Sony A7r
FE24-70 (39mm) f/4.5 1/250 ISO 50
And then
there's the view from Anticline Overlook at high-noon
Sony A7r
FE24-70 (43mm) f/8 1/250 ISO 50
The
following day was spent exploring the Needles District of Canyonlands National
Park. One of the neat things to see is Newspaper Rock State Park
on the drive to Needles. Best
time to photograph this unique spot is in the morning as the sun is rising. You
might also want to bring a wide lens with you.
Sony A7r
FE16-35 (16mm) f/11 1/200 ISO set to auto (2000)
Walk off
the path in Needles and you'll find an Ancestral Puebloan granary tucked into a
ledge above a dry wash. We learned the
area around Needles has dozens of similar storage yet few dwellings.
Sony A7r
FE24-70 (66mm) f/22 1/3200 ISO set to auto (6400)
The rest
of our too short stay was taken up visiting Arches
National Park where we visited Park Avenue ...
Sony A7r
FE24-70 (48mm) 3-shot panorama f/5.6 1/100 ISO 50
Here's a
sample of the vastness of Arches with Don walking to capture a landscape
shot with his technical camera.
Sony A7r
FE24-70 (70mm) f/0 1/100 ISO 50.
(Notice
this was shot as tight as I could with the lens at 70mm)
Travel north on Route 191 and you will come to a road leading to Dead Horse State Park and Islands
in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park. The drive to both takes you through
beautiful scenery filled with views of sandstone walls, arches and
the LaSalle Mountains in the distance. Don't be in a hurry and try the many turnoffs
along the way.
We
stopped at Dead Horse State Park as Don wanted to try to capture the
stunning views. Sadly both of
us were disappointed that morning as the conditions just weren't as good as
we'd like; however this is still a great place to visit.
Tree
growing out of the rock near the overlook at Dead Horse.
Sony A7r
FE24-70 (39mm) f/8 1/500 ISO set to auto (4000)
This is
what you're left with when the landscape isn't working for you. The first shot is what Don was doing with his
Phase One DF/IQ180 attempting to get a very low level image. The second is my attempt at the same thing
without the use of the groundpod.
Sony A7r
FE24-70 (48mm) f/4 1/250 ISO 125
Leaving Dead Horse State Park we ventured into Islands
in the Sky and were fortunate enough to have Mesa Arch all to ourselves which is unheard of--what a treat!
Sony A7r
FE24-70 (24mm) f/8 1/4000 ISO set to auto (2000) 2-shot panorama.
We couldn't
be in the Islands in the Sky District without
stopping at the Green River Overlook which didn't disappoint us. Disclaimer here - while it looked great this
is more of an artist rendering rather than the actual conditions...
Sony Ar7
FE24-70 (41mm) f/11 1/500 ISO 640
Don sitting down on the job at the Grand View Overlook.
We had
one last morning before heading to the South Rim, Grand
Canyon and decided to spend it back at Arches. The morning was a combination of rain, snow
and low clouds with fog. Simply great
conditions to capture an image at Garden of Eden
Sony Ar7
FE24-70 (30mm) f/8 1/25 ISO 50
A note on
processing. All images were first opened
in Capture One Pro where they were viewed and graded. We also did slight processing in C1 such as
lens correction and in some cases working on highlights and shadows. The files we liked were saved in a Tiff
format before sending them to Photoshop CC where they were opened, and
processed using a combination of NIK Software before they were saved as Jpegs. I'm very pleased with the Moab portion of
the trip as I came away each day with at least one gallery print that will be posted to our web gallery for sale.
What do I
think of the Sony A7r after one-year? I
love it. Lightweight small body with a
combination of equally lightweight lens that allow me to shoot handheld most of
the time. The combination of the FE
lenses, 70-200, 24-70 and 16-35 all give the focal length I desire. Having the much higher resolution also
helps.
Thank you
for visiting. Don says he'll post his
views of Moab
shortly.
One last image of the walking bridge north of Moab as it crosses the Colorado River.
Sony A7r FE24-70 (24mm) f/6.3 1/125 ISO 50
Sandy (and Don)