A Photo Workshop in the Middle of Nowhere

 I have recently returned from a photographic workshop which was held in south-central Utah. Hanksville is a town with no traffic lights, one gas station, two restaurants, and one hotel. That hotel was our home base for five nights.

Bob and I attended the workshop together. The workshop was run by Caryn Esplin who can be found on Facebook here. Bob has attended her workshops in the past, and got me interested.

    Bob and I are childhood friends since we were 11 years old. Here we are back in the 1960's.

We have been together on many adventures together since. Here we are together in 2015 on the Greek Isle of Santorini, and again in Singapore in January of 2024.

Now, we have turned our attention to the middle of nowhere for a photography adventure in Utah. This blog shows entries in reverse chronology. To follow our adventures and my photography, it is best to take this link to the beginning of our adventure. Then click on "Newer Post" to follow to the next location. Currently this is a work in progress. Stay tuned.

Day 3 - Goosenecks Overlook and Capitol Reef National Park

 

Google Maps satellite view

We left Hanksville at 6 AM and headed west on route 24 for a 7:33 AM sunrise atop the Overlook in Goosenecks State Park. After a climb, we found ourselves with a clear view of the eastern horizon, and on the brink of an awesome canyon. There in semidarkness, we set up our tripods and adjusted our cameras to take triplets of frames at different ƒ stops to best capture the sunrise. We were not disappointed.

7:25:53 AM

7:31:23 AM

7:33:35 AM

These are some of the finest photographs I have ever taken. And yet, they cannot begin to rival seeing the beauty of actually watching the sky changing by the second during the transition from dark to light.

As it got lighter, we focused our attention on the canyon which was carved by the San Juan River.

Here is a satellite image of the San Juan River as it snakes through the park.

After lunch, the group split into two. The youngsters headed for a steep hike to Hickman's Bridge. The senior members explored other wonders of the Capitol Reef National Park. Then the rain came. They got soaked. We stayed pretty dry.

The Capitol Reef National Park is also known for petroglyphs. These are engraved etchings into rock walls created by the Fremont and Puebloan people who considered what we now call Utah their home, well before our immigrant ancestors showed up. The petroglyphs  were created between 600-1300 A.D. They are reasonably well preserved, despite the efforts of descendants of immigrants to deface them a thousand years later.

     Here are a few:

The Park is also known for the preserved school house serving the children of the town of Fruita.

Also preserved in the town of Fruita are a barn and a home which now houses a bakery. We had to get to the bakery early in order to get our fruit pies for lunch. There were also unusual food items to be had.

Enjoy!

Parting shot (iPhone 15)

Day 2, Part 2 - Temples of the Sun and Moon

 After an exciting morning overlooking southern Utah's moonscape and Factory Butte, and after a wonderful lunch provided by Outlaw's Roost, we moved on to the Rainbow Mountains, and later to the Temples of the Sun and Moon. The main feature of this outing would be the rising of the moon, minutes before sunset. The moon was not only full, it was a supermoon.

The distance between the earth and moon varies. Three or four times a year, the full moon coincides with the moon being closest to planet earth. When that happens, the moon appears 14% bigger and 30% brighter than it does when the full moon is furthest away from earth. When the moon is at its closest, it is called a supermoon. NASA has a page explaining the supermoon phenomenon.

We spent some time photographing the Rainbow Mountains, fully expecting to get drenched. We watched as the storm and occasional lightning got closer, a few drops of rain fell - and that was it!

We moved on to the Temples of the Sun and Moon.

This was taken about one hour before sunset.

Taken about 30 minutes after moonrise

This was the end of day two. We needed to sleep.

Day 2, Part 1 - Moonscape Overlook and Factory Butte

Sunrise at moonscape overlook

We were on the road at 6:15 AM for the 7:34 AM sunrise. We were tired, but exhilarated. As the sky got brighter, more of this amazing vista came into view.

Factory Butte

A butte is defined as, "An isolated hill or maintain with steep or precipitous sides, usually having a smaller summit area than a mesa." Factory Butte was named because early settlers of southern Utah thought it resembled a factory. In particular, it resembled the Provo Woolen Mill that opened its doors in 1873. What follows are photos that I took of Factory Butte and the surrounding area on day 2 of our adventure.

Day 1 - Goblin Valley

 

Our fearless leader Caryn wasted no time. After a brief introduction, we were on our way in four-wheel-drive pickup trucks with four to a cab and supplies in the back. That afternoon, we were headed to Goblin Valley State Park. There, we wandered amongst the stone "goblins" taking numerous photographs from multiple prospectives.

We then moved to a different spot to take in the sunset and the "blue hour." These are times when photographers typically get their finest pictures. Our new spot was home to "The Three Sisters" (not to be confused with a formation of the same name outside of Provo.)

It was two days before the full moon, so the moon rose about 1 1/2 hours before the sun set. Here are "The Three Sisters" at dusk.

But wait, there's more. We continued to take pictures until after the sun set, and into the "blue hour." The "blue hour" or "magical hour" occurs just before sunrise, and just after sunset. The serene lighting makes for wonderful photography. The next picture was taken toward the end of the "blue hour." The formation is lit primarily by bright moonlight.

This image represents my first quantum leap during the workshop. Until then, I had only heard and read about merging multiple images taken at different exposure settings into one single image.

The human eye can sense a wider dynamic range of lighting than a camera. That is, the eye takes in a wider range of lights and darks. The dynamic range of a photograph can be improved by placing the camera on a tripod to keep it stationary, and obtaining multiple images with different settings. With Caryn's help, I was able to get my Sony camera to cooperate. The merging itself actually occurs later with the help of a computer.

Tomorrow is another day.

Day 0 - The Utah Saga Begins

 On Monday Oct 14, I boarded a plane in Cleveland, Ohio. Bob boarded a plane in Eugene, Oregon. We were both headed to the  Denver, Colorado airport. 

Goodbye Cleveland and Lake Erie

From there, we boarded our flight to Grand Junction, Colorado. Meanwhile, in 1988, then colleague David left Milwaukee, Wisconsin to live and work in Grand Junction. He and I worked closely together at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and were best of friends.

Eric                                       David

  Here we are in a 1988 group photo. David met us at the Grand Junction airport. We had not seen each  other for 36 years. David was the perfect host for a night. The next morning, he dropped us at the airport so we could pick up our rental car. We would spend two days and nights with David after our photo adventure. So, the morning of Oct 15, we were off to Hanksville, Utah, and the adventure began immediately.