Across the Southwest » Colorado Plateau

Sunrise on Mount Hayden – Grand Canyon National Park

Adam Schallau — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 05:02:19 +0000

Sunrise on Mt. Hayden from Point Imperial ~ North Rim of the Grand Canyon

This image of first light striking Mount Hayden as viewed from Point Imperial on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park and others like it are available for purchase at my website AdamSchallau.com.

~Tech details~

Camera & Lens: Canon EOS 5D Mark II and EF16-35mm f/2.8L Mark II USM lens

Exposure: 0.6 seconds, f/11 and ISO 320

Filters: Singh-Ray, Daryl Benson Reverse Graduated Neutral Density 3-stop, 4″x6″ – hand-held

Notes: This is one of the first images I have developed in Adobe Lightroom. I kept the processing simple using the “Direct Positive” and “Punch” presets.

Lower Antelope Canyon ~ A twist of texture

Adam Schallau — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 04:53:41 +0000

A Twist of Texture ~ Lower Antelope Canyon

I think I will take a different path in the development of my slot canyon photos. Even though I absolutely love the colors that are found in slot canyons, sometimes you loose all the wonderful textures, lines and shapes when the color overpowers the image. Look for a new portfolio of limited-edition prints to be added to my website soon.

~Tech details~

Camera & Lens: Canon EOS 5D Mark II and EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens

Exposure: 4 seconds, f/22 and ISO 100

Filters: Hoya HD Circular Polarizer

Sunset from Horseshoe Bend

Adam Schallau — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 05:15:49 +0000

Sunset from Horseshoe Bend ~ Page, Arizona.

An incredibly beautiful spot above the Colorado River just a couple of miles from Page, Arizona. Horseshoe Bend is often photographed at or before sunrise, but I like it in the evening. I actually started my day here for sunrise, shot Lower Antelope Canyon from early morning until just after noon, visited Glen Canyon Dam (the damn dam!) in the afternoon, and then saw the clouds building in the west and decided I needed another sunset shot of the bend.

This image of Horseshoe Bend is available for purchase at my website AdamSchallau.com.

~Tech details~

Camera & Lens: Canon EOS 5D Mark II and EF16-35mm f/2.8L Mark II USM lens

Exposure: 10 seconds, f/16 and ISO 320 (for the canyon)

Filters: none

Notes: This image is a manual blend of four exposuers to capture the extreme dynamic range between the sky and the canyon. The exposure data given above is for the lower 2/3rds of the image including the river and canyon.

Monsoon thunderstorm over Shiprock

Adam Schallau — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 02:40:10 +0000

Monsoon Thunderstorm ~ Shiprock, New Mexico

The summer “monsoon” took a bit of a break this month but was in full-force again this past weekend. I always seem to miss good, dynamic weather when attempting to photograph Shiprock Peak in northwestern New Mexico. But this past Monday on the drive home from the Grand Canyon the sky was full of great clouds.

This image of a thunderstorm over Shiprock Peak and another like it but in color, are available for purchase at my website AdamSchallau.com.

~Tech details~

Camera & Lens: Canon EOS 5D Mark II and EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens

Exposure: 0.5 seconds, f/22 and ISO 50

Filters: Hoya HD Circular Polarizer

Desert View at Twilight ~ Grand Canyon

Adam Schallau — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:45:18 +0000

The sun has set on another day at Grand Canyon National Park, but a bit of light remains. It is twilight and the watchtower at Desert View soaks up the remaining light as the night sky approaches. In the distance at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, the Colorado River reflects the blue sky above.

Twilight ~ Desert View Watchtower, Grand Canyon National Park

This image of the Desert View Watchtower at Grand Canyon National Park and others like it are available for purchase at my website AdamSchallau.com.

~Tech details~

Camera & Lens: Canon EOS 5D Mark II and EF17-40mm f/4L USM lens

Exposure: 6 seconds, f/8 and ISO 100

Filters: none

Anasazi Gallery – Visions of the Past

Adam Schallau — Mon, 18 May 2009 04:40:03 +0000

For several years now, I have been working on a personal project photographing several of the lesser known Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi), Basketmaker and Freemont Indian sites of the American Southwest. While this is an ongoing project, I have created a new portfolio on my website to exhibit the current collection of photographs.

Window with platform

Titled Visions of the Past, the new portfolio features images of granaries (small structures used for the storage of food) and cliff dwellings (larger structures used for housing) that have been abandoned in the countless canyons of the Four Corners region. At a later time I will add photographs of rock-art sites including both petroglyph and pictograph panels.

Finished in a subdued sepia toning, all images represented in this portfolio are available as limited-edition prints of 50 each. Paper choices include lustre, metallic and watercolor.

Please click on any image for an expanded view.

Anasazi Hands Pictograph

Adam Schallau — Thu, 14 May 2009 04:09:14 +0000

On a recent trip exploring the canyon country of southeast Utah, I came upon a pictograph panel containing several hand prints that were most likely created by the Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) peoples that once called this area home. Perched high above a canyon in a small alcove, this was obviously a popular spot as evidence by the sheer number of hand prints scattered along the wall. Offering protection from the elements, namely the intense Utah sun, the alcove was considerable cooler than the mesa above and would have been a welcome relief to an Anasazi as it was to me.

We have yet to discover the Anasazi people’s “Rosetta Stone” and thus have no definitive way of knowing what the symbols left behind by the Anasazi mean. Perhaps this ancient graffiti was there way of saying “I was here”.

Please click on the image for an expanded view.

Enjoying a sunset in Utah

Adam Schallau — Tue, 12 May 2009 22:50:05 +0000

A woman and her canine companion enjoy a beautiful red-rock sunset in southern Utah near the town of Bluff.

Please click on the image for an expanded view.

Yellow-Headed Collared Lizard

Adam Schallau — Tue, 12 May 2009 03:31:33 +0000

Yellow-Headed Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris auriceps)

I came across this interesting little guy (or lady) while hiking with friends in southern Utah. It’s a Yellow-Headed Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris auriceps). This image was captured with my Canon EOS 5D Mark II with a 70-200mm f/4L IS lens and 1.4x tele-converter, hand-held.

Please click on the image for an expanded view.

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The Spirit Within ~ Anasazi Cliff Dwelling

Adam Schallau — Mon, 11 May 2009 06:46:25 +0000

I have just returned from southern Utah where I spent a few days with friends exploring the many archaeological treasures left behind by the ancestral puebloan people better known as the Anasazi. This particular shot was captured inside a large cliff dwelling that had a fine dust filtering through it.

This site is not part of any national park or monument. It sits deep in a canyon many miles from the nearest paved road and requires considerable effort to visit it.

Please click on the image for an expanded view.