#azimuth 179

[thorsenmark]

I saw the mountains stand (Banff National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: I saw the mountains stand Silent, wonderful, and grand A setting looking to the south while taking in views of Mount Rundle around the Johnson Lake area. This is in Banff National Park. The caption used is from a poem. Wonderful and Grand by James G. Clarke

[thorsenmark]

A View Down Waterton Lakes and Into the United States with Glacier National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While walking around the Prince of Wales Hotel with a view looking to the south across the waters of Upper Waterton Lake. This is in Waterton Lakes National Park. In composing this image, I wanted to create a sense of balance between the mountain ranges on both sides of the lake, as well as with the horizon off in the distance. The overcast skies would be a contrast to the lake waters also. As a side note, the more distant ridges and peaks are in the United States and part of Glacier National Park.

[thorsenmark]

Wave Upon Wave, With No End in Sight (White Sands National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While walking the Alkali Flat Trail with a view looking to the south across the white sands and dune formations present in this part of the national park. My thought on composing this image was to use the high ground I was on with this one doing formation and angle my Nikon SLR camera slightly downward to bring the horizon a little higher into the image. That would help to create a sweeping view across the dune formations and have them seemingly be a “wave upon wave.” The other thing I had to keep in mind was not blowing any highlights with the very bright landscape to my front. I made certain to lower the exposure setting and later making adjustments to the highlights and colors in post production with DxO PhotoLab 6.

[thorsenmark]

A Zoomed in View with the Athabasca River (Jasper National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While at Goats and Glacier Lookout along the Icefields Parkway with a view looking to the south. This is in Jasper National Park. With this image, I decided to zoom in with the focal length and have the river fill the image from edge to edge. I focused on this one section that had a set of islands present in the river and a backdrop of the evergreen trees.

[thorsenmark]

Itineraries in Exploring Dry Tortugas National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While exploring Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park, I took some time to enjoy a few strolls along the seawall path. The view is looking to the south with the waters of Gulf of Mexico extending beyond. This scenic viewpoint is a popular image capture spot for visitors to this national park, as I found on Flickr, Instagram, and other sites.

[thorsenmark]

Happy Outdoors Holiday in Jasper National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While at the Stutfield Glacier Viewpoint along the Icefields Parkway with a view looking to the south. This is in Jasper National Park.

[thorsenmark]

High Adventure in Shenandoah National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: This setting is at Trayfoot Mountain Overlook with a view looking to the south to a nearby Flowering Dogwood. This is in Shenandoah National Park. My thought in composing this image was to center the dogwood tree and use the forest and ridges as a backdrop. I felt whites of the tree blooms would be a good contrast to the earth-tones in the nearby setting. The other thing about the contrast was the field present around and behind the dogwood tree. If you look closely, you'll notice a wild turkey that seems to be lying down in place.

[thorsenmark]

Treading Lightly While Observing Nature (Katmai National Park & Preserve) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: This was a view looking generally to the south while walking along the shoreline of Naknek Lake after finishing a hike to Dumpling Mountain. While I remembered this setting with the dried out trees and limbs along the shoreline, it wasn't until I started walking that afternoon where I decided to get down low and capture a sweeping view across. I felt by getting down low, I could capture a sense of letting this stretch out to a far off distance. Nearby things would be in focus and then slowly fade out.