#azimuth 2

[thorsenmark]

Evergreens and Mountains (Banff National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While at a roadside pullout along the Icefields Parkway with a view looking to the north to Mount Wilson. This is in Banff National Park. My thought on composing this image was to zoom in with the focal length to have the mountainside fill most of the image while still including some nearby evergreen trees and a backdrop of blue skies to complete this setting in the Canadian Rockies.

[thorsenmark]

Castle Mountain and the Bow River (Banff National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the north in Banff National Park at the Castle Mountain Viewpoint along the Banff-Windermere Highway. The view is looking from a high ground near a bridge crossing with the Bow River and then to the more distant ridges and peaks of Castle Mountain. My thought on composing this image was to blend all of that setting, from near to far, and fill up the image but have some blue skies to contrast the greens and yellows in the remaining portion of the image. I later worked with control points in DxO PhotoLab 6 and then made some adjustments to bring out the contrast, saturation and brightness I wanted for the final image.

[thorsenmark]

Preserved Dwellings of Montezuma Castle National Monument by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A view looking to the north while taking in the setting of Montezuma Castle National Monument in northern Arizona. With this image, I zoomed into the main cliff dwelling, more or less straight on but still included a little bit of the surrounding cliff face as a "frame" to the image.

[thorsenmark]

Rock Formations on a Snowy Day (Joshua Tree National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the north-northeast while taking in views of a snowy landscape along the Hidden Valley Nature Trail in Joshua Tree National Park. Another image captured where I liked the layering present with the foreground and it's snowy landscape leading up to the rock formations in the distance. I decided to minimize the overcast and overcast skies as I felt it really didn't add much to the image.

[thorsenmark]

Discovering a True North in Shasta-Trinity National Forest by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: Walking around the Old Ski Bowl Trailhead, I took in this view to the north and explored the open mountain landscape with large rocks and plant-life. An evergreen forest stretched off in the distance. Mount Shasta seemed to rise into the skies above.

[thorsenmark]

Engulfed in Memories to Share of Dry Tortugas National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: This photograph captures a setting to the southwest across the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico with Fort Jefferson in the background. The image was taken during a ride on the Yankee Freedom Ferry and is in Dry Tortugas National Park.

[thorsenmark]

My Time for a Getaway in Shasta–Trinity National Forest by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: At the Old Ski Bowl Trailhead in Shasta–Trinity National Forest with a view looking to the north. Mount Shasta is the backdrop for this picturesque setting with a forest of nearby evergreen trees. With this image, I zoomed in with the focal length to capture more of a telephoto feel and have the mountainside to my front fill the image from edge to edge with a little bit of blue skies above.

[thorsenmark]

A Summit Hangout at Lassen Peak (Lassen Volcanic National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While hiking along the Lassen Peak Trail with a view looking at the peak area with the volcanic past (and one small snowfield) and then to more distant peaks and ridges. This was located in Lassen Volcanic National Park with a view looking to the north. I had a few thoughts in composing this image. One was to go wide-angle with the focal length and view, so that I could capture that almost panoramic feel to the setting on the mountain peak itself. Another was to angle my Nikon Z8 Mirrorless Camera slightly downward and raise the horizon into the image. I felt that would help bring out more of a sense of grandeur with both the peak area itself, as well as the more distant ones. As a note, one can see Mount Shasta off the distance on the far left along the horizon.