#azimuth 24

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A Grassy Meadow and a Backdrop of the East-Central San Juan Mountains by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While staying at the Elk Trace Bed & Breakfast in the area around Pagosa Springs, Colorado, one Saturday morning. The setting is to the northeast in front of the main porch area with a view looking to ridges and peaks of the East-Central San Juan Mountains.

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There's Not a Lot of Traffic in Mono Lake by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A view looking to the northeast along the shoreline of Mono Lake. The setting includes a look across the lake waters with some ripples and waves present leading up to one prominent tufa tower and then a smaller more distant one. The morning was overcast given the haze and smoke present from nearby wildfires, so this created a minimalist type look to the image captured. Mono Lake-58

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Get Yourself to Pinnacles National Park! by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the northeast to the Balconies (left) and other rock formations and volcanic leftovers coming off of Machete Ridge (right). This is in Pinnacles National Park while walking the Balconies Cave Loop. My thought on composing this image was to have a more or less leveled on view, looking across the wild grasses and sage brushes to those rock formations. The blue skies and clouds would be that color contrast to complement the earth-tones in the lower portion of the image.

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Coming to Live and Experience Life in Death Valley National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the northeast while walking and taking in views across the many dunes ridges to my front with the scattered bushes and plant-life. This was located at the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes area of Death Valley National Park.

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Evergreens and Lassen Peak (Lassen Volcanic National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: At a roadside pullout along the main park road not far from the southern entrance to Lassen Volcanic National Park. The view is looking to the northeast with a forest of nearby evergreens along a ridge and Lassen Peak as a distant backdrop in this part of the national park.

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Spring Fun in Great Smoky Mountains National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: At a rest area parking location along US Hwy 441 (Newfound Gap Road) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park with a view looking to the north-northeast while taking in a setting of the Oconaluftee River flowing by.

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There's No Place Like Outside (Jasper National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While at an roadside pullout overlook along the Maligne Lake Road and a view looking to the northeast and up the mountainside of the Western Queen Elizabeth Ranges. This is in Jasper National Park. My thought on composing this image was to angle my Nikon SLR camera such that I was able to fill this mountainside from edge to edge, but still including some blue skies above. I felt that that helped to complement the setting, especially with the earth-tones in the lower portion of the image.

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There, in a meadow, by the river’s side (Great Smoky Mountains National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: There, in a meadow, by the river’s side The caption used is from a poem by Edmund Spenser, Prothalamion While at a roadside pullout and parking area along the Newfound Gap Road (US Hwy 441) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This view is looking upstream and to the north-northeast at the Oconaluftee River flowing by with rapids present amongst the large rocks and boulders. In composing this image, I just let the focus be with the river as a leading line into the image and framing the setting with the forest of trees on both sides.