Mainly Photos I Have Taken Over the Years...

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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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High Adventure in Capitol Reef National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While taking in views along the Chimney Rock Trail with a view to the southeast across the Utah high desert in Capitol Reef National Park. My thoughts on composing this image was to take advantage of some nearby shrubbery and old trees and have that as a look beyond to the varied landscape present in this part of the national park. Angling my Nikon SLR camera slightly downward would, in my mind, create more of a sweeping view looking across it. That would in turn raise the horizon higher into the image and perhaps create more of a sense of grandeur in the image captured.

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A Walkway As a Leading Line to the Waters of Lake Michigan in Indiana Dunes National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While walking through the national park beach house structure and looking to the north-northeast to the distant water of Lake Michigan. Here I used the concrete walkway as a leading line into the image. I also decided to use the framing of the beach house structure and keep that more or less in silhouette to draw the viewer into the image with that sliver of blue waters at the end of the walkway.

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Dandelions by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While at a roadside pullout along the Banff-Windermere Highway with a view looking to the west in Banff National Park. This was at the Castle Mountain Overlook along the shores of the Bow River. With this image, I moved around and lined myself up until I could capture one and have the small patch of dandelions fill the image.

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Pinnacles National Park Has a Beauty to Stir a Thirst for Adventure! by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While walking the Condor Gulch Trail in Pinnacles National Park with a view looking uphill and to the northwest across a hillside of trees leading up to the namesake pinnacle formations. I would be walking amongst those high peaks later that morning.

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Happy Outdoors Holiday in Monahans Sandhills State Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the northeast while taking in views across a sandy landscape with dune formations and wild grasses in Monahans Sandhills State Park.

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Mountain Paradise in Grandfather Mountain State Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While at an overlook around the area of Sphinx and Split Rock in Grandfather Mountain State Park. The view is looking to the southeast.

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My Every Journey Today in the Grand Canyon National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While hiking along the South Kaibab Trail, descending to Cedar Ridge, I was fortunate to take in this breathtaking view extending to the northwest down this draw and into the main portion of the Grand Canyon.

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My Walk Along the Gumbo Limbo Trail (Everglades National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: I captured this image while taking in views of the forested landscape to my front while walking along the Gumbo Limbo Trail in Everglades National Park. This setting is to the west-northwest.

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Flirting with Nature by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While walking and exploring the Lake Shastina area, I took in this view looking to the southwest across a grassy meadow and a dried-up portion of the lake. I angled my Nikon Z8 Mirrorless Camera slightly downward to bring the horizon higher into the image and capture a sweeping view looking to the more distant Scott Mountains. This area is not far from Edgewood, California.

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Pacific Waters and Surf from an Overlook at Cavern Point (Channel Islands National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While hiking along the Cavern Point Trail to Potato Harbor Vista Point, I captured this image with a view extending to the northeast from an overlook I had along the trail hiked. Given the overcast skies and low clouds that late morning, I chose to angle my Nikon Z8 Mirrorless Camera downward to focus more of the coastline with the waves coming in. I later worked with control points in DxO PhotoLab 9 and then made some adjustments to bring out the contrast, saturation, and brightness I wanted for the final image.

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45.92 Miles Away (Mesa Verde National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While at the Park Point Overlook with a view looking to the southwest to a very distant formation with Shiprock in New Mexico. This is in Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. This measured distance I determined using Google Maps is 45.92 miles, which was quite a distance in my mind! With this image, I zoomed in quite a bit with the focal length but still wanted to include some of the surrounding landscape, both in Colorado and New Mexico, to add to the setting. I was later able to use the ClearView Plus tool in DxO PhotoLab 7 to help remove some of the haze present that day.

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The Roads Tell Me a Direction to Follow by Mark Stevens

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Upon the Top of That Jagged Ridge (Banff National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: Upon the Top of That Jagged Ridge I stood near the silent lake I closed my eyes and dreamt of a beautiful world But it couldn’t compare to what my eyes had seen Another work of short poetry or prose to complement the image captured one late morning along the shores of Vermillion Lakes in Banff National Park. This setting is looking to the southeast at the peaks and ridges of Mount Rundle and Sanson Peak. In composing this image, I decided to keep a balance between the reflections and the actual mountains, with a horizon more or less leveled-on.

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Any Excuse to Visit Mesa Verde National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While hiking the Petroglyph Point Trail with a view looking to the northwest while taking in the setting with the canyons and cliff walls present in this part of Mesa Verde National Park. My thought on composing this image was to pull back on the focal length and capture a wide-angle feel, while angling my Nikon SLR camera slightly downward to bring up the horizon higher into the image. That I felt would help create more of a sense of grandeur in the canyons (Spruce Canyon and Wickiup Canyon) and cliff walls

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100 Hands Pictograph Trail (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While walking the 100 Hands Pictograph Trail and a view looking north and at some pictographs along a sandstone wall in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. My thoughts on composing this image was to pull back a little on the focal length and include some of the nearby wall itself with the pictographs. I felt it added a backdrop that was important for the history and geology of this location.

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Celebrating the Heritage of Our National Parks in Indiana Dunes National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While walking the Dunes National Park in the West Beach area of the national park. The view is from a high point along the trail and looking to the northwest with the quite distant city skyline of Chicago. My thinking in composing this image was to use the higher ground that I was located on and angle my Nikon SLR camera slightly downward to create a more sweeping view across the grass covered sand dunes and ridges present. That would also raise the horizon with Lake Michigan and bring the skyline of Chicago more prominent position in the captured image.