Mainly Photos I Have Taken Over the Years... @thorsenmark - Tumblr Blog

Navigating Chaco Culture National Historical Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the north-northeast while taking in views and walking around the ruins present in the Chetro Ketl area of Chaco Culture National Historical Park. My thought on composing this image was to align myself, so that I could capture a view that brought out most of the shapes and formations in patterns in the ruins, while using the skies and clouds above as a backdrop and color contrast to complement the earth-tones in the lower portion of the image.

One Can Find Love Somewhere from the East to West by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: One Can Find Love Somewhere from the East to West Others find beauty in between the north and south I’m at where the two meet and find only wonder Another work of short poetry or prose to complement the image captured one morning while taking in views at the Wolf Creek Valley Overlook just to the west of the Continental Divide and hence the thought behind my writing. This is in the San Juan National Forest looking to the south. In composing this image, I used an opening between some outcroppings to frame a look beyond to the valley below. I also angled my Nikon SLR camera slightly downward to bring the horizon a little higher into the image, creating more of a sweeping view across this landscape. The rest was metering the image to not blow any of the highlights in the mostly overcast skies that morning, while still being able to pull the more shadowed areas later out in post-production.

While the Icy Mountains Are Far From Me, I Think of Them Often (Banff National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While at Morant’s Curve and the overlook there to the Bow River and mountain peaks and ridges off in the distance. The view is looking to the west. This location is along the Bow Valley Parkway in Banff National Park. With this image, I decided to pull back on the focal length and have a wider angle view. By angling my Nikon SLR camera slightly downward, I felt I was able to create more of a sweeping view across the river and forest leading up to the mountains. That angling of the camera also brought the mountains higher into the image and helped create more of a sense of grandeur with those ridges and peaks.

Celebrating a Late Afternoon Viewing of Hoodoos at Bryce Point (Bryce Canyon National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the northwest while taking in views across hoodoos, grottos, and other eroded formations present at Bryce Point in Bryce Canyon National Park. My thinking in composing this image was to get near the cliff wall edge on the trail, angle my Nikon SLR camera slightly downward, and create a sweeping view across the Bryce Amphitheater. That would in turn bring the horizon higher into the image and perhaps create more of a sense of grandeur with the image captured.

Autumn Tundra and Snowcapped Peaks of the Alaska Range (Denali National Park & Preserve) by Mark Stevens

Sangre de Cristo Range and Taos Mountains as a Backdrop for the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the north-northeast while taking in views across the northern New Mexico landscape to the Rio Grande River Gorge. This was along a walkway leading up to the bridge crossing itself. In composing the image, I took advantage of some high ground I was located on and then angled my Nikon SLR camera slightly downward to create more of a sweeping view across the nearby sagebrush to the river gorge and bridge. I felt the overcast skies were more of a negative space and bringing the horizon higher into the image helped to minimize that while bringing more of a prominence to the mountains off in the distance.

Life Has Become a Snowy Dream Wonderland by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the north while taking in views of a snowy landscape along the Hidden Valley Nature Trail in Joshua Tree National Park. This was another image captured where I liked the layering present with the foreground and it's snowy landscape leading up to the rock formation in the distance. I decided to minimize the overcast and overcast skies as I felt it really didn't add much to the image.

Wide Open Spaces in Yosemite National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While walking across a grassy meadow in Yosemite Valley with a view lookin to the northwest to more distant ridges and peaks. This setting would normally include Yosemite Falls, but the autumn timeframe had dried up the waters of the falls and river. So my focus was on capturing the setting present with the grassy meadow, forest of trees, and then mountainside and finding a balance with the angle of the image captured. I did some initial post-processing work making adjustments to contrast, brightness and saturation with DxO PhotoLab 5. I then exported a TIFF image to Nik Color Efex Pro 4 where I added a Polarization and Pro Contrast filter for that last effect on the image captured.

Unconditional Love of Things Outside by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While at an overlook along U.S. Route 64 with a view looking to the southwest across a northern New Mexico landscape. This location is not far from the Wayside overlook that Google maps depicts near this location. My thought on composing this image was to take advantage of the high ground I was located on from this overlook and capture a sweeping view, looking down and across the rolling hillsides with a forest of trees wooded present in this portion of the Southern Rocky Mountains. I closed down on the aperture so that I could ensure as much of the setting to my front was in focus. I did some initial post-processing work making adjustments to contrast, brightness and saturation in DxO PhotoLab 7. I then exported a TIFF image to Nik Color Efex Pro 6 where I added a Polarization, Foliage, and Pro Contrast filter for that last effect on the image captured.

Denali Has a Way of Taking One's Breath Away! (Denali State and National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: This was a view looking to the west-northwest while taking a break hiking up a mountainside along the Little Coal Creek Trail in Denali State Park. When a friend and I had stopped at the north viewpoint before starting on this hike, Denali had been out, but the angles with the foothills had minimized taking in the full “alpenglow" of the mountain peak with the morning sunlight. It was only later as we hiked up the mountainside and cleared the forested area that we were able to take in the views people often imagine seeing of the Great One, Denali. I did some initial post-processing work making adjustments to contrast, brightness and saturation while playing around as I learned how to work with DxO PhotoLab 3 that I’d recently purchased after moving away from Capture NX2.

Volcanic Remnants (Pinnacles National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: Volcanic Remnants Moved hundreds of miles by geological forces But I will tell another story Of an early hours walk amongst them It started one morning And ended later that afternoon I heard and saw birds going about their day Wisp of clouds gliding across skies of blue Pinnacles reaching upward With California hillsides as a distant backdrop Cool morning air and a delight of smells A conversation with some fellow hikers One can't have a better day! Another work of short poetry or prose to complement the image captured one morning in Pinnacles National Park while walking the High Peaks Trail. The view is looking to the west as I hiked along the trail with those famous name sake formations all around. And composing this image, I took advantage of the way the hillside slope to my front and aloud for a backdrop of hillsides, and even some very distant mountains, not far from the Pacific coastline. So it had a distinct, layered look, I felt. The other thing I had to keep in mind was a proper exposure, given the large dynamic range present. I was on the western side of the park, and the sun was shining on the other side. The rest was later making adjustments with control points in DxO PhotoLab 6 to bring out the contrast, saturation and brightness I wanted for the final image.

Here Mountain, Mountain by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While at a roadside pullout along U.S. Route 64 with view looking to the west-southwest to ridges and peaks present with the Brazos Cliffs in the Tusas Mountains. What I wanted to capture with this image was a zoomed in view to those cliffs, but include some foreground interest along the mountainside, leading up to them. The rest was balancing the overcast skies above which would be a color contrast to complement the earth-tones in the lower portion of the image.

Sea Caves Carved by Relentless Ocean Waves (Channel Islands National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: I captured this picture from a high vantage point to Scorpion Rock in Channel Islands National Park. The view stretches east, giving you a peek down and then across to some cliffs with caves below on Santa Cruz Island.

Homestead Barn in the Woods of Great Smoky Mountains National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the south and barn in the Ephraim Bales Cabin area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. What I wanted to capture with this look was the way the structures and wood seemingly blended into the surrounding forest. The rest was aligning myself with some nearby trees to capture a look beyond and using an open walkway area leading to the barn structure.

On a Rainy, Overcast Day in Voyageurs National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: This image extends to south-southeast across the waters of Black Bay, captured while exploring around the Rainy Lake Visitor Center in Voyageurs National Park. The water and cloudy skies give it that simple, clean look, which really makes the islands and trees in the middle stand out!

An Epic Reunion With Myself and the Hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While walking and taking in views of hoodoos and other eroded formations present at Bryce Point in Bryce Canyon National Park. The view is looking to the northwest. My thoughts on composing this image was to angle 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.

Heading Up to Denali from Talkeetna by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A view looking to the northwest at a railroad crossing point along the bridge of the Talkeetna River. This is the railline that continues north from Talkeetna up to Denali. I had a chance during a break between the trains coming by to orient and compose this image with the tracks as a leading line, looking off into the distance.

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Mainly Photos I Have Taken Over the Years...