Fuji G617 archives: Bryce Canyon formations

Be sure to double click on the photo to enlarge for full panoramic effect!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Fuji G617 archives: Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah

This photo illustrates why this place is at the top of my “favorite places in the world” list. I’m hankering for a southwest road trip; whatdaya say, Dad?

Be sure to double click on the photo to enlarge for full effect!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Fuji G617 archives: Yellowstone in winter

It’s cold there in winter. Very, very, very cold. Fingers-and-face-stick-to-your-camera-ouch-is-it-really-worth-it cold!

Be sure to double click on the image (and bundle up, ya hear?)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

Fuji G617 archives: Newspaper Rock National Historical Monument

Petroglyphs, Newspaper Rock National Historical Monument, Canyonlands National Park, southeastern Utah

The word ‘petroglyph’ comes from the Greek words ‘petros’ (stone) and ‘glyphein’ (to carve). The word was originally coined in French as pétroglyphe. Newspaper Rock features a 200 square foot area of ancient writings and symbols by four different Native American cultures on a cliff wall. The rock is part of the Wingate sandstone cliffs that form the upper end of Indian Creek Canyon. It is one of the largest and best known collection of petroglyphs. Dating back as far as 2,000 years, more than 650 images were etched into “desert varnish,” a dark manganese-iron deposit caused by rainfall and bacteria that forms on exposed sandstone cliff faces. Figures have been assigned to the Anasazi, Fremont, Anglo-Indian and Navajo. Some drawings are as recent as the 20th century, left by the first modern day explorers of the region.

Newspaper Rock is located on Hwy 211, 25 miles before the entrance to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. It is 28 miles northwest of Monticello and 53 miles south of Moab.

Beauty is in the details, so be sure to double click on the image to enlarge it!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Fuji G617 archives: Bryce Canyon National Park

On this trip, my cousin Bill and I hiked down into the canyon. Suffice it to say that it is so much easier to hike down into it than it is to hike back out of it. We saw people 20-30 years older than us passing (pathetic) us on the way back up to the rim. (Yeah, sure, just sprint on by…water? who needs extra water?…I’m fine…I’m not resting—I’m framing the scene for my next magnificent composition, yeah, that’s what I’m doing…I’m breathing heavy? Oh, that—I’m just so excited to be communing with nature!…don’t mind us, you with your little point-and-shoot, you…).

Oh, and if you’d like to replicate my experience (and you really should), be sure to carry one bag with a 35mm camera and oh, say, 4-5 lenses (with 20 rolls of Fuji film, filters and batteries)—and don’t forget the Fuji G617 on a tripod!

Be sure to click on the photo to enlarge it in a new window.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Fuji G617 archives: Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, photographed in the mid 90s (not sure exactly what year) with my Fuji G617 panoramic camera and Fuji RVP transparency film. The image height to width ratio is 3:1 and only four photographs can be made per 120 roll! The transparencies are 2.25″ x 6.5 inches long (6×17 cm). The angle of view with the fixed 105mm f/8 lens is about the same as my Nikon 24mm lens.

After my first trip (with my dad) to the Southwest, I was flipping through Joseph Meehan’s Panoramic Photography book and saw an image of Monument Valley shot with this camera. I knew then and there I had to have one, but certainly couldn’t afford the over $3,000 price tag for such a specialized camera. I found a brochure for one, tacked it over my computer, and vowed to work toward the lofty goal of acquiring one. I had wished fervently that someone would sell a used one. Voila!—a few weeks later one was advertised in the Washington Post for $1,900. The seller had used it just six times, photographing Little League group shots. It was in pristine condition and I was thrilled to become its second owner (he even reduced it to $1,800 just to reward me for my enthusiasm). I just saw one on eBay for that price and B&H Photo has a used one for $2,295.00. I’m happy to learn that this camera has held its value. Years later I was fortunate to meet Joseph Meehan at a photography seminar and had him autograph my copy of his book. Seeing these old images makes me want to go buy Fuji 120/220 transparency film (hmmm…how hard is that going to be to find in this digital age?) and lug my camera out to the great beyond!

Want to learn more about this attention-getting, shark-cage-surrounded, completely manual and mechanical film camera? Check out photographer Flemming Bo Jensen’s write-up on the Fuji G617 here.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Christmas in Montana

I took this shot in Montana on the road between Gallatin Gateway (where Michael’s Aunt Jackie lives) and the entrance to Yellowstone National Park. We were spending Christmas at Jackie’s, along with two of Michael’s sisters and their families, in 1995. This trip included my first try at snowshoes (awkward, as expected), hiking up a mountain to find a Christmas tree Jackie had picked out (ask me about that adventure sometime), the snowmobile-on-frozen-lake-ice-fishing excursion (no luck for anyone), a fun (but very bumpy) snow coach ride with everyone through Yellowstone the day after Christmas (a gift from Aunt Jackie), me suddenly sinking waist deep in snow (along with Michael’s brother-in-law, Pete) while we were trying to get that perfect landscape shot (but we saved the cameras!), a sightseeing/shopping trip to Bozeman, and more cold and snow than you could possibly imagine. I probably shot this image with my N90s. I also brought along my Fuji G617 panoramic camera—I’ll have to find those really wide transparencies and get them scanned some day. 35mm slide scanned by ScanCafe.com

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.