Gulfoss, Iceland Part II

After photographing Gulfoss from below, I walked up the stairs and out onto the plateau above the canyon to photograph the river as it enters the falls.

Gulfoss Plateau, southwest Iceland (18″x58″)

Gulfoss, Iceland Panorama

In late May, I traveled to Iceland to hike and take photographs. We first visited Gulfoss, a giant set of falls in the canyon of the Hvítá river in southwest Iceland. Iceland has become much more popular to visit since my last visit 9 years ago, so finding an unobstructed view of the cascading water can be difficult. Furthermore, even in late spring and early summer, strong winds and near constant spitting rain make it hard to keep the camera lens dry while taking long-exposure photographs.

Gulfoss Upper Cascades, southwest Iceland (16″x42″)

Rock Prow at Sunset

We scrambled and boulder-hopped onto a small ridge above camp to watch the sun set over the Rincon Mountains. Rock Prow at Sunset, east of Rincon Peak, AZ (12″x18″)

Exfoliating Rock and Clouds

A texture-focused photograph of the exfoliating bedrock and clouds east of Rincon Peak in southeastern Arizona.

Exfoliations and Clouds, east of Rincon Peak, AZ (12″x18″)

Exfoliating Rock East of Rincon Peak

Just east of the Rincon Mountains and Mescal Road (Forest Road 35), a second, shorter series of hills pokes up from the desert floor. From a satellite view, I could see waves of rock with nearly parallel fissures running NW-SE through the hills. Sediment is draped over parts of the exposed bedrock like a blanket. This spring, we camped near a stream bed and spent the day exploring the landscape of shattered rock and high desert grass and cacti. I took a series of photographs of the exfoliating bedrock that appears as if it is shedding its old skin.

Exfoliating Rock Slab, east of Rincon Peak, AZ (16″x50″)

Exfoliating Rock and Clouds, east of Rincon Peak, AZ (16″x37″)

Lower Tanque Verde Falls

After visiting the Upper Tanque Verde Falls in February (see previous week’s post), I hiked up to the Lower Falls in March. The hike to the Lower Falls allowed for a bit of exploration and boulder hopping, but I preferred to photograph the clearly delineated cliff striations at the Upper Falls. After using an ND filter to make the water flatten out, I was able to walk away with at least one good panorama of the Lower Falls.

Glassy Water and Lower Tanque Verde Falls, near Tucson, AZ (16″x54″)

Upper Tanque Verde Falls, Part 3

While photographing Tanque Verde Falls, the striations in the rock kept drawing my attention. I tried to get in close to the cliff face to use the striped rock to both frame the falls and lead the viewer’s eye towards the cascading water.

Striations and Tanque Verde Falls, near Tucson, AZ (16″x36″)

Upper Tanque Verde Falls, Part 2

After taking a few photographs of Tanque Verde Falls from above, I tried to get below the falls to photograph the water from below. I made the main focus of the three-frame vertical panorama the small cascade at my feet, but I tried to capture the larger falls in the upper right corner of the composition.

Looking Up at Upper Tanque Verde Falls, near Tucson, AZ (16″x15″)

Upper Tanque Verde Falls, Part 1

Last February, I took a late winter walk out to the upper portion of Tanque Verde Falls. After scrambling around on the rock shelves for a few minutes, I found a spot that allowed me to photograph both the cascading water and the striations in the cliff face.

Looking Down on Upper Tanque Verde Falls (color), near Tucson, AZ (16″x32″)

Looking Down on Upper Tanque Verde Falls (B&W), near Tucson, AZ (16″x32″)

Evening Shadows near Sheepshead

As we were hiking back to the car from Sheepshead, I stopped to take a few panoramas of the setting sun casting shadows across the grass and cliffs. Early morning and late afternoon are my favorite times of day in Cochise Stronghold because the grass turns a golden brown.

Last Look back at the Cliffs, Cochise Stronghold, AZ (16″x70″)

Setting Sun and Cliffs, Cochise Stronghold, AZ (13″x60″)