SONY ILCE-7R (22mm, f/16, 1/60 sec, ISO100)
Close to Manitou Springs there is The Garden Of Gods. What an epic name of course we had to visit the place.
Usually I try to use song titles for my blog post titles but this title says it all and it sounds like the Wild West. The Garden of Gods are indeed very beautiful. Bizarre, easy to access rock formations and a lush green valley. Sometimes the landscape here looks like it is fake. Too beautiful to be true and the perfectly maintained, stroller safe trails only add to this impression.
SONY ILCE-7R (16mm, f/16, 1/100 sec, ISO100)
SONY ILCE-7R (16mm, f/16, 1/100 sec, ISO100)
SONY ILCE-7R (16mm, f/16, 1/100 sec, ISO100)
SONY ILCE-7R (16mm, f/16, 1/60 sec, ISO125)
SONY ILCE-7R (16mm, f/16, 1/60 sec, ISO125)
SONY ILCE-7R (16mm, f/16, 1/60 sec, ISO100)SONY ILCE-7R (22mm, f/16, 1/60 sec, ISO100)
We discovered this by chance when we were already in the area. There are many amazing landscapes in the USA that are more like a local attraction but they are still great and usually accessibility is better than on many of the main attractions. The Grand Canyon is such an example. If you travel anytime in between late spring and early autumn the weather is too hot to do any hiking. There are signs that tell you how many water bottles you would need depending on the duration of your hike. Any hike longer than two hours and you would need a mule to carry your water.
So you do what most people do: Stand on the edge of the South Rim and look down the canyon. Of course the view is amazing but something is missing. In Bryce Canyon or Zion or Arches NP there are at least some hikes that you can do without the risk that it becomes a survival trip.
SONY ILCE-7R (16mm, f/18, 1/60 sec, ISO100)
SONY ILCE-7R (16mm, f/10, 1/80 sec, ISO100)
SONY ILCE-7R (16mm, f/10, 1/160 sec, ISO100)
SONY ILCE-7R (34mm, f/10, 1/80 sec, ISO100)
SONY ILCE-7R (16mm, f/8, 1/60 sec, ISO100)
Here it is different. There is something for everyone. You can take a walk with your kids even in a stroller and you can do some rock climbing. An attractive and easy to access location means that of course it is crowded but that should help with the rattle snakes.
No idea why I shot everything at f16. This is not needed and also not recommended, around f8 to f10 should be good enough on a wide angle lens to give you sufficient depth of field even on a full frame sensor.
SONY ILCE-7R (24mm, f/9, 1/250 sec, ISO100)
SONY ILCE-7R (24mm, f/9, 1/320 sec, ISO100)
FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO1250)
FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/8, 1/140 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/180 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-T1 (27mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO400)
FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/80 sec, ISO200)
The Santa Fe pictures are from the next evening. After a short walk in downtown we settled for dinner in a restaurant on main square. We ate on their balcony and watched the sun go down.
Sometimes life is just perfect.
FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/8, 1/60 sec, ISO250)