The Terra Galleria Blog – QT Luong

Part 4 of Myanmar photo tour diary: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Day 7

After an early morning flight from Mandalay to Heho, we drove to Pindaya on a bumpy road out of the main tourist trail.

The landscape changes as we gain elevation and travel back in time. High-elevation crops of lentils and mountain rice that make colorful patterns on the rolling hills.

We visited a paper and oiled umbrella workshop to see how red umbrellas carried by the monks (which you saw in the previous post) are made.

Pindaya is known for the Pindaya Caves. They are accessed by spider-shaped covered stairs high on the cliffs. The name Pindaya is a corruption of Pinguya, which translates to Taken the Spider in Burmese. Legend relates that a large spider which resided in the caves had captured local princesses, which were rescued when the giant spider was killed by a prince’s arrow.

Inside the caves, over 8,000 Buddha statues have been placed by pilgrims over the centuries, filling up every imaginable space inside to create an incredible labyrinth.

Day 8

Pindaya itself is a picturesque little town, nestled between Pone Tanoke Lake and the cliffs which house the Pindaya Cave, where every hilltop has a stupa.

Waking up before dawn, we walked around the lake surrounded by giant banyan trees, with golden stupas in the distance.

In early morning, villagers came to the shore of the lake to bathe and wash their clothes.

Men drove ox carts to fill up their water tanks.

Pindaya is the site of a 5-day rotating street market that we were fortunate to catch.

During the scenic drive to Nyaug Shwe, we made several stops on the rural road to greet villagers and observe local activities.

See more photos of Pindaya

Part 4 of Myanmar photo tour diary: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Part 3 of Myanmar photo tour diary: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Day 4 (cont)

After an early morning flight, we arrived in Mandalay. The country’s second largest city is the spiritual and cultural heart of Myanmar.

On Marble Street, Mandalay’s street of stone-sculptors, men attack blocks of white marble with drills and angle-grinders. From the clouds of marble dust emerge Buddha images from all shapes and sizes which are hand-polished by women.

At the Mahamuni Pagoda, we were fortunate to run into a Novitiation or Shinbyu ceremony. Followed by their families in their best attire, the soon-to-be novices are lead in a procession around the pagoda.

A most important events in a Buddhist’s life, the ceremony reflects Buddha’s journey as he renounced his life as a prince (hence the princely attire and makeup) in his quest for enlightenment.

In late afternoon, we visited Taungthaman Lake and photographed at sunset the legendary U Bein Bridge, the longest piece of teak wood in the world.

Day 5

We were up at dawn to capture the sunrise over the moat of Mandalay Fort. The key to such an image is to wait for the most intense color, which occurs around 15 minutes before actual sunrise.

We had several opportunities to witness monks going for their round of alms. Contrarily to widespread thinking, this is not begging, but an opportunity provided to the devotees to earn merit by giving. To that effect, the monks walk a long way from their monasteries, often barefoot.

We observed life along the Irrawaddy River before taking a one hour cruise to Mingun village.

Mingun Pagoda would have been the world’s biggest pagoda, but construction of this enormous brick building was halted after a fortune-teller predicted that if construction was completed, the King would perish. The remaining Mingun Bell is the largest in the world.

In the afternoon, we admired the extraordinary woodwork at the Swehwe In Bin Kyaung pagoda before going up the Mandalay Hill for a panoramic view.

After sunset, we had the privilege of attending the evening prayer at one of the numerous monasteries that dot the Mandalay Hill. More than half of all Buddhist monks in Myammar reside in the Mandalay area. Out of respect I did not want to use flash. Instead of trying to make a somewhat sharp picture, I opted to capture motion. Images with motion work best when there are elements which remain sharp enough, so the challenge was to wait for a key moment when some monks would be in motion, and others not. This happened at the end of the prayer, so the window was very short. 1s ISO 1600 f4 did I say it was dark ?

Day 6

Sutaungpyei Pagoda on top of Mandalay Hill at dawn was a much more serene experience than sunset. As often there is a short window after it is too dark and before the lights are turned off there.

Compared to sunset, sunrise added a low layer of fog, floating well below Mandalay Hill. The image looked just grey but by just moving black point and white points contrast raised to reveal details.

Back to the streets of Mandalay, we ran into this elaborated alms procession, where each monk, instead of carrying his own bowl, is accompanied by an umbrella bearer and a man holding a donation bag.

At the Gold Pounders Workshop we watched sheets of gold being beaten into gossamer-thin pieces and cut into squares. Those are used for a practice seen through the country: the application of gold leaf to Buddha images by devotees and favor-seekers.

At the Mahagandayon Monastery, renowned as a center for monastic study and strict religious discipline, some of the thousand monks line up for lunch.

We visited a silk workshop, a production for which Amarapura is known.

Although today Awa is a small village (in which we had to travel in a traditional horse-drawn carriage), traces of its golden days as Burma’s capital can still be seen throughout its peaceful rural landscape filled with magnificent ruins such as the Daw Gyan Pagoda complex.

Sagaing, an ancient capital, is nowadays an important religious center. Our first stop there was the Zayar Theingi Nunnery.

We next checked the many Buddha images in the crescent-shaped hall of U Min Thonze pagoda.

Our late afternoon and sunset shot was from Soon U Ponya Shin Pagoda at the top of Sagaing Hill, home to a more than a thousand monasteries, nunneries, temples and pagodas.

See more photos of Mandalay

Part 3 of Myanmar photo tour diary: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Part 2 of Myanmar photo tour diary: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Day 2

Bagan is known for its thousands of Buddhist monuments and temples, making it one of the most remarkable archaeological sites in Asia. After surveying the area from a temple platform, we approached friendly villagers tending to their fields next to the temples.

We continued to get a feel for this rural area by checking out the Nyaung U market.

While most of the Bagan temples are ruined, there are a few active ones, such as the Shwezigon Pagoda.

We explored the Bagan countryside with a visit to Mingun village, where we saw women making a lacquer bowl and processing their harvest, all by hand.

For late afternoon and sunset, we went back to the upper terrace of Shwesandaw.

Our dinner doubled as a marionette puppet show, Myanmar’s most distinctive performing art.

Day 3

The day started with an optional hot air balloon ride, which is the best way to take in the vastness of the site. At $450/person it is an expensive 45 minutes, but the price is the same (or higher) everywhere, so if you are going to try that great experience, Bagan is as good a place as any.

After breakfast, we visited the Sulamani temple, remarkable for its frescoes and stone work.

At an orphanage, Buddhist novice monks lined up with alms bowls before their lunch. This was their last meal of the day, as buddhist monks do not eat dinner.

We generally had great access to Buddhist monks (here at the Shinbinthalyaung reclining Budddha) because our local tour guide was a three-time monastery drop-out.

In late afternoon, we drove to the rustic village of Minnanthu, one of Bagan’s less visited regions. We photographed ox carts against the backdrop of the spectacular Tayok Pye temple.

From the same spot, just turning our backs, we saw this family herding their sheep.

Next to our restaurant (where we enjoyed a music and dance performance), we found this umbrella store.

Day 4

Before catching our flight for Mandalay, we enjoyed a dawn session atop another temple, followed by a colorful sunrise.

See more photos of Bagan

Part 2 of Myanmar photo tour diary: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Part 1 of Myanmar photo tour diary: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Since my first visit there in 2000, I have always thought of Myanmar as the most enchanting country in South East Asia. In January 2014, I had the pleasure of leading a photo tour there. Thank you Alan, Massoud, Phuoc, Regis, Ron and Yasmina for being such fine and inspiring traveling companions and photographers. In this post, I will share images made during the tour in Yangon, where all tours start and end, but before that, I’ll address a bit the changes I have seen in the country.

Change in Myanmar

Myanmar visitation has been historically low: a few hundreds of thousands visitors per year – for comparison, Thailand receives about 8 million, Yosemite Valley 4 million. It’s not that the country was closed, dangerous, or difficult to travel. However, many in the West considered it politically incorrect to visit because Myanmar is ruled by a military dictatorship. There was this notion that visiting the country equaled to supporting its repressive regime. The locals seemed to have a different view, though, since every single Myanmar national I spoke to in 2000 said it was good to have visitors.

The situation changed a few years ago, with a transition to democracy, recognized with President Obama’s official visit in 2013. Myanmar, long considered off-limits, had become the new hot travel destination in Asia.

As a result, travel costs have increased dramatically, because Myanmar doesn’t have yet infrastructure to meet the demand. A room in the Panorama Hotel in Yangon, listed at $40 in the latest edition (2012) of the Lonely Planet guide, now costs $125. In the fall of 2013, although our tour group was not full, in response to new inquiries, I was disappointed to hear from our local travel agent that I could not add participants because hotels or flights were full. The Lonely Planet guide warns about quick changes, and they are right. Just one example: they advise not to use official money changers because the black market rates were considerably better. Now the money changers at the airport are invariably the ones with the best rate.

In 2000, even sites on the tourist trail were quiet and relaxed. Those same sites are now crowded. Popular sunset sites can be packed with tourists standing elbow-to-elbow. However, it is possible to get around this problem with careful planning. At sunrise the summit of Mandalay Hill was almost empty, whereas at sunset there was hardly enough room to deploy a tripod. Outside the main tourist trail – even in Yangon – things have not changed that much. It is still easy to observe a traditional culture and a way of life. There are places where villagers are now asking for money after posing for pictures, something I never saw in my first visit. But there are also places where they will ask to pose for a picture with you, because seeing a foreign visitor is a rarity.

Day 1

We began our day with a stroll along the peaceful shores of Kandawgyi Lake near the huge Karawek hall (where we would have our welcome dinner), replica of a royal barge.

We spent an hour nearby with beautiful Moe, who posed for some portraits. Like most women and girls in Myanmar, Moe is wearing Thanaka, a cosmetic paste made from ground bark. Thanaka serves as a skin conditioner, sunscreen, and a perfume that has a delicate fragrance similar to sandalwood.

In the early afternoon, we visited indoor sites, first the 229-feet long reclining Buddha statue at Kyaukhtatgyi Pagoda.

Not far from there, we saw the five-story tall buddha of Ngahtatgyi Pagoda.

The highlight of the day was the Shwedagon Pagoda, possibly the oldest, largest, most sacred, and most beautiful pagoda in the world, where we stayed until dark.

Day 11

Upon return from Heho, we toured briefly Yangon’s city center, then walked along the Sinoodan jetty to observe life along the river.

We returned at the Traders Hotel to photograph the city at dusk from its upper floors, a fascinating mix of old and new.

Day 12

Before leaving for Kyaiktiyo (see part 6), by tipping a security guard, we were able to photograph at dawn from a private building a view that captures the essence of Yangon: you see Independence Monument, City Hall, 2,500 years old Sule Pagoda, Bengali Sunni Jamae Central Mosque, Emmanuel Baptist Church. Time window was less than 10 min: before it’s too dark, after, lights are off.

Day 13

Back from Kyaiktiyo, Regis and Yasmina were eager to return to the Shwedagon Pagoda. It was my 6th visit on that trip, as I had flown in a few days before the start of the tour for scouting. Although the oil candles were not lit, I was rewarded that they had moved away canopies which prevented me on the previous visits to photograph from the Victory Place, my favorite location in the Shwedagon Pagoda.

Day 14

We wrestled ourselves out of bed early one last time to capture the full moon setting over the Shwedagon Pagoda from the shore of Kandawgyi Lake. I used ISO 1600 to keep exposure short enough (1/2 s) to avoid excessive blurring in the moon (which moves fast at 250mm). This is a single exposure.

See more photos of Yangon

Part 1 of Myanmar photo tour diary: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

I wish everyone a year 2014 full of happiness, health, and success. My sincere thanks for your continuing readership and interest in my photography.

Midnight Jan 1st 2014, Yangon, Myanmar. Lasers and fireworks appear on the night of international New Year only for the second time in Myanmar.

In 2013 I took a break from yearly trips to Asia, which allowed me to refocus my efforts on the National Parks project. Although it has been a decade since I photographed each of the 58 US National Parks, I have been revisiting lots of them – 17 this year alone. My goals are to indeed “have a more diverse parks experience than any other living person” (to use words of The Active Times), to discover for myself seldom-traveled areas that eluded me before, and to try new expressive approaches.

This year, I solidified my efforts into motion and multi-media, releasing my first finished time-lapse video: Hawaii Volcanoes (146K views on Vimeo), as well as 360×180 virtual reality panoramas of the Colorado Plateau.

In photography, I’ve been continuing my multivariate interpretation of the National Parks. Although I release images in large blocks based on geography, if you’ve looked carefully, you may have noticed a number of themes and sub-series. I’ll introduce more in 2014, but for this end-of-year post, I’ll highlight one: the night.

I feel that by this year, I’ve learned enough to feel as comfortable with the camera at that time as during the day. Maybe it is a carryover from my mountaineering days, but I also found myself enjoying hiking by night. With many National Park locations getting more frequented by photographers, the solitude and quiet of the night restores some of the sense of awe that I experienced during my initial visits.

Links point to blog entries where you can see more (daytime !) images and often read in great detail about my experiences while making them. For images only, see growing collection of night photographs of the National Parks.

On January 10th, president Obama signed the law renaming Pinnacles Monument as Pinnacles National Park. The next day, I made my first of several visits there. In the course of 2013 I hiked all the trails of the 59th US National Park except for one, capturing winter frost, spring wildflowers, the summer Perseid Meteor shower (pictured here), and fall colors.

In February, I returned to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park which I explored from sea to summit, photographing the Lava Ocean Entry – which was outside the Park proper in years past – and then hiking to Mauna Loa summit where I camped overnight for some unique images – my most memorable wilderness adventure of the year despite its brief duration.

Beginning April, lured by news of the best Joshua Tree bloom in living memory, I drove to Southern California to visit Joshua Tree National Park, Mojave National Preserve, and Lee Flat in Death Valley National Park. At the end of the month, after attending the inaugural edition of Paris Photo Los Angeles, I spent a few days in the foothills of Sequoia National Park, an area overlooked by most in favor of the sequoia groves and High Sierra peaks.

In June/July, I traveled to the Dakotas, spending time in Wind Cave National Park, the less visited Sage Creek and South Unit sections of Badlands National Park (but still missing Palmer Creek due to insufficient research and imprecise information from rangers), and paying respects to Theodore Roosevelt at his remote Elkhorn Ranch.

The morning before flying home, I hiked to Chasm Lake, one of the most spectacular sites in Rocky Mountain National Park, arriving barely in time to make this photograph despite waking up at 1am.

In July/August, for the first time, I went to the Florida Everglades in summer with also two days at Biscayne National Park. Despite the discomfort of heat, humidity, and mosquitoes, I was most pleased with the photographic conditions: the spectacular skies, storms, reflections, and lushness.

On that same trip, I spent three very busy days on tiny Dry Tortugas, where besides photographing by night, and underwater (not at the same time), I set foot on Loggerhead Key thanks to friendly and generous sailors who spared me the risky open-sea crossing.

In mid-September, I caught one of the last trips of the year to Wizard Island in Crater Lake National Park, finding that the six hours between drop-off and pick-up were barely enough to explore.

Driving from Crater Lake, I arrived at Kings Creek Fall in Lassen Volcanic National Park without daylight left because the shorter trail was closed. I got the shot by light-painting using the bright torch I was carrying in addition to my headlamp. On the next days, I visited Juniper Lake and Warner Valley, quietest sections of one of the least visited National Park.

In October, I led a rare photo tour into the Maze of Canyonlands National Park, during which we enjoyed great scenery, adventure, isolation, food, and camaraderie.

After the tour, I stayed in Utah for a week, revisiting Capitol Reef National Park and Arches National Park. In the small and popular park, I found solitude and out-of-the-beaten path locations in the Courthouse Wash, the ridge beyond Delicate Arch Viewpoint, and at Cove Arch (picture).

As you seen through this short selection which I hope will inspire you for 2014, nighttime brings in a host of possibilities not available during the day. Besides the change in illumination angle of the moon (equivalent to time of day, main variable in daytime photography), there is also the moon phase, and the opportunity to light the scene, either with fixed lights or light painting. Then there is the glorious night sky with stars, planets, and the Milky Way.

I am concluding this overview of the year by expressing my gratitude to you, my audience. I hope that you had as good a year than I had, and wish you an even better year 2014 !

This year, I’ve been experimenting with a new technique: 360×180 panoramas. Such an image captures the entire visual sphere, panning over 360 degrees and tilting 180 degrees from straight down to straight up vertically. Flattened with a spherical projection, as in the two images of Arches National Park which illustrate this post, it looks strange, but instead it is presented as a virtual visit so that the viewer can interact, using a normal angle of view, with the panorama with the mouse or touch gestures by rotating it in all directions and zooming in and out, as if we was standing there.

360 panoramas are in some sense opposite to photography, because by definition, no attempt is made at selective framing. I personally view them as a form of multi-media, since the viewer explores with motion, however unlike in video, he is the one choosing the camera motion, which could make them more captivating.

On the other hand, a particular time and viewpoint still needs to be selected. Because of the space encompassed, their choice is even more critical than in photography. I find they are at their best in places which offers interesting views in all directions, such as Petes Mesa.

From a conceptual point of view, there is something ultimate about recording the entirety of the visual experience of standing at a particular point in space and time. All the photographs that you could have potentially made are included in a single 360 panoramas, at least in theory, if it was done with enough resolution and dynamic range. You could just sit at your computer and reframe your view at leisure.

360 panoramas are of course nothing new, being the basis of Google Street View. This year Google has been trying to democratize them by incorporating “photospheres” into Android. However, there is as much difference between those implementations and mine as there is between casual snapshots and fine prints. Besides the choice of time and viewpoint, consider that the 360 panoramas that I present are assembled from at least 15 full-frame DSLR (5Dmk3) images – more when HDR is used – resulting in images of at least 16000×8000 pixels which yield virtual views that will look good on even the largest screens. In order to prevent parallax errors, which would certainly cause visible mis-alignment in those truly high-resolution panoramas, I used a two-axis panoramic head on a tripod, which in turn requires tricks to eliminate from the panorama.

Here is a first set of 360 panoramas from my trip to the Colorado Plateau last fall. For full effect, be sure to view in full-screen mode.

I’d appreciate it much if you let me know what you think of the presentation. For instance, do you prefer delayed auto-rotation or no delay, as in the two last panos of Capitol Reef ? Slow auto-rotation, or faster, as in the last pano ?

I am compiling again a meta-list of best photobooks for the year, using the same methodology as for the Best Photobooks 2012 Meta-List.

The meta-list was seeded with the Aperture/Paris Photo PhotoBook AwardsShortlist – curiously, AOI [COD.19.I.I.43] – AZ7 [S/COD.23](2013) by Rossangela Renno, who won that award (as well as Arles) was the last of all 10 titles to be mentioned on another list. It then includes every “real” list on the phot(o)lia compilation, which I encourage you to visit to follow the links to those lists. I will update it on a weekly basis until the end of the year, when Photo Eye releases their own meta-list. Although overlapping is inevitable, this meta-list will not use the Photo Eye entries. At that point, there will be two large and distinct meta-lists which will be interesting to compare. The Photo Eye contributors are “photo luminaries” while the source for this meta-list is more democratic, including mainstream publications and individual bloggers.

Last year, I had waited for the flow of lists to subside before compiling the meta-list, but by that time, several of the titles were already sold out. Although this year I am releasing the meta-list early, as of beginning December, several top titles – some of them released in the fall – are sold out (I bought the last copy of two of them) notably Dalston Anatomy, Iris Garden, Silvermine, Karma, Grays the Mountain Sends, She Dances on Jackson, Two Rivers. Those who follow closely the world of photobooks and attend festivals certainly do not need the meta-list to hear about interesting titles. I hope that for others, like me, the meta-list can be a useful starting point.

Final update Dec 30, 2013

(22 votes)
Rasen Kaigan. LIEKO SHIGA Akaaka

(21 votes)
Holy Bible. BROOMBERG & CHANARIN Mack
The PIGS. CARLOS SPOTTORNO RM Verlag/Phree

(17 votes)
A Period of Juvenile Prosperity. MIKE BRODIE Twin Palms Publishers

(12 votes)
Iris Garden. WILLIAM GEDNEY & JOHN CAGE Little Brown Mushroom

(11 votes)
Dalston Anatomy. LORENZO VITTURI Jibijana Books/SPBH Editions
She Dances on Jackson. VANESSA WINSHIP Mack

(9 votes)
Excerpts from Silver Meadows. TODD HIDO Nazraeli
Two Rivers. CAROLYN DRAKE self-published

(8 votes)
Ametsuchi. RINKO KAWAUCHI Aperture
Control Order House EDMUND CLARK Here Press
Dark Knees. MARK COHEN Editions Xavier Barral
Emmet Gowin EMMET GOWIN Aperture
Grays the Mountain Sends. BRYAN SCHUTMAAT Silas Finch Foundation
Karma. ÓSCAR MONZÓN RVB/Dalpine
Photojournalists on War: The Untold Stories from Iraq. MICHAEL KAMBER (editor) University of Texas Press
Sergio Larrain. SERGIO LARRAIN Aperture / Thames & Hudson
Silvermine. THOMAS SAUVIN Archive of Modern Conflict

(7 votes)
New York Arbor. MITCH EPSTEIN Steidl
The Canaries. THILDE JENSEN Lena Publications

(6 votes)
An Atlas of War and Tourism in The Caucasus. ROB HORNSTRA & ARNOLD VAN BRUGGEN. Aperture
Away From Home. KURSAT BAYHAN self-published
Birds of the West Indies. TARYN SIMON Hatje Cantz
Food. HENK WILDSCHUT Post Editions
In and Out Of Fashion. VIVIANE SASSEN Prestel
Scoffing Pig. NOZOMI IIJIMA Reminders Photography Stronghold
The Grey Line. JO METSON SCOTT by Dewi Lewis
The Photography of Nature & The Nature of Photography. JOAN FONTCUBERTA Mack
This is Mars NASA/MRO Xavier Barral

(5 votes)
Far. EMILE HYPERION DUBUISSON Adad books
Paris in My Time MARK STEINMETZ Nazraeli
Scarti. ADAM BROOMBERG & OLIVER CHANARIN Trolley
Sometimes I can not smile. PIERGIORGIO CASOTTI self-published
Tokoyo No Mushi. YOSHIICHI HARA Sokyusha
Vía Pan Am KADIR VAN LOHUIZEN Paradox

(4 votes)
Almost There. ALEIX PLADEMUNT Mack
Ezekiel 36:36. NICK BALLON LAB Project
Hotel Oracle. JASON FULFORD The Before long Institute
Mass. MARK POWER GOST books
Surrendered Myself to the Chair of Life. JIN OHASHI Akaaka
Swell. MATEUSZ SARELLO Instytut Kultury Wizualnej
The Secret History of Khava Gaisanova. ROB HORNSTRA & ARNOLD VAN BRUGGEN Sochi Project
Top Secret: Images from the Stasi Archives. SIMON MENNER Hatje Cantz
Tractor boys. MARTIN BOGREN Aman Iman / Dewi lewis.
Wall. JOSEF KOUDELKA Aperture
We Make the Path by Walking. PAUL GAFFNEY self-published

(3 votes)
10X10 American Photobooks. RUSSET LEDERMAN, OLGA YASKEVITCH & MATTHEW CARSON (ed) bookdummypress
82 DAVID THOMSON Archive of Modern Conflict
A01 [COD.19.1.1.43] — A27 [S | COD.23] ROSÂNGELA RENNÓ RR Edições
Across the Ravaged Land. NICK BRANDT Abrams
Amateurs & Lovers. NIKOLAY BAKHAREV Dashwood Books
Ariphoto selection vol. 4. ARIMOTO SHINYA Totem Pole Photo Gallery
Bright Nights.TOD SEELIE Prestel
Casa de Campo ANTONIO XOUBANOVA Mack
Dual 1 and Dual 2. TOSHITHUGU YAMAWAKI
Garry Winogrand. GARRY WINOGRAND Yale University Press
Genesis SEBASTIÃO SALGADO Taschen
Gregory Crewdson. GREGORY CREWDSON Rizzoli
Hesitating Beauty. JOSHUA LUTZ Schilt Publishing,
History of the Visit. DANIEL REUTER Self-published
Hustlers. PHILIP-LORCA DICORCIA SteidlDangin
Imitation of Christ. WILLIAM E. JONES Mack
L’amoureuse. ANNE DE GELAS Le caillou Bleu
Orchard Beach: The Bronx Riviera. WAYNE LAWRENCE Prestel
Self publish be happy book club vol. III. CRISTINA DE MIDDEL, Self Publish Be Happy
Self-Portraits. VIVIAN MAIER Powerhouse
Skeletons in the Closet. KLAUS PICHLER self-published
Stakeout Diary. YUKICHI WATABE roshin books
The Arrangement. RUTH VAN BEEK RVB Books
Water EDWARD BURTYNSKY Steidl
Zimbabwe: Your Wounds Will Be Named Silence. ROBIN HAMMOND Actes Sud/Foundation Carmignac Gestion
_08:08 Operating Theatre. PINO MUSI

(2 votes)
A Guide to the Flora and Fauna of the World ZHAO RENHUI Institute of Critical Zoologists
A Remote Barely Audible Evening Walz. MAX SHER Treemedia
AKT. MAJA FORSSLUND Steidl
Ad Infinitum. KRIS VERVAEKE self-published
After the Threshold. SANDI HABER FIFIELD Kehrer
Ahlan! NURIA CARRASCO Self-published
Almost. GUY ARCHARD
American Colour 1962-1965. TONY RAY-JONES Mack
Anticorps. ANTOINE D’AGATA Editions Xavier Barral
Beautiful Pig. BEN SCHONBERGER Self-published
Before They Pass Away JIMMY NELSON Teneues
Bill Brandt Shadow and Light. BILL BRANDT | Moma
Black Country Females. MARTIN PARR Multistory
Breathing the Same Air. NELLI PALOMAKI Hatje Cantz
Cinque Paesaggi, 1983-1993. GUIDO GUIDI Postcart/ICCD
Conflict Resolution LOUIS PORTER self-published
Contacts. TOSHIO SHIBATA Poursuite
Costa JOSÉ PEDRO CORTES Pierre Von Kleist
Cut Shaving. JAAP SCHEEREN Fw:
Dorothea Lange. Grab a Hunk of Lightning. DOROTHEA LANGE Chronicle Books
Einmal ist keinmal. MIKA KITAMURA Therme
Empire. JON TONKS Dewi Lewis
Etan & Me. VIVIANE SASSEN Oodee
Eternal Chase. TAMIKO NISHIMURA
Field Trip. MARTIN KOLLAR Mack
Fires. RON JUDE Museum of Contemporary Photography
Flash Up (reprint). SEIJI KURATA Zen Photo Gallery
Foreclosures. BRUCE GILDEN Brown Editions
Fragments of calm. SUDA ISSEI Toseisha
Gasoline. DAVID CAMPANY Mack
Gecko. TAKUMA NAKAHIRA Little Big Man
Here are the Young men. CLAIRE FELICIE self published
Hier. JITKA HANZLOVA Koenig Books
How to be a Photographer in Four Lessons. THOMAS VANDEN DRIESSCHE André Frère Éditions.
Humans of new york. BRANDON STANTON St. Martin’s
I smell like rain. VERENA BLOK Self-published
Imaginary Club. OLIVER SIEBER GwinZegal & BöhmKobayachi
Imogen Cunningham. IMOGEN CUNNINGHAM TF Editores/D.A.P.
Kennedy in Berlin. ULRICH MACK Hirmer
LDN2. ANTHONY CAIRNS Archive of Modern Conflict
Love and War. GUILLAUME SIMONEAU Dewi Lewis
Lucas. ERIC STEPHANIAN Self-published
Mandy and Eva. WILLEKE DUIJVEKAM Eigenverlag
Mitakuye Oyasin. AARON HUEY Radius Books
Nangokusho ATSUSHI FUJIWARA Sokyusha
Offrenda. SEBASTIAN SZYD & NANDITA RAMAN AC Photo
Ostalgia. SIMONA ROTA. Fabulatorio
Paris mortel retouché. JOHAN VAN DER KEUKEN Willem van Zoetendaal
Pierdom. SIMON ROBERTS Dewi Lewis
Ping Pong Conversations. ALEC SOTH with FRANCESCO ZANOT Contrasto
Ping Pong. ALEC SOTH, GEOFF DYER & PICO IYER Little Brown Mushroom
Prince Street Girl. SUSAN MEISELAS. Catherine & André Hug
Shanxi.ZHANG XIAO Little Big Man
Sheets. RINKO KAWAUCHI Kominek
Shinan. MICHAEL KENNA Nazraeli
Shrove Tuesday. KAI KEIJIRŌ Totem Pole Photo Gallery
Speaking of Scars. TERESA ENG If / Then Books
Splinter. EVA VERMANDEL
Still Lifes, Portraits and Parts. DANIEL GORDON Morel Books
Storms. MITCH DOBROWNER Aperture
Strangely Familiar. PETER MITCHELL Nazraeli
Sworn virgins. PEPA HRISTOVA Kehrer Verlag
The Black Photo Album / Look at Me: 1890–1950. SANTU MOFOKENG Steidl
The Christmas Tree Bucket. TRENT PARKE Steidl
The Disappeared. VERONICA FIEIRAS self-published
The End of la Belle Epoque. MISHA PEDAN Kimaira Publishing
The Fourth Wall. MAX PINCKERS Self-published
The Non-Conformists. MARTIN PARR Aperture
The Waiting Game. TXEMA SALVANS RM Editorial
The good earth. ANDREAS WEINAND Peperoni
Twin Boat. KOJI ONAKA Session Press
Vanishing existence. KOSUKE OKAHARA Backyard project
Veins. ANDERS PETERSEN & JACOB AUE SOBOL Dewi Lewis Publishing
Vietnam, the Real War PETE HAMILL Abrams
VisibleInvisible. DOROTHEE DEISS
Você está feliz? MIGUEL RIO BRANCO
War/Photography: Images of Armed Conflict and Its Aftermath. ANNE WILKES TUCKER Yale University Press

It is rare to find yourself at a location with a spectacular view in all directions, and even rarer when that location has been photographed only by a few. This post shows a variety in space and time of images made at sunrise from a single viewpoint at Petes Mesa in the Maze District of Canyonlands National Park, during the Maze Canyonlands 2013 Photo Tour.

The hike starts from the Chimney Rock trailhead (map). With the appropriate high-clearance 4WD vehicle – stock SUVs may not be enough for most drivers – you can drive 37 miles from the Hans Flat Ranger station to there in about 5 hours. Otherwise, there are two options for backpacking in, both of them taking a long half-day: you can drive down the Flint Trail switchbacks – steep but not too rocky – to the top of the Golden Stairs with any 4WD in dry weather, or you can be dropped by jet-boat at Spanish Bottom in the summer. Water sources are rare and found only down the canyons.

The Petes Mesa trail is primitive enough that it is referred to as a “route”, however it is reasonably well marked by cairns, and the terrain is not difficult, as you are mostly walking on rock slabs. We followed it until it made a sharp left turn to descend into the Maze. At that point, we continued on the ridge to the edge of Petes Mesa, at the base of a rock tower typical of the Land of Standing rocks, looking North.

This is looking North-East towards the La Sal Mountains and the rising sun. Our 5am start placed us there half an hour before sunrise, which in mid-October happens around 7:30am (to figure that out I like www.sunrisesunset.com).

On the East, Jasper Canyon is totally off-limits to human travel, in an effort to keep intact one of the most pristine canyons of the southwest – unlike others, it was never grazed.

On the South, lie the Land of Standing Rocks. The rock formation on the horizon is Chimney Rock where the trailhead is situated, about 4 miles away from Petes Mesa.

On the West, the aptly named Maze, bounded by the Elearite Butte, forms a thirty square mile convoluted puzzle inscribed in sandstone, with more side canyons you’d think possible in such a small area. 20 minutes before sunrise, the sky, not yet illuminated by the sun, is still blue, while the land reflects the warm glow of the horizon with delicate tonal gradations.

Between 10 to 5 minutes before sunrise, both the sky and land are bathed in a warm glow, which disappears quickly from the sky as it gets directly lighted by the sun.

The Chocolate Drops, a slender formation of Organ Rock Shale capped by White Rim sandstone, forms an important navigational landmark for hikers. A few minutes after sunrise, their shadow help outline their shape despite the scene being almost front-lit. At that time, the lit part of the land glows a bright red. The part in the shade is quite dark, but for a brief instant, the contrast is low enough that the latter can easily be brightened in post-processing even if a graduated filter was not used at capture time.

Half-an-hour after sunrise, the upper part of the scene now lacks shadows, but they are still present in the bottom part to impart some depth. Afterwards, it was time hike into the Maze, where steep walls offer favorable light even mid-day.

Sunrise at Petes Mesa was actually an improvisation. We were to camp at the Maze Overlook, possibly the best panoramic viewpoint over the Maze, situated on the opposite side. Navtec had secured a campsite there six months in advance of the trip, but we lost our reservation when the trip was moved because of the National Parks shutdown. The Maze Overlook site fills up fast as it is more easy to access by road than those at the Land of Standing Rocks, which require driving through Teapot Canyon, the most difficult road in the Maze. The distance from our Standing Rock campsite to the Maze Overlook is just 4 miles as the crow flies, but it takes 5 hours by road, for just 34 miles. Since everybody preferred to hike rather than sit in the car for 5 hours of bumpy roads (plus 1.5 hours of backtracking), we stayed for a second night at Standing Rock, and hiked to Petes Mesa for that view of the Maze from above instead of the Maze Overlook view.

Although it has been photographed considerably less than other views from Island in the Sky, the Maze Overlook is somehow a classic. On the other hand, given that one needs to hike in the dark for four miles, I doubt that more than a few photographers have captured the sunrise from Petes Mesa. Will you be the next ?

View more images of the Maze District of Canyonlands

Despite being sold out in a week – group size is strictly limited by the NPS -, the Maze Canyonlands photo tour almost did not happen. It was initially scheduled from October 8 to October 12, shortly after the new moon. When the federal government shut down on October 1, all the National Parks closed. As I followed the Washington gridlock with anxiety, the participant group showed amazing flexibility: despite traveling from far corners of the US, all agreed to try and delay the tour by a week, starting on October 14 instead, with a cut-off date of October 12. On October 12, having wired state funds to the federal government to pay for their normal operation for ten days, Utah re-opened its five National Parks. The new dates meant that we had lost all of backcountry campsites, but our guide was able to nevertheless secure enough sites for slightly reshuffled itinerary.

Because of the adventurous nature of the tour and its location, I was anticipating a group with great ability, company and camaraderie. It was indeed a pleasure to travel and photograph with such fine people and photographers, and I grateful to Kurt, Dave, Roland, Kendra, Michael and Rebecca for making the photo tour a success despite the setbacks.

Our lead guide Brian Martinez – best canyon guide ever ! – of Navtec Expeditions deserves special praise for his skills and can-do attitude: waking up at 3.30am to prepare coffee, leading a group on miles of sparsely marked, primitive backcountry route in pitch dark so that we could get at our chosen photography location in time ? No problem, this is something Brian would have suggested himself, meeting all challenges with a reassuring and contagious laughter, also heard each time he stirred the car over a tough obstacle. Despite particularly long days, Brian and Matt safely drove the 4WD vehicles on hair-rising roads and cooked meals way more elaborate than they needed to be (like Dave wrote, see some of them in his photos). Even though I am a vegetarian, I ate better than at home.

In the following, for the sake of simplicity, I’ll use my images, but be sure to check terrific work in the participants albums:

• Kurt Johnson
• Dave Kang (see also video)
• Roland Kilcher
• Kendra Sharp
• Rebecca Henasey

Besides their personal takes on the same subjects, many that I did not even see – always a great benefit of traveling with other talented photographers, they produced many images which capture so well how it was to be on the trip.

Day 1

After a quick shoot at Horseshoe Reservoir, we stopped at the Hans Ranger Station to confirm conditions and campsites, then had a lunch and shoot at the High Spur site with great views over the other side of Canyonlands.

In the afternoon, we hiked the High Spur slot canyon for 2.5 miles of beautiful and varied narrows without meeting anybody, a stark contrast in both length and visitation with something like Antelope Canyon. Brian said to hold on photographing because it would get better, but it was difficult to do so. The canyon required some squeezing in pretty tight spaces, but was not technical. There was only one short downclimb for which Brian pulled out a short rope, which turned out not necessary once the backpacks were passed hand-to-hand.

We emerged from the canyon just in time for sunset, then hiked, drove some, and set-up our camp, readying for one of our two early starts.

Day 2

We got up at 3.30am and hiked the steep Deadman trail into Horseshoe Canyon in the dark to try and photograph the Great Gallery with stars, using the short window after moonset but before dawn. The Great Gallery, considered by some (including the well-traveled Michael Kelsey) to be the best rock art panel anywhere, was painted by the Archaic People who lived in Utah from 8,000 to 2,000 years ago, predating the Anasazi.

The reflected light morning glow on the panel did not happen because of clouds, but the light on the panel was still better than the direct sunlight most visitors see. Overcast conditions were also favorable to photograph the autumn foliage in the canyon, which contrasted sharply with the dry desert environment above.

After late breakfast, we embarked on a long driving day, going down the famed Flint Trail after a brief white-out with snow flurries. While driving over rock ledges in Teapot Canyon, we understood why the Maze District is traveled only by 3% of visitors to the Canyonlands National Park. Although our guides drive expedition-grade four-wheel drive vehicles with lifts and massive tires, constant attention and tricky maneuvers were required.

We made a few stops to photograph roadside. Since the light was weak, we sought details, such as in this area with bentonite and petrified wood.

The day before, another Navtec vehicle had broken its gear box. We quickly said hi to the one-armed (!) traveling mechanic who was sent to replace the part in the field before reaching our camp.

Day 3

Camping at the Dollhouse #3 site, one of the most remote “road”-accessible locations in the US, we walked out of our tents for a sunrise session over the spires of the whimsical spires, just ten minutes from camp.

After breakfast, we hiked a short loop (only 1.5 miles, but took 3 hours with photography) to an overlook above Surprise Valley and the Colorado River, visiting also a beautifully lit chamber – where Michael stirred up sand to create sunrays – and an ancient granary.

After driving to the Land of Standing Rocks and setting up our camp, we went for a late afternoon hike of a few miles on the Chocolate Drops trail, where we stayed until dusk.

We hiked back in the dark, then did a moonlit night photography session at the camp while the guides were busy cooking dinner. Because of the bright moon, we had to find lighted subjects for a sense of night, so we included our tents in compositions.

Day 4

This was going to be a big hiking day. We got again a very early start in order to get to Petes Mesa in time for sunrise. I’ll highlight this fantastic location in another post.

Afterwards, we hiked down to the bottom of the Maze via the Pictograph Fork – most dangerous hike in North America according to Backpacker magazine – where we saw lovely interlocking canyons that very few get to visit. The difficulty of travel comes more from the remoteness, the multitude of side canyons which all look alike, than from the terrain, as the canyons are wide and have sandy bottoms.

Mid-way our 12-mile loop, which everybody completed easily, we stopped for lunch at the base of the Harvest Scene. The panel of life-size pictographs, in the Barrier Canyon style identical to the Great Gallery in Horseshoe Canyon, is named so because one of the figures, at the right, appears to be holding a sheaf of rice grass.

After returning to camp and resting a bit, we drove to Chimney Rock for sunset, then were happy to return for a second night to our amazing Standing Rock campsite.

Day 5

On our last morning, we rolled out of our tents to photograph a view of the Maze from above, lit by the first rays of sun, with the Chocolate Drops under which we had hiked the previous day.

This was another long driving day to get out of the Maze district. The roads are so difficult that reaching Chimney Rock requires 8 hours of driving from Moab, although it is less than 40 miles as the crow flies. To make it worse, during our lunch stop/shoot, my tripod tipped over as I took my eye out of it to talk, and upon impact (eventually resulting in a $700 repair bill) the memory card self-ejected from the 5D3, seemingly over a cliff. I am grateful to the group for spending time to comb the surroundings, eventually finding it, however at the expense of their own photo time.

Instead of backtracking North to Moab and spending all that time in the car, we visited the southern part of the area, before being met by a plane at an airstrip near Hite. During the flight, we had the satisfaction to see from the air the terrain we drove and hiked. As everybody had a window seat (with even a few to spare), we made good use of the light, landing at the Canyonlands Field Airport near Moab just before sunset.

After a quick shower in our respective hotels, we gathered in a restaurant to celebrate a great trip, before meeting Brian and Matt at the Navtec office later in the night to retrieve our bags. I cannot believe it’s been already a month since we left the canyons. Thanks again Brian, Matt, Kurt, Dave, Roland, Kendra, Michael and Rebecca !

If you can find two weeks for a photographic adventure of a lifetime next spring, consider my Grand Canyon by Raft Photography Workshop, since this is a rare opportunity which may not be offered again. The locations are even more remote, but the trip is actually less demanding.