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Exploring
the Grand Canyon
by Roy Harrington
images Copyright © 1998-1999 by Roy V. Harrington
NOTE: this exhibit appeared in June 1999. Click here to visit the current showcase.
All other exhibits: Click here to access
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All images are 4x5
large format, see Exhibit information below for explanation
of data shown after each image.
This is one
of the few images that is taken from right near the
Colorado River. In fact it was taken from a small
island of rocks in the middle of the river. This
spring comes out of the middle of a tall wall of
Redwall Limestone and cascades down the layers of
rock. In earlier years this was a good source for
clear fresh water, but now filtering is
recommended.
May 4,
Mile 32, 450mm lens @ f/32, 1/15 sec, N
This is the
canyon where we spent our first night on the river.
Like good photographers we all got up quite early
to get the first light. As it turns out even though
the sun rises early there is very soft light for
quite a while in the narrow side canyons. I made
several exposures closer to this pour over but as
others began to finish up and leave I was able to
move back for a somewhat different
perspective.
May 3,
Mile 20, 300mm lens @ f/32, 12 sec, N
Deer Creek
is one of the most popular side canyon of the
Colorado in this area. The creek has carved out a
narrow slot about half way through a tall vertical
cliff. There is a tall waterfall visible from the
main river but in order to see the narrows one must
climb all the way to the top and then hike back
along the slot. This image, one of my favorites
from the trip, was taken near the start of the
narrows where it is only about 20 feet deep. The
small eddy of water was clearly there but I was
pleased how it was rendered on film with such a
long exposure.
May 11,
Mile 136, 150mm lens @ f/22, 6 sec, N+1
I found this
image in the early morning in the Deer Creek area.
There were many barrel cactuses around but finding
an appropriate one with some other interesting
things was difficult.
May 12,
Mile 136, 210mm lens @ f/32+2/3, 1/2 sec, N
Choke
Rock, Matkatamiba Canyon
This canyon
was a short hike from the Colorado, through some
narrow, swirling areas followed by a climb into an
open amphitheater area. This large, squarish choke
rock approximately 8 feet in diameter attracted my
attention. I was able to get very close with a wide
angle lens to make the rock dominate the image. The
rock is partially visible in the next picture at
the top in the middle.
May 12,
Mile 148, 90mm lens @ f/32, 1 sec, N
This is a
larger view of the creek meandering through the
open amphitheater area of Matkatamiba Canyon. The
lighting was fairly flat but the textures of the
sedimentary rocks were very interesting.
May 12,
Mile 148, 210mm lens @ f/32, 1/4 sec, N+1
Blacktail
Canyon was a small, relatively short canyon.
Camping here was particularly memorable because the
Tapeats Sandstone was eroded so that there were
many ledges at the entrance and my son and I slept
up on the cliff overlooking the river. The canyon
was short and level until it came to this
unpassable vertical wall. It was very dark in here
with a small shaft of light glistening on the wet
wall.
May 11,
Mile 120, 300mm lens @ f/22, 60 secs, N
Travertine
Wall, Blacktail Canyon
This image
is from the same Blacktail Canyon as the previous
image. The rock here is different in that it has
been deposited rather than been eroded away. There
is a constant small flow of water that is heavy
laden with calcium carbonate. Since this is not
very soluble, slow evaporation of the water
produces a precipitate which is called
Travertine.
May 11,
Mile 120, 120mm lens @ f/22, 15 secs, N
This
metamorphic rock is found below the sedimentary
layers and is much older geologically. Along the
Colorado River in the narrower parts the rock is
very highly polished. In the image the rock itself
is just about pure black but is so shiny that even
30 minutes after sunset I was able to catch the
reflected glow of sky on it.
May 8,
Mile 82, 210mm lens @ f/22, 30 secs, N+1
Cactus
Cluster, National Canyon
National
Canyon was a particularly wonderful place. We
camped at the base for two nights so that we could
spend an entire day hiking and photographing in
this large area. During the first evening I made a
short, easy 20 minute hike up the canyon to a
narrow swirling area which ended very soon in a
seemingly inpassable vertical wall. The next day
however about six of us with some ropes and guide
assistance were able to climb one side and reach
the upper level and spend many hours exploring. One
side of the canyon about a mile up had many of
these cactus clusters covering it.
May 14,
Mile 166, 210mm lens @ f/45, 3 secs, N+1
Small
Waterfall, Monument Creek
Monument
Creek flows into the Colorado at Granite Rapid. We
stopped to camp here in the early afternoon and
many of us spent a couple of hours watching others
run the rapid from some very nice vantage points.
So by the time I started up the side canyon it was
later in the afternoon. After trudging slowly
through the gravel, some others were returning from
higher up with the report that it was really great
but still quite a ways to go. So fearing that I
might not have enough time, I unloaded about half
my gear -- taking my two lightest lenses and hiding
the rest. Now making much better time I was able
the get to the top and make several nice images.
Fortunately, it was a fairly compact area with lots
of photographic possibilities. I made it back just
as the sun was setting in time for dinner.
May 9,
Mile 93, 150mm lens @ f/32, 6 secs, N+1
Havasu Creek
is a very well known photographic area even for
many who do not raft down the Colorado. It can
hiked to from above through the Havasu Indian
Reservation which makes it more accessable. The
colors in this area are especially exciting and
frequently photographed. The water is a beautiful
clear turquoise blue and the rocks are a nice
complementary pink. Nevertheless, this series is in
black & white which brings out the wonderful
textures and flow of the water.
May 13,
Mile 157, 90mm lens @ f/22, 1/15 sec, N
Elves Chasm
is a very common stopping point for raft trips
since the lower falls is an easy, short walk up
from the river. A couple of us however decided to
scramble up the right side and explore further up.
There were a couple more falls and ended with a
large open amphitheather. This image is one of the
upper waterfalls and shows the sedimentary layers
on the right and travertine deposits on the
left.
May 10,
Mile 116, 210mm lens @ f/22, 3 secs, N
This is
another image from the upper area of Monument
Creek. See above description for more
information.
May 9,
Mile 93, 300mm lens @ f/45, 8 secs, N+1
As described
above National Canyon provided many photographic
opportunities. We hiked about a mile of the upper
level with seemingly endless beauty of carved
sedimentary layers. This huge choke rock at one
time was rolled down from upstream by probably
numerous flash floods and became jambed in this
spot. What now looks like such a calm flowing creek
can only hint of the forces that brought it
here.
May 14,
Mile 166, 120mm lens @ f/22, 1 sec, N-1
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About the Exhibit:
This Showcase Exhibit this month is quite literally a Photo Trip. This exhibit features images from a sixteen day whitewater rafting expedition in May of 1998. The trip was especially designed for the art of photography and painting. We covered 230 miles of the Colorado River where it has carved out the magnificent Grand Canyon. The majority of the images come from the many small side canyons that are only accessible by hiking up from the bottom of the Canyon, thus providing a different viewpoint than the more well known ones from the rim. On the trip we had 4x5 large format, medium format and 35mm photographers as well as painters using oils and watercolors. A large-format 4x5 view camera was used for all my images.
image
Data:
To add the feeling of a trip I've added the date in May that
the image was made and the mile number along the Colorado
where we were. The lens focal length is for 4x5 so to get a
35mm approximate equivalent divide by about 3.5. The shutter
speed is listed -- note that many are quite long because the
narrow side canyons are mostly deep in the shade. The last
entry is development notes for Normal, Plus or Minus
development for the Zone System. Since I am using sheet film
each exposure can have a specific development time tailored
to the contrast of the scene. All images were taken on Tmax
100 ReadyLoad film and developed in Tmax RS
developer.
I also have a website at http://www.harrington.com which has a few more prints from the trip and many other of my black & white photographs. Also on the website is a Journal of this trip written by my son, then age 12, who accompanied me on the trip.
For many years, my interest in photography consisted mainly of family and travel pictures and slide shows of trips. Although I was introduced to darkroom work at a young age, several photography classes at Foothill College with different instructors have instilled a renewed interest. These classes have helped me develop a deeper appreciation of black and white images and improve my skills in the darkroom. Since that time, I have built my own darkroom at home and do all my own processing, printing, and mounting. I have furthered my photography with numerous seminars and field trips. Although I have photographed in color, I am especially drawn to black and white photography for its artistic flexibility and dramatic capabilities. The majority of my black and white work has been done with a 4x5 large format view camera. I have always loved hiking and backpacking in the Sierras. This has provided many of my subjects such as landscapes, flowing water, ice and snow, and reflections. In recent years, my son, Vince, has become a very frequent partner on these backpacking trips and been an enormous help here. I would like to mention my appreciation to those teachers and mentors who have helped my in my photographic career, including Marion Patterson, Ted Orland, John Sexton, Ray McSavaney and others.
I welcome any
comments and questions about this exhibit or my photography
in general.
Email me at roy@harrington.com
or visit my website at http://www.harrington.com
I hope you enjoy the exhibit. --- Roy
Please note:
All images featured in this showcase are Copyright
© 1998, Roy V. Harrington, all rights reserved. These
images are protected by U.S. and international copyright
laws and may not be used or reproduced without permission.
For licensing information, or to order prints, please
contact Roy V. Harrington at roy@harrington.com
Find photos of
the Colorado Plateau in Land
of the Canyons,
the Photo Trip USA landscape photography guide book.