Bell Rock at Night

~ Ben Messick

The forecast called for clear skies Saturday morning. I used the Photopills App to see if a Milky Way shot would be possible. The Milky Way would be coming up around 3 AM and moon wouldn’t be a factor until 5 AM. I took this at 5:18 AM. The moon is rising behind Bell Rock.

I took this photograph Saturday morning at the Bell Rock Trailhead near Sedona, Arizona. It was taken with a Nikon Z5 camera using a NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens (15 secs at f/2.8, ISO 5000, 24mm). It was edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Cedar Knoll Sunset

~ Ben Messick

We arrived in in Camp Verde on Monday and the weather was beautiful. Soon after we arrived, the sun disappeared and it rained on and off until yesterday. It cleared up Friday and was perfect weather for wearing a sweatshirt and being outside. We took a walk at dusk and enjoyed a beautiful sunset. Hopefully, we will have many more days like this before we move on next month.

I took this photograph yesterday evening on the Cedar Knoll Trail near Rimrock, Arizona. It was taken with a Nikon Z5 camera using a NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens (1/125 sec at f/22, ISO 100). It was edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Corpus in Silhouette

~ Ben Messick

Missing the ocean. It’s been almost three weeks since we left the coast of Texas. While I am enjoying the lack of humidity and the desert vistas, I miss getting up in the morning and driving to the harbor see the sunrise. Even if the sunrise is underwhelming, the sounds of the ocean, the departure of the fishing boats and the everpresent birds make the trip enjoyable. I will be back.

I took this photograph last month in Ingleside on the Bay, Texas. It was taken with a Nikon Z5 camera using a NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR lens (1/400 sec at f/4.8, ISO 100, 130mm). It was edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Algarve Fishing Chair

~ Ben Messick

For #ThrowbackThursday, I love going through my archive (over 68,000 photos) and reminiscing. This image is from a week-long trip to Portugal that my friend Josh and I took. We rented a car in Lisbon and headed for the coast to soak up the sun and sights. We visited this Fort to absorb the history on the cliffs, this fellow had other plans.

I took this photograph in 2009 at the Fortaleza de Sagres on the south coast of Portugal. It was taken with a Nikon D80 camera using a NIKKOR 18-200mm ƒ3.5-5.6G lens (1/250 sec at ƒ/5, ISO 100, 93mm). It was edited with Snapseed.

Copano Bay Sunset

~ Ben Messick

Last week, I wrote about the principle of layering. Another principle for creating strong photographic composition is to use framing. As the name implies, another element in your photograph creates a border to draw your attention to the subject of your photograph. Often frames in photos are not this obvious and complete, but can be as simple as a tree branch in the foreground that partially frames the main subject. 

This was taken from under the north end of of the Lyndon B. Johnson Memorial Bridge near Fulton, TX. It was taken with a Nikon Z5 camera using a NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens (1/500 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100). It was edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Cholla Bud

~ Ben Messick

Upon our arrival in Phoenix, neighbors told us we just missed the rain. During our stay, a flood warning was in effect and the desert was full of wild flowers. This buckhorn cholla is giving us a hint of the beauty to come. If you are feeling adventurous, Google "cholla bud recipes." 🤔

This was taken last week in White Tank Regional Park, Waddell, AZ. It was taken with a Nikon Z5 camera using a NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR lens (1/1000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100, 400mm). It was edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Comin’ At Ya

~ Ben Messick

Northern Mocking birds are common in the Rockport area. They have a beautiful song and were once kept as caged birds for their melodies. I was photographing this handsome bird when he took off toward me. I’m glad I didn’t notice the evil look in his eye until after I got home and was going through the pictures!

I took this photograph earlier this year at the Ivy Lane Bird and Nature Site in Rockport, Texas. It was taken with a Nikon Z5 camera using a NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S lens (11250 sec at f/5.6, ISO 560, 400mm). It was edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Canyon Lake Sunrise

~ Ben Messick

Today is our last day in Phoenix. We will be headed north to spend the next month in the Sedona area. While we have barely scratched the surface of the things to do (and photograph) here, I will be so glad to get away from the traffic of Phoenix. Red rock photos coming soon!

I took this photograph earlier this week near Canyon Lake, Roosevelt, Arizona. It was taken with a Nikon Z5 camera using a NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens (1/100 sec at f/4.5, ISO 100, 24mm). It was edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Desert Moonset

~ Ben Messick

When I went out earlier this week to Canyon Lake to watch the sunrise, the near full moon was setting behind me. Because of camera limitations, it is difficult to capture the bright moon and dark desert in one photo. I took several photographs exposed for the moon and several photographs exposed for the rest of the desert. This image represents my attempt of putting the best two photographs together to match the beauty I saw.

The photographs used to make this were taken Wednesday morning near Roosevelt, Arizona. They were taken with a Nikon Z5 camera using a NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S lens. (Main Photo: 1/50 sec at f/4.5, ISO 12800, 125mm. Moon: 1/640 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100, 400mm). It was created in Adobe Photoshop and edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Sawyer Glacier

~ Ben Messick

For today’s photograph, I dug back into the vault of one of our favorite trips. We took a seven day Carnival cruise out of Seattle to Alaska and loved it. Sailing down the Alaskan fjords, it was hard to believe we were still in the United States. We can’t wait to go back and explore it at a different pace in our motorhome. Maybe next summer? #tbt

This photograph was taken in Holkham Bay, Alaska in June of 2019. It was taken with a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV that I rented for the trip. (1/250 sec at f/4, ISO 160, 600mm). It was edited in Apple Photos.