Author: Ben Messick

Montezuma Well

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Another section of the Montezuma Castle National Monument is the well. It is not attached to main Monument and requires a 15 minute drive. The "well" is actually limestone sinkhole fed by an underground spring. The spring produces 1,500,000 gallons of water per day. Unlike many springs, the water contains high levels of arsenic and is unsafe to drink. If you look at the top left of the picture, you can see a small dwelling in the side of the cliff.

I took this photograph last week at Montezuma Castle National Monument near Rimrock, Arizona. I used a Nikon Z5 camera using a NIKKOR Z 24-70mm ƒ/2.8 S lens (1/125 sec at ƒ/14, ISO 100, 24mm). I edited the image in Adobe Lightroom.

Sunny Days

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#ThrowbackThursday – We have always liked to escape to somewhere warm during the winter. And until this year, it has always been to Florida. A few winters ago, we took the camper down and spent two weeks at Wekiwa Springs State Park. The pool in this picture is the base of the spring and releases 42 million gallons of water per day. The clear water is a constant 72° year around and makes for excellent swimming and kayaking.

This was taken in December of 2020 at Wekiwa Springs State Park near Orlando, Florida. I used a Canon EOS M6 Mark II camera using a EF-M 22mm f/2 STM lens (1/320 sec at ƒ/6.3, ISO 100). I edited the image in Adobe Lightroom.

Just Click It

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Do you love to take photographs? To capture your memories? To express your creativity? To share with family and friends (or strangers)? Or enjoy the process? I love taking photographs for all these reasons. As memories, my prints and digital files are my prized possessions. I love to creatively work around a camera’s limitations to create an image that most represents reality. I love to share. And I just love being out taking pictures.

I took this photograph near sunset on the Cedar Knoll Trail near Rimrock, Arizona.I used a Nikon Z5 camera using a NIKKOR Z 24-70mm ƒ/2.8 S lens (1/125 sec at ƒ/4.5, ISO 100, 45mm). I edited the image in Adobe Lightroom.

Mesquite Dawn

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In yesterday’s post, I said how I liked to turn my camera’s viewfinder to black and white… Just as important is remembering to turn it back to normal. Saturday morning, I got up at oh dark 30 and went to my favorite look-out in Sedona to watch the sun rise. I took a few photos and they looked awful. No shape, no color. I assumed there just wasn’t enough color/light to make a good photo. I left shortly thereafter. When I got back and looked at the images on my computer, I realized that I had turned down the contrast and turned off the color on the viewfinder from an earlier shoot, but it was too dark for me to realize. Live & learn or is it shoot & learn? 🤦‍♂️

I took this photograph on a pull-off on Upper Red Rock Loop Road in Sedona, Arizona. I used a Nikon Z5 camera using a NIKKOR Z 24-70mm ƒ/2.8 S lens (1/8 sec at ƒ/2.8, ISO 100, 24mm). I edited the image in Adobe Lightroom.

Rights of Spring

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#MonocromeMonday – I love black and white photography. It simplifies. It focuses. The lack of color can help focus your attention on the shape, form and texture of the subject. I often put my camera’s viewfinder in black and white mode. The camera still records all the color information but I can compose images with less distractions.

"Rights of Spring" is the original piece in the Rockport Sculpture Garden dedicated in September of 2000. It was created by @kentullbergstudios. I took this photograph on a foggy morning in February by the Harbor in Rockport, Texas. I used a Nikon Z5 camera using a NIKKOR Z 24-70mm ƒ/2.8 S lens (1/60 sec at ƒ/4.5, ISO 100, 51mm). I edited the image in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.

Sedona Sunrise

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I went out at around 4:30 AM to try for some more Milky Way pictures, but it turned out that some low clouds gave me problems. I stayed out for a couple more hours and the "problematic" clouds made for an interesting sunrise. Have a great weekend!

I took this photograph just before dawn last weekend on a pull-off on Upper Red Rock Loop Road in Sedona, Arizona. I used a Nikon Z5 camera using a NIKKOR Z 24-70mm ƒ/2.8 S lens (1/500 sec at ƒ/11, ISO 100, 52mm). I edited the image in Adobe Lightroom.

Montezuma Castle

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I never heard of Montezuma Castle National Monument before arrival in the area. Theodore Roosevelt preserved this amazing slice of history over 100 years ago by creating the Monument. The Monument preserves a 20 room dwelling built in the side of the limestome cliff. Built and used between AD 1100 and 1400, up to 50 residents accessed it using a ladder system. It was then abandon for unknown reasons.

I took this photograph last Friday at Montezuma Castle National Monument near Camp Verde, Arizona. I used a Nikon Z5 camera using a NIKKOR Z 24-70mm ƒ/2.8 S lens (1/320 sec at ƒ/10, ISO 100, 24mm). I edited the image in Adobe Lightroom.

Egyptian Delivery

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#ThrowbackThursday – On our first international trip, we flew to London. On the way home, we volunteered to take a later flight. Our compensation was two tickets to anywhere TWA flew. After we got home, I searched for the most expensive tickets they sold and ended up flying to Egypt free. Twenty plus years later, this is still the most interesting place we have explored.

This was taken in October of 2000 in Egypt. It was taken with a Canon Rebel with #Kodachrome slide film. It was my first interchangeable lens camera.

iPhone Photography Apps 2023

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There are several apps that I use on my iPhone to help support my photography. Here is a quick list of my favorites from most important to least:

  • Lumy – Sunrise, Sunset, and Golden Hour times. I keep their complication front and center on my Apple Watch.
  • GeoTag Photos Pro 2 – It records your locations while you’re out and about shooting. I can then tag my photos with their location after I load them in Lightroom.
  • PhotoPills – Complicated app that I am just learning. Currently, I use the planning feature to know where the sun, moon or Milky Way will be in relation to a future photo spot. SnapSeed – My mobile photo editing app of choice.
  • SnapBridge – Nikon app that I used to move photos directly to my phone when I am excited and can’t wait until I get home to see/post them.
  • Lightroom Mobile – Lets me access my photos that I have in the Adobe Cloud.
  • Lumos – A quick sun / moon locater that is much simpler than PhotoPills. I use it often as a quick check of where the sun will rise or set.

I took this photograph Friday on the Cedar Knoll Trail near Rimrock, Arizona. It may have been our last sunny day. I used a Nikon Z5 camera using a NIKKOR Z 24-70mm ƒ/2.8 S lens (1/125 sec at ƒ/4.0, ISO 100, 62mm). I edited the image in Adobe Lightroom.

Red Rock Country

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We are staying in Camp Verde, Arizona. It is in a beautiful valley surrounded by small mountains. But… go a half hour north and you seem to be in a different world. The mountains, rocks and buttes of the Sedona area are spectacular. To answer my earlier question, “Yes, it lives up to its reputation.”

I took this photograph near sunset on Saturday on a pull-off on Upper Red Rock Loop Road in Sedona, Arizona. I used a Nikon Z5 camera using a NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens (1/500 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100, 70mm). I edited the image in Adobe Lightroom.