Category: Photography

Montezuma Castle

~ Ben Messick

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

~ Ben Messick

#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

~ Ben Messick

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

~ Ben Messick

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.

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.