Okay, it seems that I received an unexpected late Christmas gift this weekend. I was looking for something and came across some backup DVDs that contained some of my images from 2003 – 2006. You may ask why I am looking at this as a gift. The easy answer is that I took some memorable trips during that period and, at that time, really didn’t know anything about RAW files and processing (other than that, everything was fine). I processed the JPG files in Photoshop Elements with my very poor skills and DELETED the original files. That’s right, all gone. I have rued the day I deleted them ever since. Now for the good news, the DVDs that I found contained the original JPGs. I now have a lot of my favorite images that I can now reprocess.
This is the first image that I have reprocessed and it is significant in that it is the photo that started my photography hobby in earnest. I always had an interest in photography and in the early 1980′s even took a high school course in developing black and white film (boy, did they lose money on me). Career, family and finances got in the way of photography and I didn’t pursue it again until the early 2000′s. Then in 2005, I decided to see if I was serious about it.
My son Greg and I headed to Utah for two weeks for the sole purpose of hiking and photography. One of the places that I had longed to visit was Monument Valley. Located on a Navajo Indian Reservation on the Utah/Arizona border, it was the location of many famous westerns (Stagecoach and The Searchers to name a couple). I had seen a photo of Tear Drop Arch on the cover of a tour guide and always wanted to shoot it. The park has a 17-mile dirt road, but in order to photograph the more iconic places such as Tear Drop Arch, you must hire a Navajo guide. Our guide took us all over the park for four hours and saved Tear Drop Arch for our last stop at sunset. The biggest surprise was that Tear Drop Arch is actually about 3 miles outside the park. While Greg and the Navajo guide talked about his culture, I shot the arch until well past sunset.
This was one of the most magical experiences I’ve ever had and it lit the passion that I still have for photography.
Wow, very nice picture!
Man, talk about a treasure chest of images! That is awesome Len! Can’t wait to see them! As for this shot, exceptional POV, awesome colors too!
Dave DiCello recently posted..Modern Coliseum
Funny you should discover these images Len. I have just done the same thing and have reprocessed some very old digital files too. I was about to throw away an old laptop when I discovered some cool images taken with an old point and shoot.I’ll be posting some in the coming days.
This is just stunning by the way. Good job you found the DVD eh?
Marc Collins recently posted..St Albans Cathedral
What a stroke of luck Len! Can’t wait to see how some of them turn out.
Curt Fleenor recently posted..Diffusion
Man what a gift! Getting a second opportunity at a lost treasure chest, great! Awesome way to begin the year.
I really love how you framed up the buttes in the background on this. This is a wonderful shot and nicely processed too. Looking forward to more of the “Lost Treasure of Len”. LOL
Jimi Jones recently posted..Water Intake Tower
Wow Len! What a great find! This is a fantastic image with superb framing. Well done!
Adam Olson recently posted..Alisa and Brent – Engagement Shoot
Amazing framing Len. Great shot!!
This is prob one of my favs of your man. Such a beautiful image!
Wow. Wonderful use of framing in an image, with great processing as well.
Steven Perlmutter recently posted..Winter Light
Great POV to create a wonderful composition. With shots like this I can see why you decided to take the hobby seriously, it is fantastic.
Mark Summerfield recently posted..Glass Door, Ca’ d’Zan Mansion
Great shot Len, glad you found a backup of the JPEG’s
Chris Maskell recently posted..Into the Light
I am so glad you were able to recover all your old shots Len, what a gift! this one alone is awesome, can’t wait to see the rest!!
Jim Nix recently posted..Just another amazing sunset
That’s a tremendous Christmas Present, Len. This is an amazing gift to unwrap. A fantastic image, beautifully framed – one of your best. I recall when I was starting out in digital, I worked on the original JPGs and didn’t archive a copy. I’ve kicked myself ever since as I really messed up a few good images with no second chances. Lesson learnt. Lucky you getting a reprieve!
LensScaper recently posted..Window Dressing
Wow, such a cool arch! I love this area of the county. I’m trying to plan a trip to this area this winter!
Rick Louie recently posted..Catching Some Rays
Wow what an amazing shot. I love the way you’ve framed it. And you were just “getting back into photography” when you took this. Incredible.
Edith Levy recently posted..A New Year, A New Look
Oh man, for the first year of shooting i deleted all my origs as well… There should be a guy at the store telling poeple not to do this when they buy their cameras! Fantastic framing on this one. Very beautiful.
Adam Allegro recently posted..Around the Bend
Me, I feel lucky when I reach into a jacket pocket and find a dollar I didn’t know was there. To find a trove of forgotten photos would be amazing. Especially if they looked anything like this.
Mark Garbowski recently posted..Big Silos
Great shot. Excellent composition!
Kris Koeller recently posted..The Harbin, China Snow & Ice Festival