I always get the wanderlust when it's cloudy. I assume it's because I've always lived in warm climates, where the sun is the norm, and probably something to stay out of for most of the year.

On Thursday night, it rained, and Friday had brooding skies, threatening more. On impulse, I decided to head to South Mountain. I just grabbed the camera, some water, and the dog, and started walking. No need for sunscreen today.



There's a few old stone buildings scattered throughout the park. They were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression, but most of them have since fallen into disrepair.



This was a bathroom, I think. The intervening decades have rotted away the roof and the wooden bench, but they haven't yet cleared the smell. Skippy's wondering what the heck I'm doing down in the toilet.



I took some different trails this time, so I saw these carvings for the first time. There was a civilization called the Hohokam who inhabited the valley for two thousand years, but they were long gone when gold miners arrived in the 19th century.





South Mountain is the biggest municipal park in the country, covering 25.5 square miles. By comparison, Central Park in NYC only covers 1.3 miles. It would be an understatement to say you could get lost in here. You will get lost in here. Just don't do that in the summer months.



A few sprinkles came down during my hike, but not much. Days like this happen every few weeks in winter.



I wonder how old this dead tree is. Things last a long, long time in the desert.



The whole time I was hiking, I was hoping for that magic moment when the sun breaks through the clouds. There is no better light I know of for photography. That moment didn't come until I was almost home, walking by a derelict house in Guadalupe.



It's too bad I wasn't still in the park when it happened, but this light makes everything look amazing. Even the canal behind Wal-Mart.

[photographyguy74]

You have some good shots here (especially the second one and the ninth one) but the first image has the potential to bring the rest of them down. I do not know whether you shot the first image with your lens wide open or if you were having focusing problems but in my opinion, that is the kind kind of scene that needs a deep depth of field. The out-of-focus areas behind the cacti (is that spelled right) is very distracting and does not do this image any justice. I do not mean to be critical but if the first image of a series is severely out of focus or the out-of-focus areas are distracting, it has the potential to reduce the effectiveness of the rest of the images and it may make the other images seem not as good as they may actually be.

[scratchpaddy]

No focus problems here, the camera was doing exactly what I told it, for better or worse. I shot the first one wide open, as you guessed, with the focus on the barrel cactus on the left side. That was my subject, and I wanted to emphasize it, but I think my framing was off. Maybe it's a little too far to the left to make a good subject, and the background commands attention even though it's out of focus, which isn't good.

I took that picture twice, once at f/1.8, and the other at f/4. Here's the f/4 version, cropped further to try and keep the focus away from the background. It's still not quite what you suggested, but what do you think of it now?

edit: I put the f/1.8 version on the right for easier comparison.



BTW, you did spell "cacti" right, and thanks again for the input.

[photographyguy74]

I think that the one shot at f/4 looks better. If it's just the first cactus (cacti...whichever one is singular) that is your subject, I think that a much tighter framing on the subject would serve this scene better in my opinion. The reason why I say this is because the framing may be kind of misleading. It could be just me but I thought that the whole scene was the subject. I see that you have composed according to the Rule Of Thirds (or pretty close to it). I think that composing the cactus (...cacti...whatever) the way you did would normally work if it was set against a plain background but I don't think it works very well here due to the background. Of course, it may be hard to isolate just the cactus because of the plant (or whatever it is) in front of it unless you try from another shooting position. I do not mean to be critical. I am just giving my opinion. Of course, I'm not the one who took the picture so I do not know what your intention was nor do I know what all you had to deal with when taking this picture. I think that an awesome shot may have been to take a macro shot of the cactus needles.

[slowpez]

You have so whetted my appetite for our trip out west next year. TFS these. I love the desert in any weather and it looks like your dog does too.

[scratchpaddy]

I think that the one shot at f/4 looks better. If it's just the first cactus (cacti...whichever one is singular) that is your subject, I think that a much tighter framing on the subject would serve this scene better in my opinion. The reason why I say this is because the framing may be kind of misleading. It could be just me but I thought that the whole scene was the subject. I see that you have composed according to the Rule Of Thirds (or pretty close to it). I think that composing the cactus (...cacti...whatever) the way you did would normally work if it was set against a plain background but I don't think it works very well here due to the background. Of course, it may be hard to isolate just the cactus because of the plant (or whatever it is) in front of it unless you try from another shooting position. I do not mean to be critical. I am just giving my opinion. Of course, I'm not the one who took the picture so I do not know what your intention was nor do I know what all you had to deal with when taking this picture. I think that an awesome shot may have been to take a macro shot of the cactus needles.

I'm reluctant to crop the picture any more, since that green bush in front of the cactus gets distracting. I wanted to frame the picture with the little valley leading off into the city in the distance, so I didn't want to try another angle, even though that plant was in the way. I also tend to go a little crazy with subject isolation. I just haven't worn out my fascination with thin DOF yet, and this Sigma zoom isn't helping. Anyway, thanks for the input. I replaced the first picture with the f/4 version, which I like better now.

You have so whetted my appetite for our trip out west next year. TFS these. I love the desert in any weather and it looks like your dog does too.

Thank you, Suzan. I don't know how you'll find those waterbirds you like so much out here, though. It's mostly grackles, ravens, and quail here. Oh, and roadrunners! You get to see the roadrunners and quail fight sometimes. Maybe you will get some good bird shots here.

About the dog, she seemed worried that the rain might start. But she did enjoy the exercise.

[mole]

Some fascinating views of a land far different from our (warm, wet) southeastern landscapes! Interesting information (as well as very fine photos) about the CCC structures. Many of our Tennessee State Parks are home to CCC structures (cabins, restaurants, trail bridges, etc.) that are still very much in use.

Thanks also for the interesting comparison of DOF on the two cactus photos - I like being able to see the detail in the mountains as well as in the main subject, but can also see how you might prefer the shallower DOF to isolate the cactus texture...

[scratchpaddy]

Some fascinating views of a land far different from our (warm, wet) southeastern landscapes! Interesting information (as well as very fine photos) about the CCC structures. Many of our Tennessee State Parks are home to CCC structures (cabins, restaurants, trail bridges, etc.) that are still very much in use.

Thanks also for the interesting comparison of DOF on the two cactus photos - I like being able to see the detail in the mountains as well as in the main subject, but can also see how you might prefer the shallower DOF to isolate the cactus texture...

Thanks for stopping by, Mr. Park Ranger. There's a few CCC buildings still in use along the one remaining paved road in the park. The ranger station at the bottom is one of the originals, and up on Dobbins Lookout at the opposite end of the road, one remains with the roof intact. This is the park's most popular spot, probably because it's got a great view, and you don't have to walk at all to get there.



The other buildings have been isolated by shifting trails and former roads which are now closed. The ones in my original post are at the end of a dirt road which was closed to vehicles many years ago. Now, I guess there's no budget to maintain facilities a mile and a half away from any pavement.