El Capitan of Texas
Guadalupe Mountains National Park in west Texas
Guadalupe Mountains National Park in west Texas
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Apr, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken at Guadalupe Mountains National Park in the far west corner of Texas. I went the first week of November. The rock outcropping is called El Capitan like at Yosemite.Time
I spent the night before in Van Horn about an hour south of the park. I arose a few hours before sunrise and made the drive to a location that I found on Google Earth. This shot was done just after sunrise.Lighting
I was fortunate to have a nice sunrise giving the mountain a warm glow.Equipment
I was using a Canon 5D III with a 24-105 lens at a focal length of 55 mm. It was on an Enduro tripod and the exposure was 0.3 sec at f22.Inspiration
I had seen another image from this vantage point online. I searched Google Earth until I had a pretty good idea where to go. Finding it in the dark added to the challenge though. Another reason for visiting the park is the beauty fall foliage in the canyons there. It has big-toothed maple which creates wonderful fall landscapes in early November.Editing
I shot multiple images at different exposures. Some were auto-bracketed and others just done manually. I later blended the foreground and background in Photoshop CC.In my camera bag
Far road trips like this, I probably take too much gear. I always have my Canon 5D III, 24-105 f4 lens, 17-40 f4 lens, Remote shutter release, Enduro GT tripod, and a selection of filters. When in the car or car camping I'll also take my Canon 7D, 100-400 lens, and a Rokinon 14 mm f2.8. I also will take a MacBook pro 13" and external hard drive.Feedback
Guadalupe Mountains NP is a wonderful location anytime but early November has the bonus of fall color (one of the best/only good spots in Texas). There are wonderful hikes here including a hike to the highest point in Texas- Guadalupe Peak 8749 ft. It's likely a long drive from most locations, so flying into El Paso and renting a car is the best bet for the majority folks. There are several nice camp grounds and decent hotels within an hours drive. The Hotel El Capitan in Van Horn is a restored historic site and interesting place to stay. Another bonus for the trip is nearby Carlsbad Caverns NP in New Mexico just across the border. Like any destination, doing some research in advance, either online or in photo publications, will really increase your chances of getting the images you want. I personally like "Photographing the Southwest by Laurent Martres". His series are excellent for that region.
