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GSmith1272

Cross Country, Country

Cross country skies are one of the few ways one can traverse snow that is nearly 4 ft. deep.

Cross country skies are one of the few ways one can traverse snow that is nearly 4 ft. deep.
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Jan, 2016

Views

405

Likes

+27

Awards

Fall Award 2020

Absolute Masterpiece

Superb Composition

Peer Award

Outstanding Creativity

Top Choice

Magnificent Capture

Emotions

Happy

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Behind The Lens

Location

If you want to see some of the most far reaching scenery in Arizona? Stand atop a 2,000-foot drop down to the town of Payson, AZ on the Mogollon (Muggyyawn) Rim and get ready to take in some truly amazing views. At over 7,000 ft. in altitude heavy snows, such as in this photo, often blanket the forest. The snow was so deep that one either had to use snowshoes or cross country skis to travel off the road (that was closed) and into the forest.

Time

It was about 2:00 p.m on a January day.

Lighting

The shadows had already started to lengthen, providing excellent contrast to the footprints in the snow.

Equipment

I have a Nikon D5300. The day was bright enough to use a high f-stop for sharpness.

Inspiration

It had snowed very hard in Payson the day before. This day dawned with winter blue clear skies and snow on all the trees in town. A friend was visiting us from Hawaii and I thought a trip to the top of the rim would be a worthy sight. It's only about 25 miles. The snow was about 4-ft deep.

Editing

I did up the contrast to make the footprints stand out. I also cropped the photo to accentuate the path to the forest.

In my camera bag

Me usual lens is a Nikor 24/120 mm. It's heavy but I like to use it when I am not hiking. I also use a 50 mm prime lens, and a 70/300 mm. long lens.

Feedback

The sky was such a deep blue that it really made the snow flocking on the trees stand out. What I was trying to capture was a leading line photo from the parking lot (where I was standing) into the forest. As I mentioned above, I did enhance the contrast because I wanted to emphasize the ski trail leading into the woods.

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GSmith1272

GSmith1272

Cross Country, Country

Cross country skies are one of the few ways one can traverse snow that is nearly 4 ft. deep.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow GSmith1272

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