Captured on Antelope Island with a Fujifilm X-T20
A few days ago my wife and I visited one of our favorite places nearby: Antelope Island State Park. I captured a bunch of images, but one frame (and only one frame) showed something strange. I’m not sure what it is. There are some unusual dark vertical lines on the right side of the frame. Take a look at the photo above to see for yourself.
The camera I used was a Fujifilm X-T20 and the lens was the Fujinon 50-230mm zoom. It was near sunset and the hill at the bottom-right is hiding the low sun. There were some distant clouds and plenty of haze. Below are a few other pictures captured near this same location and near this same time.
Distant Sailboats – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Frary Evening – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Rocky Bluff – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Buffalo Point Puddle – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Citrus Sky – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Low Sun Over The Salt Lake – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Afterglow – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Vibrant Salt Lake Glow – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
The weird lines only appear in that one frame, and I didn’t notice them when I made the exposure. It wasn’t until later when reviewing the pictures at home that I noticed the lines. I’m really unsure what it is. Was it how the light from the setting sun was interacting with the haze? Is it something with the camera’s sensor? The shutter? I guess I’m wondering if this was a natural phenomenon or a gear issue, and if it was a gear issue, what specifically happened to cause this.
Here’s a closer look at it:
What do you think it is: natural or gear, and if gear, what caused it? Have you ever seen something like this in your photographs? I’d love to get your feedback!
Out of focus grass/plants close to you would be my first guess.
That’s a good guess but it’s not the case in this image.
In fact, this is such a good guess that I had to really think if this is a possibility. The plants and grass in this area are mostly ankle high and a few bushes are knee high. I was standing in a clear area. I don’t see how I could have missed some tall brush right in front of me, so I don’t think that’s it. I also considered swarms of bugs, which is common on this island, but the bugs don’t come out until May usually, and I didn’t spot any while there, so I don’t think it was that, either.
So weird! I first thought OOF grass/plants too, but the shape of them doesn’t seem quite right for that, a herd of mosquitoes or similar taking off maybe, but I think you would have been aware of that. Don’t think it can be gear or your other shots would have that too, I’ve had similar on a dirty sensor, but that went across the whole enchilada of shots. Some sort of dark light refraction also doesn’t seem right. If you ever find out let us know!
I’ll definitely keep everyone updated if I learn anything.
could it be a glitch in Image Stabilization? as the “strange shadows” appear as an extension of the rocks
As I was researching this, I found that someone else had experienced something similar, and what caught my eye is that he used the same lens. So you might be onto something with your image stabilization glitch theory.
There years ago, I spent a few hours exploring Antelope Island with my family. We had travelled to Salt Lake City to visit my father. We visited during the day and as it is with family trips, my opportunity to shoot was limited to the patience of my wife and kids. 🙂
Your sunset shots are stunning.
Thank you for your kind words! It’s such an unusual place, but the more I go the more I love it.
Nature never ceases to excite, or is it due to some reflection of some unknown light sources?
By the way, do you hike up this park? it seems to not be an easy hike.
Regards,
Jack
This particular hike is rated as short but moderately difficult. There are a couple areas that are a bit iffy, but it’s not too bad otherwise.
Yesterday I went back to this same place and looked for vegetation or anything else to explain it, but I didn’t see anything. It could have been the sun reflecting off the lake and passing through the haze, that’s a good suggestion.
it appeared on one photo, why are you making an article outta it…
Because I want to know what it is. If it’s a gear issue, if I can identify the problem, I can learn how to better use my camera. If it’s a natural phenomenon, maybe I accidentally captured something really unusual, or maybe I didn’t pay attention to my environment well enough and I need to do better at that. Either way, it would be nice to know.