Road Trip | FUJI X WEEKLY

Travel: Central Coast of California “En Plein Air” — w/Ken Rockwell & Dave Wyman — Day 1

*No Lifeguard on Duty* – Pismo Beach, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm – Kodachrome 64

Day 1 — June 5, 2023 — Travel Day

I recently returned from photographing California’s amazing central coast with Ken Rockwell and Dave Wyman. It was such an incredible adventure! I’m getting a little ahead of myself, though, so let me give you a little backstory first.

After more than a decade of shooting film, I purchased my first digital camera in 2009. I was one of those “holdouts” who stubbornly refused to go digital, and who would proudly proclaim why analog was preferable. Eventually I gave in; however, the transition wasn’t easy. In many ways it was like learning photography all over again. So in 2010 I began searching the internet for help and advice, and unsurprisingly I stumbled upon Ken Rockwell, who’s website has been one of the most popular photography pages for decades.

Ken is well-known and controversial. People seem to either love or loathe him. I found his website to be helpful; while I didn’t agree with everything he said, I did read a lot of useful information, and Ken’s advice was occasionally critical. In fact, it was an off-hand remark by Ken that convinced me to start blogging in the first place.

Nearly three years ago I published a Film Simulation Recipe called The Rockwell, which was inspired by Ken. I stated that it’s “a Recipe that Ken might use on his X100V if he ever read this article.” Well, to my surprise, a year later Ken did use The Rockwell Recipe and talked a little about it in his Fujifilm X-S10 review! It turned out that Leigh and Raymond Photography (formally known as The SnapChick) tipped Ken off to the Recipe, and then Ken actually emailed me, and we had a brief back-and-forth conversation.

Ken has been conducting photo tours—mostly in California—with Dave Wyman for years. Dave is a super-talented photographer who has published four books: Backroads of Northern California, Backroads of Southern California, Yosemite in Photographs, and Fearless Photographer: Nature. He’s been leading tours—not just photography tours, but various nature tours—since the mid-1970’s. Even though he’s 75, he has more energy than I do. Anyway, I’ve wanted to join in on one of these photo tours for years and years, but the opportunity never came until this year. The timing of Central Coast of California En Plein Air was perfect, so I signed up!

*Rusty Rail* – Pismo Beach, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm – Kodachrome 64

The tour began on the June 7th in the late-afternoon, but I arrived two days early on June 5th. My wife, Amanda, and our four kids came along, too, although they did not take part in the tour (maybe next time). It was a long drive to the Pacific Coast from my home near Phoenix, Arizona; a stop in Bakersfield allowed us to stretch our legs. Once we settled into our accommodations at Pismo Beach, we took a stroll to the ocean. It was overcast, and as daylight began to fade into blue-hour, the weather turned into rain and thunder.

The complete list of photography gear that I brought on this trip can be found in my Ultimate Travel Compact Camera Kit article, where I go into much more detail. Specific to Day 1, I used a Fujifilm X100V with a 5% CineBloom filter, a Fujifilm X-E4 with a Fujinon 27mm f/2.8 lens, a Ricoh GR III, and the RitchieCam App on my iPhone 11. If I had known it was going to rain, I wouldn’t have taken the X-E4 and GR III out, but thankfully I was able to keep them mostly dry.

For the first day, the Film Simulation Recipes that I used on my Fujifilm cameras (which can be found in the Fuji X Weekly App) are Kodachrome 64, Kodak Portra 400 v2, Fujicolor 100 Gold, Superia Premium 400, Pacific Blues, and Xpro ’62. On the GR III, I used the Monochrome Film Recipe (which can be found in the Ricoh Recipes App) for the entirety of the trip, treating the camera as a monochrome-only model (something Ricoh should definitely consider releasing). For the iPhone, I used my Color Negative Low filter on RitchieCam.

The photographs below are in order of when they were captured. The picture at the top of this article, No Lifeguard on Duty, fits in-between By-the-Wind Sailor and Josh on a Stump. The second image, Rusty Rail, fits in-between Yellow Ice Flower and Clean Up Your Dog. Otherwise, the order is correct. Although these are mostly snapshots, I hope that you still enjoy them—my photography got a little more serious as the week progressed.

*No!* – Bakersfield, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Fujicolor 100 Gold

*Watering the Dogs* – Bakersfield, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Fujicolor 100 Gold

*Green Seat* – Bakersfield, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Fujicolor 100 Gold

*Three Slides* – Bakersfield, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Superia Premium 400

*Broken* – Bakersfield, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Superia Premium 400

*Purple Blooms* – Pismo Beach, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm – Pacific Blues

*Cat in the Road* – Pismo Beach, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm – Xpro ’62

*Red Stairs* – Pismo Beach, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm – Xpro ’62

*$19.95* – Pismo Beach, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm – Xpro ’62

*Stairs Down* – Pismo Beach, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm – Kodachrome 64

*Yellow Ice Flower* – Pismo Beach, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm – Pacific Blues

*Clean Up Your Dog* – Pismo Beach, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm – Kodachrome 64

*Surf’s Up* – Pismo Beach, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm – Kodachrome 64

*By-the-Wind Sailor* – Pismo Beach, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm – Kodachrome 64

*Josh on a Stump* – Pismo Beach, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm – Kodak Portra 400 v2

*Hotel on a Hill* – Pismo Beach, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm – Kodak Portra 400 v2

*Seashore Fishing* – Pismo Beach, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm – Kodak Portra 400 v2

*Five* – Pismo Beach, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm – Kodachrome 64 Recipe

*Water, Rocks & Sky* – Pismo Beach, CA – iPhone 11 – RitchieCam – Color Negative Low

*Dark Shores* – Pismo Beach, CA – Ricoh GR III – Monochrome Film

*Coast Girl* – Pismo Beach, CA – Ricoh GR III – Monochrome Film

*Gamer Work* – Pismo Beach, CA – Ricoh GR III – Monochrome Film

*Sea Gypsy* – Pismo Beach, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm – Kodachrome 64

Day 2 — Day 3 — Day 4, Part 1 — Day 4, Part 2 — Day 5, Part 1 — Day 5, Part 2 — Day 6

This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.

Fujifilm X100V — Amazon B&H  Moment
Fujifilm X-E4 — Amazon B&H  Moment
Ricoh GR III — Amazon  B&H  Moment
Fujinon 27mm f/2.8 — Amazon   B&H   Moment

The Photography Family — Visiting Tonto Natural Bridge with RitchieCam

Posted on October 11, 2022 by Ritchie Roesch

*My daughter, Jo, using RitchieCam on my iPhone.*

I just got back from a quick road trip to see the world’s largest travertine natural bridge. Located right in the center of Arizona in the Mazatzal Mountains, Tonto Natural Bridge is an under-appreciated natural wonder. While winding through the evergreen forest along Highway 87 between Payson and Pine, you’d never guess that the place was even there. An unassuming side road steeply descends into a canyon, which is where the park is located; however, even after parking it’s not obvious what you’ll find. Only after a very short hike is the natural bridge revealed. A longer hike will take you right up to it, and even through it if you want.

The actual reason for the trip was more than just a chance to experience this Arizona State Park. Even though it is now autumn, it is still hot like summer in the Phoenix desert, but the higher elevations offer a reprieve from the heat. The temperature at our cabin was 30 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than in the valley where we live. Also, we hoped to photograph some fall colors, which isn’t something commonly found in the desert.

So we (myself and my family) found ourselves among the pines in Pine, experiencing cooler temperatures, looking for autumn leaves, and visiting the largest travertine natural bridge in the world. It was great! I wish it could have lasted longer than just one weekend, but, alas, we could only stay but for a short time.

*My wife, Amanda, using RitchieCam on her iPhone.*

Upon returning, I realized that all six of us—myself, my wife, and my four kids—had all done some photography on this adventure. I mostly used my Fujifilm X100V, X-E4, and X70, while my wife used her X-T4. The two of us also at times used the RitchieCam camera app on our iPhones, as did each of our four kids.

As it turns out (and just as it was intended to be), RitchieCam is great for the whole family! It’s super easy—even my five-year-old had no problems figuring it out—yet robust enough that we felt comfortable using it to capture more serious photographic moments (as well as the silly ones sometimes). RitchieCam is an app for everyone, including kids, and is especially well suited for family adventures.

I thought it would be fun to share with you some of the photographs that each of us captured with RitchieCam on our trip. I used it specifically for the 65:24 XPan aspect ratio. I found it interesting to see what the rest of my family had captured with the App on this short trip to the mountains.

I hope that you enjoy the pictures!

Ritchie

Amanda

Joy

*RitchieCam App — Instant Color 2 filter*

Jonathan

Joshua

Johanna

*RitchieCam App — Instant Color 3 filter*

If you have an iPhone, be sure to download the RitchieCam App for free today! Consider becoming a RitchieCam Patron to unlock the best App experience and to support this website.

Adventures in Kodachrome: Revisiting Pawhuska

Posted on May 11, 2022 by Ritchie Roesch

*Drummond Ranch* – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 – “Kodachrome II”

Pawhuska is a small town in rural Oklahoma with about 3,500 residents. The town saw its heyday over 100 years ago when there was an oil boom—people and money poured into the area, and for a short time Pawhuska was bustling; however, the Great Depression left a large permanent scar, and the town never recovered. Over the last five years Pawhuska has seen new life, thanks to “The Pioneer Woman” who has turned this quaint town into a tourist destination of sorts. People come from all over the country—maybe the world—to visit The Mercantile, my wife and I included!

In 2018 I passed through Oklahoma while on an epic family road trip, and we stopped in Pawhuska to visit The Mercantile. I had just created the Kodachrome II Film Simulation Recipe and was shooting it on a Fujifilm X-Pro2. The Kodachrome II recipe is intended to mimic the “second era” of Kodachrome film, which was from 1961 through 1973. I feel the recipe delivers a vintage-Kodak-slide aesthetic that’s very easy to love. The second episode of SOOC was about this specific recipe, so check that out if you haven’t watched it.

*Abandoned at 618* – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Kodachrome 64”

Just a couple of weeks ago, on another epic family road trip, we passed through Pawhuska again. This time I used my Kodachrome 64 recipe, which is based on the “third era” of Kodachrome film, which was from 1974 through 2009. The Kodachrome 64 recipe also produces a vintage-Kodak-slide aesthetic, but it definitely looks different than the Kodachrome II recipe. I used a Fujifilm X-E4 on this visit, and I didn’t capture nearly as many frames of Kodachrome 64 as I did of Kodachrome II on the previous trip.

“You’ve got to go back to get the good ones,” photographer Chuck Abbott stated in the September 1955 issue of Arizona Highways magazine. His point was that good photographers return to a location or subject over and over. Don’t be satisfied with the pictures that you’ve captured in the past; try instead at a different time of day, in a different season, under different light, and from a different angle. Maybe you’ll make a more compelling picture on a future endeavor. I don’t know that I did any better the second time than I did the first, but I did go back, and I do like a few of the frames.

*Window Grill* – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 – “Kodachrome II”

*Open Window Reflection* – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 – “Kodachrome II”

*Studio* – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Kodachrome 64”

*Abstracts* – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Kodachrome 64”

*Boarding House* – Fujifilm X-E4 – Pawhuska, OK – “Kodachrome 64”

*Kitchen* – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Kodachrome 64”

*Dodge To Go* – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Kodachrome 64”

*Window Seat* – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 – “Kodachrome II”

*Chair Shadow* – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 – “Kodachrome II”

*Kitchen Flowers* – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 – “Kodachrome II”

*Drummond Ranch Vista* – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 – “Kodachrome II”

*Foal Shy* – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 – “Kodachrome II”

The Journey Is The Destination, Part 1: Getting Gas

Posted on June 16, 2021 by Ritchie Roesch

*Truck Stop* – Bowie, TX – Fujifilm X100F – Cross-Process – 7/29/2018

I love road trips! Given the choice to drive or fly, I’ll pick drive every time. Unfortunately, when I’m trying to get somewhere by car, I’m often trying to get there, wherever “there” is, and I don’t spend enough time enjoying the in-between. Ralph Waldo Emerson famously stated, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” Dan Eldon shortened it to, “The journey is the destination.” What makes a road trip special is not where you’re going, but the experiences along the way.

With that in mind, I’ve started a new photoessay series entitled The Journey is the Destination, which will include pictures of those in-between places. Each article in this series will have a different theme. This first one is called Getting Gas, and it features photographs captured at gas station stops while on some adventure somewhere. I’m usually pretty eager to photograph when on road trips, so even quick pitstops get the attention of my camera lens.

Most of these pictures were captured in small towns. You’ll see a lot of trucks. If I had started out with this series in mind, I probably would have approached it a little differently. Still, when placed together, these otherwise unrelated images tell a story. I hope that you enjoy!

Color

*Sinclair* – Edgemont, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 – Dramatic Classic Chrome – 5/14/2018

*Motorcycle Mart* – Burlington, CO – Fujifilm X-Pro2 – Kodachrome II – 8/8/2018

*Tough Times* – Gunnison, CO – Fujifilm X-Pro2 – Kodachrome II – 7/26/2018

*Phillips 66* – Malad City, ID – Fujifilm X100V – Fujicolor Superia 100 – 7/2/2020

*Car May Roll* – Malad City, ID – Fujifilm X100V – Fujicolor Superia 100 – 7/2/2020

*Swift Gas* – Green River, UT – Fujifilm X100F – “Eterna” – 2/27/2018

*Cold Gas* – Cedar City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Classic Chrome (I think) – 11/25/2019

*Gas & Wind* – Kamas, UT – Fujifilm X-E4 – Fujicolor Superia 800 – 3/8/2021

*No Parking Allowed* – Las Vegas, NV – Fujifilm X-T30 – Kodachrome 64 – 11/20/2019

*Always Moving Ahead* – Rawlins, WY – Fujifilm X-Pro2 – Vintage Agfacolor – 5/18/2018

B&W

*Fuel Stop* – Idaho Falls, ID – Fujifilm X100V – Kodak Tri-X 400 – 7/12/2020

*Ex Lover* – Amarillo, TX – Fujifilm X100F – Agfa Scala – 7/29/2018

*Terrible Ford* – Boulder City, NV – Fujifilm X-T30 – Agfa APX 400 – 11/25/2019

*Trucks, Stopped* – Rawlins, WY – Fujifilm X-Pro2 – Acros Push-Process – 5/18/2018

*Unleaded Sky* – Orin, WY – Fujifilm X-Pro2 – Acros Push-Process – 5/17/2018

*Sunny Sinclair* – Santa Rosa, NM – Fujifilm X100F – Agfa Scala – 7/28/2018

*Semi & Dinosaur* – Santa Rosa, NM – Fujifilm X100F – Agfa Scala – 7/28/2018

Part 2: Time to Eat Part 3: Lodging Locations

Travel: Snow Canyon State Park – St. George, Utah

Posted on November 24, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Crevasse Tree – Snow Canyon SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20

Earlier this week my family and I traveled to southern Utah. One place that we visited was Snow Canyon State Park, which sits just outside of St. George. This place was new to us. I saw it on a map and thought it might be interesting, so we went. I knew nothing about Snow Canyon State Park other than how to get there. I didn’t have any expectations, but if I did they would have been blown away. This is a really neat state park!

Despite the name, Snow Canyon doesn’t receive much snow. It was named after the Snow family, who were early settlers to the area. The park features beautiful red sandstone, petrified sand dunes, a couple of small arches and different lava formations. It’s a place that begs to be explored. It’s a great location for hiking, camping and rock climbing–oh, and definitely photography!

We arrived about 30 minutes before sunset and stayed for about 15 minutes after. We didn’t have a long visit, which is a shame because it seems like an awesome park! In the short time that we were there we had a lot of fun. The kids ran around and explored as much as they could. From what I can tell the park has a lot to offer, including some large lava tubes that would have been fun to find. I didn’t know about the lava tubes until after we left, so we’ll have to find them the next time that we visit.

There are most certainly some great photographic opportunities in Snow Canyon. The place has something worthy of your camera’s attention at every turn! The quintessential red rocks of the region and the unusual land formations create the potential for great images. I was there for less than an hour and created the pictures in this article, which were captured using a Fujifilm X-T20. Zion National Park, which isn’t far away, get’s a lot of attention, but Snow Canyon State Park shouldn’t be overlooked! It is definitely worth your time to see.

Color

Last Light On The Cliffs – Snow Canyon SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20

Cliff Hanger – Snow Canyon SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20

Petrified Sand Dune – Snow Canyon, UT – Fujifilm X-T20

Overcoming Adversity – Snow Canyon SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20

Crevasse Tree in Color – Snow Canyon SP, UT – Fuji X-T20

Autumn Tree – Snow Canyon SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20

Autumn Tree In Snow Canyon – Snow Canyon SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20

Exploring Kids – Snow Canyon SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20

Moon Over The Rocky Ridge – Snow Canyon SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20

B&W:

Rock Hills – Snow Canyon SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20

Monochrome Moon, Snow Canyon – Snow Canyon, UT – Fujifilm X-T20

Using A Phone Because I Had Her Camera – Snow Canyon SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20

Small Arch In Monochrome – Snow Canyon SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20

Wood In The Sand – Snow Canyon SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20

Window Rock Joy – Snow Canyon SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20

Alone At The Top – Snow Canyon SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20

Monochrome Moonrise – Snow Canyon SP, UT – Fuji X-T20

Photoessay: Along The Highway, Part 7: Wyoming

Posted on September 24, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Highway Colonel – Rock Springs, WY – Fujifilm X100F – I-80

Colorado New Mexico West Texas East Texas Oklahoma (Color) Oklahoma (B&W)

The final leg of our journey, which also marks the end of this series, took us through the lonely state of Wyoming. Towns are few and far between. It’s a very rural place. Antelope outnumber the people. The main purpose of the small communities situated along Interstate 80 seems to be serving highway travelers.

Wyoming is beautiful, especially the northwest corner. We didn’t travel to the northwest corner, but even the empty southern side of the state has some sites worth seeing. There are mountain passes and grasslands and rivers. Spotted here and there are patches of unique natural artistry. We passed through much of it without stopping.

Because the journey itself can be more important than where the road leads, the destination isn’t as critical as the decision to go. On this road trip I saw and experienced many great places, met some wonderful people, and, of course, captured many memorable photographs. I hope to do this again real soon.

Small Pet Area – Fort Bridger, WY – Fujifilm X100F – I-80

Lowering Sun On A Travel Day – Fort Bridger, WY – Fujifilm X100F – I-80

A Trucker’s Life Is Lonely – Fort Bridger, WY – Fujifilm X100F – I-80

Text Await – Fort Bridger, WY – Fujifilm X100F – I-80

Waving Above The Structure – Fort Bridger, WY – Fujifilm X100F – I-80

Photoessay: Along The Highway, Part 6 – Oklahoma in Monochrome

Posted on September 16, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Stu – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Colorado New Mexico West Texas East Texas Oklahoma (Color) Wyoming

Pawhuska is a rural town in northeastern Oklahoma that once boomed. The 1920’s were especially roaring, but the 1930’s included an oil bust, the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, scars of which are clearly evident to this day. The Boy Scouts of America began in Pawhuska over 100 years ago. The town is also home to Drummond Ranch, which is one of the largest ranches in the country. Ree Drummond has a popular television cooking show and has authored a number of books. She also has a store and restaurant in town, and that’s why my wife and I were there.

The town is quite small, but photographic opportunities were numerous. In fact, I made more exposures in Pawhuska than any other place we visited on our road trip. There’s a lot of history, character and hospitality packed into the little town in the middle of nowhere. Pawhuska proved to be a great experience! I felt as though I left many potential pictures unphotographed, so perhaps another visit will be in store in the future.

Double Flag – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Kitchen Window – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Bakery – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

County Courthouse – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Broken Glass Through The Glass – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Industrial Brick – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Industrial Design – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Star – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

The Other Mother – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

The Merc – Pawhuska, OK – X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Mercantile – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X100F – US HWY 60

Cafe Flowers – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X100F – US HWY 60

Wet Tables – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X100F – US HWY 60

Unlikely – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Pawhuska Rain – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X100F – US HWY 60

Osage County – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X100F – OK HWY 99

Thunder Sky – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X100F – OK HWY 99

Rural Cows – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Horse Gate – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Two Horses In The Grass – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Rural Mail – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Photoessay: Along The Highway, Part 5 – Oklahoma in Color

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Small Green Hill – McAlester, OK – Fuji X-Pro2 & 60mm – Indian Nation TPKE / US HWY 69

Colorado New Mexico West Texas East Texas Oklahoma In B&W Wyoming

When we were planning our summer road trip, the one state that I was least interested in was Oklahoma. I’d been to Oklahoma a couple times, and nothing I saw was particularly memorable. But I had never traveled through the eastern part of the state, which is where my family and I drove through, and I was quite impressed with what I saw. Oklahoma blew my expectations out of the water!

I captured a whole lot of photographs while there, mostly in and around the town of Pawhuska. We stayed the night there, so the images were taken over a span of two days. I used my Fujifilm X-Pro2 for the color pictures, utilizing my Kodachrome II film simulation recipe. If Pawhuska sound familiar to you, it’s because Ree Drummond (“The Pioneer Woman”) lives there. She has a gift store and restaurant in the town. The best food we ate on the entire trip was in Pawhuska, hands down!

We drove down many miles of rural highways in Oklahoma, and saw some surprisingly beautiful scenery along the way. We passed through several quaint towns and experienced firsthand some great hospitality. I hope to one day return, but I’m grateful for the time I spent there, even if it was short.

Foal Shy – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Drummond Ranch – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Open Window Reflection – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Buckin’ Flamingo – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Locked Door – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Oklahoma Flag – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Brick – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Window Grill – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Pawhuska Reflection – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Contemplation – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Paint Ladder – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Backwards Gear – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Window Seat – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 60

Rural Sunset – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – OK HWY 99

Sunset Through The Branches – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – OK HWY 99

Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado – Part 2: Color

Posted on September 9, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Sangre de Cristo & Sand Dunes – Great Sand Dunes NP, CO

Part 1 – Monochrome

The Great Sand Dunes National Park lends itself well to black-and-white photography because of the highlight-and-shadow play that is so prevalent, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good place for color pictures. While I definitely came away with more monochrome images, a couple of my favorite pictures are in color. I imagine that autumn would be especially nice for color photography at this location, and perhaps late-spring or early summer when there is an abundance of fresh green. Late summer features a lot of brown, tan, and yellow, which can still be alright.

All of the photographs in this article are straight-out-of-camera JPEGs captured using my Fujifilm X-Pro2 with a Fujinon 60mm f/2.4 Macro lens attached to the front. I used my Kodachrome II film simulation recipe for most of them. Enjoy!

Sand Beneath The Peak – Great Sand Dunes NP, CO

Adversity Alone – Great Sand Dunes NP, CO

Long Walk Back – Great Sand Dunes NP, CO

Sand In My Boot – Great Sand Dunes NP, CO

Approaching The Dunes – Great Sand Dunes NP, CO

From Dust To Dust – Great Sand Dunes NP, CO

Sandal – Great Sand Dunes NP, CO

Torrid Terrain – Great Sand Dunes NP, CO

Photoessay: Along The Highway, Part 4 – East Texas

Posted on September 2, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Grain Hoppers – Westlake, TX – Fujifilm X100F – US HWY 377

Colorado New Mexico West Texas Oklahoma (Color) Oklahoma (B&W) Wyoming

Visiting east Texas was in a way a homecoming for me–well, sort of, anyway. I lived in the Dallas area for a few years as a teenager. I lived in Houston for one year awhile back, as well. I have family on the right side of the state, and I’ve journeyed to see them many times over the years. It’s in east Texas that I first learned to be a photographer. I’m familiar with the region, to say the least.

This trip was about spending time with family. It was about being with people that I don’t see often enough. Photography was secondary, although I did find plenty of time for capturing images. By a large margin I spent more time in east Texas than anywhere else on this road trip, yet this part of the series seems short on pictures.

The highways that I traversed in east Texas were often wide and new. They connected cities and large towns. Sure, there were plenty of rural segments, but I saw a lot of suburban landscapes. There’s a lot more sprawl than I remember, and it served as a reminder that it had been too long since I last visited the place, and I need to return more frequently.

Storm Shelter – McKinney, TX – Fujifilm X100F – US HWY 380

Two Towers – Dallas, TX – Fujifilm X100F – TX HWY 366

Walk This Way – Princeton, TX – Fujifilm X100F – US HWY 380

A Little Birdie Told Me About The Brew – Westlake, TX – Fuji X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 377

Trash Pallet – McKinney, TX – Fujifilm X100F – US HWY 380

Photoessay: Along The Highway, Part 2 -New Mexico

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

McTaos – Taos, NM – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – NM HWY 68

Colorado West Texas East Texas Oklahoma In Color Oklahoma In B&W Wyoming

The highways of New Mexico took me through some incredibly beautiful areas! I was surprised at just how interesting the northern part of the state is. Unfortunately, we were on a time schedule and had to view much of it from the car window. We did stop in Taos to see the famous Pueblo. This area was an early stomping ground for Ansel Adams, and it was a thrill to see it for myself. The Taos Pueblo is not located directly off of any highway so the pictures don’t meet the qualifications for this article, but I will get around to sharing them in a separate post. Santa Fe was also interesting, but I discovered that the photographs captured there were also not along any highway.

The east side of the state is the least scenic, as this is where the Great Plains begin (and, as my kids would say, “I can see why they call this area ‘plain.'”) Still, a gas stop near Santa Rosa provided an opportunity for photography, and even an unassuming spot in a mundane landscape can prove to be photogenic if one keeps their eyes open.

Once Becomes Obsolete – Taos, NM – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – NM HWY 68

Warrior – Taos, NM – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – NM HWY 68

Empty Table – Santa Rosa, NM – Fujifilm X100F – I-40

Air1 – Santa Rosa, NM – Fujifilm X100F – I-40

Semi & Dinosaur – Santa Rosa, NM – Fujifilm X100F – I-40

Photoessay: Along The Highway, Part 1 – Colorado

Posted on August 18, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Uncertain – Delta, CO – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 50

My wife and I, along with our four children, took a road trip across several states over the course of 16 days, and we returned about a week-and-a-half ago. It was, at times, especially epic, and we saw some amazing places. I, of course, captured the whole thing using my Fujifilm X series cameras.

Upon returning, one of the first things I did was review the images that I had captured. I noticed that there were a lot of pictures of things I saw along our highways. Oftentimes when we stopped for gas or to eat, I’d capture some images of what was around. I had many photographs of different sights that were found along the highway. Some were immediately off the highway, while others were perhaps a half-block away from the highway. I felt that, as long as the highway was clearly visible from where I captured the photograph, it was alright to include it in this series.

I decided to break this Photoessay, called Along The Highway, into several segments organized by states. The first part, which are viewing now, is Colorado. These are the pictures that I captured while traversing along the highways in that state.

The highways in Colorado were open and oftentimes lonely. That is, outside of the city limits, as we sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic in Denver at one point. Sometimes towns were far apart and it seemed like we were far outside of civilization. We crossed mountain passes and saw some amazing scenery! Many of the towns we drove through had quite obviously seen better days, and they sharply contrasted the natural wonder that was never far away. It was almost as if these communities were not supposed to be there, that they were holding on with their last inner strength against an unseen force to rid them from this place. Either that, or the residents lost sight of the wonder around them, and neglected to maintain what those who came before had begun. This is not unique to Colorado, but a phenomenon seen throughout the west. It was simply more obvious this trip. It was, at times, depressing. But the highway compelled us on.

Discovered Truck – Fruita, CO – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – I-70

Fresh Wind – Fruita, CO – Fujifilm X-Pro2 – I-70

Warehouse Sunset – Montrose, CO – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US Hwy 50

Campground – Montrose, CO – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US Hwy 50

85 Pounds – Montrose, CO – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 50

Tough Times – Gunnison, CO – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 50

Safe – Gunnison, CO – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 50

Regular Sign – Gunnison, CO – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – CO Hwy 135

Continental Ride – Monarch Pass, CO – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US HWY 50

Motorcycle Mart – Burlington, CO – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – I-70

County Road V – Burlington, CO – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – I-70

Old Truck & Mt. Lindsey – Fort Garland, CO – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US Hwy 160

Monarch Pass – Monarch Pass, CO – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – US Hwy 50

Storm Over San Luis Valley – Alamosa, CO – Fujfilm X-Pro2 & 60mm – CO HWY 150

New Mexico West Texas East Texas Oklahoma (Color) Oklahoma (B&W) Wyoming

Road Trip: Black Hills, South Dakota – Days 5 & 6

Posted on July 8, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

East North East – Lusk, WY – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Days 1 & 2 Day 3 – Part 1 Day 3 – Part 2 Day 4 – Part 1 Day 4 – Part 2

The final two days of the road trip to South Dakota involved packing up the trailer and driving home. It was stormy and at times the wind was blowing hard, which meant a lot of white knuckles as I tried to stay on the road. Needles to say, I didn’t capture a whole lot of photographs! I did manage to get a little photography in here and there, which are the pictures you see here.

The Black Hills turned out to be more beautiful and interesting than I had imagined. I felt like I could have stayed several days longer to really experience the place. While Mount Rushmore was a slight let-down, the rest exceeded all expectations. If you’ve never been you’ll have to be sure to someday go.

You might have noticed that I didn’t capture a single photograph using my Fujifilm X100F. All of the photographs in this series were captured using my X-Pro2 (unedited camera-made JPEGs, by the way). The reason for this is that my wife was using the X100F on this trip. Now she has her own camera, an X-T20, so I have my X100F back.

You may have also noticed that I used the Meike 35mm f/1.7 lens a lot on this trip. I learned photography with a nifty-fifty, and for a long time that’s all I had. So having a 50mm (equivalent) focal length lens was a nice change of pace, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The Meike lens, while far from perfect, is well worth the small price it goes for.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this series. I know that viewing other people’s photographs of someplace is never the same as going yourself and creating your own images. But I hope that this inspires you to get out on your own road trip, camera in hand, to see the wonderful world that’s around you.

Wyoming Thunderstorm – Orin, WY – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

On Track To Rain – Orin, WY – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Storm Over Orin – Orin, WY – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Unleaded Sky – Orin, WY – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Fingernail Moon – Alcova, WY – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Always Moving Ahead – Rawlins, WY – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Trucks, Stopped – Rawlins, WY – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Road Trip: Black Hills, South Dakota – Day 4, Part 2

Posted on July 1, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Paddling Sylvan Lake – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Days 1 & 2 Day 3 – Part 1 Day 3 – Part 2 Day 4 – Part 1

After my adventurous morning in Custer State Park, I returned back to the campsite as everyone else was waking up. Once breakfast was finished we drove a short distance to Hill City to visit the small railroad museum and watch the steam train arrive (which we almost missed because we were in the museum). Afterwards we had lunch and then returned to camp.

The afternoon was kept low-key. In the early evening we returned to Sylvan Lake to catch some fish. My eight-year-old son, Jonathan, was eager to attempt fishing in South Dakota. Unfortunately, the kids didn’t catch anything, although we could see the fish jumping all over the place. Still, we had a great time and Sylvan Lake is incredibly beautiful.

That night, after everyone was asleep, my wife and I did some astrophotography (my mother-in-law and sister-in-law were camping with us and stayed behind with the kids). We drove up the Needles Highway to Needles Eye, set the camera up on a tripod, and did some long exposures. It was extremely dark and a little creepy, as we heard plenty of noises around us–that area is full of wildlife. The night sky was full of stars and simply breathtaking. Unfortunately, the cloud-like Milky Way wasn’t visible, and I knew it wasn’t going to be because I had done some research before the trip, but I still wanted to get some nighttime photography in.

I used a Fujifilm X-Pro2 for these photographs, which are all camera-made JPEGs using the different film simulations. I attached a Meike 35mm f/1.7 lens and a Fujinon 16mm f/1.4 lens to the camera. Enjoy!

Semaphore – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

1880 – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Telegraph Office – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Tall Train Tales – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Hartmann – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Wood Cart – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Save Money – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Caboose Roof – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Amanda, Looking Through The Lens – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Boy With A Fishing Pole – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Preparing To Cast – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Fishing With A Worm – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Fishing Can Be Gross – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Line In The Water – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Joshua Fishing At Sylvan Lake – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

The Cast – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Impatiently Waiting – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Casting The Line – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Johanna Watching From Her Stroller – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Rocks & Trees, Sylvan Lake – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Sylvan Lake In May – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Wood & Stone – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Sylvan Lake Reflection – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Stars & Stones – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Stars Over Stones – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Needles Eye Night – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Days 5 & 6

Road Trip: Black Hills, South Dakota – Day 4, Part 1 – Early Morning In Custer State Park

Posted on June 18, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Black Hills Sunrise – Custer SP, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Days 1 & 2 Day 3 – Part 1 Day 3 – Part 2

Late to bed and early to rise is the life of a photographer, especially when travelling. Even though I had stayed up the night before capturing star pictures, on Day 4 I woke up when it was still dark to catch the sunrise along the Needles Highway, which is within Custer State Park. This area features unusual granite rock formations, many of which are pillars. There’s also an arch called Needles Eye that is unusual in that it is tall and not wide. The highway is narrow and curvy with several small one-lane tunnels. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful drive, and I wanted to capture it in the early morning hours.

I arrived at the Needles Eye area about 10 minutes before sunrise. I didn’t have a chance to scout the location ahead of time, so I was hoping to quickly find some good spots for photography. I think I did alright in that regard, but if I had a chance to visit before hand I would have come away with some better photographs. As far as sunrises go, the one that morning was mediocre since there were no clouds. Hopefully I’ll have a chance to try again another time.

The Golden Hour was spent in the general vicinity of Needles Eye, trying to find different angles and views of the rocks. On the way back to the campsite I stopped at Sylvan Lake. You might recognize this lake if you’ve seen the movie National Treasure: Book of Secrets. It’s a very scenic spot, and I enjoyed a peaceful morning hike around it, capturing photographs as I walked.

All of the photographs in this article are camera-made JPEGs using my X-Pro2 and either a Meike 35mm f/1.7 lens or a Fujinon XF 16mm f/1.4 lens. Both are great options for landscape photography, depending on if you want wide-angle or a “standard” focal length. One costs about 10x as much as the other. I used Acros, Velvia, Astia, PRO Neg. Std, and Classic Chrome film simulations.

There is one photograph that I did not include, called Father Nature (if you want to see it, click the link). It seems inappropriate, but I assure you that it is a natural granite rock formation found along the Needles Highway in Custer State Park. Since I want this to be a family-friendly website, I decided to simply link to the photograph instead of posting it directly on this page. Take a look if you want, or don’t click the link if you don’t want to.

Enjoy the photographs!

Meager Pine – Custer SP, SD – Fuji X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Monochrome Needles – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Black Hills Above The Great Plains – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Dawn At Cathedral Spires – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Morning In The Hills – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Needles Eye Tunnel – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Improbable – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Needles Eye – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Needles Eye Arch – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Reaching Up – Custer SP, SD – Fuji X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Rugged Rocks – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Jagged Landscape – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Tunnel At Needles Eye – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Overlook At Needles Eye – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Needles In The Black Hills – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Towering Rocks & Trees – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Sylvan Lake Monochrome – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

The Dam Bridge – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Black Hills Pine Forest – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Morning Sun Through The Trees – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Looking Down The Dam – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Risky Tunnel – Custer SP, SD – Fuji X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Sylvan Blue – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Chairs On A Dock – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Sylvan Lake & Blue Sky – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Boats Ashore – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

River Canoe – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Spill – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Grazing – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Day 4 – Part 2 Days 5 & 6

Road Trip: Black Hills, South Dakota – Day 3, Part 2

Posted on June 11, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Rocky Ridge – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Days 1 & 2 Day 3 – Part 1

After leaving Mount Rushmore National Monument, we drove around the Black Hills a little, and then returned to our campsite to relax. After spending the two previous days on the road, it was good to limit the time in the car. We kept the evening low-key, playing board games and throwing around a football.

That night, once everyone was in bed, I tiptoed out into the darkness and did a little night photography. I set my X-Pro2 with a Fujinon 16mm f/1.4 lens on a tripod for some long exposure photography, utilizing Fujifilm’s Cam Remote app. The sky was dark but full of stars. I shined a flashlight into the forest and saw about 100 eyes looking back at me–deer, and perhaps other animals, were all over the place!

These photographs are all camera-made JPEGs. The black-and-white are Acros and the color are Velvia. I really appreciate the look that Fujifilm gear creates in-camera. I could spend hours in front of a computer post-processing, or I could rely on straight-out-of-camera JPEGs that look like they’ve been post-processed. I choose the latter whenever possible, because my time is important to me.

Black Hills – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Norbeck Overlook – Keystone, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Twisted Tree – Keystone, SD – Fuji X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Leaning Tree & Stars – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm f/1.4

Night Forest – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm f/1.4

Night Sky Over Needles Highway – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm f/1.4

Day 4 – Part 1 Day 4 – Part 2 Days 5 & 6

Road Trip: Black Hills, South Dakota – Day 3, Part 1 – Mount Rushmore

Posted on June 10, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Four Fathers – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Days 1 & 2

On the morning of the third day of our South Dakota trip, which was the first full day in the Black Hills, after breakfast, we headed out to see Mount Rushmore National Monument. This is an iconic landmark of America. The heads of four quintessential presidents were carved into the rocks: George Washington, the first president and Revolutionary War general, on the far left, Thomas Jefferson, the third president and author of the Declaration of Independence, on the middle-left, Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th president and Rough Rider, on the middle-right, and Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president and slavery abolisher, on the far right.

Gutzon Borglum is the sculptor who, along with his team of over 400 people, carved Mount Rushmore, which is an incredible work of art. The work began in 1927 and finished in 1941. It was mostly carved by careful use of dynamite. Borglum was a renown artist even before Mount Rushmore, but this is certainly his biggest and best known accomplishment.

When we arrived we were surprised to learn that our National Parks Pass didn’t do us any good. There is a “parking fee” (but no entrance fee), and they offer no discount for those who have an annual pass. The parking garage, which resembles something you’d find at a large airport or downtown, is a big expense, I’m sure, so I certainly understand the need to charge money to park. I just think that, if you have an annual pass, they should give a discount of some sort.

The way that this monument is set up is you traverse a walkway towards the sculpture, with things on your right and left as you make your way down. It kind of feels like much of it was an afterthought instead of integrated design. Still, it’s laid out in such a way that you could choose to get as much out of it as you want. Except, when we were there, half of the trail and the Sculptor’s Studio were closed. Still, we found the museum to be interesting enough.

Mount Rushmore Monochrome – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Our ten-year-old and eight-year-old kids did the Junior Ranger program. This is a great way for them to not only learn about the park, but to be engaged and excited about it. Afterwards, once they had completed the requirements, they were sworn in as Junior Rangers and received a badge. This was a highlight of the trip for them.

The four heads are very large, but it is difficult to really appreciate the scale from the main viewing area. There is a trail that takes you closer, and it isn’t until you reach the end that you can better appreciate the size of the carvings. After we left the park we decided that Mount Rushmore was a neat place to see, but mildly disappointing. On the other hand, it made us want to watch the Alfred Hitchcock classic North by Northwest, which takes place, in part, at Mount Rushmore.

One takeaway from visiting this place is that photography is a lot like sculpting. Borglum’s job wasn’t all that much different from yours and mine, except the tools are different. He removed all of the stone that wasn’t Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln. What was left was his great work of art. When you and I compose, our job is to remove everything that doesn’t belong so that what we are left with is the strongest image possible. Often less is more.

The photographs in this article, which are all camera-made JPEGs, were captured using a Fujifilm X-Pro2 with a Meike 35mm f/1.7 lens attached to it. I really like this camera-lens combination, and I thought it was a good choice for the location. One of the things that I appreciate about my X100F is the simplicity and restriction of one-camera and one-lens, and I found that not changing lenses on the X-Pro2 while at a location provides a similar experience.

Forefathers – Mt. Rushmore, SD – X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Heads Up – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fuji X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

George – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

George Washington – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Monumental Proportions – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Junior Oath – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Getting Ranger Badges – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Junior Rangers – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Making Connections – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Securely In Father’s Arms – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Along For The Ride – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Josh, Joy, Jon & Forefathers – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Amanda, Johanna & Forefathers – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

American Heroes – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Monumental – Mt. Rushmore, SD – X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Avenue of Flags – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

State & Federal – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Umbrella of Liberty – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Day 3 – Part 2 Day 4 – Part 1 Day 4 – Part 2 Days 5 & 6

Road Trip: Black Hills, South Dakota – Days 1 & 2

Posted on June 3, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Threatening Sky – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

A couple of weeks ago my family and I took a road trip to the Black Hills in South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore. I visited that area when I was a little kid and don’t remember much of anything. Mostly what I remember is getting a piggy bank with the four presidents’ heads on it. My wife and kids had never been. We decided that it would be a great travel destination, so we hitched up the RV trailer and went.

Living in the Salt Lake City, Utah, metro area affords us the opportunity to see all sorts of great places. It’s closely located to many iconic sites of the American West. We can get to most anywhere west of the Great Plains within two days of driving, and many places can be reached within one day. To get to the Black Hills required two days on the road, although, if we weren’t pulling the trailer and really stretched ourselves, we might have been able to make it in one day.

Approaching the Wyoming boarder the landscape changes significantly. Even though you cross the Continental Divide several times while traversing the Rocky Mountains, the scenery becomes rather boring. While it is quite clear that these are not the same Rocky Mountains that John Denver penned songs about, there is a certain beauty in the emptiness, especially with building thunderstorms around.

We spent the night in Alcova, Wyoming, which is a tiny community along the North Platte River. It’s also the halfway point between our house and Mount Rushmore. This is where the scenery starts to become interesting again. The hills slowly become more green and trees begin to appear here and there, eventually becoming thick pine forest in South Dakota.

On the second day of our trip we arrived at our campsite north of Custer and south of Hill City in time to cook dinner and enjoy a campfire. Everyone was glad to be out of the car and at our destination. The fresh pine air felt great to breathe in. We spent the evening settling in and relaxing, as we had plenty of things planned for the next two days.

The only pictures that I captured on the drive out was at the camp in Alcova, Wyoming, and at a gas stop in Edgemont, South Dakota. Mostly I just wanted to “get there” so I kept pushing forward instead of stopping for photography. I saw plenty along the way that would have been worth the time to capture, so maybe on another trip through the area I will take my time. Once settled in at our camp in South Dakota I pulled out the camera again and captured some more images.

All of the photographs in this article were captured using a Fujifilm X-Pro2 and Meike 35mm lens. I really like this combination a lot. On this trip the lens was brand new so I was still figuring out how to best use it. I had other gear with me, but on these first two days I stuck to just this one camera and lens, more for the simplicity of it than anything else. These are all camera-made JPEGs, mostly Classic Chrome and Acros, although Velvia, PRO Neg. Std, and PRO Neg. Hi were also used. Enjoy!

Grey Reef – Alcova, WY – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Rusty Cactus – Alcova, WY – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Old Wood Fence Post – Alcova, WY – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

N. Platte River – Alcova, WY – Fuji X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Flowers & Rail – Edgemont, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Gas Tanks – Edgemont, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Sinclair – Edgemont, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Conoco – Edgemont, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Big Cookie, Little Girl – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Camping Face – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Adventure Joy – Hill City, SD – Fuji X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Campfire – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Leaning Tree – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Black Hills Monochrome – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Partly Sunny – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Ominous – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Day 3 – Part 1 Day 3 – Part 2 Day 4 – Part 1 Day 4 – Part 2 Days 5 & 6

Road Trip: Bonneville Salt Flats, Wendover, Utah

Posted on April 29, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Kids At The Salt Flats – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

The Bonneville Salt Flats are an otherworldly place in Utah near the Nevada border, just outside of the town of Wendover, along Interstate 80. It’s a remnant of Lake Bonneville, which was a giant lake that covered a significant chuck of Utah plus parts of Idaho and Nevada. The Great Salt Lake is also a remnant of Lake Bonneville.

You’ve likely seen this place before, even if you’ve never been there. Almost 50 movies, documentaries and television shows have filmed scenes at the Bonneville Salt Flats, including Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, Independence Day and Con Air. Plenty of television commercials and advertisement shoots have taken place in the stark and salty landscape. Award-winning photographs have been captured there, too.

The Bonneville Salt Flats are perhaps best known for fast cars. The Bonneville Speedway is a section of the salt flats that has been set aside for motor sports. Many land-speed records have been set there, including a couple that exceeded 600 MPH! Even if you are not racing, many people take their cars out on the salt flats for fun.

Bonneville Salt Flats – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

This was my second trip to the Bonneville Salt Flats and the first for my family. It might seem like this is just a flat and bleak desert, but upon close inspection there is plenty to find interesting. The kids had fun just exploring. The place is surprisingly photogenic, and it seems like every exposure is a keeper.

I used my Fujifilm X100F for a few of these shots. I was teaching my wife photography, and so she had that camera for most of the trip. The camera that I mostly used was my Fujifilm X-A3 with the 16-50mm zoom lens attached. Even though it is a cheaper camera model, it did just fine capturing great pictures.

All of these images are camera-made JPEGs. About half of the images captured using the X-A3 received some light post-processing using Nik Color Efex or Nik Silver Efex, and a few saw a little more robust editing. Many of them are straight-out-of-the-camera JPEGs using the different film simulations. I hope you enjoy these pictures that I captured at the Bonneville Salt Flats, an unusual place that’s unusually good for photography.

Welcome, It’s Bright – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Salt Exploration – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Kids & Salt – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Exploring The Salt Flats – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Deceiving Distances – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Baby On The Flats – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Mountains Beyond The Salt – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Salty Sasquatch – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

45 MPH Road – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Racing Stickers – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Almost Flat – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Desolate Desert Wandering – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Hopeful – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Umbrella Boy – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Salt Water Reflection – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Hills Beyond The Salt – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Amanda, The Boys, Bonneville Salt Flats – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Joshua & Umbrella – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Stark Salt – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Bonneville Bright – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Jon & Joy Exploring Salt – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Salt Flat Fire – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Sky’s The Limit – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Sun Roof – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Salt & Light – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Inhospitable – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Rays Over Wendover – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Desert Circles – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Salty Tree Stumps – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Wendover Will – Wendover, NV – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Concrete Curves – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

A Sad State of Affairs – Wendover, UT – Fujifilm X-A3 & 16-50mm

Road Trip: Grand Canyon National Park, Part 2: Monochrome

Posted on April 2, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Canyon Cliffs – Grand Canyon NP, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

Part 1 – Color

I’ve heard it said that at Grand Canyon National Park your widest lens isn’t wide enough and your longest lens isn’t long enough, no matter how wide-angle or telephoto those lenses might be. I’ve been to the Grand Canyon several times, and each time I’ve felt that way. The place is amazing, yet it seems difficult to do it justice with a camera.

The canyon is huge! The national park is almost 2,000 square miles. The Colorado River traverses 277 miles through it. At its deepest point (or, really, the highest part of the rim to the river) is 6,000′. The longest stretch across rim-to-rim is 18 miles. It’s hard to effectively portray this scale in a photograph.

The Grand Canyon is the most photographed landmark in Arizona and one of the most photographed places in America, with tens of thousands of images created within the park daily. The task of creating something that’s photographically unique is nearly impossible. I’m sure that there are hundreds of pictures that look almost identical to mine. One has to spend significant time within the park, as well as exercise the creative mind, in order to capture something different than what’s already been done before.

Watchtower Sky – Grand Canyon NP, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

I was attempting art with some of the photographs that I captured at the Grand Canyon. Other images were family snapshots meant simply for memories. There’s a difference between interpreting and documenting. Both are valid and serve different purposes, and they each take a different approach to accomplish. In this article you’ll find both.

I used my Fujifilm X100F for most of these pictures, which are all straight-out-of-camera JPEGs. The Acros Film Simulation makes for exceptional monochrome images, and I used my Acros and Acros Push-Process film simulations for these X100F images. I used my Fujifilm X-A3 with a Jupiter 21M lens for three of these pictures, which are also camera-made JPEGs. I used the Monochrome film simulation, which isn’t as good as Acros, but the X-A3 doesn’t have Acros so I couldn’t use it.

I love black-and-white photography, and Grand Canyon National Park is a wonderful place to create monochrome images. I look forward to returning. Grand Canyon is a special place, and it’s been much too long between visits. Maybe next time I can stay a little longer.