3000 miles, 3 kids, and too many photos to count! FINAL UPDATE 7/11

[mom2rtk]

We just got back yesterday from our annual summer vacation. We loaded the kids up in the mini-van and headed west for the 4th time since 2005. The past 2 summers we drove to Sanibel Island, FL, so I was ready to see some red rocks again! Fortunately, whether we head east or west, a brief stop at Disney is usually waiting at the end of the road for me.

This year I was especially excited about heading west. Yes, I've photographed most of it before. But I've been hanging out here on the photography board the last year or so, and really wanted to try out some of what I've learned.

Here's my crew EARLY on June 3rd, just before hitting the road. We're not a morning group, so I was lucky to get this quick shot before leaving:

My daughter Katie is 9, son Timmy is 15, son Robbie is 17 and my husband Drew.

We drove from Kansas City, MO that first day to Golden, Colorado. Anyone who has made that journey across western Kansas knows it's a tough first day. But with enough video games and dvd's, anyone can do it. We ended our first day with this shot of the mountains from just off of I-70 at the Buffalo Overlook. I wish I could have done more to capture the beauty of the scene. With the clouds and the snow capped peaks, it was an awesome sight. Maybe there's something I can do in post processing to give it more oomph????? That's a whole other nut to crack though. I feel like I've stepped up my game this year with the camera, but have much to do with PP yet.

 

[disneyboy2003]

Sounds like you had quite an eventful and fun family trip! Can't wait to see your photos!

That's a really beautiful picture of the mountains. I tried my hand at Photoshop for your picture, and this is what I came up with...

Here's what I did:

• brightened the lower half of the photo
• darkened the upper half of the photo (the skies) to bring out the clouds and rays of sunshine
• increased the saturation of the photo to bring out the greens
• removed the distracting red "WRONG WAY" signs
• increased the contrast of the snow-capped mountains

I'm sure there's probably more that can be done to the photo, but at least here's a start. I could have used Lightroom, but I decided to use Photoshop instead.

 

[mom2rtk]

Sounds like you had quite an eventful and fun family trip! Can't wait to see your photos!

That's a really beautiful picture of the mountains. I tried my hand at Photoshop for your picture, and this is what I came up with...

Here's what I did:

• brightened the lower half of the photo
• darkened the upper half of the photo (the skies) to bring out the clouds and rays of sunshine
• increased the saturation of the photo to bring out the greens
• removed the distracting red "WRONG WAY" signs
• increased the contrast of the snow-capped mountains

I'm sure there's probably more that can be done to the photo, but at least here's a start. I could have used Lightroom, but I decided to use Photoshop instead.

Thanks Disneyboy! That really punched it up! And I appreciate the play by play on what you did. I'm hoping I can share photos on this thread, but I also want to learn as I go.

I've decided to jump in and get a new photo editing program very soon then learn as I go by trial and error. I hear lots of great things about Lightroom, and see I can get a good deal on the new version with the student discount. I've been using an older Photoshop elements program though. Would it be more intuitive for me to stick with a PSE program?

 

[Steve's Girl]

Welcome back! Great first day photo! Now get going with that 2nd day. This is a photo board and we want to see lots!

 

[mom2rtk]

Welcome back! Great first day photo! Now get going with that 2nd day. This is a photo board and we want to see lots!

Thanks Steve's Girl! Thanks for joining in! I was just sitting down to add some more.

The next morning we left Golden heading west again. I windexed the windshield to have the best view possible of the scenery that day. It was exciting to think that from there on, the drive would be vastly more interesting than the day before. I grabbed one more distant shot on of the Rockies as we headed toward them.

Along the way, I took my traditional shot of the spaceship house on the hill. This is the first time I've gotten a sharp picture without blur.

Don't ask me why, but I love going through the Eisenhower Tunnel. I think it's just so cool to go THROUGH the mountains. I love watching the shows on the Travel channel about the vast accomplishment this was. So of course, I had to take my obligatory shot.

At this point, I was still fumbling a lot with my lenses, filters and such. I hadn't had time to really work with my camera in quite a while. It's a massive undertaking to finish up the school year, close out all the work I have to do, pack and get on the road. So it was awesome to just get in the car and GO. When I wasn't driving, I was reading the photography books I brought along and playing with the camera.

We had been this way 3 times before, but it had been 3 years since our last trip, so I really enjoyed soaking in the scenery. Let's face it.... Missouri is pretty boring when it comes to the landscape.....

 

[nat1234]

I love your photos of the mountains. They're breathtaking.

 

[mom2rtk]

I love your photos of the mountains. They're breathtaking.

Thanks! Honestly though, they are just breathtaking all on their own. No real photography skill involved.

I keep saying that I want to take the scenic drive up into the mountains I keep hearing about, but we're always on our way somewhere else and don't have time.

For someone from the midwest, there's nothing like pulling into Denver and catching the first glimpse of the mountains. Makes me want to break out singing "The Sound of Music". Unfortunately my teenage boys wouldn't have appreciated it.....

 

[nat1234]

No I'm pretty sure that your teenagers wouldn't appreciate your singing ability. I know mine don't. Although there are times that I do feel it is my motherly duty to drive them as crazy as do me.

 

[mom2rtk]

On our first trip to Arches National Park, we inadvertently took the back way into the park. It is marked on the map as a scenic route, and we didn't really understand just HOW scenic that would be..... but it turned out to be an amazing drive, well worth all the extra time it added to the journey. With that in mind, we set out on purpose to take that same trip again.

Our first hint that we were getting close was a view of the La Sal Mountains on the horizon. Thankfully this year there was no road construction along the way. In 2005, we got oh so close..... only to be stopped on approach for 45 minutes while they worked on the narrow 2 lane road. I guess with the economy in the gutter this time, there was no money for road repairs and on we went!

That entire scenic route is one jaw dropping view after another. The road is narrow and winding at times, but if you just go slowly and stop often (for photos!) it's not too overwhelming. It follows the Colorado river.

With all the rocks near the road, it's a wonder more cars don't get nailed from time to time! The boys were dying to get out of the car and move around after a day and a half cooped up inside......

We did let them climb around a bit, but had to drag them back into the car so we could be on our way.

 

[mom2rtk]

No I'm pretty sure that your teenagers wouldn't appreciate your singing ability. I know mine don't. Although there are times that I do feel it is my motherly duty to drive them as crazy as do me.

My favorite thing to do is to drive through the national parks listening to the songs from "Pocahontas" like "Colors in the Wind". The boys have had about all of it that they can stand over the years though. So I was kind and didn't indulge this time....... I have a 5 CD set of Disney tunes, so I've got all the bases covered. It gets me through driving early on Sunday mornings, or any time we're out of range to listen to the radio (which is often down in that part of the world!)

 

[disneyboy2003]

I've decided to jump in and get a new photo editing program very soon then learn as I go by trial and error. I hear lots of great things about Lightroom, and see I can get a good deal on the new version with the student discount. I've been using an older Photoshop elements program though. Would it be more intuitive for me to stick with a PSE program?

Why not do both? Since you've already got Photoshop Elements (I forget which version you've got, but the current version is 8.0), why not get the brand new Lightroom with the student discount?

Lightroom can also help you organize your many many many photos. You can also do a lot of post-processing using Lightroom. Much of my post-processing (about 90-95%) is done in Lightroom. It is only about 5% or so that requires further work in Photoshop.

Everything I did in your photo above could have also been done using Lightroom, except maybe cloning out the red signs.

I've got the new Lightroom 3, and I must say, I'm VERY AMAZED at the new noise reduction feature. I used to be scared to push my camera above ISO 800, and now I'm actually very impressed with photos using ISO 2000-3200, partly thanks to Lightroom 3!!!

In your case, Lightroom should work well (ie. hand-in-hand) with your Photoshop Elements. You have the ability to export any photos from Lightroom into Photoshop Elements for further post-processing.

btw, those red rocks are beautiful. I'm sure you're glad you took the scenic route again.

 

[mom2rtk]

Why not do both? Since you've already got Photoshop Elements (I forget which version you've got, but the current version is 8.0), why not get the brand new Lightroom with the student discount?

Lightroom can also help you organize your many many many photos. You can also do a lot of post-processing using Lightroom. Much of my post-processing (about 90-95%) is done in Lightroom. It is only about 5% or so that requires further work in Photoshop.

Everything I did in your photo above could have also been done using Lightroom, except maybe cloning out the red signs.

I've got the new Lightroom 3, and I must say, I'm VERY AMAZED at the new noise reduction feature. I used to be scared to push my camera above ISO 800, and now I'm actually very impressed with photos using ISO 2000-3200, partly thanks to Lightroom 3!!!

In your case, Lightroom should work well (ie. hand-in-hand) with your Photoshop Elements. You have the ability to export any photos from Lightroom into Photoshop Elements for further post-processing.

btw, those red rocks are beautiful. I'm sure you're glad you took the scenic route again.

Thanks Disneyboy!

Yes, we are glad we took the scenic route again. It's an amazing piece of real estate and well worth the time investment. We even took the same route on our way back East a week later.

I'm embarrassed to admit my PSE is version 2.0, so woefully out of date. It came with my first Rebel in 2004. All I know how to do is crop, lighten and adjust contrast a bit. I can do a little clone stamping too, but that's it. So maybe LR3 would be a good starting point, with the plan to update PSE later too.

 

[disneyboy2003]

I'm embarrassed to admit my PSE is version 2.0, so woefully out of date. It came with my first Rebel in 2004. All I know how to do is crop, lighten and adjust contrast a bit. I can do a little clone stamping too, but that's it. So maybe LR3 would be a good starting point, with the plan to update PSE later too.

Version 2 from 2004?!?!?!?

I'm not sure what your budget is, but buying both Lightroom and Photoshop Elements shouldn't be too expensive. The academic pricing for Lightroom 3 is $89.95 (compared to $299.95 full price), and Photoshop Elements 8 is $69.99.

When I used Lightroom and Photoshop for the first time, I also bought a few books, too. So you may want to factor in the extra costs of Lightroom / Photoshop books, too.

If you had to choose one, though, I think Lightroom 3 would be a great starting point. And then watch your photos "POP!"

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Enjoying your photos, mom2. I've never seen this area of the country. It's beautiful. Thank you for sharing your trip with us. (Are you a teacher?)

 

[mom2rtk]

Version 2 from 2004?!?!?!?

I'm not sure what your budget is, but buying both Lightroom and Photoshop Elements shouldn't be too expensive. The academic pricing for Lightroom 3 is $89.95 (compared to $299.95 full price), and Photoshop Elements 8 is $69.99.

When I used Lightroom and Photoshop for the first time, I also bought a few books, too. So you may want to factor in the extra costs of Lightroom / Photoshop books, too.

If you had to choose one, though, I think Lightroom 3 would be a great starting point. And then watch your photos "POP!"

It's the story of my life......... woefully out of date and behind the times.....

I've actually considered upgrading on many occasions, but mostly I haven't because I just didn't have time for the learning curve that comes with something new. That's probably still the case, but now that I have such a friendly forum here to ask all my questions, I think I'll give it a go.

And yes, I already planned to buy a book or 2 as well. Any suggestions? I do like the idea of getting LR3 and PS8. I wonder how long it will take to find books on the new LR3...... or is it similar enough to the previous editions of the program to use something already out there?

Enjoying your photos, mom2. I've never seen this area of the country. It's beautiful. Thank you for sharing your trip with us. (Are you a teacher?)

Thanks Pea-n-me. It's an area of the country that is absolutely other-worldly. I can't believe you can just get in the car and drive into this amazing and unbelievable area. It's hard to really understand how BIG everything is until you get there. I love the pictures I bring home, but they really don't even begin to do it justice.

And no, I'm not a teacher. I actually work from home sewing custom made costumes and dresses.

 

[mom2rtk]

We finally made it Moab. But the temperature was over 100, so we weren't in a hurry to get into the park. Besides, we planned to stay until sunset, so didn't need to start too early. So we checked into the hotel and found a go-cart track conveniently located right across the street. The boys really loved it, but poor Katie got left behind quite a bit. The story of her life sometimes.........

After a bite to eat, we headed for Arches. It's a pretty cool drive up into the park, through a series of switchbacks. The park is a favorite of physically active young people who enjoy hiking. This is so NOT me. Not young.... and not physically active..... Regardless, it's an amazing drive even if you just get out at the various stops and see the sights easily accessible along the road.

Here is the first stop in the park, referred to as Park Avenue. It is actually fairly difficult to photograph. Go early in the morning and the left wall is beautifully lit by the sun, leaving the right wall in dark shadows. Go late in the day and you have the opposite problem. An overcast day gives better lighting, but you lose the pretty sky. Most of my shots were bad, but I think I caught the sun behind the clouds for this one and it was a little better than the rest:

There are many many formations along the drive through Arches. Lots of them have names, but for the life of me I can't remember this one. I really enjoyed having the brilliant blue sky as a backdrop for this shot:

The next stop, Balanced Rock, is a big favorite for our family. The formations are a great size for climbing, which of course the kids jumped in right away to do.

The state symbol of Utah, and the image used on their license plate is that of Delicate Arch. On our first trip in 05, I had really looked forward to getting some nice shots of that arch. I hadn't done my homework though and was disappointed to find out it required a 3 mile round trip hike for the good view. We considered it, but my daughter was only 4 at the time, and our sneakers were buried in luggage in the back of the van. So I settled for a telephoto shot of Delicate Arch that year from the viewing spot near just off the road.

This time, I was determined to photograph Delicate Arch around sunset. We were prepared with sneakers, water and sheer determination. I wanted a nice shot of that dang arch at sunset!

 

[mom2rtk]

Please feel free to comment on how I can improve my shots. It's really hard to offend me. I really want to learn. It's why I started this here on the photography board.

For example, I can see now that the wide angle lens distorted that one formation shot with the brilliant blue sky. Maybe I can learn to do something with this in post?

And the sky is really washed out in the last couple of shots of balanced rock. Is there anything I should have done differently? If I had backed off on the exposure in the shot with the kids on the rock, their faces would have been too dark. Is this something that could only have been improved in post? Or should I have shot it differently????

 

[aggielawyer]

Thanks for sharing your vacation--I'm really enjoying reading it. After seeing Ken Burns' series on the National Parks I've been wanting to go visit them, so I'm really enjoying reading about your trip.

 

[mom2rtk]

Thanks for sharing your vacation--I'm really enjoying reading it. After seeing Ken Burns' series on the National Parks I've been wanting to go visit them, so I'm really enjoying reading about your trip.

Thanks for reading along! I haven't seen the Ken Burns series yet, but will probably make a point of doing so this summer.

The one thing I have noticed about the shows I watched is this: No matter how grand and other-worldly it all seems, it is SO much more so in person. Everybody should travel through this area at least once in their life.

 

[mom2rtk]

So how hard could a 3 mile round trip hike be.... you know.... for someone who's not physically fit????? Apparently harder than I expected, but I'm a pretty determined individual and survived the experience. The boys ran off ahead of us, which made me nervous. I had no idea what the trail ahead was like, how severe the drop-offs were. My husband, daughter and I brought up the rear. I kept asking people coming back down the trail if it was much farther, and of course it was. At least the scenery along the trail is pretty incredible in its own right, so there was much to distract me from how tired my legs were getting:

You can't see Delicate Arch from the trail at all. And near the end, the trail narrows and does have a decent drop-off until you round the corner and......... voila! Delicate Arch!

And the boys???? See the tiny people in navy blue and medium blue shirts toward the bottom of the photo? Yep. And since I had no idea what the terrain was like beyond the arch, I was a nervous wreck the entire time.

I had wanted to stay through sunset but hadn't thought about what the hike back DOWN the trail would be like in the dark, so we settled for early sunset and an early exit.

It WAS a long walk back down, especially since it's not ALL downhill. But we were all happy we had finally done it. No need for regrets this time. And not a bad workout to get my legs ready for a couple of days at Disneyland!