Since it is supposed to be Winter and the smart wildlife is in warmer climates, I've been spending time at one my favorite spots in the Wind River Canyon.  This of course is the "mouth" of the canyon, or as the area is known, "The Wedding of the Waters"; an area encompassing the north end.  It's a beautiful spot where kids can explore ancient caves, amazing Red-Bluffs divert the Bighorn River, and you can fly fish for rainbow; but it's also a good spot for seeing Bald Eagles and Canadian Geese in the wintertime, and that's always fun, too!

     Early morning, not long ago, as the Sun was just beginning to warm the golden western cliffs of the Wind River Canyon, I was relaxing with my cameras and some Earl Grey.  No Bald Eagles around, just some Geese keeping watch from the top of the eastern cliffs; I've never been able to photograph them to my satisfaction from down here.  When for all my luck a train was coming out of the canyon, a shot made a thousand times, but never right.  

     I slipped and slid down the embankment, down to the river for a photo set, as the train came my direction.  Nice shoot'n Tex, but my fingers were cold and I hated the pictures.  I warmed my hands and enjoyed the sunrise and my tea.  And guess what? another train coming my direction, only this time I knew what I wanted in the foreground.  

     The tree must be in the lower left, the train across the screen, the river disappearing in the distance.  I already knew what the exposure settings should be, now if the zoom could frame the shot correctly I could have a "full-frame" landscape of the canyon entrance, with a train.  Pulling off about eight photographs, I lugged back to the warm truck.  The composition was right, you know, "rule-of-thirds."  I'd run out of something to drink, and our Sun was warming things up, and I needed to get the truck back to the cabin for my significant other.  

     At a glance it was obvious which picture was the one to put my time into; it was the most balanced of the photos.  After working it in the Canon software, Digital Photo Professional, it didn't move me.  I ran it through the one-button HDR (high dynamic range) that is in DPP, it was much more colorful and super-sharp, but still didn't seem at all timeless.  If it wasn't for all the gaudy, 21st century color scheme, it would be a cool landscape; now there was an idea!  I just took all the color out and, had a grey-scale photograph that looked like it was taken when the railroad was first put through here: A true monochrome Wyoming Landscape that had a time-worn appearance.  Touching it up in Adobe Lightroom like I always do, everyone seemed to like the ancient-appearing photograph of the Wind River Canyon.                   Wind River Canyon - Monochrome with TrainMonochrome Landscape of Wind River Canyon with Train, Wyoming.

       Photography today is unlike the pictures my grandfather made in his darkroom, now I'm limited only by my imagination.  You can literally make a digital photograph into anything your little heart desires (Happy Valentine's Day).  If I'd wanted to put in flying elephants and swimming whales with Jupiter coming over the Wind River Canyon, that's possible, too!  For the first time a photographer is limited only by his imagination.  Don't be afraid to experiment with your pictures, because that's how your art will be born.  

writing and photography by Michael John Balog

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