The forest and the desert
Sunday, December 25. 2005
Mt. Hopkins, AZ (Dec 13, 2005)
The area around Mt. Hopkins (on top of which is the MMT telescope) is part of the Coronado National Forest. As the names imply, this is a real forest, with tall fir trees covering the slopes of the mountains rising from the desert. It is quite striking driving up from the flatland below, home of saguaros, dry bushes and other desert plants, finally entering into the thick vegetation surrounding the summit. The observatory support buildings are actually immersed in a patch of forest overlooking the plains. It is a beautiful place, even though there is the constant threat of fires that periodically ravages the forest. Most of these fires are actually natural, and are essential to clean the undergrowth and allow the cycle of renewal in the forest. When they happen they are usually left to burn, as long as they don’t threaten the telescopes. One of such fires happened last summer, and forced an evacuation of the observatory, even though luckily there was no damage to people of property.
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Wonderful color, lighting, and love the depth involved in this shot.
Vertical selection suits this image perfectly!
Vertical selection suits this image perfectly!
Lovely photo here - very gorgeous colors. Interesting about the fires.
Surreal shot. The blurry grass makes it feel like another world with the desert below and that huge sky above. Reminds me of the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania. Always fascinating to visit your site.
unusual c olor combination and great vantage point make for a very striking picture
Beautifully framed. I love the different layers of landscape...an entire topographical lesson in one photograph.
Beautiful image. The vertical format enhances the sense of depth.
Very great shot! I like it a lot.
Yes, that fire last year was something. It burned the entire range over the course of a couple of weeks. It was pretty intense though, as you say, people and property were spared. I tried to make images from a distance, but the smoke was terribly thick. The flames at night, seemingly rolling down the mountain were actually pretty cool, from 30 miles away.
Yes, that fire last year was something. It burned the entire range over the course of a couple of weeks. It was pretty intense though, as you say, people and property were spared. I tried to make images from a distance, but the smoke was terribly thick. The flames at night, seemingly rolling down the mountain were actually pretty cool, from 30 miles away.
very interesting contrast with the green vegetation and desert in the background. great shot.
Nice layering. I like the way you close in the wide open spaces with the foliage in the foreground and the clouds in the background. The picture area is saturated with content.
Great capture! It almost seems like the discontinuity in terrain (forest versus desert) is mirrored or reflected in the cloud cover in the sky above the differing terrain.
A lovely landscape image. I particulary like the perspective, the s-shaped road leading the eye to the plains. The colours and framing as well as the softness add to the impact. It looks so peaceful.....
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