(Photo courtesy of Michael Kelley)
“I had no intention of it being this crazy thing,” says Kelley about his image, which went viral after he posted it Monday on Reddit’s aviation subcategory. “It just got shared over and over.” The image is a compilation of 75 different pictures that Kelley made during the course of a eight-hour shoot on Sunday, March 31. He didn’t include every single plane that he took pictures of taking off, omitting some kinds of planes that showed up over and over again. The image represents take offs from two different runways at LAX. “I was up until four in the morning on Sunday night and then woke up on Monday morning and continued to work on it,” says Kelley, spending about eight hours total in post processing. “The final image was 75 layers in Photoshop… so it was pretty significant in terms of staring at the screen with the pen tool.” He’s still not quite sure why the image went viral. “It makes people happy, it’s colorful… it’s interesting,” ponders Kelly. “It’s a pretty simple thing to digest.” For all the complexity of the process, the picture clearly and simply tells the story of a day on the runway. Michael Kelley is a Los Angeles based photographer specializing in architecture. Prints of this image and others are available here.
The Milky Way, as seen near Butterfield Pass in the BLM-managed Sonoran Desert National Monument.
This area is about 35 air miles from Phoenix, and the glow from the city is visible to the north. However, the overhead stars and southern horizon are dark enough to clearly see the Milky Way, which makes a great backdrop to the charismatic saguaros. Photo: Bob Wick, BLM Wilderness Specialist. Posted by the US Department of the Interior on Tumblr, 4/3/14.
Yosemite Valley after a fresh snowfall, March 2014. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 4/3/2014.
Chris Tennant took this photo in Great Falls Park in Virginia. He said, “These amazing falls be tricky to shoot. With so much exposed sky and without a spectacular light show you can end up with a very flat image. Lacking any clouds, I patiently waited for the ‘blue hour,’ when the tones in the sky evened out.” Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 4/1/2014.
Where Is It: The Park is 110 miles east of El Paso, or 56 miles southwest of Carlsbad, NM.
The Birth: From Wikipedia:
Felix McKittrick was one of the first European settlers in the Guadalupe Mountains; he worked cattle during the 1870s. McKittrick Canyon is thought to be named after him. In 1921, Wallace Pratt, a geologist for Humble Oil and Refining Company, was impressed by the beauty of McKittrick Canyon and bought the land to build two homes in the canyon. Both constructions were used as summer homes by Pratt and his family up until 1960. Wallace Pratt donated about 6,000 acres of McKittrick Canyon which became part of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, which was dedicated and formally opened to the public in September, 1972.
It Happened Here: The Park was the last Apache stronghold in Texas. It also became a campground for the Buffalo Soldiers – all Black Regiments formed in the years after the Civil War. They were called Buffalo Soldiers by the Cheyenne for their dark skin, curly hair and fierce fighting spirit. The Apache Chief Victorio’s last skirmish with the 10th Cavalry occurred in 1880, only 40 miles south of the Guadalupes in the Sierra Diablo Mountains, at a place called Rattlesnake Springs.
Size: 86,367 acres
# Visitors: Only 145,670 people visited the Park in 2013.
Plants: From the Park’s website:
Plants that grow here are tough. They survive not only the components that make up the landscape, but also the extremes of temperature, aridity, and relentlessly powerful winds, all common factors of the park’s desert climate. Plants have evolved elegant methods of tolerating or avoiding desert conditions. Some such as cactus have thick fleshy stems that store water, and spines that not only serve as fierce armor against predators, but also help reflect the sun’s radiant heat.
Animals: From the Park’s website:
Desert animals are often difficult to view since many of them are nocturnal. Many desert animals adapt to the hot, dry environment by coming out after dark, when temperatures are much cooler and conditions are not quite so dry. Nocturnal desert animals include the kit fox, coyote, mountain lion, bobcat, badger, Texas banded gecko, and about 16 species of bats. Mule deer, javelinas, and black-tailed jackrabbits are seen early in the morning or late in the evening when temperatures are cooler.
Desert reptiles include the western diamondback rattlesnake, bullsnake, coachwhip snake, prairie lizard, collared lizard, crevice spiny lizard, and the Chihuahuan spotted whiptail.
Fees: The entrance fee is $5.00 per person for adults 16 years of age and older. This fee is good for 7 days.
Staying There: Walk-in campsites are $8.00 per night.
Contact Info:
400 Pine Canyon Drive
Salt Flat, TX 79847-9400Pine Springs Visitor Center: (915) 828-3251Dog Canyon Ranger Station: (575) 981-2418
From the Park’s website.
From the Park’s website.
From the Park’s website.
From the Park’s website.
From the Park’s website.
From the Park’s website.
From the Park’s website.
From the Park’s website.
From the Park’s website.
From the Park’s website.
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National Park Service: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
A shot of the Jeffrey Pine at the top of Sentinel Dome in Yosemite National Park (made famous by Ansel Adams) set against a backdrop of stars! This is a single exposure by Jesse Summers. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 3/26/14.
A bear doing what bears do in the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. Well, one thing they do, at least. Photo by Lisa Hupp (USFWS). Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 3/23/14.
Any picture of a bobcat is unusual, as these cats hunt at night when photographers aren’t as common. This particular bobcat lives on the west side of Pinnacles National Park, and is known to help keep the squirrel population in check. Look at its mouth closely. After this successful catch on 3/14/14, a coyote chased the bobcat down trying to get its meal. The bobcat kept its prize, though, by climbing up the tree and waiting out the coyote. Oh the circle of life. From the Park’s Facebook page.
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The Wild In Wilderness
David Bahr, Glacier Bay National Park’s 2013 Artist in Residence, will have one of his photos from his trip in Glacier Bay exhibited at the Smithsonian as a part of the “Wilderness Forever” public photography exhibit! Approximately 50 winning contest entries were chosen for display as large-format prints in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History for a 2014 exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. David’s image of an eagle won the wildlife photography competition for professional photographers. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 3/12/14.
