In my last post, I discussed a few techniques that can be used to effectively shoot panoramas.  All of my examples were of grand landscapes, and they were all landscape-oriented panoramas.  I want to use this post to point out another time you can shoot panos to yield great results.

Last November, we visited the Cedar Mesa area near Blanding, Utah.  Since we were limited on time, we chose to visit a familiar and often photographed Ancestral Puebloan ruin that’s been nicknamed the “House on Fire” (also called the Flaming Roof ruin).  I blogged about that visit here, in November.  While at the ruin, I envisioned someday wanting to print it very large, and wished I had a medium format camera with me.  Additionally, I really wanted to emphasize the “flames” exiting the roof of the ruin.

So, I took 3 landscape-oriented images, but rather than putting them next to each other, I stacked them on top of one another,  thus producing a larger image.  If you click on the image, you’ll see a larger version–the detail is amazing!  That said, it would look even better printed on canvas over your couch

"House on Fire" vertical panorama, Utah, November 2009

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I’d like to share a couple of more images from my recent trip to Cedar Mesa, in southeastern Utah.  The first one is an Anasazi, or Ancestral Puebloan, granary that’s immediately adjacent to the more famous Flaming Roof Ruin.  I love the way the doorway has “shaped” itself over the years into a unique symmetry, and you can still see the same patterns on the roof of the alcove, giving it a “flaming” appearance–maybe this is Flaming Roof Ruin II?

Anasazi Granary II, November 2009

In addition to being impressed with the entire structure, the masonry work itself is also very interesting to look at, and I thought a detail of a granary wall would make an interesting photograph.  These structures were likely abandoned around 1300 AD (perhaps earlier), and they’ve managed to survive 700+ years in good shape.

Granary Wall, Detail, November 2009

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While 1000s of people chose to get their post-Thanksgiving exercise by shopping the deals in our nation’s shopping malls, I escaped to southern Utah.  I recently shared a photo from the Ancestral Puebloan ruin I visited, but I was also able to visit a petroglyph panel known as the Procession Panel, which is located on Comb Ridge, west of the town of Bluff.

Procession Panel, November 2009

The panel, about 15 feet long, consists of multiple lines of people and animals “marching” towards a central point (visible below).  Two of the most interesting figures (above) are deer; the left-hand deer has an atlatl (basically a spear “thrower”) dart sticking out of its abdomen and the second one has a long tail that morphs into a snake ready to strike.  I wasn’t able to capture the entire tail in either of these photographs.  Archaeologists and Anthropologists who study the Anasazi culture have speculated on the meaning of this panel.  Was it a funeral procession?  Does it signify the event that caused the Ancestral Puebloans to leave the area abruptly?  Obviously we can never be really sure, but I’d like to suggest that it does NOT signify the people lining up outside of Wal-Mart for the best Black Friday deal on an LCD TV.

Procession Panel, November 2009

I’d also like to direct you to my new Cedar Mesa Page, showing all of the photos from my recent trip to Utah.  Enjoy!

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We just returned from my parents’ house in New Mexico, and in classic Topophiliac fashion, I made a quick day trip to the Cedar Mesa in southern Utah.  As a best estimate, it had been 9 years since I last visited this area, and returning only confirmed for me that it really is one of my favorite places to be.  Since I only had one day, the locations I visited were a little cliché and iconic, but it satiated my soul.  

I made my first visit to the ruin known as “Flaming Roof Ruin” or “House on Fire Ruin”.  It really is beautiful, and humbling, to be able to spend a couple of hours in such a historic location.  

Flaming Roof Ruin, November 2009

I’ll have more posts from this amazing ruin, as well as other locations on my day trip in the next few days.  Getting to spend the day on Cedar Mesa with my Dad was one of the many things I was thankful for this last week.  I hope you were able to celebrate everything you’re thankful for this year…

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