About the Image(s)

Camera: Nikon E995 (my first digital camera)
Date: May 2003

Focal length: 28.6 mm
Exposure: 1/250 sec; ISO 100; f/5.5
Some lightroom adjustments

This is an oldie. In 2003 I was on a tour bus in Mesa Verde National Park and we made various stops to see ruins from the top loop. This one, the Square Tower House, was taken from the overlook. It is especially notable because it is the tallest ruin in the park. It was built somewhere between A.D. 1200-1300.

When we walked to the overlook there was a photographer who had both a digital camera and a film camera setup on tripods. He had been there for a few hours, and told us he was waiting for the shadow on the top of the house to lessen. He kept taking photos with the digital camera to see if the shadow had diminished and just as we arrived he said it was time to use film. We were there for just a few minutes and went back to the bus. We caught it at just the right time and as a new digital photographer I was in awe of his patience.