Petrified Forest, a photo from Arizona, West

Photographer's Note

The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park covers over 93 thousand acres and full of amazing desert landscapes and huge amounts of petrified wood. The climate was once very different with distinct tropical wet and dry seasons. Flooding buried the trees in sandy rivers and volcanic ash added to this which aided the mineralization of the trees.
The wood of the buried trees was replaced with silica coloured with iron and manganese oxides. Although much of the petrified wood was removed many years ago before it became a National Monument (1906) there are still huge amounts visible. You can see some of the petrified wood near the FG. Perhaps you can also see two people walking.

I have already posted a close-up photo of a petrified tree here

cornejo, kordinator, bukitgolfb301, PaulVDV, fritzi007, Periko, Royaldevon, photoray, SnapRJW, siolaw, tyro, ikeharel, kasianowak, timecapturer, saxo042, macjake, COSTANTINO, RhodieIke, adores, ChrisJ, Graal, gildasjan, CLODO has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

baclama (19214) 2014-11-21 9:44

hi,
des couleurs de folie!!!
inclusion des personnes donne l'echelle…on se sent tout petit…
encore un coin а dйcouvrir…
TFS
bon WE
vero

lousat (140046) 2014-11-21 9:44

Hi Ann,this place is absolutely unique and incredible! A great mine for the photographers..eheh...every corner is a great opportunity for a fantastic pic,and your is a great example,very well saturated and sharpened to offer the best view from there,i like it!! Have a nice weekend and thanks,Luciano

cornejo (61504) 2014-11-21 9:48

Hi Ann, lovely view of the beautiful red desert, very well captured with a great pov in this great and beautiful photography. Wonderful picture of a really interesting place, very good sharpness, depth, good light, color and quality. A great job well done, congratulations my friend. Thanks for sharing this beautiful work.

Good night and happy weekend.
Warm greetings from southern Spain.
Angel.

Gerrit (62042) 2014-11-21 10:14

Hello Ann,
Beautiful and very intersting to see this place from high above. What a strange colors.
I like the way the people found a place in this unearthy landscape.
Regards, Gerrit

bukitgolfb301 (54014) 2014-11-21 10:39

Hi dear Ann

Greatly eye-catching image! First of all wonderful light red color touch. Great composition and so well balanced allocation!

All the best and have a good weekend! Takero

PaulVDV (63530) 2014-11-21 10:56

Hello Ann,
Now, this is certainly a very remarkable landscape! Excellent overview from a good high POV.
After a hike in this red area, the eyes of the visitors will need some rest.
I'm sorry but I don't understand exactly why the pretrified wood has been removed. Do you mean it has been taken away to a museum?
Best regards, Paul

holmertz (103694) 2014-11-21 10:56

Hello Ann,
I have seen pictures from here before, but this scenery is just as fascinating every time. It really looks like another planet, if it hadn't been for the two persons down there. The angles of their legs make me believe they were actually running, or at least walking quite fast. I think I would prefer to go slow and marvel at the surroundings in a place like this.
Kind regards,
Gert

Silvio1953 (223027) 2014-11-21 11:32

Ciao Ann, great view of amazing place, wonderful colors, excellent clarity and splendid light, very well done, my friend, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

fritzi007 (14698) 2014-11-21 13:37

Hallo Ann,
very good, interesting photo and information, perfect sharpness, well done!
many greetings
Wolfgang

Periko (9107) 2014-11-21 13:57

Hello Ann
Very attractive image. The lack of vegetation allows to see the nice red tone of the soil from an excellent POV.

Regards
Pedro

Royaldevon (86520) 2014-11-21 14:24

Hello Ann,

Our planet has so much history, so much with which to surprise us! The colours, here, are almost unbelievable; they are like an artist's impression after taking narcotics!
I appreciate the bird's eye view, which allows us to follow the valley's lead around the frame, and absorb the strangeness of the scene.

Have a good w/e,
Bev :-)

carlo62 (81265) 2014-11-21 14:41

Ciao Ann
si vedono i resti e si vedono le due persone, ma si vede anche un paesaggio incredibile, dai colori fantastici, unico nel suo genere.
Bellissimo il tuo pov, una vista magnifica.
Buon we
Carlo

photoray (13981) 2014-11-21 14:52

Howdy Ann,

Attractive Petrified Forest elevated view with the deep red landscape dominate and a glimpse of the petrified rocks in the foreground.

Thanks for sharing,
Cheers,
Ray

PiotrF (56116) 2014-11-21 16:03

Hello Ann,
nice view of the beautiful red desert. I really liked the warm colors.
Splendid image.Excellent captured, also lovely presentation.
Regards
Piotr

SnapRJW (31631) 2014-11-21 20:36

Hello Ann - This must be a fascinating place to visit, I have just been reading an article about it this week and thought you might like to read it yourself http://www.geoexpro.com/articles/2014/07/triassic-park-arizona-s-petrified-forest.

Your shot is lovely, as a fan of desert landscapes and inhospitable environments this ticks the boxes. I like the way we see the winding catchment area between the rocks and how it is sparsely vegetated. The shot is not only well managed and attractive but it has some good geological/geographic details too.

The WS is super... this is a place I'd like to visit.

Have a happy birthday today Ann

with warmest wishes

Rosemary

jjcordier (79299) 2014-11-21 22:04

Ann
La couleur des roches est vraiment incroyable. Quel paysage que tu as si superbement photographiй, les deux personnages donnant l'йchelle.
Amicalement
JJ

emka (158932) 2014-11-21 23:42

hello Ann, What an amazing landscape. I would love to walk there. Stunning presentation. As for nature lovers, there is nothing that can compete the US National Parks for its diversity and unique views. Simply gorgeous.

WArm regrads MAlgo

siolaw (38294) 2014-11-22 0:12

Hi Ann,
If there were no humans in the frame, it could have looked like from another planet...! The hikers also give the scale to understand the site's dimensions... Difficult to imagine a forest in this barren landscape!
Excellent high pov and good detail sharpness
Regards
Laurent

ikeharel (114691) 2014-11-22 0:43

Good morning Ann,
A magnificent red soil desert scenery, filled with petrified remnants and a POV which taken from - all culminate to most intriguing scene, well done photo.
People on the creek gave scale to comprehend this wide area of unique earth formation. Intriguing photogrphy.
Enjoy a nice weekend,
Ike

tyro (30513) 2014-11-22 0:45

Hello Ann,

Wow! Yes, I do remember commenting on your photograph of petrified wood and I also remember thinking that to me it resembled a cut cross-section of a piece of agate. And it's lovely to see a far, far wider view here of this remarkable landscape.

As always, you have written an interesting and informative note. But how did most of the petrified wood end up being removed? Was it removed by people and, if so, for what purpose?

This is a remarkable landscape with remarkable colours and you have captured it perfectly in this lovely photograph. I really love the inclusion of the two walkers because they give an excellent sense of scale: without them I should have thought that the scale was far greater than it now appears - when I looked initially I thought that this might be on the scale of the Grand Canyon with the riverbed where the walkers are being perhaps half a mile or more wide, but that's clearly not the case.

You must have been very high up to take this picture but you have planned this photograph very well to produce an image with a very appealing composition, the riverbed snaking from bottom to top and leading us nicely between those dark pink hills. Tehnically excellent too with spot-on exposure, striking colours and exceptional details and sharpness.

Beautiful!

Kind Regards,

John.

kasianowak (17676) 2014-11-22 3:03

Hi Ann
Amazing post, I never though natural landscape can display this kind of vivid colours. Yes, I can see the two people - they add a human touch and a sense of scale.
Best wishes
Kasia

timecapturer (49288) 2014-11-22 4:46

Hello Ann
Arizona has so many natural beauties to discover and this is another stunning capture. There is something fascinating about red earth and rocks that always make for beautiful images, this shot demonstrates that so perfectly. A real sense of scale in this enticing shot - love it!

Enjoy the weekend - B.

saxo042 (38078) 2014-11-22 9:44

Hi Ann,
The tiny figures in the middle of the creek are very important to establish a sense of scale to the capture. A very interesting view with surrealistic colours.
Kind regards
Gunnar

SWEETFREEDOM (24623) 2014-11-22 11:25

Hi Ann,
This landscape is beautiful.i like the red hills. Great p.o.v.
Regards
Alessandro

macjake (98544) 2014-11-25 3:21

Hi Ann
haha...we are both posting photos of USA National Parks!

what a beautiful landscape!
imagine how this placed looked 1000's of years ago!

wonderful composition, smart idea to leave out the sky and just focus on the true elements.
beauty!

cheers
craig

COSTANTINO (117884) 2014-11-25 4:46

Hello my dear friend
original version here with the painted
desert and petrified Forest National Park
this place seems to be another planet
not the planet earth we see something
absolutely different full of amazing
desert landscapes and huge amounts of
petrified wood
place absolutely unique and beautiful
regards
Costantino

Fis2 (172023) 2014-11-25 4:49

Witaj Ann!
A very curious place!
Impressive colors.
I like POV and composition.
Persons add savor of photo.
Well done.
Have a nice afternoon
Krzysztof

Nicou (193814) 2014-11-25 7:20

Hello

quelle vue et compo superbe image quel rouge fantastique et cette trace cette petite vallйe e les personnages qui donne l'йchelle comme un dйsert rouge superbe.
Bravo et amitiй
Nicou

silah (2798) 2014-11-26 10:10

Hi Ann.

Wow ! It looks very interesting landscape with red colour. Well informed and exposed shot. TFS, GREETIGS, Salih.

RhodieIke (11752) 2014-11-27 11:38

Hi Ann,

This is amazing, love the colours, your high Pov adds to the scene giving us a detail outline of the landscape and terrain.
Well managed and presented.

You inspire me to go to all these wonderful places.

Cheers, Iain.

adores (46979) 2014-11-27 15:17

Hi Ann!
An incredible place, I had never heard about it before! Seems from another planet! Colours are wonderful and the pov is just perfect. I like the presence of the people there!

npecanhuk (79329) 2014-11-27 16:22

Hi Ann!
Very interesting and attractive unique natural details!
A wonderful picture too!
Special regards to the colors, chosen pov and composition... it looks like a very nice painting!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

ChrisJ (172436) 2014-11-27 18:22

Hi Ann

Aha! So this is what I missed. I went to the Grand Canyon and Tucson but not here or Sedona or Antelope Canyon. Maybe next time? The fossilized tree stumps are clearly visible in the fg gully at left. The people add scale and animate the shot. Tfs!

Graal (103040) 2014-11-29 2:00

Hello Ann,
amazing view in N. Park in Arizona. Unusual valley and red hills. Good presentation this place. I like it.
Have a nice WE.
Aleksander

adramad (73484) 2014-12-04 9:52

Hi Ann.
A fantastic composition, wherein the dry riverbed, which seems to lead THROUGH those walls, such a stunning red curves is doing, creates a much richer image textures and different reds, two people walking give us ideal grandeur of the place.
Excellent clarity, color, composition, sharpness and depth.
Wonderful picture, very well composed.
Have a good day.
Best regards.
Luis.

Gigidusud (21679) 2014-12-06 5:18

Hello Ann,
Fantastic desert scenery with splendid colors and a nice grafical effect. I like it!
Have a nice week-end.
Gigi

gildasjan (43826) 2014-12-06 10:18

Bonsoir Ann
Une belle image bien composйe avec ces teintes chaudes qui donnent de la vie.Simple et trиs agrйable.
Bonne soirйe
Amicalement
Gildas

jemaflor (148306) 2014-12-07 1:33

Hi Ann,
Great landscape and photo, good pov and si nuous valley, fantastic red tones, well taken with tiny people, tfs.

CLODO (45118) 2014-12-12 9:06

Hello Ann

a splendid S in red is a path for the tourists to discover this wonderfull area. Seing their clothes, it should be hot at this moment, and a bottle of water mandatory to avoid deshydratation. Interesting link also, but more common.
Cheers
CLODO

corjan3 (2109) 2014-12-25 18:49

Hello Ann,
This is really interesting. In South Africa, at the Permo-Triassic boundary, we have a sudden change upwards in the sedimentary strata from grey and greenish mudstone to "red" shale with abundant fossils of the dicynodont Lystrosaurus. I asked two of our most experienced palaeontologists about the high preservation potential in red beds, which testify to arid oxidising conditions, when fossilisation requires anaerobic conditions - organic remains should just decay back to dust under oxidising conditions - and the answer was that they do not know. Did you perhaps encounter an explanation for the abundance of plant fossils in these red beds? Thank you for a very interesting image. Best wishes.
Neels

PS: Why Lystrosaurus was the only dicynodont to survive the greatest mass extinction in the history of life on Earth, and one of the very few of all land animals, remains to be explained.

gervaso (28437) 2014-12-26 1:53

Hello, Ann!

I like the strong colors of your picture, it even looks like a landscape from another planet! Very good POV showing a panoramic view of the place! Wonderful composition! Excellent job!