Fallen Roof Ruin, in the Cedar Mesa Area, Utah
Well, the tach/speedometer were fixed – just a loose connection – but all the bumping on dirt roads seems to have loosened the bulb in their displays – so I have to use my flashlight to check my speed when driving at night!
Headed down to Cedar Mesa to find/photograph Fallen Roof Ruins. I had forgotten my Photographing the Southwest Guide by Laurent Martres, so I ran into the visitor’s center at Arches and scribble down cryptic notes on how to get there – but getting to the trail head wasn’t the hard part – it’s the trail that descends into a wash – and from there becomes bushwhacking and potentially bouldering – recent flash floods left the willows flattened on both sides and in the mud I saw cougar prints – raising the hair on my neck just a little as they were as fresh as the human footprints beside them! I would have photographed them but the light was flat enough they didn’t stand out well in a picture. I ended up having to hurry to get there – the sky was clouding up and even though the forecast had no rain mentioned in it at all for the area, sky said differently. Not the place to be when it does decide to rain, so I only made a few pictures and then hustled out of there. But while I stood there, I marveled at the people that had climbed up here to build this structure, and used it – which meant they climbed up the steep sandstone walls regularly! I did three quick compositions but then packed it in. No rain, after all that, but I’m not going to take my chances when going it alone in there. I can’t wait to get back to do more with it and the other ruins in the same canyon.
Though I made this in color, I decided that it had rich enough contrast in the tones to be a good black and white image. I ran it through Nik’s Silver Efex Pro. I’m enclosing the color version here for reference. I think both work in this case!
Fallen Roof Ruin, in Cedar Mesa Area, Color Version
beautiful i love the look of red rock in b&w.:)
yes, I do to – although some of it doesn’t work – it all depends if you have enough tonal contrast, and sometimes the red on red doesn’t give that. But when you see tonal differences, it’s exciting to convert!
Striking
thanks, Ron Rogers.
Nice shot Brenda, but I especially liked the sound of the adventure you had to get there. I immediately googled Fallen Roof Ruins and located a site with a similar photo, but then the next photo had a man squatting in front of the windows. Blew me away! I thought I was looking at 10 foot walls or something – looks more like they’re about four foot walls.
Just one more place to put on my seemingly infinite list of places to go and photograph.
Thanks for posting!
Thanks, John. Yes, it’s a trick with mirrors, ha ha. Typically the Indians built these storage sites under low hanging roofs to avoid them being seen easily, as a way of protecting their cache. But not all are like that and that’s why there is so much mystery surrounding the culture. But you can step down a slope and with a wide angle you get the ruins and the roof, albeit distorted. But then that’s what makes the roof look more interesting!
Yes, you must get there.
Sent from my iPhone Brenda Tharp Photography
Wow their spirits are really part of the landscape now huh.
They do, Kalani. When I visit the ruins, I truly feel the spirits there. Maybe I have an overactive imagination, but I love to wander places like this and imagine it full of life, people doing their daily routines. It’s always been a favorite thing of mine to do in historical places…
That is one crazy looking building. Nice job capturing it Brenda.
Oh, and who needs to check their speed. Just flutter your eyes at the officer if you get stopped…. well if its a male…. 🙂 I KID!!! I KID!
You’re too funny, John! But I plan on it – if I’m lucky to get a male officer. I’ll be home in a week so it can wait to get repaired. This ruins is ‘famous’ for it’s bizarre roof – and the wide angle exaggerates it of course. A very cool place.