Western Views

Though Jim has been living in Japan for the past several years he often returns to the U.S. to do photography. This page features a portfolio shot in the West in the summer and fall of 1999.

I was fortunate to capture this image of the Senate Group in Giant Forest the day following a controlled burn. The still smoldering ashes along with patience and a favorable wind shift created a foggy backdrop for the giant sequoia trunks glowing in the late afternoon light. I used large format to eliminate the converging verticals.

Photographed with a Toyo VX125b, Schneider 90/5.6 Super-Angulon XL, Schneider IVa center filter, on Kodak E100S

The western side of the San Francisco Peaks north of Flagstaff hosts a large expanse of aspen, which were in full color in early October. This image was taken in the early afternoon in the deep woods.

Photographed with a Rollei 6008i, Schneider 90/4 Apo-Symmar, on Kodak E100VS

The Mittens in Monument Valley are, perhaps, the most photographed of all rock structures in the Southwestern desert. This image was captured shortly after sunrise. I waited until the sun cleared Merrick Butte and illuminated the rocks in the foreground. A large format camera was used to set the focusing plane from the foreground rocks to the Mittens.

Photographed, with a Toyo VX125b, Schneider 210/5.6 Apo-Symmar, on Fuji Velvia

This view is of the Great Western Divide of the Sierra Nevada, which you only get a glimpse of from the western side of the park unless you hike. En route, there are spectacular views of the Sierra foothills to the west starting from Panther Gap. I packed in over 50 lbs. of camera equipment plus a water filter and food on a trail which took over six hours in the beating sun and climbed up to 9000 ft. I was rewarded with orange alpenglow, which disappeared and then reappeared as pink on a different mountain peak. Luckily, my friend, Srikant Jayaraman, carried the bear box and tent.

Photographed, with a Toyo VX125b, Schneider 210/5.6 Apo-Symmar, Velvia

A portfolio of Jim’s photographs taken in Japan can be found here.

All text and photographs on this page are Copyright‚© 1999 James Chow