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Appreciating Scale

10th September 2022

We’re Mere Specks on Earth

I grew up in the New York metropolitan area and didn’t get to travel to the more remote areas of our country until later in life. To me, the skyscrapers of New York City were about the tallest or largest scenery to which I was accustomed. That changed after college when I visited my first national park – Yosemite. Since then, I’ve made been lucky enough to visit many more.

One thing that I encountered early on and continues to amaze me to this day is the extensive amount of our country’s tracts of land. Look as far as your eye can see and there’s plenty more beyond. From a distance, gaze at a geologic feature or land mass and you may not comprehend its size until you draw closer. In short, it’s the scale of these features that are astonishing.

As individuals, our size is insignificant compared to the earth’s magnificent landforms.

Below are a few photographs that try to illustrate scale.




A couple hiking at Death Valley’s Mesquite Dunes look miniscule.
You can barely see the dozens of visitors congregating around Delicate Arch in Arches National Park.

Here’s a visitor enjoying the shade of Delicate Arch.
This is the same photograph at full size. You can see how the size of Delicate Arch towers over the visitor.

These craggy mountains in the northeast portion of Yellowstone National Park are home to mountain goat families.
We’ve enlarged the photo on the left so you can pick out the animal on the ledge high off of the surrounding terrain.


This young girl is having fun exploring the rocks in Monument Valley.

In the full size photo you can see her standing in front of a huge monument.


This young girl sits at the entrance to the Tunnel Tree in Yosemite.

My fisheye lens captures the entirety of the Tunnel Tree which rises 225 feet above the ground.


The scale of many of nature’s wonders is so humbling to me and affords me the chance to record them on film (so to speak).

Written by:
 
Arnie Lee
 
 

Backpacking in the National Park

In the Spring of 1971 I graduated from college. I had already been drafted and taken my physical exam and was now waiting to get called up. Along with my girlfriend, we decided to take a trip to the west coast. We ended up backpacking and were gifted a bus ride from the San Francisco area to Yosemite National Park by my generous uncle.

This article is the another in a series of articles that I’ve called About this photo to draw attention to a few of those memorable photos that may be hiding in a shoebox or on your hard drive.


Wow. To be in Yosemite. What a fantastic gift.



Here’s my favorite photo from this event. My girlfriend is leaning over the rail high up at Glacier Point admiring one of the waterfalls in the valley below.




We decided to scrap suitcases for these backpacks.

All of our belongings had to fit into the backpack including clothes, cooking equipment, tent, etc. Needless to say, they were heavy.



We also made it up to the waterfall.


Yes, I look fondly back on our first visit and the photo that I took of my girlfriend. She happens to be my wife since then and we’ve revisited the park several times since 1971.



Written by: Arnie Lee
 
 
 

Brief trip to Yosemite

This article is the another in a series of articles that I’ve called “About this photo” to draw attention to a few of those memorable photos that may be hiding in a shoebox or on your hard drive.

On a recent drive from Reno to Los Angeles, I had a few extra hours and chose to make a quick drive through Yosemite National Park.

I’ve been to the park many times, but it’s been a very long while since I visited the area known as Glacier Point. Here you will witness an astonishing view of Yosemite Valley and its inspirational surroundings.

Every once in a while, I snap an image which has an emotional effect on me.





The formation straight ahead is the iconic Half Dome.

This photograph reminds me of the first time I experienced this awesome sight more than 40 years ago. I feel much of the same awe that I felt when I was much younger. It’s simply amazing.
 
 
Written by: Arnie Lee
 
 

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