Cliff Palace Photo

Photographer’s Note

We left Mexican Hat where we stayed to visit Monument Valley and set off for Cortez, Colorado to visit Mesa Verde National Park. From the red rocks of Utah to the yellow rocks of Mesa Verde

The park was created in 1906 to preserve the heritage of the Ancestral Puebloans. Of most interest is the cliff dwellings, where they built villages into the caves in the cliffs. The Puebloans used to live in dwellings on top of the mesa. Around AD 1200 they moved down the cliffs and built these amazing villages. As well as buildings for living and storage, there are circular constructions called kivas. It is thought they were meeting places where ceremonies were carried out. You can see them on the WS image I took from the overlook. (You can also see the full size of Cliff Palace and there are people for scale.) By AD1300 the Puebloans moved out. No-one really knows why, but the main theory is they were forced out by drought and crop failure.

If you want to visit one of the main dwellings you have to go first to the Visitor Centre to book a ticket for a ranger-led programme. We decided to visit Cliff Palace, which is the largest cliff dwelling in North America and the ‘crown jewel’ of Mesa Verde. Another of the main ones is Balcony House which involves a lot of crawling through narrow spaces and up and down ladders. Steps take you down to Cliff Palace, but you have to climb out up a ladder.

I chose this one as main post over the one in the WS from the overlook, because you can see a bit more detail in the construction and how they used existing rocks, and also the narrow houses built into the tiny caves at the top.

ISO320 FL24mm

saxo042, Guenther, snunney, Wandering_Dan, delkoo, PaulVDV, Floydian, fulvio52, Photo65Net, gunbud, syrus_persia, Dyerco, Cricri, alvaraalto, pboehringer, bakes888, Graal, mortijo, jlbrthnn, riclopes, papagolf21, chrisnet, robiuk, xuaxo, JCG, jaywalker, stego, PixelTerror, pasternak, Emile, shevchenko, BennyV, plimrn, danos has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

saxo042 (16554) 2009-01-23 8:14

Hi Kath,
A truly interesting place! A very good photo and a very good note. We feel sorry for not being able to see this on our trip to the US in October, but you can´t see everything! But I´m looking through all your very fine pictures from your trip! We will use them when planning our next trip...
Best regards
Gunnar

Guenther (6889) 2009-01-23 8:19

Hi Kat,

a very impressive and interesting site. The green trees in the foreground add a little colour to the scene ... The majestic rocks at the top look quite manacing, must be a trange feeling living there...
I find the WS even more interesting including also the people but both together are a good complement. Thanks for sharing.

Have a nice weekend
Günther

npecanhuk (15142) 2009-01-23 8:23

Hello Kath!
Although I lived an entire year in Colorado (1982-1983) and traveled a lot around the State, I was not fortunate to visit that beauty!
Your photo has a pretty well chosen pov and an elaborated composition that helped to enhance the interest of the place, with also excellent exposure and sharpness! It really pleases me!
TFS - Congratulations!
Warmest regards,
Neyvan

snunney (35808) 2009-01-23 8:34

Hello Kath,
A fascinating composition of these unusual dwellings. I like the inclusion of the shrubbery, which provides a good contrast with the overall yellow/brown tones and gives a sense of depth. Good sharpness. The workshops helps put everything in context and complement the useful notes.

TopGeo (22475) 2009-01-23 8:49

Hi Kath A beautiful point and enchanting picture and very original colours, and a composition impressive Good POV excellent frame I like the stones houses in the with small windows and the good management of lighting that makes him wonderful contrast Good note and WS
Geo..

delkoo (35014) 2009-01-23 9:51

hi cath
they certainly built thier houses in a cavern to by protect of the sun, the place is amazing, it is impossible to see dwellings from far because of the colors which is the same than rocks.

it is a pure pleasure to follow your journey through this region.
have a nice week end
didier

Wandering_Dan (3325) 2009-01-23 9:54

Hi, Kath -

In this case, I would have chosen the WS as the main post; it gives a new perspective, whereas this one, while well done technically, is much more of a cliche shot. On the other hand, the WS shows how crowded the park has gotten. (A few years back, we visited the Ute Mountain Tribal Park, which is on the back side of Mesa Verde, same ruins, but MUCH less crowded - the Utes control how many go in, much like the Navajo at Monument Valley. Check that one out next time you're in the neighborhood.)

Best,
Dan

[2] +

PaulVDV (5449) 2009-01-23 9:56

Hello Kath,
Very beautiful picture of this special settlement completely integrated in the surroundings. I like the complementary image very much. It gives us a good sense of the scale. Very interesting note.
Best regards, Paul

Floydian (30970) 2009-01-23 10:16

Hello Kath,

Seems not much is chanced since i was there in '94 for those guided tours. For me the drive up the plateau and than the walk through the old ruins was a great day and i enjoyed the stay there very much. This tight framing with no people is good and shows exactly what's it all about....the old ancient settlements.

Have a nice weekend,

Henk

[2]

emka (22749) 2009-01-23 11:22

Hi Kath, Again known (for me) view. We were in Mesa Verde four days earlier. Very impressive place. I was scared on these ladders as I have fear of height but eventually went there. Without the sky over the rocks it is difficult to imagine what an extraordinary setting is there so I prefer WS with all these kivas. Hopi still build them.

Warm regards

Malgorzata

Scharan (13955) 2009-01-23 11:28

Olá Kath

Bela foto dessas ruínas...gosto das cores e da textura. Ótimo ponto de vista e luminosidade. Parabéns pelo trabalho.
GA
Vera

janusz2054 (1045) 2009-01-23 11:49

Hello Kath
Very beautiful picture palace hidden under the cliff. Good sharpness and colours.

Janusz

Photo65Net (43106) 2009-01-23 12:00

Hello Kath,
Impressive architecture.
You caught it with great details, I like the result.
Have a nice day,
JB.

gilou530 (35972) 2009-01-23 12:07

salut kath
a surely impressive site when one must be in front of, this village in ruin under this mountain makes me think of a site of Jordan, you profited from a beautiful light
friendships
gilbert

fulvio52 (8314) 2009-01-23 12:10

Hi, Kath.
Straightforward, no- nonsense, Mesa Verde at its very best. This looks just wonderful to me : a mandatory main post, as it happens to be, and RIGHTLY SO! The second WS (GLAD you posted it as a WS) is extremely useful at showing us Mesa Verde as I'd rather NOT see it... Those tourists provide excellent sense of scale and also ruin a perfectly fine picture. But I know... it's impossible to avoid them if you wanna visit the ancient dwellings. Furthermore : you've done a GREAT job at managing the light (never an easy task at Mesa Verde) and I can only tell you I wish I'd taken this very same shot, I wouldn't change one single pixel in it. Like Henk just said : the tight framing with no people shows exactly what's it all about. Period.
I was here on August 16, fighting a sizeable hangover after a terrific drinking night in Durango...
Have a nice evening, see ya soon.
Fulvio.

danyy (69903) 2009-01-23 13:20

Bonjour Kath,
document très interessant, tu ne finis pas de nous intriguer avec tout ce que tu nous montres. Ici c'est insolite. Une photo agréable dans des couleurs sables et une grande netteté.
Have a great week-end.
Daniel.

Sistercosmo (2787) 2009-01-23 14:46

Dear Kath,
you've been busy uploading - no wonder, with such fabulous photos! I'm trying to keep up. This is a beautiful "yellow" image, interesting, how the colors change from state to state, I know. It seems like you were able to work well around the huge crowd that I can see in the WS. Excellent work!
Thanks Kath, and take care. Have a good weekend!
Warm wishes,
Linda

gunbud (28261) 2009-01-23 17:59

Hi Kath,
My word you did not gather any moss on your southwestern trip!
Great view of the marvelous cliff dwellers architecture.
Real good sharpness to the old ruins.
The foreground green contrast nicely with the golden tones of the old stones.
Regards, Tom

syrus_persia (2234) 2009-01-23 23:25

Doroud Kath
Beautiful view of the Cliff Palace. Excellent POV and sharpness. Well managed the light
Thanks for sharing and have a nice weekend
cyrus

Dyerco (9380) 2009-01-24 4:55

Hi Kath
I have been to Mesa Verde years ago. It is indeed a fascinating place. I can't imagine climbing up and down from the top to tend the fields etc. The light is nice here and it renders a warm and true colour to these dwellings.Nicely done.
Phil

Cricri (44068) 2009-01-24 10:13

Hi Kath
Une note intéressante de cet endroit étonnant, des détails bien préçis de ces constructions ou la couleur se confond dans le rocher, belle complémentaire en WS
Friendship
cricri

alvaraalto (5305) 2009-01-24 13:02

Hi Kath,

Interesting picture with all the ruins of the yellow stone buildings and the sky of the same yellow stone above.
This must has been an amazing and beautiful place when it was still inhabited.

Groet Rob

gneufeld (15289) 2009-01-24 16:57

Hi Kath,
I can imagine the challenge of light in this situation. Yet you managed it perfectly and found a way to present striking details, excellent sharpness, and very natural colors. Excellent work and TFs. Gerald

pboehringer (770) 2009-01-24 18:03

Kath, rather the classic approach to this scene. I have been there at the age of 16, without any photographic skills in the middle of the winter and cannot remember of the details to make any suggestions for some novel approach. Maybe hanging on some rope down a cliff to get that ultra new angle? ;-) I would make sure to be there at the same time to take the shot of you like a spider in her web with a big camera to her face.
I certainly will have to return to this place too and try some new.
Peter

bakes888 (18353) 2009-01-24 19:48

Hi Kath. Great miniseries. Must have been heartbreaking to walk away from all that work when they moved out. Good WS images to give overview, scale and detail. Well captured and thanks for sharing.
Have a good Sunday, Paul.

Graal (59090) 2009-01-24 23:39

Hi Kath,
unusual place, good informations about Cliff and Park. Amazing yellow rocks and ruins. Good WS also. I like it a lot.
Gr., Aleksander

rodgerg (25489) 2009-01-25 1:24

Hello Kath,

An another very interesting and very nice view. I like especially the harmony of colours with a little element of green. Details and contratst very well collcetd too.
Have a good sunday,
Roger

mortijo (12522) 2009-01-25 1:28

Helo Kath,
Another beautiful and interesting shot of your american travels. Excellent management of the light conditions and interesting add ons in the ws. Thanks for sharing all this.
Have a nice sunday,
John

jlbrthnn (39451) 2009-01-25 1:31

Hello Kath,
It is always astonishing to see these villages, abandoned after being built in such an extraordinary place. It is a beautiful brought closer image which describes the ruins perfectly. The construction of the image which included a little green is very pleasant. Congratulations.
Have a nice sunday
Cordially
Joël

riclopes (33137) 2009-01-25 2:00

Olá Kath, quite an impressive place I never heard before. It reminds me other places I visited in the world, including some spots in capadoccia, but the size of the whole set seen in WS1 is impressive. A good place to be a kid and play like Indiana Jones as seen in WS2 - Rob didn't want to try it though... ;-) I understand your choice for the detail here, but I prefer the vantage view with all those circles spread everywhere and also the presence of the group for scale. Excellent presentation of Cliff Palace.
ric

papagolf21 (57003) 2009-01-25 4:17

Bonjour, chère Kath,
Voilà un voyage édifiant à tous points de vue. Merveilleuses découvertes à travers tes superbes images. Des lieux insolites. Ici, encore, une vue étonnante de ce palais à moitié troglodyte. Mille mercis pour ce fabuleux voyage.
Amitiés.
Philippe

chrisnet (20378) 2009-01-25 9:46

Hello Kath,
Very interesting place and note, I like the beautiful light anc colors, these ruins are very well taken.
Regards
Christian

jimkilgallon (0) 2009-01-25 14:21

Hi Kath
I have been to Mesa Verde myself, I am sure you took some high POVs of this also. The colours look like how I remember it, looks very much like places in Peru.
Well done, and thanks for bringing back memories.
Cheers
Jim

robiuk (10763) 2009-01-25 14:58

Hi Kath,
I've never seen these before and am sure there are many
here who see this for the first time.
I like your WS shot very much, but of course - understand
why this one had to be the main photo.
Cheers,
Robi

coco (28276) 2009-01-26 3:23

Hi Kath.

I don't associate this "landscape" with the US, but it is also the US and, maybe, one of its most interesting sides.
The main photo has a very good composition and I love its light.

Regards.

PD: the second WS is really really great

xuaxo (5909) 2009-01-26 11:00

Hello Kath
Both this and the WS are really interesting.
If somebody didn't know, it shows that American history didn't begin in 1492.
Greetings
F.

JCG (25863) 2009-01-26 11:25

Hi Kath,

Really interesting this series of photographs on this astonishing place. This village must be under permanent control I think taking into account his probable brittleness. I like much the general sight in WS with this group which gives us a good scale of dimension. And I realize that Rob does not like the scales !!! Thank you Kath for these beautiful and interesting photographs.

With all my friendships and a very good evening,

Jean-Charles

jaywalker (12401) 2009-01-26 13:31

Hi Kath, I love your shot of these dwellings, the textured detail is out-standing, the architecture is some what crude although the placing of where they are build is superb, I like the touch of green from the trees in the foreground & the slightly shaded light, they both add extra life, TFS, kind regards Wilson.

stego (22500) 2009-01-26 16:35

Hi Kath,

Amazing place, very well presented. Maybe Peter and Dan are right about not being very original, but I think that it doesn't matter in cases like this, namely because it would take a lot of luck to find an original POV and compo in a place so beaten up by pros that have as much days to look for the bst POV and light as you had minutes.

Actually, I don't value that much originality, namely because the greatest photos seldom look "truly original", even when their authors were able to found a POV of the subject that no one had used before.

You did a very good job with the compo/framing, it's a nicely balanced image, making good use of the diagonal and the trees, which bring a nice touch of colour, are very well placed.

Not surprisingly, the WS's are great photos also.

The portrait of Rob is a very fine compo, with "my kind" of POV. It's remarkable how you managed to almost avoid any OE above while not putting the FG too dark and keeping a very natural appearance.

The panoramic view is great as documentary, but also a pleasing image.

Regards, José.

PixelTerror (87159) 2009-01-26 21:40

Hi Kath
I recognize this place I have seen in several movies, amazing place to build a city under these worrying tones of rock but at the same time a prime defensive position. good sharp image leaving a warm impression.
Have a nice day JY

pasternak (13756) 2009-01-27 0:47

Interesting shot, I like how the bright greens add life to the terracota, very interesting note as well. The WS version with the overall view is fantastic.

Cheers
A

Dragut (2043) 2009-01-28 8:31

Hi Kath

Four stars palace.....off course.

Emile (20177) 2009-01-31 11:19

Hola Kath.
One of the most famous and well known place in Colorado, a paradise for arqueologists, your were lucky that no more tourists were visiting at the time you took this wonderful shot. Well after seen your WS i was wrong about my comment, but at least in this one there is none.
Very well captured, good POV and also a good frame, colors and sharpness are very good.
TFS.
Best wishes.

Angshu (34219) 2009-02-01 19:42

Hello Kath
This place is actually a marvel of architecture. I first heard of this place from a picture of Robert (check this link -http://www.trekearth.com/viewphotos.php?l=3&p=771565). I liked the WS view as well. The tree provides nice colour contrast with the rock colour. Well done!
Interesting one with the ladder as well. Sure those guys you kept waiting, will remember for long a lady with a camera. Best Regards
Angshu

shevchenko (10184) 2009-02-02 20:37

Hello Kath,
Congratulation on your achievement, really not easy to reach and shoot photos at this hidden place, the architectures have same color with cliff and difficult for discover, thanks for sharing a mysterious dwelling.
Ally

BennyV (4978) 2009-02-04 5:13

Hello Kath,

Being more into human culture as a subject for photography, rather than natural beauty, this is among your most recent posts the stand-out shot for me. Interesting note too, which is appropriate for this kind of shot.
That doesn't mean I'm not awe-struck by your million dollar mountain views...

Cheers.

Benny

plimrn (19856) 2009-02-14 18:03

Hi Kath,
I would be hard-pressed to choose between this work and the one in the WS. I think I just mentally erased the people in the WS and enjoyed the curves and the light on the leaves. The detail in the main post is splendid while the carefully placed trees provide nice balance and contrast. I guess I just find the two equally attractive.
HLj, Pat

danos (33680) 2009-03-08 1:27

Good morning Kath,
impressive this place with the houses to are built under the rocks.I like the details and in combination with the complementaries photos make the sense of the life for the natives there so strange and I think difficult.Well reportage and documentation photo.

Have a nice Sunday,Danos

foozi (4747) 2009-03-20 6:46

Hi Kath,
thanks for liking my village shot.
this is a very special shot. Very grphic to me and very special in its presentation. A place i never witness. What a lovely historical site.
Thanks for sharing such a special place.

regards,
Foozi