#roadside stop

Even Bears Have to Obey the Posted Speed Limit! (Blue Ridge Parkway) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While at a roadside pullout along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The setting is looking to the south with a black bear that was meandering down the road. I captured a few images as it moved back-and-forth from one side to the other. This one image I liked most out of the collection as it had the bear seemingly looking at the posted speed limit sign.

Fresh Ideas for Travel in Tonto National Forest by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: With this image captured, I wanted to focus on some nearby saguaro with more leading off across the hillsides to the distant mountains. This was along a roadside pull off looking to the east in Tonto National Forest while driving along Arizona State Route 87. It was later on as I was doing post production with this image in DxO PhotoLab 4 that I noticed the blue skies and how they were that color contrast that really work to complement the more earth tones in the landscape nearby.

Making the Most of One's Time Outside by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting that truly reminded me of Saguaro National Park to the south in the Tucson area. This was a roadside pull off along Arizona State Route 87 in Tonto National Forest with a view looking to the north-northwest up a nearby hillside that was filled with saguaro and other desert plant-life. In composing the image, I walked around until I could capture that balance with the hillside and have all the saguaro and other cactus filling much of the image. I did want a portion of blue skies above, even though I considered it a little bit of negative space, to balance out the more earth tones present in the hillside and desert plant-life. I later worked with control points in DxO PhotoLab 4 and then made some adjustments to bring out the contrast, saturation and brightness I wanted for the final image.

A Sole Prairie Dog Inspecting the Surroundings from Its Mound (Theodore Roosevelt National Park) by Mark Stevens