Tourist trap that has been shot a million times in my opinion. Nothing new to photograph there.

From a history perspective it would be cool to visit.

Thank you Mike appreciate that.

Thank you. In love with that canyon a perfect place to escape from it all.

Lol it felt like a jungle on the hike out of there, humid and very damp conditions but was a blast. A tripod comes in handy as additional support too.

Thank you.

Brush Creek Canyon Preserve is an abandoned State Park in Fayette county Iowa. There was a CCC camp that built a shelter and rest room out of stone and these still stand today. I am glad this is a preserve and not a developed state park. No hunting and only fishing for those who brave the dolomite boulders strewn throughout the preserve.

The road in was a greasy mess after a week of rains but I pushed the Subaru Crosstrek on the sketchy road a mix of gravel and mud. The goal was to hike into the preserve to a small creek named Moine Creek. This usually flows in the spring months and becomes a dry creek in late summer. The lush greens of spring overtake most of the rocks in the form of moss and ferns. A scene one would expect to see in some other state but Iowa. We are more than corn fields.

I included a shot from 2015 with my son climbing the boulder field to give perspective to this scene. I knew when first seeing it, it had potential. Can be a treacherous hike down the slopes and takes about half an hour to reach, following nothing but animal trails and climbing over deadfall. The first two shots were taken on my climb up from the floor and left me little room but I found a good spot to take these images.

These are the shots I love to take and this effort helps in presenting things most people will not get to see.

Moine Creek

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Moine Creek

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Same spot Sept 2015

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Fern Fronds

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It was meant to be a joke. People really need to lighten up and regain the ability to laugh.

If your keeper rates are low then you are not spending enough time with composition. Work the scene plan the shot then take the image. Too many point and shoot hobbyists never improve this rate because of this.

Nothing wrong with those images. Also nothing wrong with kit glass either unless you are shooting in low light.

I got a d3200 when I started in 2012. Have 2 not lens and still use that glass on a d7100. My goto body now is a d800. I have all the bodies yet. Enjoy and you will be surprised at what begins to be your main focus over progression of time.

Depends on what you like in landscapes. Is it the grand scene or would the Tele give you the reach to capture the more intimate scenes. In vast areas you are going to you may want that reach and regret not bringing it.

Yes. Every raw file needs processing. Your camera does the same for you and saves as a jpeg only you are at the mercy of the camera processing.

Your eye sees things much different than a camera sensor will.

I love #1 but because I am partial to purple. They are all great.

Velcro strips would also work provided the inverter is not too heavy.

I have two outlets one only works with the key on the other works as long as something is plugged in. Last car was like that too.

I use a car charger that cradles 2 batteries at a time. Can be had for under 20 bucks and plug into a standard 12 volt outlet. No inverter needed.

I used Corel Paintshop Pro. I also have Aftershots. On1 and a few others and have spent no where close to what Adobe would be for 5-6 years. I steer clear of anything that requires a subscription and an internet connection to use. Paintshop Pro always runs specials and may time you can get it for under 50 and only upgrade when you want. A nice way to save on the wallet and have money to spend on other things gear related.