By Ted Grussing
… usually I like to shoot Sunset Crater in the late afternoon because the rich reddish colors of the cone are striking and when shot from the west side the collapsed portion of the cones rim gives it the appearance of a heart shaped cone … in fact it is. I took this shot a week or so ago on an early morning flight on my way to shoot Strawberry Crater. Sunset Crater is the most recent volcano in the SF Volcanic Field erupting about 950 years ago. Top of the rim is about 8000’ and I was at 8750’ and close when I took this shot. The near side of the rim is the collapsed portion and above the far rim you can see some of the lava flows and the road coming into the park from SR 89.
The cone is closed to any climbing or access in order to preserve the beauty of it, so this is a peek into an area you cannot go. The volcanic cone received a lot of protection I think starting around 1972; a movie production company wanted to blow the whole side of the crater out with dynamite for a movie that they were shooting … didn’t go over very well and for now it is protected … it could always change again by itself and we do not have dominion over that type of activity. If you have not visited the park you owe it to yourself to do it; good trail along the base and through some of the lava fields and some of the most awesome dead trees, stumps and branches you will ever find to shoot. I use a lot of them in composites.
A busy and very good week coming up; enjoy the day and share a smile and some kind thoughts with those you meet and greet … life is fleeting and right now is all you have … no guarantees for tomorrow.
Cheers
Ted
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
— Max Ehrmann
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The easiest way to reach Mr. Grussing is by email: ted@tedgrussing.com
In addition to sales of photographs already taken Ted does special shoots for patrons on request and also does air-to-air photography for those who want photographs of their airplanes in flight. All special photographic sessions are billed on an hourly basis.
Ted also does one-on-one workshops for those interested in learning the techniques he uses. By special arrangement Ted will do one-on-one aerial photography workshops which will include actual photo sessions in the air.
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