{"id":64664,"date":"2022-04-01T14:00:29","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T05:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fujifilmnxtc.wpenginepowered.com\/?post_type=xstories&#038;p=4199691"},"modified":"2024-05-02T00:39:28","modified_gmt":"2024-05-01T15:39:28","slug":"searching-for-zion","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/lt-lt\/stories\/searching-for-zion\/","title":{"rendered":"Searching for Zion"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div class=\"embed-responsive\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Nqjas5gc3T0\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h5>Karen Hutton examines Utah\u2019s staggering designs with the might of macro<\/h5>\n<p>French philosopher Ren\u00e9 Descartes once described wonder as an innate, primal feeling. Owing to our tendency to react emotionally to unexpected phenomena, the father of analytic geometry perceived awe as a quintessentially human sensation \u2013 the fundamental means by which we interact with the world. In many ways, he wasn\u2019t wrong. Throughout the ages, this simple, psychological occurrence has produced some of art\u2019s most revered works. They\u2019ve been colossal. Monumental. Man has endeavored to epitomize that which inspires, bewilders, and amazes. Just how does the poet convey the way the clouds carve to reveal the spotless moonlit vista? How exactly can the musician compose a melodic testament to sunrise in the big city, its latent potential cast in that singular stillness of daybreak? And what\u2019s to be said of the landscape photographer, surveying the scenic terrain, searching for the soul and spirit of the space?<\/p>\n<p>Armed with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/lt-lt\/products\/cameras\/gfx100s\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GFX100S<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/lt-lt\/products\/lenses\/gf120mmf4-r-lm-ois-wr-macro\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FUJINON GF120mmF4 R LM OIS WR Macro<\/a>, Karen Hutton recently travelled to Zion National Park, a comparable conundrum in her path. In those ruddy Navajo sandstones, an implicit energy presented itself \u2013 one that spoke to this sense of admiration and astonishment. Foregoing a more traditional means of capturing landscapes, Karen would adopt a steadfast attitude. Macro glass was ideal for surrounding idiosyncrasies. It was perfect for interpreting particularities. But when it came to extensive vistas, the lens was a more unconventional choice, and consequently, an exciting challenge.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeeing Zion through a macro lens was like walking through a doorway to another world,\u201d she gushes. \u201cIt opened up a new way of thinking, experiencing, and creating. This might sound like a paradox, but as my vision got wider, it also became more focused.\u201d Images in Karen\u2019s cataloge affirm the precision one expects to encounter with this lens, but then there are landscapes \u2013 the cosmic spaces that attract around 4.3 million visitors to Zion every single year. Pondering the power of these outlooks, she realized that the potency didn\u2019t exist in the totality of the image. The design was multidimensional, encompassing countless components, each one as unique as the last. These ingredients comprised the majesty of what Karen saw, and ultimately, what she was able to photograph.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fujifilm-x.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Sunset-On-The-Terrace.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fujifilm-x.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Sunset-On-The-Terrace.jpg\" alt=\"A picturesque sunset exudes against Zion's towering mountaintop vistas\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo 2022 \u00a9 Karen Hutton | FUJIFILM GFX100S and GF120mmF4 R LM OIS WR Macro, 1\/120 sec at F13, ISO 800<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fujifilm-x.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Above-Kolob-Terrace-Smug.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fujifilm-x.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Above-Kolob-Terrace-Smug.jpg\" alt=\"An aerial view of Kolob terrace, Zion national park\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo 2022 \u00a9 Karen Hutton | FUJIFILM GFX100S and GF120mmF4 R LM OIS WR Macro, 1\/1800 sec at F8, ISO 2500<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><p>\u201cThe more you look through a lens like this, the more you appreciate the idea of fractal designs,\u201d she explains. \u201cSmaller elements making up a bigger whole. You begin to consider more substantial questions. It really does take the breath away. It\u2019s a formula present in everything we see and love \u2013 multiplicity, adding up to something bigger. You see that formula.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\nFor wider scenes, Karen merged multi-shot panoramas together, creating a cohesive amalgamation of various images, fused as one. Because of the lens\u2019s relatively long focal length, the field of view was especially narrow, so sewing multiple exposures together became essential. The end-to-end sharpness was an exceptional draw. \u201cThere\u2019s a way you can use this lens\u2026 for an incredible variety. I did a few multi-shot panoramas \u2013 ending up with a really unique perspective. Very intense, crisp imagery. From a purely technical standpoint, that was interesting. A macro lens lets you find the heartbeat of a place.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fujifilm-x.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Canyon-Splendor.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fujifilm-x.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Canyon-Splendor.jpg\" alt=\"A panoramic landscape of Zion's magnificent canyons, captured with a macro lens\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo 2022 \u00a9 Karen Hutton | FUJIFILM GFX100S and GF120mmF4 R LM OIS WR Macro, 1\/170 sec at F16, ISO 800<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><p>When we first encounter something striking, we\u2019re liable to be affected by its entirety; its wholeness. But it&#8217;s only when we really <em>see<\/em> that the internal mechanisms become apparent. Karen uses a universal language to impart this experience. \u201cIt\u2019s like falling in love with someone,\u201d she remarks. \u201cYou start to appreciate the smaller elements, the slighter quirks. That\u2019s what I get when I put a macro lens on. The way the light fell in certain areas, for instance. It\u2019s always spilling and pouring and flowing. It doesn\u2019t just hit. It has this movement, this caress. I knew that would happen, but not on this scale. It elevated everything. Zion really is epic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the late 1800s, Mormon pioneers were some of the first explorers to arrive in the south of Utah. Initially named \u2018Mukuntuweap\u2019 or \u2018Straight Canyon\u2019 by John Wesley Powell, the park\u2019s name would soon shift to reflect the piety of its discoverers (\u2018Zion\u2019 is an ancient, biblical Hebrew word indicating refuge or sanctuary). Once home to the Anasazi tribe, occupants of the park stretch back as far as 1500 BC. Karen knew an extensive story was woven throughout these canyons, present in the insects, the flora\u2026 the waters flowing through the slender chasms of the Virgin river. The history was overwhelming, as were the individual facets of the park itself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have an innate curiosity as humans. It doesn\u2019t necessarily have to be outer places, it can be inner spaces, too. I think the pandemic showed us that. There\u2019s a soul-stirring thing that happens when you explore places like Zion. In American culture, we\u2019ve been conditioned to believe that bigger is always better. I think it\u2019s purposefully habituated for very specific reasons. Photography is an inherently competitive medium, and everybody\u2019s going all out, but there\u2019s this thing about limitations that makes you go deeper. That\u2019s what this macro lens did for me. You lose specificity when your scope is too large.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fujifilm-x.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Busy-Bee.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fujifilm-x.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Busy-Bee.jpg\" alt=\"A bee perches on a flower in Zion national park\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo 2022 \u00a9 Karen Hutton | FUJIFILM GFX100S and GF120mmF4 R LM OIS WR Macro, 1\/800 sec at F13, ISO 800<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fujifilm-x.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Squirrel-the-Spotlight.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fujifilm-x.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Squirrel-the-Spotlight.jpg\" alt=\"A chipmunk basks in a warm glow of the sunlight, perched atop a rock in Zion national park\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo 2022 \u00a9 Karen Hutton | FUJIFILM GFX100S and GF120mmF4 R LM OIS WR Macro, 1\/850 sec at F5.6, ISO 250<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><p>Naturally, Karen would also utilize the macro lens in its more orthodox form \u2013 detailing meticulous close-ups of Zion\u2019s exquisite features. As well as zeroing in on various wildlife, she also took the time to scrutinize the symbolic incongruity of dead leaves, defiantly vivid in spite of their expiration. \u201cFall was long gone, this was the higher elevation \u2013 about 6,000 feet,\u201d she recounts. \u201cI used the film simulations. I boosted the sharpness; I boosted the colors. There was life in these leaves, even after they were dead. How beautiful is that? These are the kinds of notions that swirl through the mind when you\u2019re met by this scenery. Nothing is as it seems.\u201d Moving through the upper reaches of Zion\u2019s Kolob region, Karen encountered more symbolic courage \u2013 more fortitude displayed in the foliage. \u00a0\u201cI looked at this particular tree, and these leaves. It was as if they were caught in human-like gestures, hanging on for dear life. Here they were, caught in this moment of resilience. GFX100S helped me capture that poignancy.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fujifilm-x.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Connections.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fujifilm-x.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Connections.jpg\" alt=\"A selection of vibrant, dead leaves scattered across the rocks of Zion national park\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo 2022 \u00a9 Karen Hutton | FUJIFILM GFX100S and GF120mmF4 R LM OIS WR Macro, 1\/170 sec at F5.6, ISO 800<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fujifilm-x.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/What-Does-Wind-Look-Like.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fujifilm-x.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/What-Does-Wind-Look-Like.jpg\" alt=\"A lone auburn leaf clings onto a branch in Zion national park\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo 2022 \u00a9 Karen Hutton | FUJIFILM GFX100S and GF120mmF4 R LM OIS WR Macro, 1\/420 sec at F6.4, ISO 500<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><p>\u201cPhotography is really spiritual to me. I don\u2019t want to sound clinical, because this whole thing is so otherworldly. What you discover is that epic isn\u2019t a matter of size \u2013 it\u2019s a matter of design. We all have that connection with nature. In the shapes, the light, even in the mathematics of it all. It\u2019s really a quantum experience, and weirdly biophilic. Looking through this macro lens just makes it explode. You see everything in such detail. Awe is transformative when you realize that you\u2019re part of something so much greater. I had that experience every day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the end, wonder is about what you <em>feel<\/em>, not the cold veracity of what\u2019s actually there. Karen Hutton\u2019s photographs operate somewhere between the fantasy and reality of this emotion \u2013 where magic and spectacle are inherent natural law. It might begin with realism, but where does it end up? When you get to know someone, you learn their moods, their flaws, their inner workings. In order to understand Zion, Karen had to meet her with macro. There, she found the tacks that tie this tapestry together.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fujifilm-x.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Singing-Solo.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fujifilm-x.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Singing-Solo.jpg\" alt=\"A tree basks in the white glow of divine sunlight\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo 2022 \u00a9 Karen Hutton | FUJIFILM GFX100S and GF120mmF4 R LM OIS WR Macro, 1\/170 sec at F14, ISO 400<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Karen Hutton examines Utah\u2019s staggering designs with the might of macro French philosopher Ren\u00e9 Descartes once described wonder as an innate, primal feeling. Owing to our tendency to react emotionally to unexpected phenomena, the father of analytic geometry perceived awe as a quintessentially human sensation \u2013 the fundamental means by which we interact with the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":64665,"template":"","category":[2084,1006,1202,3113,10365,1937,10169,1055,13039,3701,13040,3505,320,565],"post_tag":[],"b2b-solutions":[],"class_list":["post-64664","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-be-inspired","category-cameras","category-category","category-g-mount","category-gf120mmf4-r-lm-ois-wr-macro","category-gfx-series","category-gfx100s","category-lenses","category-mirrorless-digital-cameras","category-gfx-series-mirrorless","category-prime-lenses","category-g-mount-prime","category-products","category-stories"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-27 21:08:58","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/lt-lt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story\/64664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/lt-lt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/lt-lt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/lt-lt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/lt-lt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/lt-lt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/lt-lt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category?post=64664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/lt-lt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_tag?post=64664"},{"taxonomy":"b2b-solutions","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/lt-lt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/b2b-solutions?post=64664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}