This was the first time I had visited Starved Rock State Park in quite a few years.  The state park covers 1,064 ha (2,630 ac) and is known for its rock formations, outcrops and 18 canyons.  The underlying sandstone, primarily St. Peter sandstone, was created by a shallow inland sea more than 425 million years ago.  Approximately 14,000-17,000 years ago, glacial meltwater, a catastrophic flood and over time stream erosion created the parks features.  The area first became inhabited by Clovis Paleo-Indians about 11,000 BCE.  The first non-natives to explore the area were two French explorers who mapped the region in 1673.  The state of Illinois purchased the land in 1911 and opened Starved Rock State Park in 1912.

Although, I had been through the area and stopped by the main lodge several times while out on motorbike rides, it had been some time since I hiked the park trails.  Because the park covers a sizeable area, I planned to refamiliarise myself with the area near the main lodge and visitor centre.  During this visit I went to the Starved Rock Overlook, Lover’s Leap Overlook, Eagle Cliff Overlook and French Canyon.  In subsequent outings, I planned to venture further afield.

I had recently bought a new ultra-wide angle zoom lens and this was the first chance I had to use it in an environment such as this.  Even though its focal length is in the realm of fisheye lenses, it is not a fisheye lens.  The design of this lens makes it unique among its counterparts by eliminating the fisheye spherical view of the world, meaning that vertical and horizontal lines remain straight.  The lens has edge-to-edge sharpness with no noticeable aberrations and no noticeable edge falloff.  These features make this lens a perfect choice for capturing an honest and realistic view of a wide swath of the landscape as well as capturing a wide scope of the natural formations within the parks canyons.

About This Photograph

The above photograph was taken from near the top of the Starved Rock overlook.  From this perspective, I wanted to capture as much of the picturesque view, both in the foreground and background, as my new lens would allow.  This photograph ideally captures, in the foreground, a portion of Starved Rock itself, the stairs to climb the outcrop, and in the background a portion of the canopy of autumn foliage colours across the park.