Zion - The Narrows, Sinawava, and the Valley

The Narrows is a portion of the Virgin River, accessible only by walking upstream from the end of the Riverside Walk from Sinawava.  Wet suits can be rented in town, and were worth the money.  At least rent the boots as they have much better traction over wet rocks than standard trail shoes.  Being there in November meant that we didn't have to fight the crowds, but also meant that we didn't get the high sun necessary for the best lighting of the canyon.  However, if you are visiting Zion and the water levels permit, this hike is strongly recommended for those so inclined.  A tripod is essential, due to the low light level at the bottom of the narrow canyon.  Even then take care that the swirling of the water does not induce vibrations up the tripod legs that will blur the image.

The Riverside Walk starts literally at the end of the road.  This is a paved walkway for good wheelchair access, and limited elevation change.  There is an incredible variety of 'intimate landscapes' along this walk, and we benefited from a light rain one day to bring out good saturation in the autumn colours present that first week of November.

Bryce Canyon

The images of Bryce Canyon were taken over a few days; the first with friends starting with early morning fog, and then again a few days later on my own with fresh snow on the ground (and very cold temperatures).  Bryce is a rather spectacular amphitheatre of hoodoos (remaining columns of sandstone left after erosion of surrounding material).  Cliffs and hoodoos rise several hundred feet above the canyon floor.  Hiking on the trails with a full camera bag can be tiring, given the 8000' (2,400m) altitude.  Hustling up the 100' vertical rise from the parking lot to Inspiration Point (8800' elevation) to capture the sunrise leaves one breathless from both the view and lack of oxygen.

If you can't do the extended trail walk, at least make it to Wall Street, which is a section of the Navajo Trail that is only a short distance from Sunset Point.  Unfortunately that distance involves a steep descent on a switchback path, and the descent is much easier than the climb back up!  However, the scenery is worth it; tall canyon cliffs with tall pines reaching for the sun.  Just remember that you will be encountering very high contrast lighting.

Zion - Sunrise and Sunset

The bridge over the Virgin River is a popular spot for sunset images of the light on The Watchman, so get there early and pick your spot.  Dawn shooting is great either behind the museum, or from the Canyon Overlook (trailhead just beyond the tunnel).

I've had both good luck and bad luck with lighting.  Many mornings we went out into the cold, to stand and wait two hours for something to happen, only to declare "breakfast light".  You can either get heavy overcast, or totally clear skies, and occasionally a wonderful mix of clouds floating around the peaks and picking up beautiful colours from the low sun as with some of these sunset shots. 

Aerial images and Horseshoe Bend

I was fortunate to have clear weather flying into and out of Las Vegas, and had my face or camera up to the window almost the whole flight.  (Some of these images come from areas well east of Utah.)  In one image the peaks at the southern end of Zion NP can be seen.

On one trip we made an attempt to get to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, but the accumulating snow made us think whether we wanted to be nominated for the year's Darwin Awards.  We declined, and continued to Page, Arizona to shoot Horseshoe Bend the next morning.  It's a fairly impressive view, best experienced at the edge, on your belly.  We frequently checked whether we were on solid ground, or a tenuous overhang.  To encompass the whole bend, these images were taken with a 20 mm lens.   

Zion - The Eastern Mesa

I had expected many of the spectacular views in Zion Valley from photographs that I had seen.  I did not expect the variety of intriguing landscapes available from the roadside just east of the tunnel leading to the East Gate.  Some of the stone has been eroded into swirling lines of red on red while other scenes present criss-crossed lines of fractured rock strata.  We were in this region about the equivalent of two full days and hardly began to explore just the easily accessible potential of this area.  There are many small off-shoot canyons and the whole backcountry mesa area on both sides of the main Virgin River Canyon that can provide additional visual treats.

If you drive through this area in mid-day, don't expect to see the same views as you would early or late in the day, when adjacent mesa areas form dramatic shadows over the landscape.  With sunset approaching, trees that you passed by earlier with hardly a glance now appear as dramatic silhouettes against sunlit cliffs; the red and yellow in the rocks becomes richer and the sky a deeper blue.  Drive along this highway several times, at different times of the day and in different light and weather, and you will be rewarded. 

The rich contrasts in tone and colour in the Southwest rocks easily lend themselves to black and white treatment.  Flowing water and the highlights of the bright yellow leaves add further opportunities.