Turret Arch, Arches National Park

Usually landscapes are shot with the sun at your back. It's the light the makes the image pop, so naturally you want most of the illumination on the subject. But once in a while it's more intriguing to break outside of the conventional wisdom.

This shot of Turret Arch was taken on our first, brief visit to Arches National Park in 2005. When I say brief, I really mean brief. We were vacationing with the kids in Grand Junction, CO, for a few days and decided to take a jaunt to Arches. Unfortunately we got a later start than we intended (not unusual with our group). Plus we took the scenic route instead of the faster, more direct one. As a result we reached Arches near sundown. The Windows Section, with Turret Arch, was really the only part we could get to before we lost the light.

I was intrigued with the glow through the small window in the formation. The only way to capture it was from the dark side. There is a stark and dramatic quality to this image that I really like. I felt it would be equally impressive in black and white, if not more so, so I shot a roll of that as well.


I may have to break with convention more often.

Arches Sunset - Part Deux

A couple of days prior to the photo in yesterday's post, I shot the sunset from the other side of the image. Roy and I were exploring the Windows section of Arches National Park at the end of a long day. As we began our short trek to Turret Arch I paused to shoot towards the fading light, silhouetting one of the rock pillars nearby. While not exactly pointed towards the spot I was standing days later, it was close enough to provide a complimentary bookend to yesterday's view. I love the shades of gray receding into the horizon line. It was very peaceful and beautiful.