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Zion Narrows

Virgin River flows through The Narrows of Zion Canyon Narrows in Utah

Virgin River flows through The Narrows of Zion Canyon Narrows in Utah
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NIKON D7100

settings

Aperture f/14.0 ISO 100 Shutter 10/1

upload_date

Mar, 2014

Views

2389

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+204

Awards

Featured

Contest Finalist in National Parks Photo Contest

Contest Finalist in Tripod Required Photo Contest

Peer Award

+47

Top Choice

+25

Superb Composition

+25

Absolute Masterpiece

+16

Outstanding Creativity

+10

Superior Skill

Magnificent Capture

All Star

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PRO

beautiful image.

Thanks danny42

great work,very kool photo

Thanks so much

Thanks for the Behind the Lens notes!

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Same photographer See all Behind The Lens

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Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photo in Zion National Park in Utah, Arizona. I was with a group of photographers hiking up the river to shoot some of the best "narrows" sections of the North Fork of the Virgin River. Hiking and shooting in the narrows is very challenging since you are hiking up the Virgin River on slippery rocks against the current in waist deep cold water. Sometimes the water comes up to your chest. It was October, the weather was nice but it is always cold in the narrows. I was wearing waterproof pants and special waterproof boots.

Time

It was around 11 am, since it was in October, there were not a lot of people, and the reflected light was best during mid-morning. Make sure to take pictures while hiking up the canyon, because if you leave some shots for the return you might loose the reflected light.

Lighting

Since you are very deep in the canyon some parts don’t receive that much light, and some parts are very well lit. Shooting in the Zion National Park, especially in the narrows is very challenging. Usually the canyon formations are well lit for only couple of hours. In addition, you need to hike up stream in the fast moving Virgin River. The light was coming from the top opening of the canyon where it lit the left side of wall turning into this orange color and leaving the right side of wall in the dark blue color complementing each other. It is best to find these contrasting colors on the walls or look for the walls that the light is reflecting.

Equipment

I used my Nikon d3100 camera with Tamron 10-24mm lens mounted on a very sturdy tripod, and I had lots and lots of lens cloths. I carried all my equipment inside waterproof bag and tried to keep my equipment weight as light as possible since hiking up the river was hard enough without carrying any weight.

Inspiration

I always wanted to go to Zion national park and take pictures in the narrows. Going into the Narrows, I did not know what to expect, but in my mind I knew that I wanted to capture sandstone canyon walls with glimmering orange color, river running in between the canyon walls, and long exposure shot to show the river water slowed down. After hiking almost for an hour, I found this spot where the narrow walls closing in and creating this illusion view. Also, the rock on the bottom was a perfect anchor for my image that I was aiming for.

Editing

I have not done any major post processing. I had to crop the top of my image because a bit of the sky was showing and it was distracting. I sharpen the image a little bit to bring out the texture on the sandstone canyon walls and increase the saturation for color pop.

In my camera bag

My Nikon d7100, Sigma 18-250mm, Tokina 10-20mm, Tamron 70-200mm lenses. Mostly I use my Tokina lens because I like shooting landscapes with my wide angle lens. And I always have my polarizers with me.

Feedback

If you are planning to shoot in the Zion narrows, make sure to there is no rain in the forecast since hiking the narrows on a rainy day is very dangerous. For long exposures, you need to have very sturdy tripod with you because the current in the river is very strong. Use river rocks for foreground elements, show just a little or none sky because the direct sunlight can overpower your image, get very low with your tripod and try to shoot from inside the river. Be prepared, have right clothes (wetsuit) and shoes for hiking up the river.

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Zion Narrows

Virgin River flows through The Narrows of Zion Canyon Narrows in Utah

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow bbprince

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