cramerimaging

Times and Seasons

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Zions Park, Utah, US

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Jan, 2021

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Behind The Lens

Location

I took this particular photo up the Riverwalk trail in Zion's National Park in Utah. There are so many good photo opportunities there that I'd have trouble pinning down exactly where I stood for this shot.

Time

I captured these cotton candy pink clouds at sunset in autumn with golden leaves adorning the deciduous trees. It was a pleasantly warm November 4 evening in 2018.

Lighting

Shooting photos like this one in a canyon can lead to some interesting lighting conditions around sunrise and sunset. I've learned that it's best to shoot landscape photos after the direct sunlight leaves all of the canyon which you want to shoot. I used this lesson here.

Equipment

I shot this photo hand-holding a Nikon D7200 using a Nikkor 18-55mm lens. That is all the equipment I used for this photo.

Inspiration

I wanted to expand my autumn landscape photo options in my portfolio. Given the time of year (November), I needed a much lower elevation so I opted for Zion National Park. They still had plenty of color on the trees. I'd heard good things about the Riverwalk trail and wanted to try it for myself. I wasn't disappointed by the color or the hike. At one point, I looked up and saw that the clouds turned pink with the setting sun. I had a great foreground with the trees in front. So I turned my camera up and captured this shot.

Editing

This photo, as with many others I've shot during this time of day, came out underexposed and under-saturated in raw form. I corrected all of that in post-processing. Now the colors really pop.

In my camera bag

I carry a Nikon D7200 rather permanently attached to a Custom Brackets Digital Pro-E flash bracket. I love the ease which this high end flash bracket allows me to switch from landscape to portrait mode on a tripod and back again. It makes life in the field so much easier for me. My go-to lenses are the Nikkor 18-55mm kit lens and a Tamron 70-300mm telephoto lens with 1:2 macro capabilities. These have served me faithfully for several years in photography. I also pack a Nikkor 50mm prime for those times when I need f/1.8 and a Nikon 60mm prime macro lens for when I want to go full blown macro on a photo. I also carry a Nikon Speedlight SB-700 for those times when natural light just isn't enough. My Hoodman hood-loupe, highly recommended by Scott Kelby, also goes with me. With it, I can see what my camera screen is showing me even in exceedingly bright light which would otherwise prevent me viewing my newly taken photos. My sling bag does get heavy with all this gear, but I know that I'm prepared for all kinds of photo opportunities.

Feedback

If you find you're looking for a particular kind of seasonal shot (such as autumn leaves), then do your research and find out when peak color will appear and fade. Higher elevations gain and lose color before lower elevations do. Then choose your group of trees well.

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cramerimaging

cramerimaging

Times and Seasons

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Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow cramerimaging

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