Zion Narrows - Wall Street
Wall Street at the Narrows, Zion National Park, looking down river.
Wall Street at the Narrows, Zion National Park, looking down river.
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Sep, 2014Views
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Awards
Action Award
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Contest Finalist in Water And Rocks Photo Contest
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Contest Finalist in Majestic Cliffs Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Dodho Volume 3 Photo Contest
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jim_barbour
September 20, 2014
Zion National Park, Utah. It's an area called the Narrows. This is about 3 miles from the trailhead (1 mile paved trail, 2 miles in the Virgin river). It's an awesome hike.
PRO+
PRO+
MaryAnne306
August 10, 2015
Awesome shot! A beautiful and intimidating place. Congratulations on being a finalist!
PRO+
PRO
LaurieandGregClayton
July 13, 2016
Beautiful photo. I was just there a few weeks ago and you really captured a great photo of what it is really like to experience the Narrows
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
The Narrows, Zion National Park, Utah. I had read much about the Narrows and had placed this hike on my bucket list. I flew from Atlanta to Utah with my two sons for a few days in Zion and the hope that I would be presented with scenes like this. I was not disappointed!Time
This location is about 3.5 miles from the trailhead. 2.5 of those require hiking up the Virgin river in a narrow canyon. The Narrows hike is very popular, and it's imperative that you get ahead of the crowds to keep people out of the frame. This is further complicated by the fact that the trailhead is only accessible by shuttle bus at this time of year (September). We caught the first shuttle and reached the trailhead by 7:45am. We hiked for several hours nearly alone. I took this shot at about 10:30 am. By 11am we headed back down canyon and it looked like a mall on Black Friday.Lighting
With canyon walls over a thousand feet high and as little at 30 feet apart, lighting is difficult, variable and constantly changing. Much of the light is reflected from adjacent walls. You need to take what nature is willing to give you and make the best of it. Contrast can be very high and my customary ND grads are of little use due to the irregular shapes in the canyon. Although HDR can be useful here, this particular shot is a single exposure and fit just barely into the histogram.Equipment
I used my Canon 6D after a nervous 2.5 miles in the river doing my best to keep it dry. For this shot I used my Canon 24-105 f4L at 24mm. I had the camera on a Promaster Carbon Fiber tripod with a Vanguard head. This was one of the few setups that day that had the tripod on dry ground. Many other were in the water, some as deep s 2.5 feet. I also used the tripod as a walking stick. This was vital in keeping me and my 6D out of the water! I'm a big fan of long exposures and don't go anywhere without my 100mm Lee system with ND grads, circular polarizer, and of course the Big Stopper. When I unpacked in the hotel in Springdale, I was horrified to realize that although I had all of my filters, I had forgotten to pack my filter holder and adapters. I had left them in my 4x5 bag! Luckily I did have a screw in B&W circular polarizer in the bag. The CP, coupled with the intense shadows in the canyon yielded an eight second exposure. Although I would have preferred 30+ seconds, the exposure did show sufficient water movement.Inspiration
I had read much about the Narrows prior to the trip and this hike was the centerpiece of our trip to Zion. The reality of the visual scene far exceeded my expectations. This hike was without a doubt one of the best experiences of my life.Editing
Only RAW conversion, lens corrections, levels, contrast and slight cropping.In my camera bag
My digital setup includes a Canon 6D, my first full frame digital. I have been thrilled with the image quality especially in low light. I also carry the following Canon lenses: 17-40 f4L, 24-105 f4L, 70-200 f4L. I cannot say enough about the quality of these lenses. While Canon does sell faster and (arguably) better glass, these f4 lenses are much smaller and lighter. I also occasionally carry the Canon 1.4 Extender III. As I said before, I always carry my Lee filter setup. I use filters because I prefer to do as much as possible in camera and as little as possible in post. I always carry a tripod if possible. On my more masochistic trips, I carry a Wista 45RF 4x5 inch large format film camera, 3 lenses, 10 film holders and much more. This setup weights almost 40 lbs.Feedback
Just get out there. I could talk of the technical requirement to produce a competent image, but none of that matters without an amazing subject and incredible light. By far the most important requirement is to deliver yourself and your camera to the right place at the right time. This requires some planning with regard to the subject, logistics (transportation, admission times, access, crowds, etc.) and lighting (sunrise/sunset times, azimuth, elevation). It also requires that you make the commitment to get up early and do whatever it takes to be at the right place at the right time. This trip would have been spectacular without a camera. With the opportunity to make these images, it was much more. This is one of my favorite images, partly for it's visual qualities, but mostly for the memories of an awesome trip to an incredible location with my two sons.
