Mesa Arch Sunrise - Canyonlands National Park
Arrived at the arch at 420am in order to get a prime spot in front of the arch. Sunrise was 3 hours later!! Within twenty minutes there were no spots left (sinc...
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Arrived at the arch at 420am in order to get a prime spot in front of the arch. Sunrise was 3 hours later!! Within twenty minutes there were no spots left (since it is not a very large arch) and standing shoulder to shoulder. The arch itself is famous for the red glow when the sun comes up, so there is always a crowd.
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Apr, 2015Views
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jjraia
June 11, 2015
This is made up of two images stitched together, so the file is large allowing for great detail and sharpness.
PRO+
michaelakrempelhoward
September 27, 2015
The story of the Navajos comes to mind. The flood was there and it took the bad people. the good ones climbed up to the upperworld. Beautiful!
jjraia
November 10, 2016
Most times I see photos that include the sky just to show that it is really an arch; I chose not to because I didn't think that was not of much importance compared to the view and the glow on the rock.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This is Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park, Utah; a land of indescribable stark beauty. You can't help but feel a strong connection with the earth's history seeing this vast eroded landscape. It's such a stunning location with the Washerwoman formation on the left hand side and Manti La Sal range in the distance. Unfortunately, they were mostly hidden by clouds by either a haze or smoke. But the haze/smoke created some wonderful sunlight shadows through the canyons and mesas in the distance.Time
This was taken about 20 minutes after sunrise which was at around 720am that day in October, but I arrived at the arch after a short 1/4 mile hike at about 430am. I was one of three to arrive first and get a great spot, but within 30 minutes, there were photographers lined up shoulder to shoulder with tripod legs intertwined!! The arch itself is not very wide, so the space in front of the opening is limited. We passed the time playing with colored gels over flashes and cracking jokes and just being a bit punchy since none of us had much sleep.Lighting
The lighting here is extrordinary and that's what draws so many to see it at dawn. The light reflects up underneath the arch and cast a beautiful red light onto it. I think winter might be best because the sun won't be directly in front of you and you may get a bit more side lighting.Equipment
Nikon D800 with a 17-35mm f/2.8 and Gitzo tripod.Inspiration
I met up with two other photographers the night before shooting a sunset from Green River Overlook and we talked for quite a while afterwards. I had planned to avoid the arch because of the crowds, but they convinced me to go with them. I'm glad I did, expecially since one of them was really into panoramic shots and inspired me to try one there.Editing
This image is actually two images stitched together manually since I didn't like the way it turned out using software; I lost too much of the image. So I manually tweaked the two images together in Photoshop until everything lined up right. It took a lot of patience, but I finally managed. I didn't use a panoramic head on the tripod, because I don't own one, but I've found that I can do pretty good without them since I've done quite a few more since that trip.In my camera bag
I keep it pretty simple because I want to pack everything into a small camera bag that I can stuff into a backpack of mine that I've had since I began my photography quite a few years ago. I use it to carry the gear with me when I have to hike because it's really made for that and really helps carry the weight much better. In the bag is the D800 with a 50mm f/1.8 (I wanted the extra f/stop of f/22 the faster lenses didn't have); the 17-35mm f/2.8; and an older Nikon 80-200mm f/4 manual focus. I wanted it for the markings on the lens barrel indicating what will be in focus at any given focal length and f/stop. It's a great tool to have. Other than that, a cable release, various filters and lens shades and most important, two split neutral density filters with the holder and ring adapters, spare battery and some repair items.Feedback
Sometimes you have to really give the extra effort to get to a location that possibly can reward that effort with a great shot. It doesn't always work out that way, but if you're not there, it's guaranteed you won't get anything. Good luck is a direct result of preparation snf determination.
