Road To Forever
Arches National Park
Outside Moab, Utah
Oct, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in Arches National Park. We were on the way to our son's wedding in Denver, and because we hadn't taken a vacation in many years due to the fact that we own a business, we decided to leave early and make as many stops as possible both before and after that event. This was just one of 14 national parks we visited on what turned out to be an amazing road trip.Time
The shot was taken at about 3:00 in the afternoon in early September. I remember it being just a marvelous day with billowing clouds and perfect traveling weather.Lighting
Out west, optimal photo days are rare, it's usually blistering hot with crystal clears skies and a blazing sun that, more often than not, washes out photos like this. Luckily, this was one of those rare periods where we had perfect weather for a couple of weeks that allowed me to capture some amazing shots. I now make it a point to do the majority of my travel shoots in the spring and the fall (usually in the worst weather imaginable) because I have learned that the weather can be an important element in creating a marketable photo.Equipment
All of the photographers I know are always hollering at me about my old equipment and the fact that I never use a tripod. I have always believed that a great photo has more to do with composition than equipment. To illustrate that point this shot was actually taken with an old point and shoot Canon PowerShot SX110 in auto mode !!!Inspiration
I think I have always scrutinized the world through a viewfinder. For some reason I look around me and see framed image compositions. Maybe it comes from spending most of my life hiding behind a camera lens .... and wanting to save what I experience. Maybe it comes from having been a graphic designer for many years, but I don't go out attempting to take a specific image, I let those images find me and I just capture them.Editing
The original image included a camper at the focal point of the road that I removed with Photoshop. Since posting this image, I have made several other versions of it using different editing packages, but they all end up looking over processed. This one remains the best.In my camera bag
I always keep my old point and shoot Canon PowerShot SX110 that I took this photo with in the center console of my Jeep because I refuse to EVER be without a camera and I can't seem to get the hang of shooting with a cell phone. I recently purchased a Canon 70D and a Tamron 16-300 lens that I'm in love with. The resolution of the 70D over my old Rebel XT has improved the detail in my photos tremendously, and the Tamron lens pretty much covers the majority of what I generally shoot, which is travel photos. I outfitted my old Rebel XT with a macro lens, and generally carry all three cameras, together with a supply of batteries and memory cards.Feedback
Everyone loves this photo, it's one of my best sellers because if you live out west chances are you have traveled down a road that looks just like this one (or at least that's how you remember that road looking in your mind's eye) and that's what actually inspired me to take it. It struck me as the quintessential "on the road again" image, a fact that was driven home recently by a Discount Tires TV spot called "America's Roads" that features this same stretch of pavement. When I first saw the commercial, the image was so much like this one I thought it had been lifted from my website. That fact made me understand why I sell so many copies of this image, it captures something everyone can relate to.
