Grand Canyon
May, 2016Views
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Fall Award 2020
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Top 30 rank week 1Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at the Grand Canyon in Arizona from the top of the Bright Angel trailhead.Time
This was probably day 4 of of 7, traveling in and around UT and AZ. Hiked through Zion, a few slot canyons and checked out Antelopes Canyon before showing up at the Grand Canyon for a 2 day exploration. It was during the later hours of the morning, possibly around 10am where I took this photo from the top of the Bright Angel trailhead.Lighting
It was a beautiful morning with some low hanging clouds which casted some beautiful silhouettes when passing through the suns rays. Would have been a dull photo if it wasn't for that. The condition was constantly shifting which is what made it so beautiful to photograph.Equipment
At the time I was shooting with my Canon 5D MKII using 24-70mm zoom lens.Inspiration
Honestly, I wasn't planning to photograph this view at all when I first got here. It was an "okay" shot at first, but if you don't already know... the conditions change rather quickly at the Grand Canyon and within a 20-30 min span, the light came and the clouds began to dance through the landscape. This is when it caught my eye. Always be ready. You can plan all you want for a shot, but at the end of the day if mother nature decides not to show you the shot you are looking for then you have to work with what she gives you. I always say that the unexpected shots are the ones that come out the best so always be willing to adapt to your surroundings. Just make sure you do it quick.Editing
Yes, what photographer doesn't? I upped the contrast so that the silhouettes of the clouds were more apparent. I then adjust the vibrance and upped the saturation just enough to bring a little more interest in the shadows.In my camera bag
Throughout the years, I've learned that packing light is key if you don't want to suffer to much when hiking with camera gear. My go-to lenses are my Canon 24-70mm f2.8 II and Canon 70-200mm f2.8 II. Those are my work horse lenses though I now added a 16-35mm and a 100-400mm. I don't always use the 100-400mm since I use that mostly for nature photography and the 16-35 I swap in or out with the 24-70. My 14mm only comes out with me for astrophotography. So thats pretty much it for lenses (usually 3 lenses on trips then I cut down depending on the hike). A shutter remote, spare batteries, 3 stop grad filter, 3 stop ND filter, 6 stop ND filter, 10 stop ND filter, Polarizer and a few other accessories such as cleaning tools, etc.Feedback
Don't come fixating on 1 shot. Let mother nature show you the composition, the lighting, the shadows, etc. Be nimble and be quick because when she does show you those amazing moments, they won't last long. Always be willing to explore new perspectives and even though pulling out the wide lens to shoot those grand vistas are amazing... I tend to lean towards my 70-200mm lens more now to capture more detailed and selective shots. Always remember, if you just want to shoot a pano, then you can always shoot multiple shots and stitch them together (great when printing), but if its a special moment where time is the major player then by all means pull out the wide and capture the moment. End of the day, there is no right or wrong. As long as you enjoy the moment then that is all that really matters.
