I remember the very first time I photographed Mesa Arch at sunrise. It’s a bit of a haul to leave Moab long before the sun has awakened and drive 39 miles to the trailhead for the .35-mile hike out to the famous rock strata with a hole underneath that peers eastward off of Island in the Sky across the canyon country of the mighty Colorado River far, far below. Island in the Sky is the great mesa that rises above the confluence of the Coloraro and Green Rivers
On that occasion we were the first folks to arrive, a feat which I have not replicated in all of my return adventures. I’m now convinced there are photographers who spend the night on the mesa’s cushy sandstone layers.
Also on that first occasion, I was the last photographer to leave the arch. I had done all of the usual creative compositions with the underside of the storied rock and the glow cast upon it by the sun; but as I was leaving, I turned back for a final look and found a bit of a different sort of view that I could not resist: Mesa Arch all alone in the light of a new morning.
A focal length of 225mm allowed me to isolate nearly the entire span of rock still with its underside aglow; but it also allowed me to include foreground and space above the arch which provided a sense of the canyon country’s geology off the mesa. This allowed me to anchor the right side of the frame with a gnarled, backlit pinon pine. An aperture of f/11 narrowed my depth-of-field so that the arch and foreground were sharp and the background was soft with detail. A shutter speed of 1/15th second at ISO 100 gave me an overall slightly-darker-than-medium exposure.
That Canyonlands National Park is difficult enough to navigate without an off-road 4×4 vehicle has not precluded a range of mechanical adaptations from being brought forward. I think it may be time to consider some limitations on the accessibility of these adaptations to some of the sensitive parts of this desert landscape. Just because I can take a vehicle somewhere does not mean that I should. Population usually trumps nature to the detriment of nature, but the beauty of Mesa Arch is without question.
Howdy Don, I’ve only made it to Moab area and Mesa Arch once, but I have to return someday because the 3 friends in was photographing with all thought the far away telephoto composition was the perfect alignment. I wanted to close wide angle composition but by the time the others were done allowing me to get close the light wasn’t perfect.
But I like your environment landscape included view and the back lighting help set higher contrast and depth.
Howdy Michael. Thanks very much for joining us; it is always a pleasure to have you with me. I do hope you will find a way to revisit Canyonlands and Mesa Arch. It is such an incredibly wonderful place. And I hope your planning will figure out a way to be there when the crowd is minimum. The past several times we have visited, we had to arrive very early in order to find a place to set up an initial image which someone else did not intrude upon as we waited for the sun to rise; and I fear that the situation in only becoming more improbable.
I hope you will be able to do the kinds of creative work that will match your vision. Walk in Beauty, my Friend.
Oh my, what beauty. On my first look I felt I was standing there seeing the Mesa Arch for the first time. The blue, the red, and the green hues work together to create the contrast, texture, and DOF so nicely accomplished. The slightly-darker-than-medium exposure makes it all work for me. Two trips to that area, but never got to Moab Arch. So thanks for taking me there.
Hey Chuck. Thanks for joining us and for sharing those thoughtful comments. Your thoughts on tonal complimentarity and texture are well-expressed and much appreciated, and the DOF was from both necessity and desire. I wanted to focus on the arch with detail in the background so that the primary point of interest would be clear. We may have to make a special trip to take you there, especially if we can work it out to avoid the folks who spend the night camped out on the rock. Hope you and Lois are well and safe. Take very good care.
That is a place I would like to visit.
Hi Judith; thanks very much for joining us. Mesa Arch is definitely one of those icons well-worth taking the time to visit and especially if you can get there early. Be well and stay safe.
I LOVE it! The unique lighting adds a whole new dimension to the photo! The lighting must have been very fleeting. I’ll need to dig through my travel pics to see if I have seen this formation from Canyonlands. But-as a tourist my images are at the “height of the day” because we always have to get someplace else… and we miss out on the “magical time” of the added dimensions!
Hey Donald. It’s great to have you join us. Your Physics Photo of the Week is an informative highlight of my week. Thanks for including me on the list. I really appreciate your kind words. Actually, the light comes in at such a low angle that the reflection lasts for a longer time than you might imagine.. The only requisite is that you arrive long before sunrise in order to “get a good seat.” Once the sun has risen, the angle is lost and the golden reflection disappears. What remains is a beautiful, but ordinary view of the canyonlands below the mesa. Take good care and be safe.
Don, that is incredible. Plus, the story of how the picture came to be enhances it. Just glorious image. Thank you.
Thanks Michelle; it’s great to have you join us for this conversation. I hope you are safe and well in the Sunshine State. Thanks, too, for your comment about the story. I do enjoy creating these little descriptions and I appreciate when they are noticed. Walk in Beauty.
If there is such a thing as silent revelry, you captured it here. This is a very special moment in time and everyone is facing the light, watching in awe as the sun comes up. It’s like watching a miracle happen right before your eyes. The cool blue light is changing to a warm glow and looks like it will be a beautiful day. Love it!
Hey Nancy T. It’s always a pleasure to have you with us. Your description of the scene as it unfolds is exactly a description of the magic as it happens, and the transition from cool blue to warm gold is truly the miracle of light. I suppose it’s one of those times when having gratitude for the paucity of rainy days in the desert is a good thing. I hope you are safe and well. Talk very soon.
Thanks very much, Everyone, for joining me for this conversation. As I mentioned in the introduction for this Image, this is not the art that I was seeking when a made the effort to be at Mesa Arch for sunrise; but it was such an appealing scene when I turned and saw it that I was very compelled to spend some time with it before choosing to go somewhere else. It is an image that stays in my mind and serves as a constant reminder of what this place is all about all on its own. May we all Walk in Beauty and be very safe and well.