False Kiva at Sunset, Canyonlands National Park, Utah
False Kiva Photo, Sunset Canyonlands National Park, Utah
One afternoon in Canyonlands National Park I came up with an ambitious plan: to hike to False Kiva on the edge of the Island in the Sky mesa, photograph the dusk and early evening there, hike out and then shoot Mesa Arch immediately thereafter. I had not originally planned to see False Kiva but decided to give it a try, and treated it as a speedy hike workout. Although I had not been to False Kiva before, the hike turned out to be much easier than I thought it would be and a short while after leaving my car I was relaxing, alone, in the cool shade of the alcove with a spectacular view of the dramatic river-carved Canyonlands expanse far below. You know that hollow sound, almost the echo of an echo, that you hear when on the edge of precipice? That is the sound one hears while at False Kiva. Occasionally a raptor would keen or a bird would glide by and I could hear the rush of the air over its wings. Otherwise, there was no sound but what I made. It was quite moving being there, doing nothing but watching the light change, listening and thinking. The sunset itself was unremarkable, but as dusk passed and evening came on I was able to match the light of my flashlight with that of the dimming sky and painted the ring of rocks for which False Kiva is famous to produce this image. The scene has a great deal of red and magenta in it, the actual hue of the fading dusk. In truth I reduced the saturation a little since it seemed so strong to my eye, but that happens sometimes when shooting in the deepest, most richly colored twilight about 45 minutes after sunset. I was working in what seemed to be pitch dark when I shot this, and the great sensitivity of my camera allowed me to pull out color and detail. Thanks for looking, and cheers!
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Island in the Sky, Canyonlands National Park, Utah
Island in the Sky is the most accessible and popular of the three “districts” in Canyonlands National Park. I spent a day there earlier this year and photographed a number of viewpoints during late afternoon waiting for the sunset to arrive. Next time I plan to descend into the canyons in a 4WD for some real exploration!
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| Canyonlands National Park view over Island in the Sky. Image ID: 27840 Location: Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA |
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| Canyonlands National Park view over Island in the Sky. Image ID: 27841 Location: Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA |
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| Canyonlands National Park panorama. Image ID: 27845 Location: Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA Pano dimensions: 3821 x 6952 |
Milky Way Over Mesa Arch, Panorama, Canyonlands National Park
Panoramic Photo of the Milky Way Arcing Over Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park, Utah
Earlier this year I spent an evening photographing Mesa Arch, the famous and oft-pictured natural stone arch at the precipice of Canyonlands National Park. I photographed Mesa Arch at sunrise twice previously — quite fortunately alone both times — but that was years ago before the explosion of photography interest on the internet. Based on the many reports I have read during the intervening years of elbow-to-elbow photographers and workshops going postal at sunrise when the sun lights the underside of the arch, I had essentially given up on ever photographing Mesa Arch again. This year I decided to try for an image I have wanted to make there for some time and which might allow me to enjoy the arch in solitude again — the Milky Way arcing over Mesa Arch. Photographer buddy Garry McCarthy and I have executed versions of this idea with other arches. It is surprisingly tough to do well, since lighting must be consistent across the many frames that are blended to make the final image. The result must be flawless with no blending artifacts if one wishes to print the image for display. Using hard-earned uber-secret lighting and processing techniques from past night photography efforts, combined with several different compositions and attempts at lighting the arch in various ways, I ultimately decided upon this highly detailed 50″ x 80″ panoramic photo of Mesa Arch as the final result of my efforts.
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| Panorama of the Milky Way over Mesa Arch. Image ID: 27824 Location: Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA |
Sunset at Dead Horse Point Overlook, Utah
Dead Horse Point Overlook, a stunning promontory on the edge of the mesa that is Utah’s Dead Horse Point State Park, offers a jaw-dropping view down 2000′ to the Colorado River. Canyonlands National Park is visible in the distance. The entire scene is a jumble of convoluted bends in the Colorado River with canyons, walls of sandstone, endless sky and few people. I made this panorama from a series of 7 images about a half hour after sunset. Cheers and thanks for looking!
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| Sunset at Dead Horse Point Overlook, with the Colorado River flowing 2,000 feet below. 300 million years of erosion has carved the expansive canyons, cliffs and walls below and surrounding Deadhorse Point. Image ID: 27823 Location: Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah, USA Pano dimensions: 5303 x 17695 |
Mesa Arch Photo
View this blog entry in Google EarthLatitude: 38° 23' 17.21" N, Longitude: 109° 51' 48.56" W, Coord: 38.388114°, -109.86349°
Filed under: Canyonlands, National Parks, Utah on 1/25/2007
Mesa Arch stands at the edge of Island in the Sky mesa in Canyonlands National Park. It juts out and over a 600-foot drop into Buck Canyon. While small by Utah standards, Mesa Arch lies in a dramatic setting and easy access make it a destination for most visitors to the park. At sunrise, if the horizon is clear, light reflecting off the walls below illuminate the underside of Mesa Arch, setting it afire with a rich golden glow.
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| Mesa Arch spans 90 feet and stands at the edge of a mesa precipice thousands of feet above the Colorado River gorge. For a few moments at sunrise the underside of the arch glows dramatically red and orange. Island in the Sky, Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA. Image: 18037 Location: Island in the Sky, Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA  View this Image in Google Earth! |
More Mesa Arch photos.
Mesa Arch Sunrise Photo
View this blog entry in Google EarthLatitude: 38° 23' 17.21" N, Longitude: 109° 51' 48.56" W, Coord: 38.388114°, -109.86349°
Filed under: Canyonlands, National Parks, Utah on 1/17/2007
Mesa Arch is a spectacular natural sandstone arch at the edge of the Island-in-the-Sky region of Canyonlands National Park. It literally juts up and out from the mesa, hanging over the chasm with an unbroken drop many hundreds of feet below. For a few minutes at sunrise, if the horizon is clear of clouds, the underside of Mesa Arch glows a warm, deep red. I had Mesa Arch to myself one morning last week. It was -4°F, clear blue sky, new snow and not a speck of wind.
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| Mesa Arch, Utah. An exuberant hiker greets the dawning sun from atop Mesa Arch. Island in the Sky, Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA. Image: 18036 Location: Island in the Sky, Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA View this Image in Google Earth! |
The image above is a self-portrait, one that is not for the faint of heart. A simple slip or stumble while atop Mesa Arch has serious consequences. This risky maneuver should only be attempted by qualified, registered, insured, well-trained stunt photographers under highly controlled circumstances (i.e., no Moab brewery the night before). Do not attempt this at home.
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| Mesa Arch spans 90 feet and stands at the edge of a mesa precipice thousands of feet above the Colorado River gorge. For a few moments at sunrise the underside of the arch glows dramatically red and orange. Island in the Sky, Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA. Image: 18037 Location: Island in the Sky, Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA View this Image in Google Earth! |
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Updated: May 18, 2013
