On day 5 of my October/November 2013 trip to Zion, I ventured into the narrows for the first time on this trip. I've been there countless times over the years, but the Narrows were off limits in the days leading up to this because of a storm that swept through the area.
I ventured into the canyon without a specific shot in mind. I just looked to be inspired by nature. I set up my first shot in the late morning in a familiar bend of the canyon I've taken other shots at. I though the reflected light there was interesting.
When I was hiking out of the canyon that day, I stumbled across a beautiful tree that I hadn't noticed before. It was set against a purplish sandstone rock face, and the entire scene was in a soft warm reflected light. The color contrast was wicked --- purple, yellow and green. The wall was covered in fresh green moss thanks to the rain that occurred in the past few days. I visited this same scene later in the trip, but the moss was brown, and the leaves were dramatically thinned. It was dumb luck that I managed to stumble upon this scene at the peak of fall color and ideal conditions.
Please be sure to view my video journal from day 5 on my Youtube Channel:
These work very well as a set (it looks like the main subject of #2 is peeking around a rock in #1). The light in #1 is fantastic, and the gold, white, and blue-gray water give it that much extra depth.
Both images work beautifully. For the first image the details and variation in the color of the rock make it interesting, I think. For the second image, the brightly colored leaves serve to balance the subtle color of the rock face and the moss growing on it.
Ben,
Love these velvia shots, especially the 2nd.
What a sweet color palette
I've been getting pretty comfortable (maybe too) with Ektar
This is a bit of inspiration since I'm heading out to the coast tomorrow w/Velvia
I really like the first photo. The light is fantastic as gently lights various areas and the smooth water is beautiful. That film quality really shines.
Thank you for the feedback everyone. What's strange is that I regarded #1 as almost a throwaway image. I think this was because I set it up quickly and didn't feel very inspired by the scene at the moment. Upon scanning it though, my opinion did change a bit on it.
On the other hand, I regard the second image as perhaps my strongest photo from 2013, but it doesn't seem like people like it as much as my other shots from the trip. Maybe it's one of those shots that needs to be viewed larger to fully appreciate how it looks on a light table. It was a downright magical scene, and looked like something from a fantasy world.
#2 is a really special image. I'm guessing it was the cover image for your book this year? I bet it looks really magical on the light table! With that being said, I'm always a sucker for images from the Narrows so #1 is my favorite. The subtle glow on the left rock is fantastic, and the path of the water draws the viewer into the image. Funny how those "throw-away" images often seem to get better over time!
