Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Utah. 2024
Backpacking this new-to-us canyon was a great and new experience. Each bend revealed new layers and possibilities, not just for photography but for rock art, dwellings and signs of past lives. That is what I really love about these deep and long canyons that Utah is known for. During the late fall season, Elena (my wife) and I went backpacking into this canyon. It was not a far hike but it was a beautiful one. In three days we did not see a single person or foot prints. As we rounded each bend, beautiful scenes appeared, some with running water, deep narrow canyons and the echoing sound of flowing water entering small pools of water, creating a song of natures choosing. Each time I backpack these canyons I feel so blessed to be there, being able to see and photograph these fleeting moments in nature which are happening all the time but no one is there to witness it, but today we were. This image was created on our hike out of this canyon and the only scene I ended up working with this day. We were trying to beat the light and the cold in order to get to the truck and make hot food, get warm clothes and get bed ready. We were hiking upstream, bouncing from rock to rock across the stream and as we crested this bend in the canyon I saw this scene appear. I knew instantly it was one that I was going to be very happy with. I did not pull out the tripod, oddly enough, I worked many compositions, hand-held, reiterating this into a comprehensive and thoughtful image. I framed the tree at the base using the cool-toned canyon walls while allowing the canyons and tree to fan out as the canyon widened. The desert varnish in the background; vertical lines of orange, yellow, black and white directly behind the golden cottonwood drawing further attention to the tree; my subject. The way the light caught this tree and the surrounding landscape was really beautiful and I really don't think I could have come upon this scene at a better time. I hope you enjoy this scene as much as I do.
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01
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The photograph is presented beneath optically clear acrylic, giving color a rich, dimensional quality and preserving crisp detail. Acrylic has a polished, contemporary presence and responds beautifully to natural or directed light.
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