I once had the good fortune to be in Zion National Park for a late March snowstorm. It had snowed overnight, and for sunrise I headed for the classic shot of the Towers of the Virgin from behind the old museum building. Getting there before sunrise, I had to tread carefully to avoid stepping in the deep tripod holes from the millions of other photographers who had stood in this same spot before me.
Once I quickly got the obligatory wide angle shot of the panorama of the Towers out of the way, I then grabbed my 100-400mm lens and got down to the real work of extracting more intimate views of this classic location. I loved how the fog was swirling around the tops of the mountains, and zeroed in on that area. I think these tighter views tell a much better story about the dramatic weather conditions that morning.
After taking my fill of this location, I immediately drove up through the tunnel to the east side, where there was much more snow than down in the canyon. Fodder for a later postā¦
Specific Feedback Requested
any critique or comments welcome
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Canon 100-400mm lens, at 400mm, ISO 100, 1/15 sec at f16
It sure paid off to take the time to get a more intimate view of this location. This is gorgeous. I really like the rich color tones contrasted with the snow capped bushes. The fog is the icing on the cake. I bet it was hard to leave this scene.
A rare sight indeed Ed! You were very fortunate as snow typically melts almost immediately after a snow storm there. You were rewarded with great atmospheric conditions and the choice of pulling out the 100-400 was a good one. I love the swirling fog at the top of the frame. Well composed Ed. I canāt think of anything to improve this other than āmaybeā cooling the oranges down a bit to make the scene feel a little bit colder while still retaining the warmth from the towering rocks.
This is simply outstanding, Ed! The soft delicate light along with the swirling fog has created quite the mood to showcase these wonderful southwest desert rock formations. I only have one suggestion and that is for you to include this on your website as I do not recall seeing it there. I imagine it was a little tough staying out off all those tripod holes.
You are indeed a master of foggy scenes and this is a prime example. Just as well you decided to go intimate - something that very few think of ( myself )
Iām really glad that you decided to shoot some detail telephoto shots along with the ātraditionalā view because this image is simply outstanding!
No nits from me.
Ed, this is stunning! I love the lighting and the fog, as well as the snow on the bushes. Something to always remember, landscape isnāt always wide angle. When I get to go out again to capture landscape images, I will try to remember this lesson. I do hope that you have some room on the wall for this one.
Thank you all for stopping by to take a look at my image, I appreciate hearing your comments.
The conditions were epic that morning, and yes the snow was gone by that afternoon.
Those ābushesā are actually pine trees, the Towers of the Virgin rise about 3,000 feet above the ground, and this scene was extracted from near the top of the towers.
It was indeed hard to avoid them. Actually the telephoto extraction shots from that morning were much stronger than the tripod hole wide-angle view commonly seen.
Late to the party but glad I came. What a wonderful image, Ed. Youāve captured the majesty and mystery in a way that the classic wide angle never could. And what a wonderful demonstration that even ensconced in the same old tripod holes something intimate and personal is possible.
