November
2009: I just got back
from ten days of
photography in Zion National
Park and the Nevada desert.
While in Zion, I spent two
days hiking and
photographing the
world-famous Narrows of the
Virgin River. Actually, to
be more precise, I spent two
days hiking in the
Virgin River. Most of the
hike through the Narrows
involves wading through
ankle, knee, waist, or chest
deep water . . . or even
deeper! A dry suit or a pair
of chest waders is a must,
as well as a decent walking
stick to help keep one's
balance (although a tripod
works quite nicely in this
regard).
The
Narrows is arguably the
Mother of all slot canyons.
Most canyons called "slots"
are very narrow, receiving
little or no direct sunlight
within their hidden
interiors. The Narrows, by
comparison, is not narrow at
all, but because the cliffs
on either side rise hundreds
and even thousands of feet
above the river, the effect
is the same as with smaller
slot canyons. Most of the
light reaching the canyon
interior is light reflecting
from cliff faces high enough
to catch the rays of the
sun. This reflected light is
what gives the Narrows its
famous glow.
Although
there are several "classic"
shots within the Narrows, I
tried not to concentrate on
these places, and instead
chose to wander the canyon
looking for interesting
compositions and light. The
light constantly changes
during the day, peaking in
one place while fading in
another. Some areas of the
Narrows are relatively
closed in, receiving only
faint reflected light, while
other areas are more open,
receiving plenty of
reflected light, and during
the middle of the day, even
direct sunlight. As a
result, many plants thrive
in the canyon, including
cottonwood trees changing
with the autumn season.
Finding
interesting convergences of
light and composition wasn't
difficult in the Narrows; it
seemed that there was
something incredible around
every bend in the canyon.
Wading through deep water
forced me to slow down,
which was good, but
concentrating on keeping my
balance distracted me from
studying the details of the
sculpted rock, and the
interplay of light and
shadow and cool and warm
tones. So I made sure to
stop frequently, and to take
my camera out to search for
compositions. I got into the
habit of stopping every
time I saw something
interesting and taking a
photograph, no matter how
much longer it made my hike.
I know it sounds cliché, but
it was all about the
journey, not the
destination.
The
sheer power and force of the
water was evident in the
sculpted sandstone
formations. Periodic flash
floods scour the canyon
floor and present a hazard
to hikers. The National Park
Service does a good job of
monitoring conditions and
closing the Narrows when
necessary, but nonetheless,
the risk of rain falling
hundreds of miles away
creating a flash flood in
the canyon is an
ever-present danger, and
the eroded rock is a
constant reminder of this
remote yet potential risk.
My
favorite image of the trip
came on the second day
exploring the Narrows. I
entered a relatively open
section of the canyon, and
turned around to see
what things looked like
behind me. It was a good
thing that I did, because a
scene of incomparable beauty
unfolded before me. An
exposed mountain peak
dominated the view above the
canyon walls, fully lit by
the sun. Light from the
peak, as well as from the
blue sky above, bounced
down upon the water
and rocks at my feet, while
in the background the canyon
walls glowed orange. After
choosing my composition
(carefully excluding the
sun-lit peak), I attached a
polarizer filter to my lens.
Spinning it around to change
the level of polarization, I
was reminded of peering
through a kaleidoscope, as
an explosion of colors
emerged and disappeared with
each revolution. Full
polarization removed the
reflections in the
foreground water too much,
whereas no polarization
didn't remove enough glare
from the canyon walls,
muting their color.
Somewhere in between the two
extremes proved to be, in
the immortal words of
Goldilocks, "just right."
The result is the image to
the left.
I can't wait to return to Zion and the Narrows. As much as I saw and photographed, the Narrows is the kind of place that seems to hold endless possibilities. With ever-changing light and water levels, unique compositions are literally waiting around ever bend.
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