Mesa Arch

Canyonlands National Park, San Juan County, Utah, USA, March 11, 2017. Nikon D90, Tamron SP AF 10-24mm, f/3.5-4.5 Di II LD Aspherical IF B001N at 10mm, Manual Exposure mode, f/22 for 1/13 second, ISO 200, processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.

It seems that everyone that has ever visited Canyonlands National Park, has been to Mesa Arch. When we arrived a little before sunrise, it was pretty much a circus. There were a bunch of college aged kids having a mini rock concert off to one side, about two dozen photographers lined up and jockeying for position to try and get that iconic shot of the sunrise through the arch, and a bunch more folks just hanging around and taking it all in.

After all the hubbub died down, I wandered over to the right side of the arch and made this image, which in my mind is my favorite of the morning!

Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park, San Juan County, Utah, USA, March 11, 2017. Nikon D90, Tamron SP AF 10-24mm, f/3.5-4.5 Di II LD Aspherical IF B001N at 10mm, Manual Exposure mode, f/8 for 1/30 second, ISO 200, processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.

Lauri and I did wade into the melee and get a few images. There was no way to negotiate the crowd with a tripod, however. I tried and it just wasn't working, so I decided to handhold and managed to get a couple of fairly decent images. It is magical how the sunrise colors the bottom of the arch. It is not just a sleight of hand of those who photograph it, but needs to be experienced to be appreciated fully.

Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park, San Juan County, Utah, USA, March 11, 2017. Nikon D90, Tamron SP AF 10-24mm, f/3.5-4.5 Di II LD Aspherical IF B001N at 10mm, Manual Exposure mode, f/22 for 1/13 second, ISO 200, processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.