From a small area just north of the La Sal Mountains Viewpoint in Arches National Park, Sheep Rock and the side of The Organ closely frame the more distant, cottonwood-filled opening of Courthouse Wash, behind which rises the imposing southern expanse of The Great Wall. It seems to me that such views are the quintessential expression of the Colorado Plateau; not iconic, just red rock in its awesome beauty. Add in some of July's textured stratocumulus, and I can easily imagine Edward Abbey penning, "Wilderness is not a luxury, but a necessity of the human spirit, as vital to our lives as water and good bread."
A focal length of 150mm from half-a-mile away gave me the angle-of-view I wanted, given the framing elements and amount of sky I had chosen. An aperture of f/20 provided depth-of-field, and a shutter speed of 1/10 of a second at ISO 200 gave me an overall medium exposure.
The early morning light shining across Entrada Sandstone always seems the suggest that stone is glowing from within.