There is a point at which a 40′ wide strip of land is all that connects the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park with the rest of the plateau. One day Shafer Canyon will erode itself through that strip and Island in the Sky will become an island of mesa. From the edge of Shafer Canyon, now, one can look northeastward across the amazing wandering gash of the Colorado River into the snow-filled, uplifted ridges of the La Sal Mountains. In the late-afternoon light the walls of Shafer transform into glowing contrasts of various shades of burnt-orange sighting on the blue uplifts in the distance. It is a sight never to be forgotten. I wanted to exclude much of the extraneous field-of-view, as well as magnify the peaks and compress the apparent distance between my position and theirs without eliminating the near walls of the canyon, so I chose a short-moderate telephoto focal length of 168mm. An aperture of f/20 gave me depth-of-field, and a shutter speed of 1/30th second at ISO 100 gave me an overall medium exposure.
You are right. This is an unforgettable scene… Epic!!! There can’t be many places on this earth where you can see snow-capped mountains and mesas together in magic light. You were in the right place at the right time… again! Love it!
A very fine rendering of a wonderful scene.
Howdy Don, You nailed another wonderful image. Two of my favorite terrains: mountains and red rock canyons. Your play of cool tones and warm tones work well. The cool tones recede in the background and the warm tones advance in the foreground of the composition. Love the play of light and shadows in the many layers of the mesas.
Very nice, Don. Grace was camping near there last week but only had phone for photos.
I’ve never seen the area so your photos are especially impactful. Looking forward to your workshop.
Picture perfect, Don … and breath taking. Thanks for being there and sharing.
Good morning Everyone. Thank you all for joining me for this Image. Nancy T., your words are always appreciated, and, indeed, the Island in the Sky is a very special place for many reasons. Shafer Canyon’s magical relationship with the La Sals is just an example. The idea that relationships are key to the success of many images is what inspired this effort and the light is what brought it all together. Hey Lee, thank you for joining us; it’s great to hear from you. I really appreciate your kind words, and I’m looking forward to our next lunch. Michael, it’s always good to hear from you and to receive your thoughtful observations. I couldn’t agree more: whenever you can juxtapose redrock geology and snow-covered peaks in an image, magic is always possible. And when you can introduce tonal contrast and luminance contrast into the same image, you have some wonderful elements with which to create. Hi Bill, I really appreciate your taking the time to join us for this Image. I’d love to hear how Grace felt about being in this place, and I really applaud her desire to know it. If the world contained more parents like you and Anne, we would have a growing generation of healthy, happy, inquisitive, and sensitive children. I am really looking forward to being with you and all of the folks at Arrowmont next month. Ah, Pat, it is so good to hear from you. I hope that your summer has been a beautiful one with many new opportunities for your creativity. Bonnie and I hope to see you before very long. Thank you all, again, for being such wonderful friends and fellow journeyers.
Don Thanks for this wonderful image. All the elements are there in perfect relationship – what a pleasure to see. Brings back memories of our trip there last year.
Hey Chuck, it’s great to have you join us. Thanks for your kind words. What good memories they are. We saw some spectacular country on that adventure and I am grateful that you were there to share it with us. We hope to catch up with you and Lois soon.