Mesa Arch, Canyonlands NP, Utah - Shootout '08

Dixie · October 13, 2008

Here is a shot at sunrise of Mesa Arch also capturing some of the valley below in the early morning light. If you look closely you can see that there are actually two arches in this shot. One is in the closest tower on the left in the valley which is Washer Woman Arch.

More of my shots from Shootout '08 can be seen in the following gallery: New Photo Gallery

Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Click on the image for EXIF data.

Sunrise through Mesa Arch in the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park, Utah (October 2008)

Thanks for looking. I hope that you enjoyed the view.

jamesl · October 13, 2008

Dixie wrote:

Thanks for looking. I hope that you enjoyed the view.

That's a great perspective on the arch! Nice colors as well. I also have a shot from the arch, but haven't processed it yet.

coscorrosa · October 13, 2008

Fantastic shot! Having the top and bottom foreground elements really help frame it AND give a sense of perspective and scale, great composition.

ritewinger · October 13, 2008

Yes, I enjoy the view. Great shot, thanks for posting.

Dave Clee · October 14, 2008

Great photo of a truly remarkable place !!

Cheers

Dave

Swartzy · October 14, 2008

Well Dixie....you should know by now I always enjoy your shots.....even if all you do is push a button...

...NOT. Nice shot!

clemensphoto's · October 14, 2008

The only thing that could be said about this shot is WOW!

Fred W · October 14, 2008

Very nice Dixie. I missed shooting Mesa Arch and now I want to go back.

I also checked the rest of your gallery and you are a master of wildlife photography.

slrshooter · October 15, 2008

Very nice shot.

schmoo · October 15, 2008

Beautiful!!! Amazing light and the best part are the transitions of strong reds to pale pinks and oranges.

Looks like it was worth the wait, or the squeeze, or whatever the crowd was like that day. I never got to Mesa arch because the description scared me.

thdizzy · October 15, 2008

Dixie - There are always great images here but few I'd ever want to hang on my wall. However, this is one of them. Great light and detail.

davev · October 16, 2008

Great shot Dixie.

I kept going for the wide overall view. I can see now that I should have tried a few like this one.

Dixie · October 21, 2008

Thanks one and all. ...as to the framing - sometimes you luck into it based on the circumstances. There were a few DGs there, but most of the people weren't with our group. Still we were all locking and over-lapping tripod legs. I think that one of the more interesting shots would have been from behind the solid wall of photographers all jockeying for space infront of the arch. The line started out some distance from the arch opening, but with everyone trying for a better position we ended up with a solid line of photographers just mere feet from the opening and lala land.

schmoo · October 22, 2008

Dixie wrote:

Thanks one and all. ...as to the framing - sometimes you luck into it based on the circumstances. There were a few DGs there, but most of the people weren't with our group. Still we were all locking and over-lapping tripod legs. I think that one of the more interesting shots would have been from behind the solid wall of photographers all jockeying for space infront of the arch. The line started out some distance from the arch opening, but with everyone trying for a better position we ended up with a solid line of photographers just mere feet from the opening and lala land.

Hey Dixie,

I did hear this from Nick, that space was a valuable commodity at Mesa, which turned me off of going there. Which is a real shame because it's such a perfect shot! Glad it worked out well for you. Actually, it seems the whole park presented some of its best sides to you.

Awais Yaqub · October 22, 2008

Splendid !

Dixie · November 3, 2008

schmoo wrote:

Hey Dixie,

I did hear this from Nick, that space was a valuable commodity at Mesa, which turned me off of going there. Which is a real shame because it's such a perfect shot! Glad it worked out well for you. Actually, it seems the whole park presented some of its best sides to you.

Thanks, schmoo. I shouldn't have changed lenses there. I had to clean some bad sand bunnies off the sensor from the new D50 - self-cleaning couldn't handle some of the ones I picked up that morning. I really wonder how the three guys who were out there with Hasselbad H3Ds faired. That is some really expensive equipment to use under the conditions we had that morning. The sand was blowing straight into us from within the arch itself. All-in-all, I would do it again - however, not on a weekend. You probably wouldn't have to fight as hard for a good position during the work week, but Saturday was really crowded.

Dixie · November 3, 2008

Awais Yaqub wrote:

Splendid !

Thank you.