Refreshing Richard, very refreshing.
A very pleasant scene Richard. Well captured as always.
Dave
Nicely done. Was the river in deep shadow due to the depth of the valley?
Well done
Timing is very critical in photographing the canyons of the State of Utah and many other canyons of the Desert Southwest of the United Sates. We can pretty well expect that early and later in the day are the very best times to shoot the Desert Southwest in general. However, there is often a very short interval of time in which the lower portion of any canyon is in good light. That is usually sometimes during mid-day when you can often find a subdued, diffused lighting without harsh shadows.
However, unless you know the area quite well or have a decent photography oriented guidebook, luck often plays a great part in finding the right light. That will be sometime during mid-day but, exactly when (time-wise and season-wise) is the best time to shoot can vary from canyon to canyon and season to season.
The nice thing about Zion National Park is that there is a walk-way along the Virgin River for several miles so access to views like this is easier than climbing down the walls of a canyon. I leave that climbing to those a bit younger than I am...
When you reach the bottom of a canyon during the "right" time; the entire feeling of the area will be dramatically different from the tops of the canyon. It will be cool and the subdued and diffuse light can really relax you after spending a morning in the brightly lit upper areas.
But, if you miss the time, you will find portions of the canyon bottom in deep shade with other portions receiving brighter light. This is not the best time to shoot. IMO, neither is early-on or later in the day when the canyon bottoms are in deepest shade.
It is easy to envisage this river in a higher water stage. You can see where the bare rocks are, and where the vegetation has been stripped. However, there are parts of this river in which the canyons are quite narrow, with very steep walls, and this can be dangerous.
Many photographers wade the Virgin River which provides access to many beautiful vistas. However, the photographer must be cognizant of the weather because a thunderstorm even many miles up river, can quickly and dangerously flood parts of the canyons of the Virgin. Again, wading like that is better left to younger persons.
Last edited by rpcrowe; 20th September 2013 at 04:11 PM.