Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona should be on everyone’s bucket list. It’s listed as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. When you walk up to the rim for the first time it’s easy to see why.
Bright Angel Canyon
The image above is from the Bright Angel Lodge viewpoint which looks over the Bright Angel Canyon. It’s a significant side canyon to the main canyon that was formed by the Colorado River. It’s also one of the main hiking trails that goes from the rim down into the canyon and ultimately the river. It’s a 9.9 mile hike down and 4,380 feet of elevation change. The trail continues all the way to the North Rim if you have the energy to go that far. We didn’t do this hike since it requires an over night in the canyon.
We spent much of the day however looking for good vantage points for sunrise & sunset shoots at the eastern end of the South Rim along Hermits Road. This road is closed to private vehicles for much of the year so riding the shuttle bus system is required. It opens back up in the winter. There are nine stops along this road and all have great viewing opportunities. I wasn’t really happy with the composition from most of them for a sunset shot however. It was getting late in the day and being a little frustrated, we hopped back on the shuttle to return to the Grand Canyon Village.
We decided to walk along the South Rim Trail which winds its way behind many of the lodges and shops in the Village just to see what it was like. We pretty much had given up on a sunset shoot by then since it was already very late in the day. We came around a corner behind the Bright Angel Lodge and there was this viewpoint. It was one of those “this is what I’ve been looking for!” moments.
Making the Image
Many people that visit the Grand Canyon take their snapshots during the middle of the day when the sun is high overhead. It’s understandable since that’s when they’re out and about. Nice blue sky, sunshine, it’s a beautiful day. They want to capture the moment. Except that’s when the canyon looks its worst. The harsh light from the sun washes out all the subtle color from the canyon walls. The strong shadows and the bright highlights create a high dynamic range scene. Very hard to make a good image in those conditions. You need to look for better light.
Generally, better light occurs at the ends of the day when the sun is low on the horizon. The color of the light is warmer and the low angle of the sun accentuates the details in the landscape better. Photographers call this the golden hour and it suits the Grand Canyon very well. Many of the great landscape images from here are taken during this time. The color that is in the canyon comes alive and is amplified by the golden light from the sun. The right light makes all the difference.
A key element that’s often missing from the mid-day snapshot is clouds. Clear blue skies seem like a nice feature to have but unfortunately they make for less interesting photographs. It’s just a big empty space in the image. Clouds add texture and interest to this empty space. A good landscape photograph usually has an interesting sky and photographers will wait for days looking for the right clouds.
Another very interesting time of day to shoot is before sunrise and after sunset. This is called the blue hour. There is no direct light from the sun but there is plenty of light in the sky. It’s one of my favorite times to shoot and the featured image above was taken during the blue hour after sunset. The harsh shadows are gone and a nice even light fills the scene. If there are nice clouds in the sky then usually there is some good color in the sky as well. Shutter speeds will be slow since the light levels are low so a tripod is a must.
Post processing was straightforward since it was captured in a single exposure. No complex blending was required. Just needed to balance the lighting between the foreground and the sky and also bring the color out of the sky a bit more. Pretty easy light to work with.
Final Thoughts
The Grand Canyon is an awe inspiring place and to do it justice requires some time. If photography is a prime objective, then waiting for the right conditions is just part of the plan. We had a number of cloudless days where we didn’t take many shots but we did use that time to scout for potential locations. Plan on coming here during the off season if you can. It’s much less crowded and once you get away from the Village it’s possible to immerse yourself in the views. Winter is even better especially if there’s snow. Those winter sunrise shoots can be mighty cold though so bundle up!
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Nikon D810 with Nikkor 16-35mm @26mm. f/11 at 0.8 seconds. ISO 64
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