Early in my photography career – probably somewhere around the year 2000 – I purchased a nature photography book published by Arizona Highways. As a budding photographer, the images in the magazine provided limitless inspiration. I wanted to create similar images, so it came as no surprise when one of the first “how-to” books I ever bought was published by them. In the years that followed my collection of books would eventually grow to include titles produced by many of the best nature photographers of the era; John Shaw, Art Wolfe, and Galen Rowell – to name just a few. All were excellent, and I learned valuable lessons from each one. But there is one tip I picked up in that Arizona Highways book that I’ve applied probably more than any other over the last two plus decades. It’s simple. It’s easy. It doesn’t require you to purchase new gear. It can be practiced by every nature photographer, using any type of equipment – even a phone camera. What is it? Turn around. Seriously, that’s it. Just turn around.
Tunnel vision sets in when the light’s going off and the sky in front of you explodes with color. The only world that exists is the one we see through our viewfinder. But what’s happening behind you? Is it possible that something even more dramatic, or more interesting, is unfolding? Absolutely!
As a career cop I was taught to “keep my head on a swivel”, which another way of saying that you should always maintain situational awareness. In that line of work, threats could appear at any time and from any direction, and whatever situation was unfolding in front of you may not actually be your most significant concern. While nature photography isn’t typically a high threat environment, keeping your head on a swivel is still valid advice. Doing so has the potential to amplify your opportunities to create new and interesting images by preventing a narrow-minded focus on a single objective.
I typically prefer to arrive early at a location I intend to photograph to give me enough time to scout for potential compositions before the light show begins. When I find a spot that interests me, I begin to assess the nearby area for other possible opportunities, bearing in mind the direction of light and how I might use it to create an engaging image. Sometimes, as was the case recently in Arches National Park, the better image might not be the one you set out to create.
One of my favorite locations in the park is Skyline Arch. Near Devil’s Garden, this arch is perched high atop a sandstone fin and in late summer through early winter, it is bathed in golden sunset light. Though I’ve spent many evenings here over the last sixteen years I’ve yet to produce an image that I would consider portfolio worthy. Recently, I had an idea for a composition in which two large fins in front of and on both sides frame the arch as dramatic storm clouds fill the sky above. Conditions were shaping up to be optimal, so I packed up my gear and headed into the park. After hiking up to a hill overlooking the arch, I set up my tripod and began to dial in the composition I’d envisioned. It all came together quickly, and the only thing left to do was to wait, and hope, that a break in clouds to the west would allow enough light through to illuminate the red rock.
While waiting, I began to snoop around the area for other attractive compositions. A short distance away, and directly behind me, I found a beautifully textured piece of wood on the ground, its two arms gracefully curving into one that directed my eyes to a series of rugged fins beyond which laid the La Sal Mountains. Right there, 180 degrees the opposite direction of the arch, was a scene that may or may not have had me doing a little happy dance. As I often do, I took the Apple iPhone out of my pocket and began framing up a composition using the wood as my foreground element with the fins in the background below a sky heavy with blue-gray clouds. This is a technique I rely on often; using the camera on my iPhone to quickly determine if a composition has potential and should be explored further. I was excited by what I saw on the screen and noted that if the sunlight were to burst through the clouds it would not only illuminate the arch, but also these fins. Boom, a two-for-one!
Shortly thereafter I noticed a very faint but warm glow washing over Skyline Arch. The sun was finding its way through a sliver in the clouds and breathing life into the landscape surrounding me. The glow on the arch intensified and I made a few images in the quickly changing light. Remembering the scene behind me, I turned around and was shocked to see that an even more intense warmth was falling like a blanket on the fins behind me. I made the decision to pivot, grabbing my camera and tripod, quickly adjusting the legs to allow for a lower perspective from which to photograph the gnarled wood and sandstone fins. Another storm was rolling in and powerful gusts of wind threatened to topple my tripod, forcing me to hold onto it with one hand while operating the remote shutter with the other. A small Mormon tea plant in the foreground unexpectedly caught some of the warm light and swayed from side to side in the wind. Given that I was using a small aperture, low ISO and shooting at the edge of light, longer shutter speeds were necessary for a proper exposure. This resulted in a happy accident, in which the plant became a blur of texture and light, lending movement and interest to an otherwise still scene.
Of the images I made that evening, the one I set out to create – Skyline Arch – was not my favorite. Because my head was on a swivel and I was open to exploring other creative options, I recognized that the scene behind me would in fact produce a more dynamic image.
Fall colors are just getting started in Arches and Zion National Parks. Find the best locations to photograph in eFotoGuide, regardless of whether you’re shooting with a modern interchangeable lens camera or a phone camera. Lots of tips to help you create stunning images in these parks. And, your purchase helps me continue to produce content here on this blog.