Around 8pm Andrew and I set out to capture Zion under the light of the moon and stars. He had never done this type of photography and was keen to give it a try. We drove into the park to escape the town's light. The stars were brilliant. We took a few shots by the side of the road. Then headed to the bridge. We experimented with "light painting" - using light from our phones to illuminate the trees. It was great fun and we enjoyed checking our cameras to see what it saw. Next, we headed up the road climbing the canyon walls and the moon appeared. Red Sandstone illuminated by moonlight is breathtaking. The evening air was cold but we didn't care because our night adventure was exhilarating! Our 2 hour impromptu field work was a zen like experience because time seemingly stopped. A night I will always remember.

Day 2, Big Bend and the Temple of Sinawava

Out by 6:30am since we needed to take the park shuttle into the Canyon due to limited automobile access. We fueled up with an early breakfast and arrived in plenty of time to board the first shuttle which departs at 7am. Early morning light is often friendly light for photographers.

We savored the sacred cliffs at Big Bend in near silence for well over an hour since we were the only people there. This is where the Virgin River exits the Narrows Canyon and bends around a massive rock with iconic Angel's Landing perched on the summit at 5990 ft. We meandered around the river valley as the morning light illuminated the tops of the cliffs. Magnificent beauty surrounded us. And the best light was yet to come.

Mike shared a few places where the light is just right. The bright yellow leaves were especially vivid with the dark cliff walls as the background. There was also the contrast of silhouetting tree branch chaos against the warm colors of the leaves and cliffs. And, of course, the view down the river with the brilliant crimson cliff walls with the vibrant colors of autumn lining the river banks was just incredible.

Next we visited the Temple of Sinawava which is the last canyon shuttle stop. Walk the paved trail or wander along the water's edge along the sand and rocks along the stunning Virgin River. The yellow leaves of the cottonwoods and poplar trees were on fire this time of year. The ruby cliffs and the brilliant blue sky made for wonderful contrasting colors.

The Sinawava trail hike is a 2 mile round trip, easy and mostly flat. The Narrows begin at the turn around. The canyon's cliffs rise straight up with no shoreline on many portions of the river. In order to continue, waders and wetsuits are necessary so you can walk as little or as much of the 11 mile river walk.. I noticed a young girl playing on the rocks and recalled Mike and Andrew discussing the magic of seizing the moment with people as the focal point. I captured the girl wandering from rock to rock and recalled the joy I felt doing similar activity as a child.

At both stops the group dispersed in an attempt to find the right light. Each hoping their inner voice would reveal where to place the camera and what to point it at. It's a really simple concept. As Ansel Adams states, "a good photograph is knowing where to stand." Simple, yet, and so hard. Mike suggested I watch the edges of the photo when I photograph. It's relatively easy for the center of the photo to be interesting. It takes concentration to remember that unwanted objects in the photo's edges distract the viewer. Conversely, deliberately adding elements to the edge of the photo can also provide context or contrast to your subject. I started paying attention to the edges.

The way back took much longer than anticipated since the light created different angles and different views so our cameras were fully active until my battery died. Fortunately, Mike had extra batteries!

Back at the hotel, our homework was to examine our work from the day. Managing work flow involved reviewing and ranking the day's 300 images. Choose the best and let the rest go. Here is a sampling of my best work on day 2.