Sunrise at Mesa Arch, I

[Vieri Bottazzini]

Mesa Arch, in Canyonlands National Park (Utah, U.S.A.), is a window opening onto an abyss; looking through it before sunrise, when the world is pitch dark, may even be a bit scary. Once the first light of dawn starts lighting it up and making it glow in warm oranges, however, and you stand behind it seeing the world come to life through this spectacular window opening, you feel like there is nowhere else you'd rather wanted to be.



With a PhaseOne P65+ digital back on a Silvestri Bicam body + Flexibellows. Thanks for viewing and commenting, best

Vieri

[PeterAit]

Mesa Arch, in Canyonlands National Park (Utah, U.S.A.), is a window opening onto an abyss; looking through it before sunrise, when the world is pitch dark, may even be a bit scary. Once the first light of dawn starts lighting it up and making it glow in warm oranges, however, and you stand behind it seeing the world come to life through this spectacular window opening, you feel like there is nowhere else you'd rather wanted to be.

Your sense of composition on this shot is exquisite. I can't help but wondering about the color, which looks overdone to me. I have been to Canyonlands and know that the actual colors can sometimes seem unreal, but still - particularly the underside of the arch. And to be honest I would expect more sharpness from a Phase 1, particularly on the distant canyon wall.

Good work!

[James Clark]

Your sense of composition on this shot is exquisite. I can't help but wondering about the color, which looks overdone to me. I have been to Canyonlands and know that the actual colors can sometimes seem unreal, but still - particularly the underside of the arch. And to be honest I would expect more sharpness from a Phase 1, particularly on the distant canyon wall.

Good work!

Couple comments:

1) I, too, always thought the color I see on the underside of the arch in shots from this location had to be "fake."   Honestly, in reality, it's among the most vibrant, warm naturally occurring red/orange color I've seen in person..

2) There's a huge depth-of-field issue with getting the foreground of the arch and the distant rock face in focus together.  For perfect sharpness front and back you'd either have to focus stack or use a small, small aperture - well into visible diffraction range.

Both points IMO, of course, but based on my time at Mesa Arch last year.

[Paulo Bizarro]

Nice colour and light.

[PeterAit]

Couple comments:

1) I, too, always thought the color I see on the underside of the arch in shots from this location had to be "fake."   Honestly, in reality, it's among the most vibrant, warm naturally occurring red/orange color I've seen in person..

2) There's a huge depth-of-field issue with getting the foreground of the arch and the distant rock face in focus together.  For perfect sharpness front and back you'd either have to focus stack or use a small, small aperture - well into visible diffraction range.

Both points IMO, of course, but based on my time at Mesa Arch last year.

Yes, I have spent some time in that area and know what you mean (although not that arch at that time of day). But it raises an interesting question: if a color in an accurate print looks fake, what should you do?

[Vieri Bottazzini]

As James said re: the colours under the arch, they are really incredible. About sharpness, I went a bit into diffraction territory despite using hyperfocal; I don't remember the exact aperture but I do remember that I was at the limit of diffraction if not into it.

About Peter's point

But it raises an interesting question: if a color in an accurate print looks fake, what should you do?

it's very simple for me: I never aim for realistic anyway, photography is never realistic IMHO, so I am all set 

[sdwilsonsct]

Naturally surreal. I think there was another shot of this a while ago with the same doubts about the colour, and assertions as to its verity. Guess I'd better go see for myself.

[Vieri Bottazzini]

Naturally surreal. I think there was another shot of this a while ago with the same doubts about the colour, and assertions as to its verity. Guess I'd better go see for myself.

Scott, Mesa Arch is incredible - the colours are really unbelievable, you'll not be sorry you went 

[Jeremy Roussak]

Scott, Mesa Arch is incredible - the colours are really unbelievable, you'll not be sorry you went 

I agree. The underside of the arch looks as if you'll burn yourself by touching it (even though it's -10°C and you're shivering, having been standing in the same spot for an hour).

Jeremy

[francois]

Naturally surreal. I think there was another shot of this a while ago with the same doubts about the colour, and assertions as to its verity. Guess I'd better go see for myself.

Please go see for yourself. The underside of the arch is like glowing embers. I've been there many times and the magic is always happening (unless it rains/snows or with a heavy cloud cover, of course). Actually, I would go there even without a camera.

[Vieri Bottazzini]

I agree. The underside of the arch looks as if you'll burn yourself by touching it (even though it's -10°C and you're shivering, having been standing in the same spot for an hour).

Jeremy

Been there Jeremy!  This image is from summer 2010, no shivering back then, but I have been to Mesa Arch again a month ago or so (still haven't PP'd the images), snow on the ground, temperature below freezing... and the place was PACKED! So, not only you had to fight the cold, but fight hordes of other photographers creeping into your frame 

Please go see for yourself. The underside of the arch is like glowing embers. I've been there many times and the magic is always happening (unless it rains/snows or with a heavy cloud cover, of course). Actually, I would go there even without a camera.

Very good point Francois re: going without a camera I often feel that I am incredibly lucky and privileged to be able to do this job, I realise that I see things about our planet that most people will never see in their lifetime (we landscape photographers all do) and too often all we think about is corner sharpness, this and that and the other technical bs, forgetting the whole point 

[leeonmaui]

Aloha,
I went, I got a great shot which I will most likely never publish, arrived a couple of hours early, there was me and a very grumpy guy from Oregon and an Italian guy.
By the time the sunrise occurred there were 30-40 people crammed around the arch, three rows deep. By the time the colors peaked, I backed out of the pile and got back away up on the rise, it was just too much so many people coming away everyday with a similar/same shot.
I so badly want to go back to Antelope canyons as well, but just so many people are shooting there now. At least with Antelope canyon, there is a near limitless ability to compose shots.
At Mesa Arch, your chance of variance is very limited, as the shot is the shot.
Its like you just chalk that off a list of must have shots...
And I'm not saying the posted shot is not good, its just like every other shot, but not as wide so, you don't even get the whole view of the arch..i   

[Vieri Bottazzini]

Aloha,
I went, I got a great shot which I will most likely never publish, arrived a couple of hours early, there was me and a very grumpy guy from Oregon and an Italian guy.
By the time the sunrise occurred there were 30-40 people crammed around the arch, three rows deep. By the time the colors peaked, I backed out of the pile and got back away up on the rise, it was just too much so many people coming away everyday with a similar/same shot.
I so badly want to go back to Antelope canyons as well, but just so many people are shooting there now. At least with Antelope canyon, there is a near limitless ability to compose shots.
At Mesa Arch, your chance of variance is very limited, as the shot is the shot.
Its like you just chalk that off a list of must have shots...
And I'm not saying the posted shot is not good, its just like every other shot, but not as wide so, you don't even get the whole view of the arch..i

Well, to each his own, of course. The point, for me, is not to get the first and only shot of some place - you are kinda out of luck anyway if you are looking for that, nowadays - I am happy to go and try to find a good composition, possibly make a beautiful image that tells something about our planet; even if many others get the same image, that doesn't detract a iota out of the experience for me. Again, for me that's not the point, never has been, but YMMV. Oh, and even if "getting the whole view of the arch" is not actually the point either for me, since good composition doesn't necessarily mean to "get everything in the frame", I also got a full-arch image - will post that soon.

About Antelope, you'll be happy to hear that I went this February to both canyons, and at Lower Antelope I took the photo tour alone, at Upper Antelope there were 4 more people but none was actually a serious photographer, so much so that a couple (from the far east) left the photo tour pretty early and went back with a regular tour, the second couple tagged along (he had a semi-serious camera and tried to snap something, she had a smartphone...). In the end, happily I had a lot of time and opportunity to do some work on both Canyons.

Best,

Vieri

[Peter McLennan]

Like Zabriskie Point, Mesa Arch has become a Mecca for photographers. 
Even if you don't enjoy the photographic experience, the social experience is fun.

[the_marshall_101]

I really like this shot.  I'm usually quite sensitive to overprocessing/saturation and in this case I think it's absolutely fine.  Works really well and looks natural.  I also don't care about the lack of other bits of arch that may exist - who cares?  It's a great composition in its own right.

[Vieri Bottazzini]

Like Zabriskie Point, Mesa Arch has become a Mecca for photographers. 
Even if you don't enjoy the photographic experience, the social experience is fun.

Indeed Peter, there are so many people that it feels like being thrown in a photography club on steroids...  It really changed from 2010 when I last went, I had no trouble in taking an image of the whole arch back then - something which it would be nearly impossible today... 

I really like this shot.  I'm usually quite sensitive to overprocessing/saturation and in this case I think it's absolutely fine.  Works really well and looks natural.  I also don't care about the lack of other bits of arch that may exist - who cares?  It's a great composition in its own right.

Thank you the_marshall_101 for your comment, my feelings exactly.

Best regards,

Vieri

[maddogmurph]

I feel like the color balance in the right side is a bit green in the shadows.

[Vieri Bottazzini]

I feel like the color balance in the right side is a bit green in the shadows.

Possible maddogmurph, thanks for the pointer 

Best,

Vieri