I know of a quiet place. Timed just right, in the off-season, you can leave your vehicle behind at the trailhead, and not see another sole all day.
This quiet land is full to the brim with deep canyons, staggering rock formations, and miles of pristine landscape — red-hued landscapes that contrast nicely against billowing clouds and blue skies. It’s a photographer’s nirvana.
I speak of southern Utah’s Capitol Reef National Park. Over the years, I’ve mined many visual nuggets from this rugged landscape and acquired many wonderful memories. The accompanying image represents one such nugget and valued memory.
During a mid-March visit, I set out to hike through the park’s Grand Wash. I stopped for lunch at a bend where the somewhat narrow canyon narrowed a little more. As I turned to tuck my sandwich bag into my pack I found myself face-to-face with this scene. I’d been sitting with my back to it.
I took my time in studying the optimal composition and waited out the light. Although this scene was shaded by sheer cliffs on either side, I felt certain that the crisp light radiating into the canyon from a clear blue sky would best suit this shot. There were clouds passing overhead, so I waited them out.
With this image captured, I moved on. When I finally reached my intended shooting destination, the conditions were less than ideal. Undaunted, I shot anyway but wasn’t pleased with any of those images. As it turned out, this image was my best capture that day for my time spent in Capitol Reef’s Grand Wash. Time well invested!
In addition to the image, I have the memory: a day spent in quiet solitude and contemplation — just me, my camera, my thoughts, and my maker. My movement in the canyon echoed between the quiet walls. It pierced the stillness ahead with a measured staccato report of my progress just as my progress as a living being echoes before me off the subtle walls of eternity.
The discovery and making of this image is a fond memory. For me, it’s become a story of hope. In this image I see hope of warmer days beyond the cold of winter’s hardship. I see Spring emerging triumphant with promise of much beauty. To me, I see Life’s eternal round fulfilled on a macro scale. It’s a picture story of how hope springs eternal.
-Mike.
