The alarm today went off at 5am, over two hours before sunrise. The reason for the early alarm was the drive to Canyonlands National Park and the ensuing walk to Mesa Arch would take nearly an hour and I wanted to be able to plant my tripod before everyone else arrived. Driving out of Moab the streets were void of traffic and after turning onto the road leading to Canyonlands there weren’t any headlights in the rearview mirror or were there taillights visible ahead. I was confident that I had departed at an appropriately early enough time.
After entering the National Park I noticed a few taillights ahead of me in the distance. “OK, I guess there may be a few early risers there,” I thought. How wrong I was, for as I crested the rise in the dark with my headlamp guiding my way along the path to Mesa Arch I could hear many voices coming from ahead. I wasn’t alone and it wasn’t just a couple of early risers either. There were already 15 to 20 tripods with accompanying cameras and photographers set up waiting for sunrise! Fortunately, the location I had scouted out the day prior was still available, so I joined the masses and added my tripod and camera to the mix. Note to self: rethink the starting time for my next visit!
The beauty of the sunrise here is something one truly needs to witness in person. As the sun broke the horizon the first sunburst occurred, but the best was yet to come. Initially there is the lack of reflected light on the underside of Mesa Arch. But as the sun continued to rise and began to cross the underside of the arch a 2nd sunburst occurred while the reflected light illuminated the underbelly of the arch turning the sandstone a glowing red. While some photographers had already started packing up, the patience of ‘waiting for the light’ was rewarded with this image.
Highlighted by the rising sun is the Washer Woman (derived from its resemblance of a tall and slender woman reaching her hands into a tub) and to its right is the taller Monster Tower. Washer Woman and Monster Tower are each over 600 feet tall. Behind the Washer Woman is the Sandcastle.
This is the second image I’ve posted from that wonderful morning, but this one was taken moments earlier than the previous one. The sunburst is larger in this image as the sun has yet to rise high enough to be partially hidden by the arch.
From the earlier image, Kathleen had commented . . . “I can see an Indian lying in repose, hand in his lap and his legs crossed........lying in the opening, do you see him?” Yes, I could! Can you?
Best viewed large (L)
Tags: Utah Canyonlands Canyonlands National Park Mesa Arch Washer Woman Monster Tower Sandcastle sunrise sandstone arch sunburst blue sky landscape waiting for the light patience red glow dramatic beauty beautiful rock rock formation outdoor Brad Eide Nikon D7100 Nikon 17-55mm f2.8 Gitzo tripod remote release neutral density Lee filter September 2016 fall geotagged
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As it was September, the alarm before sunrise was at a more sensible time than during my May visits to Skye. A glance out the window, where the skies seemed to have potential, had me in the car for a quick drive to the Quiraing. Leaving the car in the empty parking area I headed along the path to begin setting up for sunrise. This was a very enjoyable morning at the Quiraing with the constantly changing views. The low clouds would move over the ridge hiding and then revealing various portions of the ridge, while simultaneously the light would shift highlighting sections of the ridge. I remained in place and enjoyed the morning from this location.
From my location at the Quiraing this was the view of the Trotternish Ridge, visible is Cnòc a Mhèrlich, Cleat while Bioda Buidhe is barely discernible in the cloud cover. In this image the shifting light is highlighting Cleat and some of the lower slopes of Dun Dubh. Cnòc a Mhèrlich has also been brightened by some of the stronger morning light making its way through the cloud cover. On the far right of the image is a curve of the Staffin-Uig road as it climbs the Trotternish Ridge.
!2 Dec 2016
I was just informed this image was chosen as one of the top 10 British landscapes of 2016 . . . Here is the link:
www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-4021738/Fr...
Tags: Inner Hebrides Skye Isle of Skye Scotland Quiraing Trotternish Ridge Cnòc a Mhèrlich Cleat Bioda Buidhe Druim an Ruma Dun Dubh Loch Cleat Loch Leum na Luirginn Staffin-Uig overcast shifting light mysterious serene clouds diffuse light morning sunrise waiting for the light landscape outdoor mountain Brad Eide Nikon Nikon 18-105mm D7000 neutral density Lee filter Gitzo tripod September 2013 geotagged
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This is a view from the Quiraing of the Trotternish ridge, visible is Cnòc a Mhèrlich, Cleat and Bioda Buidhe barely visible in the cloud cover. Behind Cleat and hidden in the clouds is Beinn Edra.
It was a very enjoyable morning at the Quiraing as the view was in a constantly changing. The low clouds were moving over the ridge hiding then revealing various portions of the ridge while at the same time the light was also shifting. This morning with the changing light and mood, I remained here for most of the early morning.
In this image, the shifting light has highlighted most of the low clouds and diffused sunlight illuminates Cleat. The bright sunlight is limited to the base of Druim an Ruma and Dun Dubh continuing to The Uig-Staffin road on the far right. The shifting light is also highlighting portions of Cnòc a Mhèrlich.
7 December 2016 edit: I'm honored this image was selected for inclusion in Flickr's United Kingdom - Top photos of 2016 gallery
Tags: Inner Hebrides Skye Isle of Skye Scotland UK United Kingdom Quiraing Trotternish Trotternish Ridge Cleat Bioda Buidhe Beinn Edra Cnòc a Mhèrlich Staffin-Uig Loch Cleat Loch Leum na Luirginn Dun Dubh Druim an Ruma moody clouds landscape shifting light mysterious sunrise water serene tranquil outdoor Brad Eide Nikon Nikon 18-105mm D7000 Gitzo neutral density Lee filter September 2013 mountain geotagged
© All Rights Reserved
This is a view from the Quiraing of the Trotternish Ridge, visible is Cnòc a Mhèrlich, Cleat and Bioda Buidhe barely visible in the cloud cover. Behind Cleat and hidden in the clouds is Beinn Edra
This was a very enjoyable morning at the Quiraing as the view was in a constant state of flux. The low clouds were moving over the ridge hiding then revealing various portions of the ridge while at the same time the light was also shifting. This morning I was enthralled with the changing light and mood and remained at this location for most of the early morning.
In this image, the shifting light is lighting up a path through the low clouds before highlighting Cleat and the base of Druim an Ruma and Dun Dubh. The shifting light is also beginning to highlight portions of Cnòc a Mhèrlich.
Tags: Inner Hebrides Scotland UK United Kingdom Skye Isle of Skye Quiraing Trotternish Trotternish Ridge Cleat Bioda Buidhe Beinn Edra Cnòc a Mhèrlich Staffin-Uig landscape landslip shifting light Dun Dubh mysterious moody clouds Loch Cleat Loch Leum na Luirginn Brad Eide Nikon Nikon 18-105mm D7000 Gitzo sunrise water serene tranquil outdoor September 2013 geotagged Druim an Ruma
© All Rights Reserved
The alarm sounded at 5am, nearly 2 hours before sunrise, today. The reason for the early alarm was that the drive to Canyonlands National Park and the ensuing walk to the arch would take nearly an hour and I wanted to pick my spot to plant my tripod before everyone else arrived. I’ll have to rethink my starting time for the next visit, for as I crested the rise with my headlamp guiding my way along the path to Mesa Arch I could hear voices ahead. I was not alone!! There were already 15 to 20 tripods with accompanying cameras and photographers set up waiting for sunrise! Fortunately, the location I had scouted out the day prior was open, so I joined the masses and added my tripod and camera to the mix.
The beauty of the sunrise here is something one truly needs to witness in person. As the sun broke the horizon the first starburst occurred, but the best was yet to come. Initially there is the lack of reflected light on the underside of Mesa Arch. But as the sun continued to rise and cross the underside of the arch a 2nd starburst occurred and the reflected light illuminated the underbelly of the arch turning the sandstone a glowing red. Some photographers had already started packing up, but the patience of ‘waiting for the light’ was rewarded with this image.
Highlighted by the rising sun is the Washer Woman (derived from its resemblance of a tall and slender woman reaching her hands into a tub) and to its right is the taller Monster Tower. Washer Woman and Monster Tower are each over 600 feet tall. Behind the Washer Woman is the Sandcastle.
Best viewed large (L)
Tags: Canyonlands National Park Canyonlands Mesa Arch Washer Woman Monster Tower Sandcastle sunrise sandstone arch starburst blue sky landscape waiting for the light patience red glow dramatic beauty beautiful rock rock formation outdoor Brad Eide Nikon Nikon 17-55mm f2.8 D7100 Gitzo tripod neutral density Lee filter September 2016 fall reflected light geotagged remote release
© All Rights Reserved