Delicate Arch - Arches National Park

[NightRyder]

I shot this on a back packing trip my wife and I did last year through Southern Utah. This is Delicate Arch, in Arches National Park. This is actually a 3 sub HDR, just processed very lightly. The hike to Delicate Arch is nearly all uphill and quite brutal when hiked in 108 degrees, but once you round the final bend and see this standing before you, it is all worth it.

 

[KmH]

IMO you shot the arch at about the worst time of day possible at that angle - with what we can see of the arch completely shaded.

A visual art truism is - Light advances, dark recedes.
Humans are more receptive to visual images that have the major primary subject brighter than secondary or background subjects.

 

[NightRyder]

Keith - Thanks for your critique. I am fairly new to terestrial photography and your explanation is very clear and makes a lot of sense. Composition and understanding lighting and perspective are obviously something that comes with time and progression along the learning curve. I will keep your advice in mind for future shots! Thanks again!

 

[NancyMoranG]

Arches is a beautiful park! Yup, the hike is worth it. I see a little ghosting around the Arch but it is a very nice photo.
Nancy

 

[CmazzJK]

As a fellow backpacker, I understand that the light isn't always on your side. Usually its illegal to camp near the places that you want to photograph and the only way you can get there at the golden hours, is if you do a good amount of hiking in the dark (which I have done). I think the image is pretty awesome although it appears to be slanted. I had to hike a mile and a half up a ridge with nothing but light from a head lamp to capture some pictures of Red River Gorge at sunrise a couple weeks ago. A lot of people who don't travel off the beaten path won't understand how hard is it to get to these places at the right times.

 

[NightRyder]

Thanks. And CmazzJK, you are absolutely right. and some trails are better left for daylight (several hundred foot drops). I used to live outside of Louisville and backpacked and camped all over the Gorge back in my teenage years. An amazing place the Red River Gorge!

 

[CmazzJK]

Yes it is, I'd make the 2.5 hour drive every weekend if I could get every weekend off of work and I agree, its obvious why so many people fall off of cliffs down there at night... Some of the trails are pretty hairy but that's what makes it so awesome right?