I’ve lived in Moab for over six years and have been photographing the area for ten. There are a few locations I’ve photographed over and over and each time I’ve been skunked. One such location is Double Arch in the Windows area of Arches National Park. Double Arch is at the end of long, curving, tall sandstone fin and never receives sweet sunrise or sunset light. By the time it falls fully into morning light the sun is high in the sky and the light rather harsh. At sunset the light comes from directly behind and does shed a warm glow on the interior of the arch but the top arch is completely in shade and the sky behind the arch too bright. Hmm, this is quite the dilemma.
Is it possible to make a quality image in nice light at Double Arch? The answer is emphatically yes, although it does come with a caveat – if all the right elements don’t align at the same time you’re going to walk away empty handed. Here’s my recipe for a killer photograph of Double Arch:
Mix one summer morning, between two to three hours after sunrise with a sky filled with fluffy clouds and sunlight diffused through very thin clouds to the east AND reflecting onto the landscape below. Take away a tour bus filled with foreign park visitors eager to have their photo taken below the Indiana Jones Arch. Find an interesting, uncluttered composition. Make one perfect exposure that captures the full range of tones from highlight to shadows. Bake the whole scrumptious thing for 10-15 minutes in Adobe Lightroom, Nik Software Viveza 2 and Color Efex Pro 3. Finish with a sprinkling of Nik Sharpener Pro 3 before presenting to the world for consumption.
If I may be serious for a moment, there is a bit of a lesson to be learned here. Ten years. Ten years it took me to finally make a photograph of Double Arch that I feel is worthy of inclusion in my portfolio. I have no idea how many times I visited Double Arch during that time. Two dozen? Maybe more? I’m learning that there are great rewards offered to the persistent. No matter how spectacular a location is, it’s all too easy to give up when things don’t go our way after a few attempts. Keep after it and one glorious morning you may well receive a wonderful gift for having faith in Mother Nature.
This image is available as a fine art print, canvas gallery wrap or archival plaque in sizes up to 32″ x 48″. Please email me if you’d like to inquire about purchasing a print.
11 Responses to “New Image: Morning at Double Arch, Utah”
Lonie says:
Props for it not being, at night, light painted and with the milky way….
You’re spot on with the challenges about photographing this one during “golden hour”. However, I think that in deep winter, close to the solstice, that the sun might be far enough south to capture at least the western arch at sunset. I think you’d have to position yourself to the NW near the cove of caves. This is just a hunch based on sun angles.
Bret Edge says:
Thanks for the comment, Lonie. Yeah, I’m over the light painting thing. I had some fun w/ it back in the Velvia days but it doesn’t interest me any more. I’ve seen some amazing night sky work lately and it’s certainly beautiful, but it’s not anything I’m interested in photographing. I’ve been to Double Arch in the winter with the same thought and still, nada. I’ll try again this winter and see what happens. I’d like to get another photo from here with everything coated in snow and a light fog adding a little mystery.
Jackson Frishman says:
Nice Bret! It always feels good to crack a tough nut. Seems like there a few ways to come at locations like this where golden hour light isn’t in the cards. My mental list of options runs: gentle daylight (as in your image), twilight/blue hour, night and storm. And there’s nothing inherently wrong with the gentle daylight option; I think we photographers get a little obsessive and competitive about capturing everything in crazy dramatic conditions. But lots of folks out there enjoy well composed shots of good scenery in more familiar light, especially if it might remind them of their own daytime visit.
Bret Edge says:
Thanks, Jackson. Seems like your mental list for locations like this is very similar to my own. I do have a photo of Double Arch that I made just after sunset with the arch silhouetted against a deep blue sky. It’s nice, but it’s one dimensional, and I wanted something with more depth. On the day I made this image I really thought I was going to get some storm light, which was my first choice, but that never materialized. In the end I think I may like the soft light here better than storm light. Hard to say, though.
Sunil Shinde says:
Now I have one more thing for my next trip to arches …Thanks Bret
Bret Edge says:
I’m happy to help, Sunil.
Alister Benn says:
Great recipe Bret – and I agree, some locations need very specific conditions to get the best images. I am delighted you’ve finally managed to align the stars for this one…
Bret Edge says:
Thanks for the comment, Alister. It was a great feeling to finally see an image come together after all those years. No doubt you’ve experienced similar situations with photography in your area.
David Leland Hyde says:
Great, persistent work, Bret. Dad used to talk about re-visiting places many times and the rewards it brings. He had a pretty decent one of this arch in black and white, but high contrast can sometimes lend itself better to BW than to color.
Bret Edge says:
Thank you for the comment, David. Would you mind providing a link to your Dad’s photo of Double Arch? I would love to see it and to give my blog readers the opportunity to view it, too.