Grand Canyon, Arizona: Clear Weather and Changing Light
“The glories and the beauties of form, color and sound unite in the Grand Canyon – forms unrivaled even by the mountains, colors that vie with sunsets, and sounds that span the diapason from tempest to tinkling raindrop; from cataract to bubbling fountain.” - John Wesley Powell
Last weekend, we had a memorable visit to the Grand Canyon, South Rim. Initially, I thought about cancelling the trip, given the weather forecast for totally clear, blue skies. Not the best situation for landscape photography, which is richly enhanced with a touch of weather at the Grand Canyon. That said, the Canyon was as grand and inspirational as ever .... as always. The splendor of this national treasure should never be in doubt, I remind myself again and again.
As it turned out, we actually had some clouds in the late afternoons, making for some wonderful photo ops. The first photo shown here was taken at dusk, in the waning light, on our drive back from the Grand View overlook. The second photo was taken in late afternoon light, from the Yavapai view point. What a magnificent area for morning or late afternoon photography.
We were graced with a bit of fleeting evening light in the third image, showing a dramatic geological formation deep in the valley - viewed from the Grand View trail head. This location provided an opportunity to see the Colorado River and to work with a new Nikkor 2x teleconverter, effectively doubling the reach of my Nikkor Z 70-200 f/2.8 telephoto lens. Here, warm light casted a rich golden hue which remains a vivid memory today. If only we could freeze moments like this in nature.
The bottom photo shown here is from our first morning sunrise, viewed from Yavapai Point at the Geological Museum. Not a cloud in the sky on this chilly morning. This was, for sure, my briefest round of photography. That said, we still found the whole experience delightful, spending some time exploring this part of the rim.
Special thanks to my lovely and very patient wife, Anita, for her great company throughout this visit ... including 4 AM wake-up times. Anita is a great trooper and I often find her i-phone pics to be better than those from my heavy, cumbersome Nikon camera gear and tripod!
For trip planning and scenic locations, see Whirlwind Photography Trek and Havasu Falls Photography: The Color Blue.
