"Sandstone Textures" - Zion National Park, Utah

This Fine Art Print displays the incredibly delicate and beautiful detail that can be found in the main canyon of Zion National Park.  I captured this image in the fall of 1989 on a trip to the desert southwest with my brother, Patrick.  This specific area of Zion Canyon has always attracted my attention because it seems that no matter how many times you visit it, you always seem to make new discoveries due to either the change in the seasons, or the ever shifting angles of light.  At the center of this area, near the "Weeping Rock," is Angel's Landing and "The Organ," where the North Fork of the Virgin River makes a horseshoe turn to skirt around these two very large... and very interesting sandstone obstructions.  On this particular autumn afternoon we were loading up our packs in preparation for a hike up Echo Canyon when just by coincidence I noticed this very interesting tree on the opposite side of Zion Canyon.  With the naked eye it seemed very small, but I just couldn't stop gazing at it.  I decided I had to try and get a picture of it, but to capture the tree in such a way that it could be the subject of an image, and have some prominence, I knew that I would have to use my 500 mm lens.  I hiked about a hundred yards up the park road and then scrambled up to the base of the cliff walls to get the best angle on this mesmerizing tree.  I then set up my tripod and peered through my viewfinder to see if all this effort would pay off.  After I got the image composed and focused, all I could say was... Wow!!!  The 500 mm lens permitted me to get much closer to the tree, and the compression effect of this powerful lens, combined with the afternoon backlight and the incredible textures and shapes in the background allowed me to create an image that I find to be both delicately ethereal and yet extremely dramatic.