Echoes of Silence
Category: 04 Award Winners
Canyonlands, Utah
To me this shot says it all–it truly captures the ‘Spirit of America’. I visited the location many times in order to observe the light and get a feel for a composition because I knew this would be an important, defining image and I wanted to get it absolutely right. Arriving early on a freezing winter morning I had plenty of time to set up and wait for dawn to present. As I sat on the edge of this awesome abyss, I was blown away by the sheer vastness of the canyon that stretched before me. I composed using the arch as a perfect natural frame, and as the first tentative rays of sun appeared, the scene basked in a warm hazy glow. I waited for my moment when the sun slipped behind the shelter of the arch to minimize the risk of lens flare, then captured this incredibly powerful portrait of the Canyonlands.
