Grotto along the Virgin River in Zion Canyon, Zion National Park, UT

[Douglas Sherman]

On a sunny cloudless day it is tough to do photography. So. on my recent trip to Zion N.P. I decided to look for an intimate landscape in the shade. I came up with this. The blues are due to the overhead sky being reflected from the wet surface of the grotto wall, the reds are from iron oxide stains, the green is from algae, and the white is from calcium carbonate deposits. I thought he dramatic striped colors worked well with the bedding lines in the Navajo Sandstone. This was taken with a Nikon 70-300 telephoto lens from a distance of about 100 feet. It is not a macro image so I thought this was the proper forum. I am curious what you guys think.

 

[AlanLichty]

Nice - I would have shot that given the neat color contrasts. When there is no dramatic lighting running around planting your tripod in the holes left by the previous photographer isn't really all that rewarding. Finding scenes no one else is looking for is far more fun.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Wow, those blues are intense. Neat idea here, I will have to remember this next time I am in Zion. Not to copy, but to think outside the box.

 

[Darcy Grizzle]

That is very very cool looking!

 

[Jeffrey]

Good idea, Doug, I've don't that myself there. Is this along the Riverside Walk? The blues are too hot here or the overall saturation is too intense.

 

[JimFox]

Hey Douglas,

What a very cool image! I have shot this wall, but I never came away with anything this cool looking.