Zion's Gate

I've always seen this rock in other peoples photos but it took a little while to figure out where it was. Once we found it though, we realized we needed more water to take the photo the way we wanted. Next time!

While walking through The Narrows we came across these decaying leaves in a small pool of water, leaking their oils into the puddle.

The Narrows has been photographed a bazillion times. This scene is a comp stomp - tons of my photographer friends have taken it ... but I didn't have one. Willie and I went straight here but found someone had beat us. Luckily he shared the spot. We arrived a little early and had to wait for the glow to start!

Seeking Gold

Zion National Park might be my favorite of all the National Park’s I’ve been to. There’s something about the uniqueness of the hiking that just captivates me. From Walters Wiggles up Angels Landing to hiking in the rivers of The Narrows and The Subway, there’s always something amazing. And those red rock walls! Despite the fact that Willie and I had been to Zion a number of times, we had never brought Sarah or Sammi. We decided to correct that and do a part fun, part photography trip. On our first morning we woke up early, rented gear for the ladies, and hopped into the Virgin River and up The Narrows. Hundreds (thousands?) of photographers have photographed this scene before us but it was one we had previously scouted (and found the location) and wanted to add to the list. We pretty much sprinted here and, of course, another photographer beat us there! Luckily for us it was taking him a while to setup his large format camera and he had no problems with us hopping in front and getting our photos in. Thanks buddy! Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8: 24mm, f/11, 0.5 sec, ISO 250

Gold Seeker

Zion National Park might be my favorite of all the National Park’s I’ve been to. There’s something about the uniqueness of the hiking that just captivates me. From Walters Wiggles up Angels Landing to hiking in the rivers of The Narrows and The Subway, there’s always something amazing. And those red rock walls! Despite the fact that Willie and I had been to Zion a number of times, we had never brought Sarah or Sammi. We decided to correct that and do a part fun, part photography trip. On our first morning we woke up early, rented gear for the ladies, and hopped into the Virgin River and up The Narrows. Hundreds (thousands?) of photographers have photographed this scene before us but it was one we had previously scouted (and found the location) and wanted to add to the list. We pretty much sprinted here and, of course, another photographer beat us there! Luckily for us it was taking him a while to setup his large format camera and he had no problems with us hopping in front and getting our photos in. Thanks buddy! Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8: 24mm, f/11, 0.5 sec, ISO 250

Golden Jackpot

The first photos I ever saw of Zion National Park were from an area called “The Narrows”. 300 foot walls glow orange and tower before little specs of humans while the Virgin River runs below. The photos I saw were always from the same spot, the very end of a section called “Wall Street”. This area got its nickname because that’s where all the money making photos came from and its in this section that the walls narrow close enough that they glow orange and gold as the rising sun hits them. I’ve been to Zion many times now yet oddly none of the photos have been from the end of Wall Street. Every time I’ve made it to the end and the light isn’t in the right spot or has already died. When Willie and I invited Sarah and Sammi to join us in Zion we had 1 photo in mind, but it wasn’t the photo from the end of Wall Street. The women had never been to the Narrows before so we made sure they woke up early, rented the right gear, and joined us for the hike. We stopped and photographed the “Marc Adamus” spot, where a small side wall glows super orange just at the same time as a wall in the very back glows as well. With the girls now freezing due to waiting for us, we kept going. To our surprise, the end of Wall Street was glowing! Despite being absolutely starving and starting to get hungry, we knew we had to get our cameras out and take a few photos. I don’t think I ever need to take a photo from The Narrows again. Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8: 24mm, f/7.1, 0.5 sec, ISO 320

Golden Jackpot

The first photos I ever saw of Zion National Park were from an area called “The Narrows”. 300 foot walls glow orange and tower before little specs of humans while the Virgin River runs below. The photos I saw were always from the same spot, the very end of a section called “Wall Street”. This area got its nickname because that’s where all the money making photos came from and its in this section that the walls narrow close enough that they glow orange and gold as the rising sun hits them. I’ve been to Zion many times now yet oddly none of the photos have been from the end of Wall Street. Every time I’ve made it to the end and the light isn’t in the right spot or has already died. When Willie and I invited Sarah and Sammi to join us in Zion we had 1 photo in mind, but it wasn’t the photo from the end of Wall Street. The women had never been to the Narrows before so we made sure they woke up early, rented the right gear, and joined us for the hike. We stopped and photographed the “Marc Adamus” spot, where a small side wall glows super orange just at the same time as a wall in the very back glows as well. With the girls now freezing due to waiting for us, we kept going. To our surprise, the end of Wall Street was glowing! Despite being absolutely starving and starting to get hungry, we knew we had to get our cameras out and take a few photos. I don’t think I ever need to take a photo from The Narrows again. You can see Sammi here, ansy for us to get moving again so she could warm back up. Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8: 24mm, f/7.1, 0.5 sec, ISO 320

As we were leaving The Narrows we came across this little tree with some fall colors, sticking out of the rock wall. Instant photo op!

Glow Worm

I think anyone who hikes up the Virgin River at The Narrows in Zion National Park remembers how unique of a hike it is. I’ve explored The Narrows countless times but every time there’s some new wonder that captures my attention. I don’t think it’s possible to get tired of the 300 foot red rock walls that glow when the morning light hits them. Willie and I wanted to take Sarah and Sammi to Zion and we knew we had to take the ladies into The Narrows. Although we had our own river gear (aka “Frog Suit”) we needed to rent gear for the women. So of course we woke up super early to make sure to get to the Outfitters right as they opened and then drove down to the trailhead. Our goal had been to get a specific photo (which we did) but we were in for 2 photo surprises. First, the end of Wall Street was glowing when we got there, which we had never seen before (despite it being probably the most photographed spot in The Narrows). And second, on our way out I happened to turn around and see this scene. With the small rock waterfall streaming down, I knew I had to take a few photos. Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8: 18mm, f/10, 0.6 sec, ISO 100

The Angels Temple

Zion is one of my favorite National Parks, if not the #1 favorite. The red rock walls, the rivers, the canyons, the peaks, the fall colors, they just get me every time! Sammi had never been to Zion and I wanted her to see why I loved it. We teamed up with Willie and Sarah and off we went. The four of us had a blast, hiking through rivers, exploring The Narrows, hiking 10 miles up to Observation Point and then enjoying some nice cold beers and (sadly disgusting) food. The clouds looked juicy on our 2nd night there and we convinced the ladies to join us for a little sunset photography. The Virgin River was pretty slow and low when we got there, so we were able to wade out in nothing but shorts and our bare feet. I loved how this scene looks at the Temple of Sinewava and Angels Landing (that steep spire in the middle that’s one of my favorite hikes!), with the river running through it and the autumn leaves starting to turn everything golden yellow. For the photographers here, since I’m an honest and open guy, I had to take a few liberties with this photo. It was so flat and dull with all the reds and pinks that some work was needed to give it some pop and richness. I brought out (ok, made) the light next to Angels Landing to give it some depth, brightened the peaks as if they were lit with sun, and warmed the sky and foreground to give it some color separation. Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8: 23mm, f/8, 1.0 sec, ISO 100

Sunset under Angels Landing. The girls joined us for an evening watching the sunset and we made it back just in time to catch the last bus back to the Visitors Center!

On our last day we decided to explore the Kolob Area. We hiked out to Taylor Creek and its Double Arch Alcove. This is a 134 megapixel pano!

We made it to the end: Double Arch Alcove at Taylor Creek in Zion's Kolob area. I was ansy to get back to civilization so I could follow a Michigan Football game!

Here we all are at Double Arch Alcove.

Here we all are at Double Arch Alcove.

The couples at Double Arch Alcove in Zion. Clearly Sarah and Willie had practiced this before. Sammi needs to work on her core strength!