Grand Canyon National Park
This is the first National Park that Molly and I ever went to together. About 6 years ago we took a weeklong trip to Arizona that included a few nights at the Grand Canyon. I remember being very overwhelmed by both the size and especially the heights, to the point where I was almost happy to leave at the end of our visit.
We made this brief return visit for a few specific reasons:
To add it to our National Park tally for this trip.
To see it in the winter with some snow.
To get better photos than I did the first time.
Knowing that I’d only have one night and one morning to take photos, and I’d have to accept the conditions I was given, I still thought, with 6 more years of experience, that I’d get much better photos than the first time around. I would say…the results are mixed. They are definitely better. The conditions were not great (mostly clear skies for our entire visit). The Grand Canyon remains, in my opinion, incredibly fucking hard to photograph well. There’s just too much of it! You can’t get it all in a photo, but it feels weird to just pick out tighter compositions. The colors are hard to get right, because it’s so big that there’s haze everywhere. The shadows are deep, dark, and pervasive.
Next time I need to go back for a week and just study the damn thing. And pray for a single cloud to roll through.
Anyway, I’m happy with these photos, but I think I’ve yet to get a great one.
Two more notes:
I had roughly the same reaction of awe that I did the first time. It’s one of the craziest things you’ll ever see.
I had almost none of the acrophobic reactions that I did the first time. Night and day difference. I walked right up to the edge of so many spots that had me freaking out during our first visit. I know I’ve gotten better about heights just through the immersion therapy that is This Trip, but I was not expecting that.
Desert View Drive
Here’s a good example of the difficulty in editing: these colors look oversaturated a bit, but I know they’re not. There’s some photos for sale in the visitor’s center gift shop that are REALLY oversaturated. I’m pretty sure one of the employees heard me say a little too loud, “Wow, that looks like dog shit”. Sometimes I’m a hater! Sorry!
Birds of Mather Campground
Most of the campground was closed down for the winter, but we snagged a spot and I got to do one of my patented Campground Bird Walks.
Here are three similar views of the path to the North Rim, at different times of day: midday, around sunset, after sunset. We hope to return some day and do the Rim-to-Rim hike.
Sunset
I didn’t luck into a spectacular sunset, but I think I made the best of it. The third photo down there (the really dark one) is a much improved version of a photo I attempted on our first visit, with only the rim in light and the shadows brought up just enough to show the depth. Even when I’m being hard on myself, I do see growth.
Sunrise
Look at that peaceful soft light in this first image. I put my micro-spikes on and clambered down to a very slippery overlook, hoping the treacherous conditions would keep other people away. No such luck! Way too many people slipping and sliding their way down with little regard for their own safety. Can’t a man just have a private sunrise at the Grand Canyon?!?
