Juniper, Massive Sandstone Cliffs. Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. October 26, 2012. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
Massive sandstone cliffs tower above a single juniper tree among boulders
In the early evening, after a full day of photography that had begun in sub-freezing temperatures atop a remote ridge in Capitol Reef National Park, we found ourselves back in the more civilized regions, in a canyon served by a well-used road where a parking lot marked the jumping off point for trails that extended beyond the road end. We photographed here for a while, and as the canyon light faded we wandered back to our vehicle and loaded up to depart.
As we exited the mouth of the canyon and the terrain opened up, soft and subtle evening light glowed on the massive cliffs above. We had thought we were finished for the day, but we quickly reconsidered, pulling over and jumping out to retrieve cameras and tripods and find places from which to photograph in the diminishing light. I was intrigued by these huge, reddish blocks of sandstone standing against the base of a cliff of lighter rock, with a single juniper tree growing amongst the boulders.
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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