Arches National Park is red rock country, a landscape dominated by the colors of Southwest sandstone. Almost all of my photographs of the area are in color, for that obvious reason. It is not just the rocks themselves — the complementary greens of vegetation and the blue of the sky feature strongly, too. But this particular view, a veritable moonscape, seems to call for a monochrome interpretation.
The photograph is an example of thinking differently when conditions aren’t what you expected. Typically I would be looking for clear air and distant views, contrasting with the striking foreground structures. But it was very hazy on this October morning, and the subject had me facing almost directly into the sun. That light and haze obscured further details and even muted those on close features. Rather than trying to fight it (there are post-processing techniques that can restore some detail) I decided to make that haze and the atmospheric recession the subject of the photograph.
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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email
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