Slickrock and Shadow

Arches Windows Section Panoramic Sunset Having only one sunset in Arches National Park, I thought long and hard about which location to choose.  This was near the end of my trip to Moab and I felt weary.  I'd previously debated between the Windows section, delicate arch, and the marching men.  Perhaps choosing the easy way out, I decided to shoot a panorama of the Windows section.  However I did not simply take one picture and call it quits.  Instead, it shows the location far away from the Windows and set up my 300mm f/2.8 lens on a heavy tripod.  Shooting quickly but deliberately level at sunset, I captured more than 20 images from the left to right.  The golden hour was truly beautiful. At home, I stitched these together to create my most successful and beautiful panorama.  The power of a panorama comes out when these are viewed very large.  I encourage you to visit my website where you can see this in original size.  It's huge...

Paria Windows:  Cracked Windows of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument Several beautiful sections of Paria Canyon give different photographic rewards.  The easiest one to reach is the Paria Windows.  These formations are scooped out from the cliff.  Wind and water erode them.  They are bleached white by the floodwaters which occasionally traveled down.  Higher up, the deep red canyon walls give a wonderful colorful contrast to the whitewashed windows below. If it hasn't rained recently, deep cracks in the mud are usually present in front of the windows.  When I visited, it had one week earlier.  Much of the water was dried up but not very many people had visited this area since the last rain.  Consequently there were no footprints and these cracked mud surfaces were undisturbed. Curiously while I was there, water did start to flow down.  It did not reach the windows photographed above.  It did reach some of the wind...