On our first trip to Panguitch in July, we wanted to get shots of Bryce Canyon but we had no money to get through the gate. Thankfully, some of the locals there knew of an oasis where we could go see the park (though not the park proper) for free. The spot is a local nature area on Scenic Byway 12.
When we arrived, we hiked in and saw the waterfall we heard about. It’s part of the Tropic canal built to provide water to the town downstream. Sadly, there was no chance for a good shot that day. Since there were tourists playing in the water as though it was a water park, I had no chance. Compositing a shot was out of the question as they didn’t move much either.
We decided to try for that oasis again but, this time, we went at dawn in the early spring when we knew people would not be playing in the water and obscuring the shot.
We wanted the soft early morning glow which enhanced the east-facing landscape scene. That still meant hiking almost half a mile in uphill.
Thanks to road construction on the way in, we ran short on time for the hike so we ended up taking it much faster than we should. There were coughing fits along the way.
We did get there in time to catch the light just the way that we wanted it on the hoodoos and the landscape. The light was soft but illuminating. But I had other plans I wanted to attempt.
I wanted to get a silky water effect on the man-made waterfall. I had to get just the right position on the precarious edge and plant my tripod. Then I had to use my neutral density filter so I could extend my shutter speed out without overexposing the landscape scene.
We took it much slower and easier on the way out. However, I was noticing that the soft light was not changing. Then I remembered the thick eastern clouds on the way in. The sun was still climbing through that mass. That meant that I still had soft light to work with.
On the way out, I took advantage of that soft light with this shot. I really liked how the hoodoos and the pine trees paired themselves against the flow of the water as the canal emptied towards Tropic. Perhaps I’ll revisit this concept in the future.
Bryce Canyon National Park continues to provide beautiful landscapes for us to photograph. Thanks to local connections, we get to learn about some of the less known areas just waiting for us to photograph when we visit. You can bet we’re not done with Bryce.
Do you know of any places in Bryce Canyon which you want to see our take on? Let us know down in the comments section below. We’ll try to make it part of our next photo excursion.
If you want to check out some of our other Bryce Canyon photos, then follow this link to our gallery.
