Well, the storm rolled in last night right on schedule. By dawn the precipitation hadn’t started yet. That was to come. But clouds were covering most of the sky.
I had a brief moment of excitement when I looked up and saw Orion. But hopes faded away when a few minutes later it was nowhere to be seen. Sunset Point was the shooting location I had planned for sunrise. Yes, you heard correctly. Is said ‘Sunset Point.’ This is where Thor’s Hammer is found, one of the most distinctive and impressive hoodoos in Bryce. I’ve tried on previous occasions to photograph Thor’s Hammer but never got anything I liked. Maybe this time would be better.
But first, I set up on the observation lookout and started the shoot with a 25 second exposure at f/4 and ISO 200 (for you camera geeks out there). I just pointed the camera in the general direction of some interesting clouds and pushed the shutter (the camera was on a tripod of course). And, well, it turned out pretty good – good enough to share with you.
Beautiful clouds, wouldn’t you agree? I believe it was Galen Rowell who first said, “Bad weather makes for good photography.” I love the contrast between the almost abrasive ridges and hoodoos of the canyon and the soft, soaring, ethereal clouds.
But what about Thor’s Hammer? The best angles for that are down the trail a ways so pack up the camera and tripod and head on down. It was down the trail when the clouds delivered on their promise and pellets of ice started pelting us. It came down hard enough that we packed our cameras away to keep them from getting wet. Oh, and Thor came through big time. As all this pelting was going on, Thor took a mighty swing with his hammer and shattered the quite tapping with a massive thunder clap. How perfect! And how wonderful to have these amazing experiences.
But the pelting passed and we pulled out cameras back out and waited for the sun, ever hopeful that it would arrive. (Our hopefulness was not based entirely on wishful thinking; there were some pretty big openings in the clouds to the east.) Then slowly, bit by bit, ray by ray, the sun did indeed come out and shine joyfully on Thor’s mighty hammer and the surrounding landscape. The clouds led me to a very unconventional composition that I ended up liking a lot. What do you think?
That wrapped up the morning shoot.
Since it was stormy, it made more sense to scout some of the other fifteen viewpoints. None are quite as good as the ones that surround the main amphitheater (Sunrise, Sunset, Inspiration and Bryce). I guess that’s why they build the lodge there. But one other view point stood out, perhaps because of the soft light that filtered through the clouds – Paria View. There was one cliff that presented some remarkable and inspiring close-ups, an intimate view. Here are my two favorites.
and
That was it for today. Tomorrow we will wrap things up here and then head to Cedar Breaks. The storm is still on track to pass and we’re expecting clear skies tomorrow. If there are a few scattered clouds lingering in the east that would like to catch fire as the sun comes up, well, I wouldn’t mind and would surely be ready for them. And some bounce light would also be welcome.
