Mesa Arch Sunrise
Awards / Publications:
- Best Of Show / First Place Open Landscape, 2010 National Center For Nature Photography Annual Contest (against approx. 640 contest entries)
- Published Maumee Mirror Newspaper, Dec 2nd 2010
- 2011 World Wildlife Fund Grand Prize Winner Landscape Category (against approx. 10,000 contest entries)
- Dpreview 1st Place High Image Quality Landscapes Contest 3.
- Published Nov/ Dec 2011 WWF Focus Newsletter
- 4th Place Dpreview Challenge Of Challenges. This contest took 1700 1st place Challenge Contest photos in all categories and picked the top 200. From there, the public voted. Overall, this was a 4th place win against an estimated 25,000 - 26,000 total entries across all the contests.
- Editor's Choice, 500PX March 2011
Late August, Canyonlands National Park, 4:30 AM at the Mesa Arch parking lot.
It’s empty!
If you’ve never been to Mesa Arch, you might be thinking, “Well, duh! 4:30 in the morning is insane! Of course it’s empty!”
Ahh, but this is a real hot spot and the early photographer gets his pick of the view. On a typical summer morning you can easily have over 100 people crowded around the area. Not only is there a battalion of photographers jockeying for position, you also have a flock of tourists that want a genuine Mesa Arch Sunrise experience as well. In fact, they can literally come by the busload.
And after scouting the arch out the day before, I had come to the conclusion that there was only room for a single tripod in what I felt was the “sweet spot”.
It was actually for those reasons this shot almost didn’t happen. My 9 yr old son wasn’t too fond of the 4:30 AM idea, and I dreaded the thought of fighting for a place in the pack to setup my tripod.
If this was going to work, we HAD to get there first. Yup, that empty parking lot was a welcome site for sure.
So, happy to be alone, my 9yr old son and I broke out the flashlights and made our way to the arch (enjoying the stars as we stumbled along).
It’s funny, as we approached the arch, what had been such an easy place to locate by the light of day was proving a little more difficult with the sun still well below the horizon. At one point I was actually worried we wouldn’t be able to find the thing before someone else showed up. Fortunately that wasn’t the case and we rediscovered it after a few minutes of head scratching.
Upon arrival I set up my camera and tripod – the photographer’s way of marking his territory – and we sat and enjoyed the stars in solitude. Well, only for about 20 minutes – it wasn’t long before the inky darkness gave way to the telltale bobbing of headlamps and flashlights as other photographers made their way down the trail. But hey – at least we had our spot.
Sunrise was amazing, and I must have shot 200 photos. Of all the shots that morning, this was my favorite.
After we wrapped up, it was back to the car – and back to the camper for a nap!
About Our Prints....
We currently sell both individual prints and completely framed and ready-to-hang prints. Our framed prints are professionally matted, mounted and framed.
Here's a sample of our basic mat and frame:
Framed prints purchased though us are generally a better deal than taking a loose print to your local frame shop since we have a pretty significant discount that we pass along to you. When you receive your print in the mail, it's ready to hang and even comes with the hardware for doing so.
Please note that if you'd like another type of print (canvas for example) or another frame style, we can certainly accommodate you, just use the contact us page and we'll customize the artwork to make it perfect for your home.
Warranty
Our framed prints are guaranteed for as long as you own them against wear, fading, or deterioration. Loose prints are also guaranteed for as long as you own them provided you have them framed under glass using archival materials. We want you to LOVE your prints, so we offer a refund as long as the print or framed print is returned in like new condition within 30 days.
Signature
All prints are signed in one of the lower corners (usually the right hand corner).
Delivery
Delivery time varies and depends on a number of factors, but we always strive to get your prints delivered to you as quickly as possible. I personally inspect each and every piece before it leaves our building. If I'm out of town taking more photos, it can cause a delay, but a good rule of thumb is that a loose print will ship within 2 weeks and a framed print within 3 weeks. That time is significantly shorter if I'm in town at the time the order is placed. If you need a print done by a certain date, you can contact me and I'll be happy to give you an estimated delivery date.
Discounts
We are now offering quantity discounts if you are interested in two or more pieces. Simply contact me with the sizes and names of the images you are interested in and I will be happy to get you a quote. The more pieces you order, the better the discount.
Thanks for your interest!
Colors In This Photo:
18 Responses to Mesa Arch Sunrise
Marvellous pictures. I too do photography but my pics nowhere compare to yours…i only do roadside or forest pictures…..love your work. thanks mary
The sunrise is beautiful. I’m looking forward to seeing others andf perhaps download a couple for my computer.
06-29-11 What a PICTURE! I too love to snap pictures! My family knows, when they see me, their is a camera somewhere! I have a simple camera, but if I could get a picture like this, I would be unbelievably happy! I am termed “DISABLED” but I do not like this handle, “DISABLED!” I have cans, and cans of pictures, but not one is so beautiful as the one you posted here. Keep showing us your “PICTURES!”
Congrats on winning the WWF contest – this is one stunning photo
)Congad to you and your son. Love these and all of you hard work.
i been to arizona and you make it look awhole lot better than i rememnber ,Grant i bet cant sleep .i know i would ::hey grant my bags are packed man!! in case you want to
sleep in let me know”" you deserve anyway Steve all the help you give folks an me too
i send so many to you cause you explain it better when it comes to puter problems ,,,just need you cell # in case i run into trouble an your up their with “”Yogie the bear”" an i catch a virus (^!^) lol have a great time MarylouMy husband is very hard to impress so I was happy he loved the picture as much as I did and okayed the purchase. I too enjoy sunrises, sunsets and water anyplace. Thank you for the beautiful and the unusual.
Come on, now, the trail to Mesa arch is not that hard to find, even in the dark, but you did get one incredible shot. I know this view well, but your picture will always make mine look like the work of a sheer amateur. I love the way the Washer Woman is silhouetted against the small butte behind it.
Out standing view, Out standing sunrise.congratulations.
Takes my breath away….stunning. Thank you.
Steve, again you have captured the perfect sunrise/landscape besides taken my breath away with this very majestic, one of a kind photo. If I may say this, you have once again captured the beauty of 2 of God’s creations. Our star(Sun) and this part of our planet(Earth) as it rotates toward its great God given light.
This is also just my opinion, but this photo alone would win the WWF 2012 Grand Prize in the category of Landscape. I give to the WWF, and if given the chance, would vote on this magnificient, breathtaking, no words could give it justice, photograph.
I have never bought a photo before, however, I must have this one in a 30 x 20 as soon as I can save up the money for I am also, what 9 of my doctors call, “Disabled”. Even though, as the person above stated, “I do not like this handle, “DISABLED”. I have also loved taking photos my whole life. I only wish that I could have the timming to capture the perfect perfect photos like you do. I also would wake up early or stay up late to get that perfect sunrise or sunset, and also take 100′s of photos of a scene to pick the best one. However, on a 1 to 10 scale whereas I would give your picks a 12, I would only give my picks a 7 or 8. You could say that I am my own critic.
Please keep doing what you do, Steve, not only for your supporters here, but also for my peace of mind.
Your friend!
Hi Dennis – Thanks! It actually won the 2011 Landscape award from the WWF last year
Hello,
Is it possible to have a photo printed to canvas for a gallery wrap? I would like to hang the mesa shot as if I were looking out a window to see the sunrise.
Thank you.
Hi Steve,
Looks like this is exactly the same pic i spotted in dpreview sometime ago. The exposure is so even which you rarely see in a mesa arch sunrise photo. I do not think it is HDR as it looks so natural. If I am right you had mentioned in your dpreview post that it is a combination of 3 pics. Would you like to share the tech aspect of it. Thank you…. Saurav.
I have worked in Photography for many years,starting with a tour in the Army, recording images in the mid sixties for the Public Information Office during the Vietnam war . My primary focus has always been in the commercial field, i.e. weddings and portraiture. I have always wanted to specialize in outdoor and landscape photography, especially the differing styles of artists like Ansel Adams, William Henry Jackson, Eliot Porter and David Muench.
I’m very impressed with the images you present here and immediately subscribed to your newsletter.. Keep up the good work
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