Nikon D810, 120mm, ISO 200, 1/2 sec, F/13
Granted, not a very exciting image. What the image does show is the sunset crowd at Mather Point (there are many more outside the frame). You can always count on sunrises and sunsets at iconic locations within the national park system to be crowded, as shown above and in this image taken at Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park.
Instead of fighting for tripod space amongst that mass of humanity (and at Cadillac Mountain), I walked around the corner and found a point of land to call my own. If you have the time, arrive well before sunset, or the day before you plan to photograph a sunrise, and scout a location that will be far from the crowd. Don’t forget to bring a flashlight.
By the way, if you ever need a person to standout in an image, have them wear something red. Click on the image to enlarge it and notice the person in a blue jacket with a red shirt. They really stand out from the crowd.
Mather Point: 36.059405° -112.110962°
Nikon D810, 38mm, ISO 200, 0.4 sec, f/13
Mather Point, located at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, was the first stop of my weekend. After flying into Phoenix and driving 3.5 hours, I arrived at Mather Point shortly before sunset. This is a very crowded place for sunrise and sunset.
Afterwards, I drove to my hotel in the town of Tusayan. Because this was a last-minute business trip, I did not have the required lead time to make reservations for lodging inside the park. Driving to and from my hotel added about 30 minutes to my day compared to staying in the park. This made for slightly longer days when photographing sunrises and sunsets.
While processing this image, I learned about Lightroom’s Dehaze slider. The Dehaze slider is designed to cut through haze and boost contrast and color. It works well on skies and clouds, and images like this where there is little detail on the rocks. The Dehaze slider does increase saturation, so sometimes you have to reduce the Saturation or Vibrance sliders. Click here for an excellent video that explains the Clarity, Texture, and Dehaze sliders.
Mather Point: 36.062016°, -112.107690°
