frankeieio Loc: Bend, Oregon

Just took a very fun trip to Utah and the Four Corners region.

Mesa Arch. Reminds me of getting out early to get a spot in the lineup... surfing!


Excuse me, while I take this over your shoulder

wasatch Loc: Salt Lake City, UT

My wife and I got there early one morning and there were about 20 photographers lined up to take pictures. One of them was shooting 4x5 sheet film. He was from Colorado.

You pictures are nice.

frankeieio Loc: Bend, Oregon

It was somewhat comical to me, this was my first morning up after tent camping near the Canyonlands area the night before. I really didn't know what I was in for, and quite frankly I had almost fallen off a very high cliff attempting to shoot the sunrise up the road only fifteen minutes or so before I arrived at the Mesa Arch trailhead... I made sure I only got going after getting some coffee in me first thing the rest of the trip! Being a little late and with ample light of day then, I decided to put my trust in the anti-shake feature of my camera rather than haul a tripod up the trail. Also,the fact that I am from Central Oregon, where not so many people are, I am just not accustomed to seeing other people out and about on trails at these early hours.
There were people all over, I have since read where it is recommended to get there an hour before sunrise if you want to stake your place in front of the arch! I actually felt not being committed to a single vantage point gave me some advantages in capturing images. There were a couple of guys there with some serious equipment (Hassleblad) firing off 5 set brackets every thirty seconds or so... hardly landscape photography anymore if you ask me. I got my 20 or so shots squeezed off, including from my phone's camera and skedaddled to more subdued places... which there are plenty of in that part of the world.

LaurenT Loc: Northern California

The pictures are great, but even better with your story added to them.
:thumbup: :thumbup:

plessner Loc: North Dakota

great shots and I love your story--same thing happened when I was there a year ago! But then one friendly man asked me where I was from? I told him and he said" I live near here-I can do this anytime" and he let me kind of reach in front of him to get the sunrise starburst shot I was hoping to get. Then everybody left so we hung around a while and took some other sots with nobody there but us! It was a great experience and a bucketlist adventure!

frankeieio Loc: Bend, Oregon

I did live to get my shot! lol.

marblclear Loc: Sacramento CA

I was there last year in April. Our photography group was there about 5 am. By the time the sun started to rise there were about 30 photographers. To say the least I was shocked. I guess there are a lot of photography nuts like us that are willing to get up that early and still face a crowd! Great shots.

Tom S. Loc: Hillsboro, Ore.

I saw the same thing in Yosemite last summer.

frankeieio Loc: Bend, Oregon

There was trash on the trail! That sort of nonsense is exactly the type of thing I travel to remote places to get away from.

frankeieio Loc: Bend, Oregon

Oh, and I got this fairly nearby the evening before, with only me and a German tourist out for the afternoon/evening. It was a very pleasant experience.

Dead Horse Point

philo Loc: philo, ca

I was heading there a few years ago at 4am. Stopped to get coffee at Denny's and the sky opened up. Rain, thunder, lighting the whole 9years. i kept driving and got to Reno 12 hours later.
I heard a story of the photographers were all lined up and a bus load of Japenese tourist showed up and they stood in front of everyone to take shots with their cell phones. So sorry no speaky english. Almost started ww3.

frankeieio Loc: Bend, Oregon

There is a sign at the trailhead now, encouraging people to be courteous and to stay out of the the main lines of sight. It is written only in English though.