I’ve been sharing a quote lately on Instagram which really sums up what this article is about.  It’s a quote by author unknown: “Once photography enters your bloodstream, its like a disease.”  I had another round of needing to take care of that itchy shutter finger lately and a return to Bryce Canyon was super convenient for that.

I visit and return to Bryce Canyon a lot.  It’s really convenient being only about 30 minutes from where I now live.  There’s a lot to see and do there.  The landscape is constantly changing with erosion so there’s much to see and appreciate on metaphorical film.  This time, I had set my sights on a popular hoodoo called Thor’s Hammer.  It’s a very popular spot in the national park and I wanted to check it out for myself.

Finding where to go for that hoodoo wasn’t quite as easy as it sounds.  The book I have barely mentions the hoodoo without directions at all.  The internet was also less than helpful with GPS coordinates but not the name of the trail we needed to take.  Still, we made the best of it we could and ran with the GPS coordinates.  It was a good thing too.

Once we got to Sunset Point, following the GPS, we discovered that the Navajo trail was closed due to some trail erosion which made conditions dangerous for tourists.  The GPS was pointing us right down that trail to find the pinnacle of rock we were seeking.  Thankfully, I checked a little more and discovered that the hoodoo was visible from the rim of the canyon if you look in the right place.  Still, it needs telephoto for a good up-close look.

Since I couldn’t get the shot I wanted from the trail, I went for the shot at the rim.  It’s a bit different angle on the hoodoo since most photographers (professional and amateur alike) tend to shoot the rock formation from below.  I was photographing it from above.  Because of this, I got what would not be considered a traditional view of this popular formation.

Not yet feeling done with Bryce Canyon and seeing that sunset was still coming, we decided to head south and try some other portions of the park.  We ended up going with the Natural Arch as our sunset destination.  There is one view and one view only of this interesting formation so we knew what I would be walking away with on this shot.

We had the spot to ourselves as most of the tourists had left for the evening.  I set up and waited for the light to be right for the sunset photo I was planning.

Thanks to all the vegetation behind me, it was difficult to gauge exactly where the sun was and predict when I could get my shot it.  I was glad to see that some of the trash, which had previously rested on the ground beyond the rail, had been removed and my photo was untarnished that way.

Once the light was about right, I started clicking the shutter.  I never quite know when things will line up perfectly until I get home and pull up the photos on my computer monitor.  I do several shots surrounding the right time and the right light as an insurance policy.

Once I finished, we headed back home for the real work to begin with processing.  It can be difficult sometimes to choose the right photo from several good possibilities.  Even the right photo can present a challenge to process it up properly.  That’s what happened here.  It took while to get things right but I was grateful for options when it came to these photos.  I did finally find something which made the hoodoo and the arch look amazing.  I’ll return to Bryce Canyon again soon.