Double Arch, Arches National Park
Double Arch is a natural sandstone formation in one of the best (in my opinion) parks in all of America, Arches National Park. This particular set of arches were formed differently from most of the arches in the park. It is what is known as a pothole arch, formed by water erosion from above rather the standard erosion for arches, which is normally from the side. The larger opening has a span of 148 feet (45 m) and a height of 104 feet (32 m). These dimensions give the arch the tallest opening and second-longest span in the park. For scale, the lower right of this shot contains a group of people sitting in shadow.
The arches are open for exploration, but you have to be pretty nimble to get up to the top of the “window”. This open permission to climb can make photographers have to wait quite a while to get a clear shot like this one as the area can be crawling with tourists. Normally I avoid crowds by going very early for sunrise or late for sunset, but this tactic doesn’t work with Double Arch as it lies in shadow and mostly along an East-West axis, so the light for sunrise and sunset is not optimum to catch that natural amphitheater effect you see here.
Arches National Park contains the highest density of arches in the world, more than 2000 natural sandstone arches. It also features a variety of unique geological formations such as Balanced Rock, The Three Gossips and The Tower of Babel. It borders the Colorado River on the Colorado Plateau and is 4 miles north of Moab, Utah. It’s truly high desert, receiving an average of less than 10 inches (250 mm) of rain annually. In spite of it’s relatively remote location the park received more than 1.6 million visitors in 2018 and the lines to get in can be long…so get there early!
The shot: Admittedly I have glaring vertical polarization here from the CPL. At the time there was a lot of stray light flooding into my viewfinder and I didn't catch the mistake. A 90 degree turn of the filter could have fixed it. I have since started using a large oval eyecup to prevent light pollution into the viewfinder, and I highly recommend this useful addition to your camera.
*Press L or left click on the photo for best viewing.
Link to ~My best photos~
*** All my photos are © All Rights Reserved. ***
Double Arch, Arches National Park
Double Arch is a natural sandstone formation in one of the best (in my opinion) parks in all of America, Arches National Park. This particular set of arches were formed differently from most of the arches in the park. It is what is known as a pothole arch, formed by water erosion from above rather the standard erosion for arches, which is normally from the side. The larger opening has a span of 148 feet (45 m) and a height of 104 feet (32 m). These dimensions give the arch the tallest opening and second-longest span in the park. For scale, the lower right of this shot contains a group of people sitting in shadow.
The arches are open for exploration, but you have to be pretty nimble to get up to the top of the “window”. This open permission to climb can make photographers have to wait quite a while to get a clear shot like this one as the area can be crawling with tourists. Normally I avoid crowds by going very early for sunrise or late for sunset, but this tactic doesn’t work with Double Arch as it lies in shadow and mostly along an East-West axis, so the light for sunrise and sunset is not optimum to catch that natural amphitheater effect you see here.
Arches National Park contains the highest density of arches in the world, more than 2000 natural sandstone arches. It also features a variety of unique geological formations such as Balanced Rock, The Three Gossips and The Tower of Babel. It borders the Colorado River on the Colorado Plateau and is 4 miles north of Moab, Utah. It’s truly high desert, receiving an average of less than 10 inches (250 mm) of rain annually. In spite of it’s relatively remote location the park received more than 1.6 million visitors in 2018 and the lines to get in can be long…so get there early!
The shot: Admittedly I have glaring vertical polarization here from the CPL. At the time there was a lot of stray light flooding into my viewfinder and I didn't catch the mistake. A 90 degree turn of the filter could have fixed it. I have since started using a large oval eyecup to prevent light pollution into the viewfinder, and I highly recommend this useful addition to your camera.
*Press L or left click on the photo for best viewing.
Link to ~My best photos~
*** All my photos are © All Rights Reserved. ***