Saturday Night At The Horseshoe
When David Columbo said that his first stop on his trip through the Southwest was going to be at Horseshoe Bend just outside of Page, I winced. The clouds were looking much better down South over the Grand Canyon and there were sure to be multitudes of people milling around that rim that we would have to fight through since it was a Saturday in late Summer. Add to that the fact that I had just listened to a podcast where the guest pro landscape photographer scoffed at the idea of taking any more shots of the horseshoe. "I don't shoot icons" he said. "Way too crowded" he said. "Everyone shoots there" he said.
Having left the house early that morning, I had now arrived at the crossroads at Freedonia and I had to pick a direction. Sighing heavily, I bailed on the North Rim and turned left, heading instead to the heavily crowded icon with a high probability of no clouds.
Sure enough, when I pulled in to the parking area just outside of Page, it was a circus. Hordes of people were pouring up the trail, cars circling looking for a space, tour buses unloading guests, people selling water...it was like a rock concert. David and I followed the masses down to the rim and luckily I snuck into a center spot just as someone else was leaving. As I set up my tripod, I began to notice for the first time that the sky was actually looking pretty nice.
And as I started shooting, I suddenly didn't care that I was sharing this incredible view with 400 new friends, some of which were now taking selfies balanced precariously on rock outcroppings, or singing songs, or simply holding hands staring out over the edge. Over the course of the next hour I took hundreds of frames in different light using different lenses and I was suddenly glad I had let David talk me into making the trip up.
Over the past year or so, I have probably heard at least 10 different pro landscape photographers express their disdain for "icons." Some of them have sworn off of Yosemite, Zion, Bryce, Arches, and of course, Horseshoe Bend. While part of me can certainly understand where they are coming from, I guess it makes me grateful that I'm not a pro....if that's what happens when you turn pro. While I am not a big fan of shooting in crowds, there is something about the "icons" that makes them iconic. This was only my third time shooting Horseshoe Bend, and since I don’t live in Northern Arizona, it really takes quite a bit of effort to get out there. So you can BET I’ll be stopping by Page to shoot Antelope Canyon, or Lake Powell or even Horseshoe Bend whenever I am out that way….if it looks like a decent sky.
This is not to say that ALL I shoot is icons. The next morning, David and I got up at 4 AM and drove to a very remote location in his 4 wheel drive to catch the sun coming up over Lake Powell. The sky was amazing and we were the only two people there.
All of this to say…If you are a newer photographer and you hear some of the professionals talking smack about the “icons” I hope you don’t base your decision on where to shoot on their opinion. Crowds or no crowds….follow the light. Shoot what YOU want to shoot, especially if you haven't been there before. And when these “icons” give you an evening that you won't soon forget, smile to yourself and be glad that you aren't a "pro."
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Thank you so much for your views and comments! If you have specific questions or need to get in touch with me, please be sure to send me a message via flickr mail, or feel free to contact me via one of the following:
Blog | Website | Facebook | Instagram | 500px | Twitter | Google +
Saturday Night At The Horseshoe
When David Columbo said that his first stop on his trip through the Southwest was going to be at Horseshoe Bend just outside of Page, I winced. The clouds were looking much better down South over the Grand Canyon and there were sure to be multitudes of people milling around that rim that we would have to fight through since it was a Saturday in late Summer. Add to that the fact that I had just listened to a podcast where the guest pro landscape photographer scoffed at the idea of taking any more shots of the horseshoe. "I don't shoot icons" he said. "Way too crowded" he said. "Everyone shoots there" he said.
Having left the house early that morning, I had now arrived at the crossroads at Freedonia and I had to pick a direction. Sighing heavily, I bailed on the North Rim and turned left, heading instead to the heavily crowded icon with a high probability of no clouds.
Sure enough, when I pulled in to the parking area just outside of Page, it was a circus. Hordes of people were pouring up the trail, cars circling looking for a space, tour buses unloading guests, people selling water...it was like a rock concert. David and I followed the masses down to the rim and luckily I snuck into a center spot just as someone else was leaving. As I set up my tripod, I began to notice for the first time that the sky was actually looking pretty nice.
And as I started shooting, I suddenly didn't care that I was sharing this incredible view with 400 new friends, some of which were now taking selfies balanced precariously on rock outcroppings, or singing songs, or simply holding hands staring out over the edge. Over the course of the next hour I took hundreds of frames in different light using different lenses and I was suddenly glad I had let David talk me into making the trip up.
Over the past year or so, I have probably heard at least 10 different pro landscape photographers express their disdain for "icons." Some of them have sworn off of Yosemite, Zion, Bryce, Arches, and of course, Horseshoe Bend. While part of me can certainly understand where they are coming from, I guess it makes me grateful that I'm not a pro....if that's what happens when you turn pro. While I am not a big fan of shooting in crowds, there is something about the "icons" that makes them iconic. This was only my third time shooting Horseshoe Bend, and since I don’t live in Northern Arizona, it really takes quite a bit of effort to get out there. So you can BET I’ll be stopping by Page to shoot Antelope Canyon, or Lake Powell or even Horseshoe Bend whenever I am out that way….if it looks like a decent sky.
This is not to say that ALL I shoot is icons. The next morning, David and I got up at 4 AM and drove to a very remote location in his 4 wheel drive to catch the sun coming up over Lake Powell. The sky was amazing and we were the only two people there.
All of this to say…If you are a newer photographer and you hear some of the professionals talking smack about the “icons” I hope you don’t base your decision on where to shoot on their opinion. Crowds or no crowds….follow the light. Shoot what YOU want to shoot, especially if you haven't been there before. And when these “icons” give you an evening that you won't soon forget, smile to yourself and be glad that you aren't a "pro."
--------------
Thank you so much for your views and comments! If you have specific questions or need to get in touch with me, please be sure to send me a message via flickr mail, or feel free to contact me via one of the following:
Blog | Website | Facebook | Instagram | 500px | Twitter | Google +