On their recent Utah trip, Grand Forks photographer Dave Bruner and his wife, Sheila, visited Canyons National Park, the site of famous Mesa Arch. Here is what he had to say about the experience:
“The Mesa Arch sunrise shot is one of the most sought after photographic images in Utah. Every morning at sunrise, if there are no clouds hiding the sun, the sun’s rays light up the upper inside of the arch in a bright red glow. The problem is there is only room for about 10 to 12 photographers with tripods at this spot, so you have to be there early to get a spot. I got there almost three hours before sunrise ( 3:00 am) and there were already six photographers there! They were shooting the Milky Way with the Arch while waiting for sunrise to occur. I joined them in shooting Milky Way images, and about 4:30 a.m. more people started showing up. so we all set up in a row waiting for sunrise. By the time sunrise came, there were around 80 photographers there trying to get in to get a capture. It was insane, but I held my ground and got the image I came for. I included a shot of the some of the crowd after I left my spot to show you the craziness. I also have a daytime image I took the day before when showing you what it looks like in daylight. Sheila came with me on that hike but couldn’t convince her to get up at 2 a.m. the next morning for the sunrise event!