Canyonlands: A Mighty Sunset3 min read time

Ever since I have discovered Moab, Utah I have wanted to photograph it in the Winter. The snow against the red rocks, arches, and Moab’s amazing landscape’s have been calling my name ever since I saw the first picture of it. I have made a few attempts in the past, but have come up empty. This year, in the year of the El Nino, it was going to happen. The winter scenes from Moab were all over social media and I knew I had to get up there. I had a friend coming in from back east and I knew it was the perfect time. We headed out on Saturday morning, I knew there was snow there how much and exactly where was up for debate. Moab got a huge storm in the beginning of the year and a few more average size ones throughout January so are odds were pretty good. Our chosen spot for the evening sunset was Canyonlands just north of Moab. I have been to The Needles (southern entrance) during the fall and it is just as awesome down there, but in The Island in The Sky (northern entrance) we got treated to a rare night of weather and  a vibrantly, ever changing sunset, oh and there was snow!

As a photographer these are the nights we dream of. The conditions were perfect, and as I approached the scene I wondered to myself if I could really capture the beauty I saw in front of me. Thankfully, in a moment like that we go into action mode and you line up one shot, then another, and another and you just keep going until your freezing and there is no more light around you. But in the process of shooting, my friend, from back east, starts talking to a local artist, also there to take in the rare beauty of the sunset, Pete Apicella. Pete is a great local artist I encourage you all to check out his stuff at: http://aquafirearts.com/. Pete’s calmness and appreciation for what we were seeing, helped me remember why. Why I drive to the middle of nowhere, lug a bunch camera equipment, and just freeze my butt off for and why I love it so much. Every night where I get perfect conditions like that, I always hope for one that will always help me remember what I experienced that night. I only hope to bring that same feeling to you.

The show went on for ever it seemed. Purple, green, the colors were all over the place. Once I saw the light bouncing off the sheared rock face, I quickly became obsessed. Grabbing a shot from every angle I could as the light changed by the minute.

As I walked around I found hidden gems just waiting to be found. Around every nook and cranny lies a subject just waiting to be captured.

Thanks for stopping by and if you like what you see you can subscribe below to have this delivered right to your email.

Check out the entire Moab Winter Gallery!