The Staff of Ra

Gallery: LandscapePosted September 13, 2010457 views16 comments

A special thanks to Chip Phillips and Ryan Dyar for inspiring me with their take on this classic Glacier spot. I came to this location 5 sunrises in a row. I saw a little bit of everything, great light and no clouds, clouds and no light, partial clouds and partial light.

On my fifth and final attempt, the clouds were lined up perfect and there was only one measly cloud over the foothills to tamper with the sun. I thought I finally had a chance. And then, surprisingly enough, the cloud managed to position itself in the perfect spot to block the sunrise. I thought it was over, but then, somehow the sun managed to fight its way through a tiny hole in the cloud and light the mountain on fire.

Canon 7D
Canon 10-22mm
f/16
Blend of 3 exposures for dynamic range and a long exposure effect for the water.

Comments

16 comments

Comment posted by Mark Capurso on September 13, 2010 at 7:15 PM

Wild Shot, Justin! Nice foreground detail and nice comp. I also like the blurred tones in the water.

Mark Capurso
Phoenix, AZ

Registered on January 4, 2008, 47 Posts, 321 Comments

Comment posted by Tyson Fisher on September 13, 2010 at 7:33 PM

Wow, that's a crazy bit of light there. My preference would be to bring the saturation on the lighted peak down a notch. The overall comp is very effective, especially with the fg crack as a lead in.

Registered on September 17, 2008, 44 Posts, 623 Comments

Comment posted by John Lehmkuhl on September 13, 2010 at 7:46 PM

Really awesome light - I'm sure you thought of this but a 50 - 80mm lens of just the light in the background would have been a show stopper. It almost doesn't need the FG, imo.....

Registered on May 22, 2005, 165 Posts, 2008 Comments

Comment posted by Vance Gese on September 13, 2010 at 8:26 PM

Excellent composition, Justin. The foreground rocks are superb. The light on the mountain is amazing, but I think I might consider toning down the saturation of that area just a bit as others have suggested. Just a thought of course. Must have been an incredible morning to experience.

Registered on November 13, 2008, 298 Posts, 6629 Comments

Comment posted by Eric Good on September 13, 2010 at 8:34 PM

Talk about a beacon of light... that really helps to pull the eye through the image. Composition and conditions are different enough to keep me looking. Nice work!

Registered on March 17, 2007, 116 Posts, 4764 Comments

Comment posted by Jeremy Kessler on September 13, 2010 at 8:40 PM

A beautiful scene. And kudos to you for give some credit to ryan and chip for help in the location.

Registered on September 13, 2007, 36 Posts, 1283 Comments

Comment posted by Chris Chamberlain on September 13, 2010 at 9:45 PM

I recognized the spot from the other's images. I like this. It doesn't have to have "BIG" drama. There's a lot of power in that small shaft of light.

Chris

Registered on March 13, 2007, 500 Posts, 8365 Comments

Comment posted by Bruce King on September 13, 2010 at 10:01 PM

Very cool shot. I'd like to see a little less saturation as others have suggested just for comparison. Still, outstanding as is.

Registered on January 14, 2010, 276 Posts, 2212 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on September 13, 2010 at 10:43 PM

Nice image. I had to look twice because it looked like a volcano in the distance.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on September 13, 2010 at 10:58 PM

Really nice light effect and wonderful comp. Did you get a close up of the glowing mountain too? That's sure some special light.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by Paul Breitkreuz on September 13, 2010 at 11:59 PM

An extremely rare opportunity captured very well, Justin. Truly one of my favorite parks too.

Registered on February 25, 2006, 525 Posts, 8448 Comments

Comment posted by Dean Sauskojus on September 14, 2010 at 3:00 AM

That spotlight is pretty wild. I've have been here many a time waiting for the sky to light up and have not had any success. A truly unique photo. Congrats Justin.

Registered on September 29, 2009, 137 Posts, 2659 Comments

Comment posted by Aaron Feinberg on September 15, 2010 at 2:37 PM

Light is a crazy crazy thing...super unique. Kudos

aF

Registered on October 26, 2009, 399 Posts, 2789 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on September 16, 2010 at 10:49 AM

That is crazy wild! Glacier is an amazing place.

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on September 28, 2010 at 10:46 AM

Your patience paid off. I had a similar experience at Swiftcurrent Lake - Sun hit only Grinnell Point, and then it was gone. Great to witness these fleeting moments - it drives us to get up early and stay late. Was this taken near Sun Point? I did a little exploring there but never had the light I wanted.

Harry

Registered on September 17, 2010, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments

Comment posted by Justin Reznick on September 28, 2010 at 10:57 AM

Thanks Harry! This was taken between the Rising Sun Campground and Goose Island Pullout. Where there's a sharp curve in the road there's a small pullout and a trail that leads to this point.

Registered on November 24, 2009, 79 Posts, 515 Comments