What a great adventure to Observation Point in Zion National Park!  Read more to see how the image happened.

Zion National Park And Observation Point

Zion National Park got it’s National Park status in 1919.  The Park is truly an Amazing American Landscape in south western Utah.  Observation Point officially got it’s name in 1934 when it was recognized by the US Board of Geographic Names.  Observation Point is also a unique place because it has a Survey Marker, or Geodetic Marker.  These markers are put in areas that key survey points around the world.

Behind The Scenes

This image, titled “Observation Point” was taken in May of 2012 near sunset.  I set up for the shot about an hour before the sun was in the correct position.  Sitting there, I watched as the shadows moved across the valley as the sun got lower in the sky.  As the sun got lower and lower there were fewer and fewer people, until I was the only person sitting there in this magical place.  Therefore, I had time to just soak in the beauty and really enjoy the scene.

When I took the image, it is actually multiple images merged together to attempt to show just how massive and open the landscape is at Zion.  It was not possible to show the vastness of the canyon and also capture the geodetic marker in the shot as well.  It is difficult to see online, but when printed you can see the Zion shuttle on the winding road next to the Virgin River.

After the shot, as I was backing up it hit me why there was no one else around.  As the sun disappeared, it very dark very quickly.  My handy headlamp got a tough workout on the hike back to camp as I hiked out in the dark, and it was totally worth it.

Thank you for visiting my site, and I hope you enjoy the image.

This photograph is available in my shop HERE.

photo canyon observation point zion national park

Observation Point in Zion National Park was taken right as the sun was about to drop below the mountains.

The Trip

This was a very special trip for me, and I will never forget my experience at Observation Point.  I was able to go on this trip with my parents and they were able to see me in my element taking photographs.  For that reason this trip will always have a special meaning for me.  It was the first time I went to Zion National Park, but it is not the last.

 

More Fine Art Photographs

Don’t forget to look at the images on my site in the galleries starting at: https://mjvphoto.com/the-art/.  Hopefully you find some of them inspirational for your own photography adventures, or maybe you find an image you want to call your own.