Last light reflects unexpected colors as viewed from the Windows area.

One aspect of photography I’ve always been interested in is the human experience.  That is not to say I enjoy taking photos of humans (I don’t) but rather find fascination in seeing different people’s perspective of the same scene.  On this evening in Arches National Park I was hopeful for a brilliant sunset.  The conditions were present: low hanging thick clouds with a break above the horizon.  I set up my composition of Turret Arch, hoping to capture an abstract view of vibrant clouds through an opening in the red rocks all the while chatting with other photographers and visitors to the Windows area.  As sunset approached it was apparent a slow but steady wind would block sunlight in my original composition.  I scrambled around and found a shrub to anchor a different scene, one in which layers of desert foundation crisscrossed leading to a completely unexpected display of colors in the sky.  This light lasted for a mere 30 seconds but that was more than enough time for me to get the shot.

What I do remember from this evening is those who were present all seemed to take in the sunset from their own unique views.  One photographer was perched on a rock, shooting the last glow of the La Sal Mountains in the opposite direction while a second anchored his scene with a different arch.  An elderly couple watched the clouds reflect against the North Window, while several others scrambled up different structures to find vantage points to call their own.  One of my friends hiked Delicate Arch that evening, and sent me shots of her own experience of the same sunset from an entirely different perspective.  Moments like this reinforce a sense of togetherness; we are all traveling along the same road in time, seeing the same sunrises and sunsets but having completely personal experiences.