A soft sunrise lights Turret Arch like a twinkle in a titan’s eye.

Two challenges await photographers who attempt to shoot Turret Arch through the North Window at sunrise.  One, having intermittent clouds in the sky to catch some color; and two, avoiding the frequent visitors who all wish to stare through the Window at the sun rising behind you.  On this day I had the oddly satisfying feeling of meeting both.  Soothing streaming clouds cast against a pastel sky really brought out the red rocks of the perplexing arches, and a man in a distractingly red cap stood for the longest time within the shot but by the grace of God just so happened to move at the last minute.  Because of its comparatively small size and easily accessible features, Arches is one of the more crowded National Parks, and to capture an image of a popular location while avoiding the sight of another person is oftentimes difficult.  In my opinion the National Parks are to be enjoyed by all, but a part of me can’t help but feel slightly frustrated when I sacrifice sleep to get to a location early, only to have someone else slumber into the frame hours later.  While this may take away an image, it never takes away my enjoyment of watching a beautiful sunrise in a beautiful location.