Two Days In The Narrows (by Ian Plant)

I just got back from ten days of photography in Zion National Park and the Nevada desert. While in Zion, I spent two days hiking and photographing the world-famous Narrows of the Virgin River. Actually, to be more precise, I spent two days hiking in the Virgin River. Most of the hike through the Narrows involves wading through ankle, knee, waist, or chest deep water . . . or even deeper! A dry suit or a pair of chest waders is a must, as well as a decent walking stick to help keep one’s balance (although a tripod works quite nicely in this regard).

The Narrows is arguably the Mother of all slot canyons. Most canyons called “slots” are very narrow, receiving little or no direct sunlight within their hidden interiors. The Narrows, by comparison, is not narrow at all, but because the cliffs on either side rise hundreds and even thousands of feet above the river, the effect is the same as with smaller slot canyons. Most of the light reaching the canyon interior is light reflecting from cliff faces high enough to catch the rays of the sun. This reflected light is what gives the Narrows its famous glow.

Although there are several “classic” shots within the Narrows, I tried not to concentrate on these places, and instead chose to wander the canyon looking for interesting compositions and light. The light constantly changes during the day, peaking in one place while fading in another. Some areas of the Narrows are relatively closed in, receiving only faint reflected light, while other areas are more open, receiving plenty of reflected light, and during the middle of the day, even direct sunlight. As a result, many plants thrive in the canyon, including cottonwood trees changing with the autumn season.

Finding interesting convergences of light and composition wasn’t difficult in the Narrows; it seemed that there was something incredible around every bend in the canyon. Wading through deep water forced me to slow down, which was good, but concentrating on keeping my balance distracted me from studying the details of the sculpted rock, and the interplay of light and shadow and cool and warm tones. So I made sure to stop frequently, and to take my camera out to search for compositions. I got into the habit of stopping every time I saw something interesting and taking a photograph, no matter how much longer it made my hike. I know it sounds cliché, but it was all about the journey, not the destination.

The sheer power and force of the water was evident in the sculpted sandstone formations. Periodic flash floods scour the canyon floor and present a hazard to hikers. The National Park Service does a good job of monitoring conditions and closing the Narrows when necessary, but nonetheless, the risk of rain falling hundreds of miles away creating a flash flood in the canyon is an ever-present danger, and the eroded rock is a constant reminder of this remote yet potential risk.

My favorite image of the trip came on the second day exploring the Narrows. I entered a relatively open section of the canyon, and turned around to see what things looked like behind me. It was a good thing that I did, because a scene of incomparable beauty unfolded before me. An exposed mountain peak dominated the view above the canyon walls, fully lit by the sun. Light from the peak, as well as from the blue sky above, bounced down upon the water and rocks at my feet, while in the background the canyon walls glowed orange. After choosing my composition (carefully excluding the sun-lit peak), I attached a polarizer filter to my lens. Spinning it around to change the level of polarization, I was reminded of peering through a kaleidoscope, as an explosion of colors emerged and disappeared with each revolution. Full polarization removed the reflections in the foreground water too much, whereas no polarization didn’t remove enough glare from the canyon walls, muting their color. Somewhere in between the two extremes proved to be, in the immortal words of Goldilocks, “just right.” The result is the image below.

I can’t wait to return to Zion and the Narrows. As much as I saw and photographed, the Narrows is the kind of place that seems to hold endless possibilities. With ever-changing light and water levels, unique compositions are literally waiting around ever bend.

~ by mountaintrailphoto on November 13, 2009.