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# 117 - Glowing cottonwoods: Coyote Gulch Escalante National Monument, Utah
The lighting in deep narrow canyons is some of the most enchanting and difficult of any to photograph. Sunlight bursts in through narrow cracks to create intense areas of bright light which bounce off rock walls, reflecting warm light to other areas before receding to dark shadows. The camera just can’t take it all in unless you are patient and careful to avoid the extremes. I was enthralled by the way the sunlight bounced off the sandstone walls behind me and carried this warm light onto the trunks of the cottonwood trees in the foreground and worked this spot for two days before finding the right moment. The trunks appear to be orange and blend in with the warm colors of the distant canyon walls. I am standing with my back to a bend in a stream that has left behind sandstone walls towering about 150 feet overhead. At this point the stream has undercut the wall and the rock is overhanging the stream, me, and even the trees in front of me - a distance of about 100 feet. The dark stain on the back wall is caused by water seeping out of the rock. This gulch is incredibly beautiful but fragile and is already showing signs of overuse - erosion and destruction of vegetation. If you go to enjoy, please preserve at the same time by learning how to minimize your impact.
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