GRAND CANYON: EARTH AND SKY

Adam Schallau has been photographing Arizona's world-famous natural wonder since 2008. “I seek out intimate scenes,” he says, “waiting for the fleeting moments when light and atmosphere combine to create a painterly quality that vanishes as quickly as it's revealed.” As if shooting the Grand Canyon wasn't challenging enough. A PORTFOLIO BY ADAM SCHALLAU

PRECEDING PANEL: JANUARY 1, 2019, 7:06 Α.Μ.

The first light of the new year greets the Grand Canyon, as seen from the South Rim. "This was a photograph I really wanted to create because it was the first day of the centennial year for Grand Canyon National Park," photographer Adam Schallau says. "I happened to be in the park the night before and got snowed in-but I didn't have a charger or an extra camera battery, as I hadn't planned on spending the night. I was out early in the morning, and it was 10 degrees below zero. The clouds parted just long enough to let a little bit of light through, and I made a few photos before my battery died."

LEFT: AUGUST 14, 2019, 8:42 Α.Μ.

Low clouds shroud Mount Hayden in a view from the North Rim's Vista Encantada. "I really like this viewpoint, but it's a challenging place to shoot," Schallau says. "Everything out in front of you slopes downhill, and at sunrise and sunset, the light just isn't right. I was happy to have this fleeting moment with the right combination of sunlight, clouds and a view of Mount Hayden. The Canyon can be overwhelming, so those moments when you can see only small parts of it really speak to me."

JULY 28, 2010, 7:09 P.M.

The Battleship (foreground) and Zoroaster and Brahma temples (background) glow in the light of a summer sunset. "It had been hailing at Powell Point, where I made this photo," Schallau says. "My wife and I had to take shelter and crawl into an alcove to get out of the hail. As quickly as the hail stopped, the sun came out and we got this beautiful golden light. That and the overall atmosphere made for such an incredible moment."

JANUARY 10, 2020, 7:29 Α.Μ.

34 JANUARY 2021

“The diversity of the Canyon represents one of the greatest challenges I've faced as a photographer.”

MAY 8, 2015, 6:07 P.M.

Spring rains wash over the Canyon, as seen from the South Rim. "This is one of my favorite moments," Schallau says. "I'm a fan of the Hudson River School [art movement), and I feel like this is something Thomas Moran might have painted. There's a little opening in the corner of the sky where the light breaks through. The upper levels of the storm are snow, but then it melts as it falls lower into the Canyon and turns into rain. I love being able to create a photo that captures light and color in a way that causes the viewer to question if it's a painting or a photo."

AUGUST 14, 2014, 7:27 Α.Μ.

JANUARY 1, 2019, 8:45 Α.Μ.

A break in the clouds offers a view of Brahma and Zoroaster temples from the wintry South Rim. "This is another moment where much of the Canyon was obscured," Schallau says, "and I found myself walking the rim with almost no view at all. I started searching for trees with interesting shapes and forms, and this photo was going to be simply about the tree. As I began to build the composition, the snow and fog in the Canyon began to lift, giving me this view. The cold was brutal that day, but winter is such a beautiful time of year to visit."

JULY 29, 2018, 7:33 Ρ.Μ. Multiple bolts of lightning strike the Canyon, as seen from an unnamed overlook on the South Rim. "My hike along the rim was meant to be a scouting trip searching for new compositions," Schallau says. "When this storm started to walk across the North Rim and kicked out a lot of lightning, I parked myself. I spent an hour or an hour and a half watching the storm mature." AH