I made this photograph on Day 7 of a 12-day trip across Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument. I was there to explore and photograph some of the lesser-visited locations along the Grand Wash Cliffs, including Snap Point — the westernmost point of the Canyon’s North Rim.
During the trip, I spent nights at Twin Point, Kelly Point, Parashant Point, Whitmore Point and Whitmore Canyon Overlook, where this image was made. I also spent several nights on a remote stretch of the rim between Kanab Creek and Tuckup Canyon. The trip was primarily an overlanding expedition with short hikes along the way, plus one 8-mile hike into the Canyon to photograph the Shaman’s Gallery pictograph panel — an incredible site.
I wish I could say this photo required miles of hiking and hanging from a cliff to get the shot, but compared with most of those other sites, this location is relatively accessible, provided you have a capable four-wheel-drive vehicle and good tires. You can even car-camp within about 100 feet of this viewpoint.
I had hoped for clouds to add dimension to the sky, but when they didn’t materialize, I began looking for a simpler composition. The ocotillo became the key — its gesture and red blooms provided structure and contrast against the Canyon walls and the Colorado River below. In hindsight, I’m grateful for the clear sky; clouds likely would have competed with the quiet, graphic quality of the scene.
The image was made with a Fujifilm GFX100S and an f/4 lens at 63 mm (roughly a 50 mm full-frame equivalent). I focus-bracketed five frames to maintain sharpness from the ocotillo in the foreground to the distant Canyon walls. Because the ocotillo was moving in the wind, I raised the ISO to 500 to achieve a faster shutter speed and freeze the motion.