The Watchman

Watchman, Zion National Park – Steve Rutherford Landscape Photography Gallery

Watchman, Zion National Park – Steve Rutherford Landscape Photography Gallery

This is an unframed, limited edition collection landscape photography print of only 25 units. It is printed on Hahnemuhle Fine Art Pearl papers, structured to refract the highest values in colour and detail. It’s high-quality ink absorbing layer enables exceptional image quality with enormously detailed sharpness, and a very broad colour range, providing archival permanency of your artwork for over 100 years.

On tripod, Canon 5DMk2, 18mm, F14, 1 second, ISO 100, no filter, processed in Lightroom.

This image wad the result of a surreal situation. Driving through Zion, I came down the ridge to this area, which is probably the most photographed view of Zion ever. There was none around, and I thought, great, I have the place to myself and I can take my time. It was hour prior to sunset, and I parked and walked across to the bridge on the main road. As the sun descended, so did the wind, the birds, and the general ambient noise. It was if Zion was shutting down for the evening. The Watchman is the monolith that overlooks the river and it seemed to take over duty the darker it got.  The river took on a milky glow and the rocky ranges glowed with a pink hue. It was like watching the whole scene being painted in front of me.

Watchman, Zion National Park – Steve Rutherford Landscape Photography Gallery

Sometimes, just sometimes, you luck out. You arrive somewhere and all the conditions are right. Everything just happens and you get into the groove. That’s when I want you to perform like you are a professional. Don’t run around thinking there won’t be another setting like it again. Don’t go panicking. Just take the shot. Relax and enjoy. Slow down to speed up is a great way to concentrate on what you need to do. Think about your settings and try a few, check your screen and see what results you get. If you need to improve, think about what settings will improve your shot. Think about what you have learnt to get to now. The worst thing you can do is move from where you initially set up. Pick a spot and stay there, and from there, shoot and shoot again.