Etched in Gold

Gallery: LandscapePosted January 8, 20111,096 views30 comments

Strike Overlook, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah.

Exquisite sunset light etches the remote cliffs and buttes in golden hues as a storm gathers over the distant Henry Mountains.

I thought this image from 2005 was lost forever when my hard drive crashed shortly after the trip. This is one of the first digital photos I ever took. After the loss of this and other images I learned the lesson of backing up my images very early in my digital career. Today by a sheer stroke of luck, I discovered a copy of this image had been inadvertantly buried in a unrelated folder that I rescued but has remained unopened for the last 5 years.

Nikon D70 circa 2005.

I'm posting this to remind everyone to be diligent about backing up all of your images!

Comments

30 comments

Comment posted by Johan Malmros on January 8, 2011 at 7:56 AM

That was a lucky recovery.

Extraordinary light!
This is a very centric photo - the butte, the mountain and the cloud perfectly aligned in the middle. I like it. (Would have been interesting to see a more off-center version for comparison though.)

Registered on January 6, 2011, 20 Posts, 154 Comments

Comment posted by Guy Tal on January 8, 2011 at 8:07 AM

Wow, Mike! This is very close to home for me but I've never seen such amazing light there. I'm so glad you found it on your drive. It would have been very frustrating to lose such an image. I love it.
Not that it really matters, but the overlook is actually within the boundaries of Capitol Reef, though it is just a couple of miles from the (completely arbitrary) border of Grand-Staircase Escalante.

Guy

Registered on November 1, 2003, 566 Posts, 15507 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Anderson on January 8, 2011 at 8:11 AM

Guy, it's actually been so long since I took this, Alzheimers has begun to set in. I guess I've already forgotten which national park I was in...

Registered on January 31, 2006, 228 Posts, 3072 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Dayton on January 8, 2011 at 8:14 AM

Great composition, Michael! This is mostly about beautiful light.

Registered on November 11, 2008, 281 Posts, 3958 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Pederson on January 8, 2011 at 8:40 AM

Great light. Well done.

Registered on October 19, 2010, 95 Posts, 470 Comments

Comment posted by Pramod Viswanath on January 8, 2011 at 9:29 AM

Heavenly light. Love the golden glow both in the foreground and the skies. Classic!

Registered on December 4, 2008, 60 Posts, 697 Comments

Comment posted by Matt Anderson on January 8, 2011 at 9:30 AM

The layering of elements is intriguing, but what really captures my attention is that dramatic sky.
This image intentionally buried itself, patiently waiting, for the latest version of ACR. To shine in all it's glory. It's a beauty.

Registered on September 6, 2007, 346 Posts, 2696 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on January 8, 2011 at 9:35 AM

Real drama Mike, and such beautiful light. This is one of those images you keep looking at and finding new things.

Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on January 8, 2011 at 9:40 AM

Amazing light and just an awesome sky. Great you got this one back, Mike.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by Marc Adamus on January 8, 2011 at 10:02 AM

Great story there, Mike. So glad you found this. The light and skies are just incredible here.

Registered on September 17, 2005, 780 Posts, 8091 Comments

Comment posted by Raymond D Smith on January 8, 2011 at 10:07 AM

This was a lost treasure Mike, Dramatic and beautiful light. I like the hint of detail in the cliff face in the bottom of the frame and the hint of blue skies in the background. Cheers

Registered on January 22, 2009, 12 Posts, 479 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on January 8, 2011 at 10:35 AM

Gorgeous light against an ominous sky...... glad you found this Mike. Fantastic!

Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments

Comment posted by John Mumaw on January 8, 2011 at 10:41 AM

"This image intentionally buried itself, patiently waiting, for the latest version of ACR."

That sounds as good as anything to me! This is quite striking (ouch!), and wouldn't have worked nearly as well without the snowcapped peaks in the midground.
Right time, right place...great capture!

Registered on September 9, 2005, 62 Posts, 2289 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on January 8, 2011 at 10:52 AM

Powerful image. Glad it survived the crash. I like the warm tones that pervade the image. It takes the edge off the threatening nature a storm.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by Dietrich Gloger on January 8, 2011 at 11:08 AM

Stunning light show Mike! Cool to find such gems after 5 years!

Registered on January 26, 2007, 360 Posts, 9876 Comments

Comment posted by Stan Rose on January 8, 2011 at 12:30 PM

Ive treasure hunted so many times, i think the treasure has all been found

Nice find, Mike, some great drama here!

Registered on September 15, 2005, 836 Posts, 17099 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Baumbach on January 8, 2011 at 5:05 PM

I'm glad you found this. That's some amazing sky and light.

- Dan.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 473 Posts, 7980 Comments

Comment posted by Bob Crowther on January 8, 2011 at 5:13 PM

Love the rich colors

Registered on July 10, 2010, 18 Posts, 17 Comments

Comment posted by Dorin Bofan on January 8, 2011 at 6:42 PM

Amazing light show, Mike and what a striking convergence of elements. This is spectacular!

Registered on April 30, 2007, 122 Posts, 3086 Comments

Comment posted by David Edwards on January 8, 2011 at 7:06 PM

A beautiful shot, Mike. The warm light is just stunning against the dark blue of the bg mountains and stormy sky. It really does have a gold etched look to it. Glad you were able to find this one in your files after the nasty crash. This one really is pure gold!

Registered on December 6, 2008, 142 Posts, 2623 Comments

Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on January 8, 2011 at 7:18 PM

Wow, what a find. I'm almost as impressed by the story as I am with the image, which is exquisite.

Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments

Comment posted by richard remington on January 8, 2011 at 8:58 PM

The light is amazing in this shot. You were in the right place at the right time! Great capture and congrats for getting it.

Rick

Registered on March 12, 2010, 105 Posts, 368 Comments

Comment posted by Edward Nunez on January 8, 2011 at 11:13 PM

Mike, I have lost some of my images the way you described it, so I know the feeling. I am happy you saved this one as the light is just great. Beautiful image!!!!

Registered on April 19, 2007, 65 Posts, 711 Comments

Comment posted by Paul Wegemann on January 9, 2011 at 10:09 AM

So dramatic and moody, and that lighting is wonderful.

Registered on December 14, 2006, 58 Posts, 1888 Comments

Comment posted by Chris Chamberlain on January 9, 2011 at 10:45 AM

Beautiful scene, and impressive storm light! Glad you were able to salvage this one.

Chris

Registered on March 13, 2007, 500 Posts, 8365 Comments

Comment posted by Anil Rao on January 9, 2011 at 1:50 PM

Very lovely image, Mike. The light is exquisite and the overall drarkness here offers a strong mood.

Registered on November 15, 2003, 234 Posts, 4923 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on January 9, 2011 at 3:28 PM

Would have been a shame to lose this. I really like the showcased by light mid ground among all that moodiness.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Kah Kit Yoong on January 10, 2011 at 3:16 AM

What a find! The light and grand vista is glorious.

Registered on September 27, 2006, 636 Posts, 10682 Comments

Comment posted by Eric Good on January 10, 2011 at 7:59 PM

Light doesn't get much more dramatic than this. Love the way those middle ground buttes pop in relation to the near/far darkness. In the perfect world I would wish there was a bit more light in the clouds on the left for compositional balance, but no doubt this is pretty striking as it is.

Registered on March 17, 2007, 116 Posts, 4764 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Hespenheide on January 12, 2011 at 6:50 PM

That's a really nice shot to resurrect, Mike. There's a very specific sunrise shot from 2007 from Canyonlands that I still mourn losing due to a hard drive failure... Of course, the failure was my forgetting it in the Moab public library, but still.

Congratulations on finding it again. You must have been very happy!

Registered on August 14, 2010, 3 Posts, 61 Comments