Bryce Canyon

Great light you captured. I'm drawn to the center portion where the shade meets the brighter areas. Maybe a tighter comp of that would be equally effective, albeit more abstract. The top seems very tight, so I might crop it entirely.

A stunning shot, I'm curious what lens you used and if a zoom what focal length. Looks like you were at the right spot at the right time, nice job!

I just got back from a day at Bryce a couple weeks ago, Patrick, so I like comparing your sunrise from Bryce Pt. to what I shot. I certainly like the sunrise light and wide view of the canyon. It's an amazing place, and you captured it well.

Love the expansive feel to this Patrick, and that side lighting is very effective in bringing out the contours of the spires. I like Harry's crop idea, that would work as well.

The image was captured with a Sigma 10-20 mm set to 20 mm (equivalent to 30mm with a full size sensor). The Nikon D300 has the smaller APS-C sensor. To my surprise, I found little use for my wide angle lens. The standard Nikon 18-200 was optimum. Area in the left foreground is known as the Silent City, center background as the Amphitheater. I deliberately chose a wide view to produce something different. Most people concentrate on the Amphitheater. I captured numerous other images at 50-150 mm (no need to crop) but they show detail rather than wide area. This image easily captured from the Bryce Point walkway. Not much point in shooting overviews after 10 am, split ND filter required. And I confess I warmed the image up a bit in Photoshop CS5. Also, original file was NEF, Nikon's version of RAW.

This was really just an exploratory trip. Air temp was 38 deg F when image was captured. Nevertheless, I'm considering returning in September. 3-5 days would be about right, including hiking down into the canyon. Take warm clothing in spring or fall.

And I wasn't the only one with this idea. At this site, the photographer must be early to beat the crowd.

Nice job with this!