Shelley and I began our second day at the Grand Canyon by driving from the Grand Canyon Village all the way to the Desert View entrance to the park on the Eastern end of the South Rim. My thinking was to drive as far as Desert View that morning. After having missed out on photographing sunrise, and drive back toward the Grand Canyon Village looking for the perfect spot to photograph the setting sun at the end of day two.
Desert View
Shelley and I arrived at Desert View, and we were greeted with a parking lot that was nearly full — seeing this and the fact that most of the snow had been walked through left me with a feeling of dread. I was no longer sure that I would be able to make the one photograph that I genuinely wanted from this location on our trip. For those of you who haven’t been too Desert View, it is not just a viewpoint for the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It’s the location of Desert View Tower, which was designed by Mary Colter. Colter was the chief architect and decorator for the Fred Harvey Company. At the time she was one of the country’s few female architects. She designed Desert View tower to blend into the natural scenery of the Grand Canyon.
Enough on the history, now back to the photography. I was really wanting to create a strong photograph of Desert View Tower. I was hoping for clouds in the sky and some defused light. The problem was that mother nature had other plans for that day. I find this to be the case when photographing on a trip. It seems that no matter how much I plan and research; in the end, you have to take what mother nature gives you. Below is the photograph that I made of Desert View Tower on day two. I only wish that there was some drama in the sky.
Desert View Point
After Shelley and I toured Desert View Tower, we took a short walked along the South Rim trail. Here overcrowding of the main viewpoint made it difficult to find a composition. Shelley and I walked further. And in doing so we found a viewpoint that was not crowded. Here I was able to work on a composition that would allow for some creativity. I was able to compose a multi-shot panoramic of the view of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River deep below us. Here again, I feel that the lack of clouds in the sky takes something away from the photograph.
