WHITE HOT POKERS
BRYCE CANYON, UTAH
Bryce Canyon is a national park in southern Utah. Small by National Park standards, its 56.2 square mile occupy the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. The park is not a canyon, but a spectacular series of amphitheatres, each of which is carved at least 1,000 feet into the chromatic limestone of the Plateau.
The geology, unique in the world, has been caused by erosion. The colourful limestone rock has been shaped into bizarre slot canyons, windows, fins, and spires called “hoodoos.” Tinted with colours too numerous and subtle to name, the whimsically arranged rocks create a wondrous landscape.
Ponderosa pines, high elevation meadows, and fir-spruce forests border the rim of the plateau and abound with wildlife. This area boasts some of the world’s best air quality, offering panoramic views of three states and approaching 200 miles of visibility.
TECHNICAL NOTES
Captured on a Zeiss Contax 645 medium format camera with Zeiss 120mm lens at F11 with an exposure of 1/15 of a second at ISO 50, thereby capturing comprehensive detail. File size 260 meg, 8 bit. The colours correspond with transparencies exposed at the time on the same camera for reference.
The image was registered on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back. The combination of sensor size and megapixels from this back captures approximately five times more detail than the highest resolution 35mm SLR camera currently available – and explains the high resolution of the image.
Signed and numbered by the photographer in a limited edition.