GRAND CANYON T-BIRD WEEKEND - 29 November 2014

Yavapai Point Sunrise - Grand Canyon National Park, AZ
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Here's an image of the overlook at Yavapai Point just after the sun crested the trees to the right. Not a few minutes earlier I was packed in at the very left of that overlook, me and my 20 best friends I never met before. It was too packed so I got out just prior to the sun rise.

I'm on a trip back to Alamogordo. Along the way I stopped at the Grand Canyon in Arizona. I don't think I've been to the South Rim since Conor was about eight, more than 10 years ago. I thought about returning many times on my travels through this area. I just never got it going until this weekend.

I'm only here for two nights. I got here last night in time to get the sunset to another vantage point about 15 miles to the east of this image. Unfortunately, I didn't get what I wanted. I was hoping for lots of stars including the Milky Way. Unfortunately, we're at that time of the moon cycle where it's too bright to let the Milky Way to show through--the moon is about 50% illuminated nowadays. Still, I might have one or two keepers from that session last night.

This morning's shoot was at the point pictured above. Thinking I'd be there by myself I got to the point about a hour and half prior to sunrise. Not ten minutes after showing up a family arrived all with their own flashlights. People waving flashlights around makes night photography a challenge. Still, they were nice to talk to and were amazed at the images showing up on the LCD screen on the camera after everyone of my shots, "...wow, you shooting with infrared or something?" "...nope, it's just my camera. It takes really awesome pictures in very little light."

I stood on the tip of that point until the light arrived chasing the stars away. After shooting a few more of the impending sunrise, I abandoned my position--it was like being packed on a Tokyo subway during rush hour--I looked around for what else I could shoot. Sure enough, my former vantage point, and the 20 best friends I never met, made a great subject with my phone.

Hopefully, we'll see more images from my main camera in the next couple of days. Until then, happy Thanksgiving.

Cheers

Tom

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