Zion National Park is certainly a place of wonder. The towering red rock canyon walls have a way of calling to photographers and at the Aperture Academy we’re all about answering those calls!

Day 1

On the first day of the workshop we took the first shuttle to a serene location on the Virgin River that consisted of a few interesting cascades in front of three towering mountain peaks. We were lucky enough to have some great cloud cover that caught the first rays of daylight and continued to provide a variety of looks throughout the morning. The group really worked the scene trying out many different compositions until it was time to move on to our next spot.

The second location of the morning was a very interesting dwarfed pine tree that had a beautiful sandstone backdrop. We strapped on our telephoto lenses to get some good compression on the scene and began shooting. After everyone was satisfied with their shots we headed back down the mountain for a much deserved break at the hotel.

For the second portion of the day we scooped up some dry bibs for our Zion Narrows hike that we would be embarking on the following day and then continued on into Zion. Our sunset location was another quaint spot nestled along the Virgin River. We shot until the sun went down and then headed back to town to catch some rest before our big hike the next morning.

Day 2

Once again we caught the first shuttle into the park and rode all of the way to the Temple of Sinawava which is the start of the famous Narrows hike. The Narrows is one of the most incredible day hikes in all of the National parks! It’s even better when you have all of the necessary camera gear that you need to create incredible photographs of this highly photogenic canyon.

We hiked in about a mile before making our first stop at a beautiful set of cascades with some cottonwood trees in the background. We then hiked in a little more and continued shooting as we went. Eventually we stopped for a much needed lunch break, and then made our way back to the start with a few more stops for photographs. When we got back to town we were all overdue for a delicious meal and drink. Some of the group decided to meet up for a well deserved dinner before we parted ways with tons of great images we had collected! As we ate, we reflected over the past two days and chatted about all we learned. I can’t wait to get back for next year’s workshop!

Until next time,

Mike and the rest of the Aperture Academy Team!

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