• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Sweet Light Photos

It's all about the Light

  • Home
  • About
    • About Sweet Light
    • About Jeff
    • About Kathryn
    • Awards
    • Exhibits & Events
    • Services
  • Blog
  • Photography Workshops
    • Overview of Workshops
    • Why Shoot with Us?
    • Our Gluten Free Perspective
    • Kenya Safari Workshop
    • Foundations of Photography (2 Days)
    • Marvelous Moab Workshop (4 days)
    • Page Arizona Workshop (4 days)
    • Super Sedona Workshop (4 days)
    • Seminars
    • Workshop FAQs
  • Jeff’s Gallery
    • Alaska
    • Arches & Canyonlands
    • Bryce & Zion
    • Cambodia
    • Canadian Rockies
    • Death Valley
    • Iceland
    • Grand Canyon
    • Kenya Safari
    • Myanmar
    • New Mexico
    • Southwest USA
    • Street Scenes
    • Venice
    • Vietnam
    • Waterfalls
    • Yellowstone & Grand Tetons
  • Kathryn’s Gallery
    • Architecture
    • Black & White
    • Canadian Rockies
    • Kenya
    • Myanmar – The Land
    • Myanmar – The People
    • Northwest
    • San Francisco
    • South West
    • Waterfalls
  • Prints & Pricing
  • Contact Us

The Many Hoodoos of Bryce

July 26, 2016 by Kathryn Dannay 5 Comments

Bryce Canyon has become one of our favorite photography places! And why not, with its amphitheaters filled with red, pink, orange and white hoodoos?  At sunrise, these hoodoos seem to glow, and all through the day, the colors are constantly changing. Now add all sorts of funky shapes, and who in their right mind could ever get tired of shooting them?

So, after our short stop at Zion we headed north to Bryce for two days of non-stop shooting. When I say non-stop, I mean it. We shot sunrise, sunset and at night. And, we thought we were tired after Vegas.

First up, sunset from Sunrise Point. (And yes, later we did sunrise at Sunset Point. Whoever named these had one too many at the lodge bar.)  At Bryce, Sunset tends to lack the pizazz of sunrise  as the canyon faces east and the sun sets behind you. Hence, long before the sun sets, the hoodoos are deep in shadows. However, we were blessed with nice clouds which lit up from the setting sun. Just Spectacular.

Cloud burst catches the light of the setting sun
Cloud burst catches the light of the setting sun

Once the sun sets, most of the crowd leaves. The show is over, right? Or is it? After sunset, large canyons often glow with a deep rich color which we enjoyed in near solitude. This is often referred to as the blue hour as the tint changes on the sky and the rocks.

The sun set and the golden hour completed. This was shot at the beginning of the blue hour.
The sun set and the golden hour completed. This scene was shot at the beginning of the blue hour.

How about a late night shoot? Bryce Canyon is in a designated dark area and with the Milky Way overhead, we couldn’t resist.  We donned our camera packs and tripods and descended (by flashlight) deep into the canyon. We were not disappointed.

This scene looks like a battle between the cloud creature and the milk way. Who will win?
This scene looks like a battle between the Cloud Creature and the Milky Way. Who won? Enter a comment below to get the answer.
Distant storm silhouettes tree while Milky Way arches over Bryce Canyon
Distant storm silhouettes tree while Milky Way arches over Bryce Canyon

Sunrise never disappoints, as we love to see the light enter the canyon lighting up clusters of hoodoos – sometimes glowing and sometimes on fire. It was even fun after a real short night.

Just after the sun rose, these hoodoos were bathed in beautiful sunlight.
Just after the sun rose, these hoodoos were bathed in beautiful warm sunlight.
Young white hoodoos protected by the stately elders
Young white hoodoos protected by their stately elders

As you can see, we may be exhausted from nonstop shooting, but there is no tiring of hoodoos. They are constantly changing with the light, and of course, it’s all about the light.

[Special Note: If you can see the featured image (i.e., from FaceBook post), the hoodoos look like a dragon’s face. If you would like to know the story behind the photo, please enter a comment below and Jeff will respond]

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Print

Filed Under: Bryce Canyon National Park, Landscape, National Parks, Night (Astro), Photography Genres, Utah Tagged With: astrophotography, blue hour, Bryce Canyon National Park, clouds, Golden Hour, hoodoos, Milky Way, Sunrise, Sunset

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sheryl Schlackman says

    July 26, 2016 at 1:24 pm

    These pictures are magnificent. One of my favorite places in this country, too, and you do it proud!

    Reply
    • Jeff Dannay says

      July 26, 2016 at 3:39 pm

      Thanks! We can’t get enough of Bryce. Each time we go it seems to spark the creativity juices. Thanks again for the kind words.

      Reply
  2. Marie says

    July 26, 2016 at 6:48 pm

    These are gorgeous and I love seeing things through your eyes, plus things that I know I would not see on my own. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Kathryn Dannay says

      July 26, 2016 at 11:19 pm

      Thanks for taking the time to share your comment. We love sharing our photography and its so nice to hear others enjoy the photos.

      Reply
  3. Andrea Malkin says

    August 26, 2016 at 6:16 pm

    I am slowly getting used to the idea of my children running around the rims of canyons. They didn t die. I didn t die. OMG though, that drop off. They don t even flinch. More hoodoos. I know so much about the hoodoo. My kids are now junior park rangers at Bryce Canyon, which means, really, that I am.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search Our Site

Recent Posts

The Last Reflection

Return to Valley of Fire

Mud Flats

Third time’s a charm!

My Personal Favorites

The Many Faces of Tree

Role Reversal

Mary Poppins?

Blastoff!?!

Tack sharp or not?

Select a Category

  • Awards (3)
  • Culture (16)
  • General (5)
  • International (84)
    • Africa (12)
      • Maasa Mara National Preserve (12)
    • Asia (31)
      • Cambodia (9)
      • Myanmar (14)
      • Thailand (3)
      • Vietnam (6)
    • Canada (2)
      • Vancouver (1)
    • Canadian Rockies (8)
      • Banff National Bark (5)
      • Jasper National Park (4)
    • Costa Rica (3)
      • Manuel Antonio Park (3)
    • Europe (22)
      • England (5)
      • Greece (2)
      • Greenland (2)
      • Italy (8)
        • Venice (5)
      • Scotland (3)
      • Spain (1)
    • Iceland (7)
  • National Parks (49)
    • Arches (5)
    • Bad Lands National Park (1)
    • Bryce Canyon National Park (5)
    • Canyonlands (5)
    • Capitol Reef National Park (2)
    • Death Valley (9)
    • Escalante Grand Staircase (4)
    • Grand Canyon National Park (4)
    • Grand Teton National Park (3)
    • Joshua Tree National Park (2)
    • Petrified Forest (1)
    • White Sands (2)
    • Yellowstone National Park (3)
    • Yosemite National Park (7)
    • Zion National Park (1)
  • Photography Genres (293)
    • Animals (42)
      • Birds (9)
      • Butterfly (4)
    • Architecture (20)
    • Black & White (1)
    • Cityscape (32)
    • Fall Foliage (5)
    • Flowers (11)
      • Sunflower (1)
      • Wildflowers (3)
    • Landscape (156)
    • Night (Astro) (12)
    • Perspectives (23)
    • Portraits (9)
    • Street (15)
    • Wildlife (20)
  • Photography Learning (9)
    • Gear & Advice (3)
    • Inside the Photograph (3)
    • Instruction (3)
  • Photography Workshop (1)
  • Picture of the Week (7)
  • United States (166)
    • Alaska (9)
    • Arizona (62)
    • California (20)
      • Mammoth Lakes (5)
      • San Francisco (4)
    • Colorado (1)
    • Connecticut (2)
    • Massachusetts (16)
    • Nevada (5)
    • New Hampshire (1)
    • New Mexico (6)
    • New York (5)
      • New York City (4)
    • South Dakota (2)
    • Utah (31)
      • Monument Valley (6)
    • Washington (5)
    • Wyoming (6)

Footer

Contact Us

Scottsdale, AZ
480.442.1011

Or complete our contact form.

Upcoming Photography Trips:

Follow along or Join us:
* May 2019: Cape Cod
* Sep 2019: Iceland

 

Connect with Us


Visit Us On FacebookVisit Us On TwitterVisit Us On InstagramCheck Our FeedVisit Us On LinkedinVisit Us On PinterestVisit Us On Google Plus


Join Our Mailing List

Sign up to be notified of new posts, workshops, upcoming exhibits & happenings (~3-4 mailings per month):

Sweet Light Photo’s on Instagram

Load More...Follow on Instagram

© 2019 · Sweet Light Photos

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.