Bryce Canyon, Utah.

This week, Cheri Lucas Rowlands asks us to consider the shadow. She comments, “The shadow can be the focal point of the image, or simply a detail that adds texture and makes the scene a bit more dynamic.” You can read the entire challenge post here. Thinking about my gallery of images, I realize that I spend most of my time ensuring that shadows don’t appear, especially my shadow as I am capturing the image. Then it came to me. One sunrise some years ago in Bryce Canyon. After a snow fall, the canyon had a new layer of white, and the skies were turbulent and cloud-filled as the sun came over the horizon. The horizon was clear, so the sun was clearly visible, but large shadows covered the canyon creating interesting patterns of dark and light in the canyons below.

The small gallery of images below features a few of the shots where light and shadow made interesting patterns on the canyon below. Click on an image to enlarge it and to scroll through the gallery.

John Steiner