The Story Behind the Image

Light Reflecting Light

The San Juan River was a distant memory in 2005, but a previous trip through Southeastern Utah in 1974 engraved an indelible memory that not only inspired me to pursue the study of geology in 1976, but fostered the desire to one day return.

I didn’t learned about the Summer Intensive program at Rocky Mountain School of Photography until after I scheduled a river trip down the San Juan River, so rather than cancel my summer plans for 2005, I packed my camping gear along with my camera and tripod, and set out on my prescheduled adventure.

One evening while the guides prepared dinner, and the rest of the rafters took off on a hike, I lingered in the canyon to explore the photographic possibilities. As I hopped from boulder to boulder, trying to find the right point of view, I noticed the late afternoon sun shining on the canyon wall. It reflected a warm glow that in turn, threw back onto another wall, causing the entire canyon to luminesce, and making me stop dead in my tracks.

At that point, I scurried to the top of a house-sized rock, and fumbled with the tripod as I rushed to capture the mood before the sun shifted. And, as chance would have it, I did just that. Caught, in a split second . . . and then it was gone.