This is the first photo and a print in a series from my month-long solo adventure in the wilderness. This was taken in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming on a large format 8x10 view camera and on a sheet of 8x10 Fuji Provia large format film.
Read the full story below…
This is one of the places if not the only in Yellowstone that takes your breath away every time you look down this canyon. It is rightfully called The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, it is truly majestic and grand. Just stand there for a few minutes and count the number of “Wow“s coming from people approaching the ridge for the first time, I bet you will get to a hundred very fast. I have been to this place many times before and yet I still “wow“ to myself every time I see this canyon. I wanted to photograph it for a long time, for the last seven years at least, but could not figure out the best light, angle, and composition to convey its scale and grandeur, so all my attempts were unsuccessful. Until this time. Perhaps I just matured enough in my craft to be able to comprehend and connect with this place on a deeper level such that I could translate it into a meaningful photograph.
Let me start by saying that in order to get the same view or attempt to repeat this photograph you gotta be really stupid, just like me, and from where I stood that morning with my camera there is a very thin line between life and death. So, perhaps, I haven’t matured after all? I spent three days researching where I want to stand and the only spot that was the most promising in terms of achieving the angle I wanted was slightly downhill, scrambling down the canyon wall on slippery icy rocks, just like the ones you see in the top or bottom left corners. Yes, that is almost the same spot that I was standing at, just on the opposite side of the canyon. Now try doing this with a loaded 30 lbs backpack with an 8x10 large format camera, a heavy tripod, in the pre-dawn darkness, on snowy rocks. Crazy? I admit that it was pretty crazy and stupid, and I probably would not want to repeat this again, which is why I wanted to make sure that I get this photo done right on the first attempt. Shooting large format film makes this task even harder because you can’t see the result until you get your film back from the lab, and God knows how many sheets of the expensive film did I screw up in the past. Well, that was not supposed to be this time I told myself.
It took me about twenty minutes or so to scramble down to the spot, putting my tripod forward first, then both of my feet and then slowly sliding on my butt a few inches down, then repeating it a few dozens of times, until I found myself standing on a flat steady rock hanging above the canyon wall. I had to carefully calculate every move while setting up a tripod, assembling the camera, pulling out and loading film under the dark cloth; one miscalculated move and I am going down – that was not the thought I wanted to entertain at that moment, instead, I just kept my focus on camera, composition, and process. I exposed two sheets of film, one of which turned out great.
The fresh dusting of snow on the trees and canyon walls overnight, which made the composition even more unique was a gift from heaven, perhaps for all my sacrifices and efforts that went into getting this photograph. What you don’t know, however, is that behind those trees at the bottom, on the edge of the rock is hiding an eagle’s nest, hence the name of this photograph. But let’s give those magnificent creatures some privacy.
For me, this photograph is a culmination of a seven years-long effort and I am quite proud of the result, especially knowing that I can now share it with you, and perhaps you can make it part of your collection as well.
Now, I just had to scramble back up…