Catching "The Wave"

From his home base in Arizona, outdoor photographer Steve Kossack has been a frequent visitor to The Wave located in Utah's Paria Canyon. "Each and every expedition has been different in some way," says Steve, "but this year's experience during our Landmarks of the Southwest Workshop was like none before.

"We had snow! We also had rain, wind, hail, sunshine and clouds. Temperatures ranged from the 20s to 50s -- and sometimes there was not much time or distance between the two! It was the perfect time to be photographing in this exciting area of Arizona and Utah.

"This workshop was also the maiden voyage for my new Canon 1Ds MKIII, and I was eager to test its awesome capabilities. In the image above I faced a situation I'd never experienced before. As these images demonstrate, few scenes in nature translate as dramatically as red rock and fresh snow. However, it can be a very difficult exposure to do properly. Diffused light was key here. The magnificent detail held in the snow was more and more difficult to hold when direct light was present. This image is a 'stitch,' comprised of four vertical shots taken quickly in the same light to convey the density and volume of the snow. I felt I needed to have a strong foreground to enhance the feeling of deep snow without losing the stark color of the sandstone. The wind erosion in the snow seemed to make the wave roll!

"This next image is a single exposure taken shortly after to help me get a feel for the resolving power of my new 'super camera.' The fact that most of the sandstone on the south slope (left) was snow covered made the scene seem more sedate. I did this one frame from the same tripod location at 24 mm with my Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo. I believe this image more faithfully captured the scale and scope of our perceived experience. Detail was easier to display and exposure was now acceptable in the more direct light. Since the detail in the snow shadow was no longer a major part of the composition, I simply let the shadow fall where it may. Both images are a well deserved reward for the effort involved on this beautiful day. A day I know all our workshop participants will long remember!"

Steve will soon release Great Smoky, another in his series of instructional DVDs that will include a discussion on the use of Singh-Ray Filters. It will be available soon at Steve's website.