49.2

A number of years ago one of my friends stopped by my apartment on his way back from Yosemite. He had just gotten a dSLR and showed me some of his photos. I was blown away and immediately went and bought my first camera. Over the years he stopped taking photos while I started to really get interested in photography. Last year he decided to pick up his camera again and we started an annual autumn photo trip. This year we found ourselves in Moab, Utah for a visit to Arches, Canyonlands and Monument Valley.

As soon as I told Phill Monson that I'd be in town he quickly used my visit as an excuse to get away from the wife and kids and met us in Arches with his brother-in-law Jeff. We hiked up to Delicate Arch for sunset and tried to find a spot that avoided the large crowd that had also gathered. The skies had been clear all day and I had no expectations for shooting Delicate Arch but as the sun began to set a thin layer of clouds rolled in and surprisingly picked up the orange color of the setting sun. The sky is still boring but at least there was a thin layer of color.

Just as the sun dropped below the horizon a young couple made their way down to the arch despite nearly a hundred people yelling at them to get out of the way. As soon as the man got down on one knee the crowd changed from angry yells to encouraging cheers. We all were on hand to photograph their engagement. If you don't believe that this actually happened, you can just ask Phill!!! I only wish that I had gotten their e-mail address so I could send them this photo.

Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8 ED-IF AF-S:
17mm, f/14, 15 sec, ISO 125
A second photo immediately after at 1/10 sec to freeze the couple