About the Image(s)

In September 2018, I found myself standing at the edge of Bryce Canyon National Park, where silence meets grandeur. As the sun broke the horizon, its golden light began weaving through the otherworldly hoodoos, setting ablaze the intricate formations carved by wind, water, and time. At the center of this composition stands Thor’s Hammer, a lone sentinel shaped by millions of years of erosion and resilience.

To faithfully capture this complex and layered landscape, I used a 10-image focus stack—a method that allowed me to achieve crystal clear sharpness from the nearest sandstone ridge to the distant canyon rim.

Camera Settings (per frame):

Camera: Nikon D800E

Lens: AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

Focal Length: 24mm

Aperture: f/11

Shutter Speed: 1/125 sec

ISO: 125

Tripod: Yes

The final image is a tribute to nature’s slow, silent artistry and a reflection of the care, planning, and technical precision that photography demands. Every element in this frame—the light, the layers, the textures was built over millennia and captured over the course of minutes.

To me, this photo is more than just a visual it’s a memory etched in light, a reminder of how nature humbles us when we take the time to truly see.