Three Days in a Strange place — Part 3: The Blade of Rock & a Last Sunset
- 7 hours ago
- 2 min read
Watch Part 3 on YouTube:
There was one shot this trip owed me. On the first rainy day, I'd turned back from a towering blade of rock — the Lame de Facibelle — before I could photograph it. So naturally, the last day in the area, I went back to finish the job.
The blade of rock
It's an intimidating thing to frame: the rock blade rises insanely high, while the little waterfall at its foot is tiny and off to one side. The only way to fit it all was my widest lens, the Laowa 9mm, tripod kept low, feet getting wet — worth it. First shot of the day in the bag. Then a tight shot of a hidden waterfall I scrambled down to reach and a last view of the rock formation from further away and by late morning the light had gone harsh so I called it — some sites are better left for another hour.
One last sunset
After lunch and, honestly, a much-needed nap — three days of walking catches up with you — I headed back out around five toward the canyon I visited the previous day for my last evening. I climbed slowly, tired, under a sky going greyer by the minute, unsure I'd made the right call on location. Still no other people, the whole strange place to myself. I scouted a spot where I could shoot in three directions at once, so whatever the light decided to do, I'd have options.
For a long while it looked like nothing would come. The clouds thickened; I took two flat “safety” shots and quietly kicked myself for not shooting earlier when the foreground still had light. And then, right at sunset, it broke — not the most explosive display, but a band of warm light caught the distant mountains for a few seconds, just long enough for the shot I'd been hoping for. I'm so glad I stayed.
That was the trip: four days, some rain, one new lens, a landscape I can't stop thinking about, and a rock I had to come back for. Tired and happy, I drove home the next morning already planning the return.
Missed the start? Begin with Part 1. Prints from this trip are in the shop, and you can get new work first on the newsletter !
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