Steve, Greg and Tom decided to check out the sunset . . . but waaaaay out at the Superstition Mountains. Sky Fire, my sunset app suggested there might be some color, but mostly to the south of the area. They were not daunted. Am glad they went and here are their best to share.
Dawn with Three Sisters
Tom has wanted to return to photograph the Three Sisters at dawn for a long time. Now that we are parked in east Mesa it seemed like a perfect opportunity. We left at 4:15 am arriving at the turnoff to the Peralta Trailhead just as the blue hour started. We found the road Tom remembered from prior shooting, parked our car about 1/4 mile further up the road. We hiked back to the side road and then hiked that road while the sun came up. The road is a gravel, unmaintained road, but plenty wide to see snakes, navigate around potholes, and easily find our way back to the car.
Looking towards the east.
Looking towards the west.
The road offers a slight incline as you hike towards the rock formation known as the Three Sisters. I would guess we hiked about a mile and a half, one way. It does begin to get steeper as you get closer to the mountain. The answer to that is slow down and shoot more frequently so you don't notice it!
The sun came up behind a thick bank of clouds! Bummer as we did not get the bright light over the lush desert and off the rock crops. We waited and kept hiking!
Maybe a glimmer of hope here!
The quality of the light really changed from one direction to another. We know to expect that. But to experience it with such a dramatic difference was unusual.
A hint of sun through the clouds? Patience paying off? We kept walking.
The sun passing through variably thick clouds or no clouds at all. Was fun to watch.
If you tire of the Three Sisters there are plenty of other things to shoot. The desert in this area is lush, a veritable jungle!
I was really hoping the road would lead us to the base of the Three Sisters. Not to happen on this road. Just a bit further up we got to the end of the road and a barbed wire fence.
As we reached the end of the road we also reached the end of our golden light. The shadows became harsher, the light more flat and uninteresting. And, most importantly, I kept thinking that the way back was as far as I had already walked!
Turning around we were treated to a grand perspective towards the south valley. Then I realized how much we had slowly walked UP.
Towards the northeast. Layers of mountains behind huge Saguaros.
Tom mentioned how prolific the blooms were on the Saguaros. Of course, the best blooms are pretty high up and not easy to photograph. So, on the way out I was determined to find one that had arms with blossoms that could be more easily photographed.
I saw a Saguaro close to the road and it looked like it had an arm hanging down with flowers. I pulled alongside and waited in the car with the blinkers on while Tom hopped out with his long lens to capture his best. Soon he came back, "I can touch the flowers. I need a different lens."
Anyone care to guess what lens Tom took back to get these awesome shots? No, that is not totally lens effect, but he sure can use that lens as a great macro lens!!
We want to go back and explore a different road to see if we can find the one people are using to get a very different perspective of the Three Sisters. They may not be using a road at all, but my guess is that the lush desert jungle would be a hardy trudge without some sort of clearing. Plus, we want to go back for an evening Golden Hour shoot. Just too many photo opportunities around the Superstitions. We promise to share our best.
Three Sisters
Tom, Rick, Greg and Barbara met at 5:15 and headed to the area just to the east of the Three Sisters, a prominent rock formation on the east side of the Superstition Mountain Range. The goal was to capture the earliest golden rays of dawn on the rocks. Enjoy!
Thanks for sharing their trip.