Santa Elena Sunrise

Sunrise at Santa Elena Canyon.

I am really not sure if you need to say more than that. This is a location that speaks for itself.

It is also a very easy picture. A-Get to canyon before sunrise. B-When sun hits canyon wall take picture. C-Go "oooooh" and "aaaaahhhhh".

Santa Elena Canyon by Night

Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park is a fantastic location to both visit and photograph.

I have photographed it many times over my visits. This last trip I got down to the canyon mouth on a clear morning to photograph it in the dark.

The stars of the night sky. The river flowing by. The huge walls of the Sierra Ponce.

What a great place.

Why I Keep Going Back

There are some locations I keep going back to. Sometimes, I am hoping for better light, other times it because I just did not get the image to come out right.

So I keep going back.

This is one of those locations. It is in Big Bend National Park where the Rio Grande flows out of Santa Elena Canyon. I have photographed in this location several times. I have photographed several different angles both into and out of the canyon.

This view out the canyon has the Rio Grande, Terlingua Creek, and the Chisos in it. It is also an image that has intrigued me for four years. The first year the light was not right. For the next two years I got the light but missed the shot (either too weak or too strong grad filter). On this trip I had already worked this image once but at the time I had taken it was not too sure about the light. Then with only a short time left on the trip I got this. The clouds were right. The river was still. The dawn had glorious red sky. It all finally came together. On this morning I was able to get several sheets of Velvia through the camera.

And after four years and several attempts, I finally got a great image. Well maybe I'll have to try again on the next trip to see if I can do better. I guess I'll have to keep going back.

The Sierra Ponce

Looking down river and down the length of the Sierra Ponce. The near vertical wall rises 1500 feet and runs for miles. The Rio Grande has carved its way through this over eons.

This view is right where the river exits Santa Elena Canyon. The Rio hooks a quick right and follows the wall for a mile or so before turning southeast though the desert.

Wait 15 Minutes

There is an old saying in Texas that if you do not like the weather-wait 15 minutes. Boy is that ever true.

I awoke to cloudless skies one morning and left camp trying to decide where to go. I thought with totally clear sky that the entrance to Santa Elena Canyon would be good. As I started the 10 minute drive I began to see clouds. I parked at the canyon entrance and as I gathered my gear I noticed the sky was completely clouded over.

This changed everything. I now had thoughts of a big sunrise filling the sky so I walked up the hill into the canyon and hoped to face east.

I found a great view, set up the camera and waited for the dawn. The sky never went orange. The clouds had moved so fast that it was a cool gray dawn.

Then just as the sun rose the clouds began to part behind me and clear sky began to happen again. That was when I made this image. Within another 20 minutes the sky was clear again.

I did not get the dramatic sunrise I wanted, but I sure had an interesting sky. From clear to cloudy to clear in about an hour.

Turn Around

Here is another image taken overlooking the Rio Grande. This view is about 90 degrees right from where my last post was. I may have moved the tripod 6 feet. Maybe.

The view is west toward Santa Elena Canyon. You can see the "V" notch where the canyon cuts through the Sierra Ponce(the big 1500' tall wall you see). It is about 8 miles up river from where I am.

It was late afternoon and the clouds were starting to build with the hopes of a great sunset. Every direction had something interesting. I was not sure where to start, to stay here all evening, or to move to one of several different close by areas. Sometimes having alot of options is not a good thing.

So I started by taking a picture and then turning around to see what else was there. Next thing you know-it's sunset.

Overlooking the Rio Grande

Not too far from the Desert Mountain Overlook there are several places one can get a view of the river. Most of them are not marked as such but there are usually good gravel shoulders one can park on. The chance to use the river as a leading line is a strong element to put into a photography.

In the case of the Rio Grande, it is also a dividing line.

This image was made up on one of those spots above the river. The Chisos are out of the image to the left and they draw the most attention. This view is south across the river to Mexico. If you look close you can see the signs of the village of Santa Elena. Which is the only habitation for many, many miles.

I like this view. It is especially nice in the morning when the Ponce wall is lit by the first light of day. I also like this late afternoon view. It may lack dramatic light but it is a dramatic land.

On the Big Hill

After the sun started to sink past the horizon the bright direct light faded and I repositioned the camera for the view west for what I hoped would be a great west Texas sunset.

I was still right on the edge of the cliff and had a great view straight down into the Rio Grande. All I had to do was wait for the right light.

This image was taken in the time after the sunset but before the light in the clouds really started to glow. You can see the Rio winding away west and you can just see the notch of Colorado Canyon at the top of the frame.