Arches National Park

The park comes alive at sunset and sunrise.  At other times of the day, the sun washes out most pictures; if all you have is the middle of the day, take a polarizing or warming-polarizing filter along.

Be careful where you set your tripod - the cryptobiotic crust is right at trailside...

Film:  Unless you are photographing at sunrise or sunset, use a saturated, warming film to restore some of the washed-out color.  Speed is sometimes an issue - beware the morning and evening breezes which can whip up even the stiffest desert sagebrush into a raging swirl of green-brown, and beware the dim light of the fin canyons, especially in Fiery Furnace.  On the other hand, if you are photographing out in the open, you do not want your film too fast or the sun will ruin your shots. 

What to Photograph, and When:

• Park Avenue: Park Avenue is not particularly co-operative when it comes to morning and evening photographs.  It is oriented North-South, but the walls on either side leave the opposite wall in shadow until the sun is well up.  Pictures with sunset clouds, after the sun has set, are probably the most colorful you can get in this spot.  Otherwise the best light is in mid-morning or mid-afternoon.  However, the area *is* scenic, and worth the effort you need to invest to get a decent shot.  There are nice abstract shots to be had walking down the trail, especially in the wash area.
• Courthouse Towers:  Although they share a similar orientation with Park Avenue, the Courthouse Towers offer some excellent sunrise and sunset pictures.  The area is probably best at sunrise - The Organ, as well as the Three Gossips and Sheep Rock, are all well lit by the early morning sun.  In the evening, only the towers themselves have good lighting. (The Three Gossips may be shot backlit in the evening.)  Just back the road towards Park Avenue, the evening sun also provides some good shots of the Petrified Sand Dunes looking out to the Windows area.
• Petrified Sand Dunes:  The best shots of the Petrified Sand Dunes are during the morning and evening, when the light rock of the dunes is painted golden by the sun.  Sunset pictures allow you to frame the dunes in front of the Windows and the La Sal Mountains .  In the morning you either have to hike out into the dunes region, or take pictures facing into the sunrise as the sun lights up the clouds over the La Sal Mountains. Because the Dunes cover such a large area, many of the pulloffs offer views.
• La Sal Mountains:  These mountains offer a good backdrop to many pictures at Arches. They are nice on their own, too, especially at sunset, with snow capping the peaks. Some redrock spires standing in the foreground add to the composition immensely.
• Balanced Rock: Balanced Rock makes an excellent sunset picture.  You can take a picture of its backside at sunrise, or silhouette it against the morning sun if you desire.  The views from the West and North of the rock are best...
• Garden of Eden: The Garden of Eden is a confusing picture at any time of day.  As the densest rocks are along the east of the Garden, the best pictures are at sunset. On a recent Winter trip, I was able to get some excellent sunrise pictures in fog here.
• The Windows:  The Windows are excellent either at sunrise or sunset.  From the main trail there are many excellent sunset shots of the Windows themselves.  Turret Arch is best photographed from the bottom of the parking lot at sunset.  At sunrise, the best photos are from the primitive trail.  Turret Arch may be framed in the Windows at sunrise, or silhouetted from the same angle at sunset.  Double Arch is more difficult - because of its location, it is best photographed on a sunny early to mid-morning; bring a wide-angle lens.
• Delicate Arch:  Delicate Arch is somewhat difficult to photograph.  The best photos are taken at sunset, framing the La Sal Mountains from the viewing ridge or through the arch at the end of the ridge.  Even then, there are good seasons to do this and bad, and the trip down after sunset can be challenging in the dark...  Photos taken during the day are prime candidates for program-mode exposure failure - rely on spot-metering.
• Fiery Furnace:  There are two limits to photography in the Fiery Furnace area - dim lighting, and the pace of the tour group.  If you are with the tour, it may move along more quickly than you would like.  But the dim lighting of the fin canyons forces you to slow down.  It might be best to take the tour repeatedly until you know where you are going, then get a permit to wander on your own.
• Sand Dune Arch and Broken Arch:  Sand Dune Arch is in a narrow fin canyon.  During the middle of the day, the light shines directly down on top of the arch and the sand surrounding it, making for a tough exposure.  At other times of the day, no direct light enters the canyon.  I have seen at least one photograph of Sand Dune Arch taken as you would a slot canyon - plan on taking pictures around 10-11am, when the light is beginning to hit the wall beyond the arch, or at 2-3pm, when it is hitting the wall behind you.  Broken Arch faces West, but the sunset light is partially blocked in some seasons by a fin in front of the arch. I believe Summer is the proper time to photograph this arch; during the rest of the year, mid-afternoon is better.
• Marching Men and Tower Arch:  The Marching Men are well oriented for sunset photographs - again, watch the evening hike.  Tower Arch is even better oriented for sunset (I think - easy to get disoriented in the fins), but suffers from blockage by surrounding formations.
• Skyline Arch:  Skyline Arch is oriented well for sunset pictures.
• Devil's Garden:  Landscape Arch is best photographed from sunrise to mid-morning. Pine Arch gets mid-morning sun (around 10am in Winter) and Tunnel Arch is a sunrise shot.  Wall Arch itself is very dark (an afternoon shot might pick up some glow...).  Double O Arch is a morning picture - the two trips I took to that section of the trail were later in the day and the arches were in shade.  Dark Angel is best at sunset, but that's a long walk back at dusk...  Many abstract patterns found along the trail are best photographed on an overcast day - I've seen nice lichens, potholes, sandstone ripples, and dripstone in the park, mostly along this trail.
• Wildlife:  The park lizards are often photogenic in the morning before they've had a chance to warm up too much.  Later in the day they get a bit fast...  I've seen Mule Deer at Delicate Arch, and seen fresh Desert Bighorn Sheep tracks along the primitive trail at Devil's Garden (though not the sheep themselves).  In the Spring (March-May), the desert plants turn green and flowery, adding a nice touch to the scenery.