Finding Your Own Icons

Sandstone Shapes, Coyote Buttes, Arizona

So what is a hardcore wildlife shooter like myself doing shooting 

Red Rock country in the desert southwest?  Simple, I find these 

landscapes as irresistible as every other photographer who makes 

the pilgrimage to this “shrine of color.”  We are blessed in this 

country with some of the most extraordinary landforms on the 

planet, and it is no surprise that photographers are drawn here : 

where else can you find reds like this outside of a glowing sunset?

The challenge, of course, for anyone on one of these pilgrimages 

is to see beyond the icons. We have all seen hundreds of images 

of the classics : the sunburst through Mesa Arch in Canyonlands, 

the beams of light in Antelope Canyon, the Wave at Coyote Buttes.  

Great places all, and well worth a visit. But how can we, as 

photographers, see them in a new way?  Almost invariably, 

you find yourself trying to re-shoot the identical image as a 

thousand other photographers before you. I, for one, get zero 

satisfaction from that.  If you’re going to shoot an icon, make 

it your own – look for a new take, an unexpected angle, a unique 

moment.

I have made several trips to Arizona’s spectacular Coyote Buttes 

area over the years, and I will almost certainly go again. But does

 the world need any more pictures of the Wave? Probably not. But 

there are a thousand treasures all around it, all worthy of a look, 

and a picture. I took the picture above not more than 100 feet 

from the Wave, but I like it much more than the visual retreads 

I shot at the more famous site. It was a picture I found myself, 

spent time sorting out, and finally captured in the late afternoon 

light. It may not be the most breathtaking spot in an area filled 

with heart-stopping views, but it is a picture all my own – and it 

gives me more satisfaction than any of those I shot from the 

usual angles.

Next time I go, I’m going to intentionally take a wrong turn somewhere – 

and see what else is out there.

Nikon F100, 17-35mm lens