Sorry for being a day late on this one, it was a long day and I didn’t want to rush this post processing.

Day 17: (Thursday 9/25/25), Mesa Arch in the Canyonlands National Park.

Alarm went off at 4:30 AM, out the door by 4:45!  Made it to the parking lot at Mesa Arch trail head at 5:40 AM.  Made it to the Arch at 6:00, about 90 minutes before sunrise.  There was already around 100 people and tripods shoulder to shoulder.  I was able to squeeze my way in and get setup.  Not the ideal angle, but best I could get.  It was pretty much straight on.  I was really impressed with what my iPhone 16 Pro captured, so I was anxious to see what I was able to capture on my Canon R5.2.   The total time the sun was inside the arch was around 90 seconds.  After spending a good hour on the edit, I’m proud since I am not an experienced landscape photographer, but always hoping for more!  I am posting both versions for your comparison.  For you that have successfully captured the Mesa Arch at sunrise, what were your settings including which metering mode?

Once in a lifetime experience!

Canon R5MK2 + EF24-70mm

iPhone 16 Pro Max

Enjoy the photos and what you read? Please subscribe to be notified of future posts via email by either clicking the Follow button at the bottom or the Subscribe section on the right.

Life is good and I am blessed!

Kent