Day 304: July 26, 2005 - Watchman Sunset

by Christian Williams
Watchman is a beautiful landmark in Zion, but sometimes difficult to capture in a striking photograph. I returned there many times over the summer in an attempt to photograph it at sunset. Although this picture is after the sun has mostly set, it turned out nicely with the warm colors on the river and in the sky.

Day 292: July 14, 2010 - Moonrise over Watchman

by Christian Williams
We sat down by the river and watched the sun setting - which created a beautiful range of colors, from the warm light of day, to the cooler light of dusk.

Day 95: December 29, 2004: Gray Winter

by Christian Williams

As December came to a close, the gray days returned to Zion National Park. I went down to the main canyon and explored the areas down by the Watchman. Here I experimented a little with black and white photographs, which emphasizes some interesting lighting contrasts in the gray sky.

Day 24: 10/19/2004 - Watchman Towers & Eye of the Tree Frog

by Christian Williams

The Watchman Tower is one of the most photographed scenes in Zion National Park, with photographers crowded around the Virgin river nearly every day at sunset. This put the pressure on me to capture a good photograph. I hiked away from the pack, and set-up my tripod and camera as close to the water as I could get, without getting too wet. The lighting was even, but not spectacular. Still the Watchman has a nice glow to it that occurs nearly every day for about 30 seconds as the sun sets.

by Christian Williams

On the way back, I caught a glimpse of rapid movement within a small crack of a large bolder. On closer inspection I found this canyon tree frog burrowed inside the rock. It had backed itself into a corner, and was just barely visible if I rested the 100mm macro lens on the crack. Its eye looks amazing!

by Christian Williams

Spotting the first tree frog led me to look around for more, and I found this red spotted toad. In Zion, if you stand still for 10 minutes, and slowly look around, you'll notice the land is teaming with insects and wildlife. I was sad Karen wasn't with me this day, as she is usually the one taking these kinds of pictures.

Day 18: October 13, 2004 - Stoic Lady

by Karen Williams

This stoic lady watches over the entrance to Zion Canyon as the sun set on this lone peak, outside of Springdale.