Right Place - Right Time - Mt. Nebo
Part of our great Lessons Learned Outdoors series.
Mount Nebo Utah Sunset Photo
Near sunset, on a recent evening, I was traveling to the rural central Utah town of Mona. I glanced west from the freeway (80 m.p.h.) and noticed that the conditions were developing for a possible interesting sunset view of Utah's Mt. Nebo.
Some of the needed and qualifying conditions were...
- Thin, or no, clouds on the far west horizon (no light obstruction)
- Billowy, somewhat dispersed, clouds over Mt. Nebo
- Camera in vehicle
- Right location, at the right time
I exited the freeway in Santaquin hoping to find a spot on the connecting road to Mona to pull over for an unobstructed view of the mountain (no power lines or other foreground obstructions). I was racing the light and could see the sun drop behind the horizon, but while the foreground had lost its light, the mountain was still partially lit. I found a spot near the local lavender farm and pulled over on the east side of the road and began to shoot photos using my car window as a brace. No time to set up a tripod. For a serene couple of minutes, the clouds drifted lazily over Nebo as the last rays of day lit the peaks and bathed the clouds in sunset colors, contrasting against the sky's various shades of blue.
The result of my efforts was this Mt. Nebo Utah Sunset Photo.
Sunset Photography
While shooting pictures it is often difficult to take time and internalize the beauty of the moment, but as I recount this experience, I'm able to partially relive the moment and capture some of what I missed. As I reminisced while viewing the results of this photography effort, and writing about it, I felt I was better able to appreciate what I saw and the feelings of awe that frequently come in such experiences. As I edited the photo, to look its best, I couldn't resist adding to the photo a line from the Christian bible's book of Psalms.
Lesson Learned Outdoors
Perhaps that is one message to be gleaned from such opportunities. We all will have impressions, sometimes at a moment's notice, that come to us because the conditions are just right. When we act on our impressions, we may have the opportunity to participate in something that is meaningful. At the moment we may not even realize what we are experiencing, but as we reflect, we can re-orchestrate the experience in our mind and heart and more readily appreciate its value.
Sharing outdoor photography, and written stories about my photography experiences, is just one way I've found to possibly provide some inspiration for others. I plan to go back and shoot more photos that may possibly include water reflections and a crescent or full moon in the shot. Photography of Utah Mountains is a never-ending adventure.
Portions of this poem, by Helen Steiner Rice, have been on my mind the past few weeks, and they seem to tie together at least one of the lessons learned outdoors.
We cannot all be famous or be listed in WHO'S WHO,
But every person great or small has important work to do.
...For it's not the big celebrity in a world of fame and praise,
But it's doing unpretentiously in undistinguished ways
The work that God assigned to us, unimportant as it seems,
That makes our task outstanding and brings reality to dreams...
...at the spot God placed you begin at once to do
Little things to brighten up the lives surrounding you,
For if everybody brightened up the spot in which they're standing
By being more considerate and a little less demanding,
This dark old world would very soon eclipse the Evening Star
If everybody brightened up the corner where they are.
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