White Pocket, a photo from Arizona, West

Photographer's Note

The area of White Pocket on the Paria Plateau in Northern Arizona is very impressive indeed!

While many are lured and wait their turn to visit the infamous "Wave" in the North Coyote Buttes, the "White Pocket" area to the east is seldom visited.

Maybe because of its remoteness or the requirement of 4WD to access the area. The impressive White Pocket will fill the senses beyond imagination! The drive to the swirling, twisted, multicolored natural artwork is an adventure in its own right, and the exploration by foot is endless.

Whether spending just a couple of hours or an entire weekend, "White Pocket" will surely become "top of the top" in the list of special places. This area has colors, shapes and textures that are hard to beat, but remember that it is an extremely fragile environment and the utmost care should be taken to preserve this place. Tread lightly and make it a point to see if you can leave the area without anyone ever having known that you were there. Stay on the slickrock when possible, but be careful not to snap off thin fins and don't trample the delicate vegetation between the small mounds of beautiful stone. This area should, and can be, saved for any and all that visit in the future.

Didi, baba_flies, linask, Philippe, Buin, fulvio52, BlueRaven, Wandering_Dan, crhieatt, jwmunro, Floydian has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

baba_flies (8829) 2009-03-22 12:05

Hello Derek! By showing it you make it less remote :))) but I understand that you want us seeing this because it is wonderful and special. I hope you don't mind that I write that but it crossed my mind. We are showing our photos and texts to a very huge audience and this is how I found TE some years ago by googling a special place. You cannot expect that people are as careful as you describe it we should be. The twisted rocks are just so wonderful and exciting and you have a great eye bringing this over. I love the cloud layer inbetween breaking up "the blue as blue" Arizona sky a little. Excellent. Best regards, Barbara.

linask (2930) 2009-03-22 12:32

Very unusual rock formations. It's good that photo was taken with low sun - presence long shadows make the view even nicer.
Great quality photo overall.

Linas

Bianconeri78 (701) 2009-03-22 12:33

Hi Derek,
Nice picture of a seriously strange landscape. Looks like somewhere on the moon.
Best,
Jeremy

Philippe (11836) 2009-03-22 13:14

Hi, Derek. A very special place indeed. The tormented shapes of the rock give us an idea of the mighty forces that were at work here. There is a good contrast between the orange tones and the white at the surface. Good rendering of the texture of the rock and nice lines leading the eye towards the background. Nice morning light.
Have a nice evening,
Philippe

Buin (42580) 2009-03-22 14:04

Hallo Derek!
This simply is stunning! What a view! Nature as a sculptor - and a very inventive one. These structures and shapes nearly are breathtaking - and your excellent point of view emphasizes this impression. Thank you for showing this! Great!
Greetings from Germany!
Frank

fulvio52 (8314) 2009-03-23 3:10

Hi, Derek.
A superb shot, one that does full justice to a unique location, with special praise for your perspective and exposure. And that 17-40 sure is a GREAT lens! The Paria region is awesome beyond belief and definitely on my 2010 agenda. I've been around a bunch of times but never to the extent I wanted to. Hiking the Paria Canyon all the way down to Lee's Ferry is my dream... Have a good day, I'll be seeing you.
Fulvio.

BlueRaven (37) 2009-03-23 4:13

Hi Derek,

Funny - just yesterday I was reading about this area in one of Laurent Matres' books! I'm seriously thinking about including it in my itinerary for the next trip if weather permits (I wouldn't want to drive those unpaved roads after heavy rains) and this shot confirms this idea.
Wonderful composition, awesome interaction of light and shadow. Great colours, too, strong and yet natural.
Superb shot, thanks for sharing!

Best wishes
Claudia

Wandering_Dan (3449) 2009-03-23 9:06

Hi, Derek -

A powerful geology lesson here. Good control over light and shadows, too.

Best,
Dan

Didi (61591) 2009-03-23 9:44

Hi Derek
Magnificent picture, looks like sugar on the rocks.
Very good lights balance with shades.
That抯 great.
Best regards

vincz (19113) 2009-03-24 0:49

Wow... fabulous colors fabulous "motion" of the rocks under this blue sky. Great picture!

fallan (1860) 2009-03-25 20:51

Very well done. Although not as popular, it is getting harder to get into the area. I bet if you looked, all of the dates are taken for the next month or so. I've been

jimkilgallon (0) 2009-03-29 2:11

Hello Derek
How are things.. I have never heard of this place whatsoever, the interesting parts of this capture is the white here. We associate the colour red/orange with Utah and Arizona but this white sure looks good against it. Love the balance of light and shadows and them rock formations are superb. Wonderful capture, and thanks for bringing this place to my attention.
Regards
Jim

crhieatt (5347) 2009-04-01 9:14

Derek,

Very impressive - the photo and the area!! Really exciting shapes - "another memory card bites the dust" scenery!

Regards
Colin

jwmunro (286) 2009-04-02 13:55

Hello Derek -

This is very nice and well presented. At first I was a little put off with the shadows and the lack of detail but the more I look the more I seen. Well done!

Thank you for sharing.

John

Floydian (30970) 2009-04-05 7:05

Hi Derek,

The strong bold colours reminds us on the Velvia with his high contrast and deep saturation. The perspective along the rocks is wonderful. Taken from a place were i never have been, but it surly woth to pay visit next time...thanks for bringing this up.

Regards,

Henk

wolf38 (30) 2009-04-06 12:24

Hello Derek. Forms, colors and structures. A wonderful photo. Masterfully realizes. Best regards, Wolfgang.

guitianmiranda (22) 2009-07-15 6:00

I can suppose that to shot to these dry lands in Utah and Arizona must be a real pleasure, more under this blue sky to contrast.

Nice compo and details, best regards Derek.

tola_ch2004 (549) 2009-07-21 9:22 [Comment]