Winter Shapes Assignment Winner Wendy Gedack

'Unpredictable Beauty' by Wendy Gedack

‘Unpredictable Beauty’ by Wendy Gedack

Congrats to Wendy Gedack for winning the Winter Shapes Assignment!

“When preparing for this journey, I diligently monitored the weather, trying to predict the ideal morning to experience Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park, Utah. Originally I had planned to visit the arch a day earlier, on January 1st of this year, but altered my itinerary last minute due to the changing forecast. There was to be snow and clouds for most of the morning. Given my short timeline in the area, I hoped for the best. Driving to this site well before sunrise, I could tell the weather was going to be unpredictable due to a low layer of fog on the horizon. It was a bitter cold morning with temperatures hovering around 9 degrees. Hiking in the dark with only my headlamp to guide my way created a sense of excitement and anticipation of the view ahead. As I approached the site, I secured my spot between two other photographers. The bank of clouds on the horizon threatened to cover the sun as it rose, but the potential was there, I just had to be patient.  It wasn’t until the sun crested the low layer of clouds and fog that I knew I had chosen the right morning. The lighting continued to change as the heat from the sun caused the fog to flow into the valley creating an amazing atmosphere. It was a morning I will never forget. Truly unpredictable beauty. The magnificence and drama that unfolded that morning is what draws me to explore and photograph landscapes each and every day,” says Gedack.

Equipment: Canon EOS 6D, Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USML lens, tripod