Canyon For Two

While hiking down to the river along the South Kaibab Trail with my friend Yoko, who was visiting from Japan, we came across this perfect spot for a rest and a picnic. The steep trail made a sharp bend here and therefore gave us an unobstructed panorama of the canyon laid out before us. It was a long and silent meal as we were both rendered speechless by the staggering view. I wanted to somehow capture the moment but realized from previous trips to the canyon that trying to do justice to this place is futile with any media. However, when I got up to pack away the remains of our canyon-side lunch and looked back at Yoko, I had one of those "eureka" moments that make me love this profession. I realized that by adding our perspective, I could express the feeling, mood, scale and beauty of the moment all in one good composition. Thankfully long treks through the Himalaya had conditioned me to bear the burden of carrying my tripod along "just in case". I set up the shot from behind while Yoko was still soaking in the "sugoi ki-re" (incredibly beautiful) view in front of her. Setting the timer to maximum so as to not really know for sure when the exposure was coming I went back to my seat at the edge of the world. Yoko was unaware that I even took this photograph until we left a while later and even I didn't realize I had nailed it until I saw the slide days later. Yes, I still enjoy that "surprise" feeling that film gives.