Pine Creek Canyon

Deep inside Zion National Park's Pine Creek Canyon is a dark, cool, watery chamber that requires a long rappel to enter. A stunning place. Almost too stunning. I was so fixated on the rappel and the twisted rock, that I nearly missed how one had to exit the opposite end of the chamber through an arched doorway lit from above. I saw Jerri heading for the door, chest-deep in water and shot off a five-frame bracket at one-stop intervals, while trying to hold the camera still. (The ISO was set at a noise-popping 25,600). I did this five times and the fourth one was the best. I liked how her arms were stretched out, hands pulling at the rock with her body nearly centered in the doorway. I took the darkest exposure and then the "normal" exposure and blended them, using bits of the lighter version to open up the shadows. Miraculously, the shots nearly aligned perfectly and with the help of Photoshop, locked into place just right. If I wanted to get really fancy, I suppose I could infuse this caption with all kinds of metaphors, but it's just a nicely realized moment. That's all.