It was the week before Christmas and we had experienced two days in a row with gorgeous sunsets! Photographing the Provo City Center Temple has been a goal for some time, but I had never imagined that it would happen during such a busy time.
You’ve heard the saying “a race against time”, This perfectly describes my evening getting to the location. Great photographic compositions generally require plenty of scouting, planning and preparation. Unfortunately, this trip was a last minute decision. I guess you could say that I earned my poor starting position in the race.
Driving down the freeway, I kept one eye on the sun and another eye on the road. I was traveling south and the sun was traveling north. Would I make it in time? It was evident, that I had not allowed myself enough time for this shoot but I was committed and I wasn’t turning back.
As I continued to drive, I watched as the silhouette of the mountain tops varied in height from moment to moment. One minute the sun would be gone and suddenly without warning, the mountains would seem to bow down and allow that golden setting sun to show itself once more.
The stress of mentally micro managing the sun was getting to me so I eventually quit thinking about it and just drove. As I arrived on location, the western sky was a brilliant orangish yellow. Lucky for me, parking spots were plentiful, I briskly walked around the temple while creating compositions in my mind.
Fifteen minutes later, I was in my spot and setting up for something I had envisioned for sometime. As my shutter began to click and I took in the scene before me, I felt as if I was standing before a castle. A beautiful castle looming against a sunset straight from heaven. For a brief moment it was as if I was in a fairytale riding with my princess into the sunset. I would be back again only next time It would be with my princess!
