Paunsaugunt Plateau in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

This is the east side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in Bryce Canyon National Park. The plateau was once at the bottom of an inland ocean and contains layers of deposited sediment. Over millions of years, the plateau was pushed up through faulting, then worn down through erosive forces to produce the formations you see here. At 2pm on a sunny day, you’d normally have a high contrast scene with blown out highlights or muddy shadow. But while photographing the formations, I discovered the rocks’ light coloring made it highly reflective. Light bounced off the rocks, up underneath the arches, and reduced the shadows.⠀