Images Taken on an Older Camera

A classic view captured in a frantic way. On the 5th of September 2016, I was eagerly waiting for the sun to break over the horizon and shine through Mesa Arch. My camera at the time was the Canon EOS 5Ds R and its astronomical 9.77 stops of dynamic range, paired with a 16-35mm f/4 lens. I knew this scene had been photographed to death but I still wanted to capture it as best as I could. Might not be unique, but at least it would be mine! Knowing the limitations of the camera sensor I got to work really quickly. 6 phases. Phase 1: over exposed focus ramped capture, from arch to sun / Phase 2: under exposed focus ramped capture from arch to sun / Phase 3: f/20 over exposed focus ramped capture from arch to sun to get the sun star / Phase 4: f/20 under exposed focus ramped capture from arch to sun to get the sun star / Phase 5: over exposed focus ramped capture, from arch to sun but with my index finger blocking the sun to prevent lens flare / Phase 6: under exposed focus ramped capture, from arch to sun but with my index finger blocking the sun to prevent lens flare. I then assembled all the pieces of the puzzle in photoshop, keeping the sun star, clean shadows, front to back depth of field and with no impact from lens flare. Now a proud owner of a Fuji GFX 100, I could probably shoot the same scene but not bother with the exposure bracketing.