Captured in May 2025 in Bryce Canyon, Utah on my Sony A7iv with Sony 70-200mm lens.

I took this photo on my first visit to Bryce Canyon this past May.

The morning started a bit stormy, with a few snow flakes blowing around through the hoodoos in the canyon amphitheater, before the sun came through and bathed all the red rocks in a warmer glow. This image was captured at the start of the day, and you can even see the blue sky peeking through where the dark cloud is starting to dissipate.

I had brought my wide angle 16-35mm, which I thought I'd have on most of the day, but there were so many interesting details in the canyon, I really loved sticking with the 70-200mm.

I saw this tree growing solo out of the top layer of rock across the canyon, and was so impressed with its size and resilience in a harsh landscape. It wasn't until I opened it up in Lightroom that I really saw the impressive nature of its roots emerging from the canyon wall. If you look closely, there are three different roots. Minimal post processing in Lightroom, just to adjust exposure and shadows.

I'd say the big challenge for me has been in post, trying to figure out the best crop for the photo. Here, I've uploaded the full image, to help showcase the scale. However a tighter crop really emphasizes more details in the tree, roots, and split rock. I'd love to hear how you'd crop it!