Last Light at Mather Point

South Rim Grand Canyon National Park, AZ

Last Light at Mather Point

( Click on image to access high resolution virtual tour. Not for mobile devices.)

April 14, 2022. 6:30 PM. — For many visitors coming to the South Rim, Mather Point offers the first glimpse of a world wonder. Mather Point offers an expansive view of the canyon. On a clear day you can see 30+ miles (48 km) to the east and 60+ miles (96 km) to the west. Looking down into the canyon you can see a few small samples of the Colorado River, Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the canyon, and numerous trails crisscrossing the landscape. The setting sun also produced distinct crepuscular rays extending across the canyon, visible most clearly toward the western side of the panorama. The atmospheric light adds another layer of depth to an already immense landscape.

Thanks to it’s wide view and the dramatic formations visible from the area, Mather Point is a popular place for both sunrise and sunset throughout the year. We had been to the North Rim numerous times, but I had not been to the South Rim since I started creating my wall mural photographs. I consider this one of my best photographs from the South Rim. 

When working on my wall mural photos it is always a pleasant surprise to find unexpected wildlife. While shooting the photos that went into this mural, I was aware of the couple sitting on the cliff enjoying the sunset view towards the left side of the image. Unknown to any of us, a bighorn ewe was laying on the next point beyond the couple seemingly also enjoying watching another of God’s glorious sunsets. At about 30 seconds into the virtual tour (double-click the photo above), I zoom in on the scene to show the couple. Then I zoom in farther to reveal the bighorn ewe.

This is a stitched image shot with a Canon R5, Canon 300mm lens, f/11, 1/160th sec. exposure, ISO 400. It is made up of 216 individual images, 8 rows x 27 columns, 30% overlap in portrait orientation.

The original image is:

    • 4.30 Gigapixels
    • 33,530 × 128,228 pixels
    • 111.8″ × 427.4″ (9 ft. 3.8 in. × 35 ft. 7.4 in.) at 300 PPI — original image size
    • Approximately 1:3.82 aspect ratio
    • Image shown is un-cropped.
    • Available in a variety of print sizes and mounting options
    • Native resolution supports wall murals up to approximately 9 ft. 3.8 in. × 35 ft. 7.4 in. at 300 PPI, or 18 ft. 7.5 in. × 71 ft. 2.8 in. at 150 PPI
    • Large-format wall murals are available. Contact us to discuss custom dimensions and installation requirements.

     

    Click here for information about purchasing a license for this image.

    Print Sizes and Mounting Options

    Contact us for a quote on your specific size and mounting needs.

    • Standard Plaque prints are available in four finish choices. Finishes are acid-free and ultraviolet (UV) light protected, shielding them against fading and deterioration, and can be wiped down with water or ammonia-free cleaners.
    • We highly recommend Metalized Paper for prints, plaques and PlexiPlaq products. This special paper does an excellent job of bringing out the detail in the photographs.
    • All of our plaques are produced by Duraplaq on photo-quality high-density boards. Numerous mounting styles and edge treatments are available.
    • Approximate lead time for shipping prints is one week. Plaque mounts and other options are approximately two weeks.

    The above sizes and mounting options are a small subset of the overall mounting options we offer. Our photographs are available as traditional prints, framed prints, plaque mounts, aluminum prints and PlexiPlaq. We also offer Tri-Panel, Quad-Panel, Wall Clusters & Splits, and many of our gigapixel photographs are available as wall murals. Commercial licensing is also available for a variety of applications.