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Outtakes from the Grand Canyon

4:20 am

When I was 19, my parents took me to Grand Canyon West in Arizona USA. The Grand Canyon truly is an incredible display of the forces of nature. When I left, I left with a craving to come back one day and hike the canyon, all the way along the Colorado River.

But when I got home, I liked none of the images I took. Despite heavily editing the photos to bring out the contrast and colors, I was still unhappy with the shots and decided not to publish photos of the trip on the blog. Gradually, I forgot about them until earlier this year, when I was going through my old shots to update my travel photography portfolio.

I was still primarily focused on fashion and portrait photography when I visited the Grand Canyon, and I like to think that my photography has improved in these last few years. But these outtakes are a good reminder for me to keep learning, keep reading, and keep shooting.



Learning is not a product of schooling but the lifelong attempt to acquire it.

- Albert Einstein.


Now that I've finally made my peace with these photographs, I'm ready to share a few of them, at last:

A viewpoint: Eagle Point - see the head and wings of the eagle??The Colorado River, disappearing into around the bend. I'm curious to see what other people's take is on this. Have you ever gone on a amazing trip and only wish you had nicer photos to show for it? If that ever happens, do you hide your shots, or do you show them anyways?

I somehow found a camera at 16 and have been taking pictures since.

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15 comments

  1. vuelo barato6/2/12 6:40 am

    I have traveled several times to the U.S. but never had the opportunity to get to know the Grand Canyon, looks stunning, thanks for the information.

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  2. Merilee Mitchell6/2/12 7:49 am

    These are really, really beautiful. I'm glad to see that you chose to shoot the Grand Canyon a little "differently" than usual. I particularly like the second photo...

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  3. Rachel B6/2/12 8:43 am

    Whoops. I spelled your name wrong. Sorry, Tracy. dur.

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  4. Rachel B6/2/12 8:43 am

    Honestly Tracey, I don't think photographs will EVER fully communicate the awe-inspiring beauty, majesty, wonder, and vast expanse of the Grand Canyon. I have yet to see a photo - including the ones I took when I went there six years ago - that makes me feel as humble nor as full of joy as I felt when I was actually there. That said, your photos are great and interesting. Don't be too hard on yourself.

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  5. Tracy Zhang6/2/12 9:46 am

    Good catch! Thanks for your comments, Rachel.

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  6. themattressmaniac@gmail.com6/2/12 10:02 am

    I really like your depth of view on these photos. Most of the time I take photos they look flat and it seems like it's not worth taking, but these are great!

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  7. Eden6/2/12 1:41 pm

    Nicely done Tracy. It's funny how sometimes it just takes a little time to "make peace" with our photos, as you said.

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  8. Real-Life Housewife6/2/12 3:30 pm

    Beautiful photos! I'm glad you made peace with them. :)

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  9. dafarmer6/2/12 6:28 pm

    I actually live in the Grand Canyon State. I loved it there and I've been there 3 times since I have lived here. Only a 4 hour drive from my home. I have several pictures from the Grand Canyon itself that I have hidden from view and the town of Sedona that I took. But I have gone through several of my albums and have begun to make peace with lots of pictures. Even ones that I hate before but with a touch of editing look great!

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  10. Andreas Moser7/2/12 1:40 am

    The Grand Canyon is a great place and it's just too damn hard to capture it on camera, unless you're in a balloon above it. So don't worry about it.

    My personal policy is that I will still post my pictures, to have a reason to blog about it. A blog is better than no blog.

    But in the end, you went to the Grand Canyon not to take photos for me or some other reader, but because YOU wanted to see and experience it. And you did. Don't worry about the rest of us. We can and should go ourselves.

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  11. Tracy Zhang7/2/12 3:42 am

    well said Andreas!

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  12. Karolis8/2/12 3:22 am

    I have never been to the Grand Canyon but looking at your pictures i can easily picture myself as though i am seeing it myself. They are vivid great photos.
    I like the citation by the worlds genius you so purposedly used in in the post, as a doctor i must say that nothing can be more true than that. Learning should not be viewed as a journey between station A to station B! Rather, it should be the very momentus of travelling without knowing where the station B exactly is...
    Good posting

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  13. iloveadventuring8/2/12 6:14 pm

    So awesome!

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  14. Davide27/2/12 10:51 am

    Interesting images, especially the second one. It has movement and contrast.
    Shooting the Grand Canyon should be hard. Never been there, but I can imagine it.

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  15. Robert Marriott7/3/12 5:08 am

    http://www.adventuretravelshop.co.uk The Grand Canyon images here are stunning - although it is very photogenic it's actually a difficult place to photograph as it is so massive.

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