Travel · Chicago

The Watchman & the Milky Way

Zion National Park · Utah

This Milky Way photograph captures The Watchman rising above Zion National Park under a luminous spring sky filled with stars, color, and quiet drama.

I made this photograph during a spring photography workshop in Zion, after getting up at 3 a.m. to reach the bridge above the Virgin River before the sky opened. When we arrived, the clouds were thick and disappointing, but I stayed and waited until they finally lifted, revealing this unforgettable view of the Milky Way over The Watchman. That patience turned a quiet, uncertain start into one of the most exciting moments of the trip.