Fire Wave

Posted on | December 13, 2011 | 11 Comments

Fire Wave at Sunset, Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada

I spent two days searching for the Fire Wave, only to make it there at dusk on my final day of the trip. Here’s the twist: I took the trail down to the Fire Wave and walked right past it the day before not realizing it was there. I read the directions online from multiple sources and it sounded as if it was at an unmarked area right by the White Domes so I spent my final afternoon of the trip driving back and forth along the road for several hours exploring off-trail on both sides of the road. As a result, I didn’t take any pictures that day until it was almost too dark to do so. It didn’t occur to me that the sign from the road pointing to “The Wave” was the same place as the “Fire Wave” as it is referred to by the photographer that discovered it.

Since I got there so late, there were three other photographers that beat me to punch so I wasn’t able to freely photograph the location. It’s much smaller than I thought it would be so I ended up going up above and shooting from this higher vantage point so I could avoid having other photographers creep into my frame.

This experience taught me something. I realized how stupid it is to chase icons at the expense of everything else because I missed a ton of great photo opportunities by being too fixated on one thing. I should have had more fun on this day than I did because I saw some amazing scenery. The next time I visit Valley of Fire State Park I am going to clear my mind of any preconceived ideas and just do what comes naturally.

Category: Nevada, Valley of Fire SP
Tags: scenic nature

Comments

11 Responses to “Fire Wave”

Greg Russell
December 13th, 2011 @ 11:24 am

Really well said, Richard. In my single visit to Valley of Fire, I purposely didn’t go to the Fire Wave because I wanted to discover more areas on my own. Its good to chase your own icons, rather than someone else’s.

-Greg
Richard Wong
December 13th, 2011 @ 1:00 pm

Thanks Greg. If time permits it’s worthwhile to check out but there’s a lot of other great stuff out there waiting to be discovered too.
Phil Colla
December 13th, 2011 @ 9:09 pm

Smart words, and still a very nice image that is different than most of the compositions there.
Derrick
December 13th, 2011 @ 9:47 pm

Awesome shot! Hard to not get target fixation, especially when you get it in your head you’re going to get “X”…. Sounds like you learned a good lesson though, and got a great shot out of it to boot!!
Richard Wong
December 13th, 2011 @ 11:08 pm

Thanks guys. I wonder if I left this caption-less how many people who have been here would recognize the location? I think that would be interesting test to see who actually explores the surrounding landscapes around icons.
latoga
December 13th, 2011 @ 11:20 pm

What I love about this photo is that it puts this “icon” into the perspective of it’s surrounding. I’ve seen many photos of the wave up close, but never one (before now) from this perspective.

Another key lesson is to always push yourself for that new perspective, from both new locations and iconic one’s. (The corollary being that many times you have to work your way through the known to find the unknown. )

(I have to admit that on my last trip here, I drove right by the sign as well…)
Richard Wong
December 13th, 2011 @ 11:30 pm

Thanks Greg. Really great point about pushing for a new perspective. The cool thing about really well-known scenic places is that you can go way out there with a composition and try something different because you know the standards have been done to death, and probably have a few yourself already.
Steve Sieren
December 13th, 2011 @ 11:41 pm

Richard, this is such a great image of Valley of Fire, if I found this in a google search for the “Fire Wave” it might confuse my icon hunting skills. Wouldn’t know to shoot your take or the one everyone else is “Following”. It’s the shots you make from your own ideas that make you feel the proudest of yourself.
Richard Wong
December 13th, 2011 @ 11:47 pm

Thanks Steve! I did manage a few shots from the perspective that everyone else does at the end but I like this version better.
David Leland Hyde
December 15th, 2011 @ 10:20 am

You’ve always done such a good job of doing your own thing before, why run with the crowd now, especially when you get superior results living it your own way. Nice work.
Richard Wong
December 15th, 2011 @ 1:59 pm

Thanks David. I got caught up in the moment I suppose.