It was one of those unexpected, but fairly common moments in photography where one's attention is so thoroughly focused on one particular scene or image, that you may miss an equally impressive scene forming outside the edges of your vision. While standing on the Canyon Junction Bridge in Zion National Park with several dozen other photographers waiting for the setting sun to illuminate the Watchman in golden evening tones, no one noticed the play of color and light taking place behind us up the canyon as the sun painted the canyon walls and the sky.
Ultimately, one photographer turned away from the Watchman, and noticed this beautiful spectacle. Comically, this triggered a rapid movement of photography gear from the south rail of the bridge to the north rail. Fortunately for me, the observant photographer had been set-up right next to me, so I was able to make my way across the bridge before the mad dash of the larger group.
It just goes to show that it's important to remember to look around as you're taking photos. Sometimes, the most spectacular image is the one you don't see.
This photo was made with a Canon EF17-40 mm f/4L USM lens zoomed to 40 mm mounted on a Canon 5D Mk. III. The exposure was set to 1/8 sec at f/8.0 and ISO 800.