The Mystery of the Picture of the Grand Canyon

A woman named Alice is looking through some old pictures and comes across a picture of herself along with her two best friends, Ann and April, and calls her friend Ann.

Ann answers the phone, and Alice says, “Hi, it’s Alice. I have a question for you. Did we ever go on a vacation to the Grand Canyon?”

Ann replies, “No, we went to Yellowstone National Park. Why do you ask?”

Alice says, “I was going through some old pictures and came across a picture of you, me, and April, and it looks like we’re standing in front of the Grand Canyon.”

They continue talking for a few minutes until the sound of a doorbell rings in the background. Ann says, “I have to go. My ride is here. I’ll call you back later today.”

Alice says, “That’s ok. It’s nothing urgent. I have some pictures of us that I’ve been downloading from my phone. I will send them to you.”

Alice, Ann, and April are life-long friends. They met in elementary school. They were in a class together where the students were seated in alphabetical order by first name. They became friends and their friendship has continued into their adulthood. They call and e-mail each other frequently and have gone on a number of vacations together.

A few months later Alice has a business trip in Las Vegas. The meeting is scheduled on a Friday and she decides to extend the trip over the weekend. She has always wanted to visit the Grand Canyon and the mysterious picture spurred her interest in visiting the national park. She often travels to Las Vegas for conferences and other business meetings and has often seen flyers at hotels advertising trips to the Grand Canyon. 

She conducts a search on the Internet and makes a reservation for a one-day tour to take on the Sunday before making the return trip home. On Sunday, she wakes up early and waits inside the hotel lobby for the tour bus to arrive. Once the bus arrives, she boards the bus.

The drive to the Grand Canyon takes a few hours. The tour guide provides an overview of the day's agenda and provides historical information about the Grand Canyon along the way. Once they reach the Grand Canyon, the bus makes a couple of stops. At each stop, the visitors are given time to walk around, enjoy the view, and take pictures. 

Alice finds herself completely in awe of the incredible scenic views. The large canyons that span for miles and miles are truly breathtaking. It’s almost hard to believe that something this beautiful and unique exists in nature. She wishes that she had more than a day to tour the park. She takes a number of pictures at each stop. 

A few months later Alice is walking through a mall and passes a portrait studio. She notices the pictures hanging outside the store front. A few of them pictures have scenic backgrounds and Alice starts to wonder if they are real.

She walks into the studio and up to the counter and asks the salesperson, “I was walking by the studio and noticed all the pictures. In some of the pictures, the people are posed in front of different cities or settings. Are you able to create different backgrounds?”

The salesperson says, “We can simulate all types of different backgrounds. You name it, we can probably do it. We can pose you in front of any city or historical site. New York, San Francisco, Paris, London, any mountain, university or famous building. We can also place you inside any type of car from an antique model to a convertible. For family portraits, one of our most popular backgrounds is a backyard scene.  For business portraits, we often pose people in front of a view of the city’s skyscrapers. We also get a lot of requests for sunsets.

The salesperson continues, “Here, let me show you.” The salesperson adjusts a computer screen so Alice can it and opens up a file and scrolls through a number of pictures to help her see the varying backgrounds.

After scrolling through a number of pictures, the salesperson says, “This is one of my favorites. We often use it for children’s pictures.” The portrait has been taken so it looks like the person is in a space suit and is walking on the moon.

The salesperson closes the file and turns to Alice and asks, “What do you have in mind?”

Alice says, “I don’t need my picture taken, but I would like to have a picture taken of my dog. Do you photograph pets?”

The salesperson says, “We can take your dog’s picture. Do you want to be included?” The salesperson points to a picture on the wall of a dog and its owner posed in front of an outdoor setting.

Alice says, “That’s a nice picture, but I don't think I need to be included.”

Alice schedules an appointment and leaves the studio. Armed with new knowledge, she is able to solve the mystery of the picture of the Grand Canyon. A few years ago, her friend April asked to borrow some of her pictures for a photography class. Alice has a lot of pictures and stores them in shoeboxes. Every once in awhile she may create an album. When her friend asked her if she could borrow a few pictures, she didn’t think much of it. She now realizes that April may have changed the background on the picture as part of the class.

The following week Alice returns to the portrait studio to have her dog’s picture taken. For a background, she initially considers a traditional background using the studio’s settings, but then decides to have them simulate a view of the city. 

Once the picture is ready, she returns to the studio to pick it up. At the bottom of the picture is a small paw print with the dog’s name printed underneath. She forgot that the signature would be included, but just like the added background of the Grand Canyon, it improves the picture. 

She places the picture in her hallway next to one of the pictures she took on her visit to the Grand Canyon. She makes a mental note to take an updated picture with her friends the next time they are together that can be placed alongside.