A Painted Desert
I nearly gave up on trying to get anything useful on this day in Monument Valley, Arizona, due to the extreme heat and dust, but decided to wait it out until sunset and I glad I did. It's really hard to believe how much better everything looks towards dusk in this part of the country.
Light Catcher
This sunset view at the Grand Canyon is about the only time I can remember that I have worked on two compositions concurrently from the same tripod position.. I was able to get this scene and another 180 degrees opposite, without moving at all. I waited close to two hours, thinking and hoping that the sun would peek through at the horizon before setting to illuminate the canyon walls, even a few seconds, and luckily it paid off.
Canyon Colors
This sunset view at the Grand Canyon is one of two compositions that I made concurrently from the same tripod position on a summer evening. It was questionable if the sun was ever going to peek out of the clouds before setting, but I knew it would be spectacular for a few minutes if it did, and the waiting paid off this time.
Antelope House Ruin
The Antelope House ruin in Canyon del Muerto, with some petroglyphs visible on the canyon wall. The swastika symbol is not modern grafitti.. that symbol was used by the Navajo people (and in many other places around the world) as a symbol of good luck (actually it was even printed on Arizona road signs until 1942) long before it's misuse by the Nazis.
Monumental Evening
In this shot, the harsh light of day gives way to the deep, rich hues of twilight in Monument Valley.
