Desert

Moods and colors of the great Desert Southwest

Chocolate Swirl, Valley of Fire
Evening at The Wave in Valley of Fire Park, near Las Vegas Nevada.
Nevada Valley of Fire Desert
Melting Away-Death Valley
The eroded shapes and textures of Death Valley, touched by dawn's first light.
Melting Away Death Valley Death Valley Desert California
Longshadow
Life clings to the shifting sands of the dunes in Death Valley, highlighted by the late afternoon light and shadows.
Longshadow
Arch Rock and Moon
Probably the most famous formation in Joshua Tree, seen here just before sunset, with the moon rising.
Arch Rock and Moon Joshua Tree
Death Valley Dawn
Dawn light on the amazing eroded hills west of Zabriski Point; the Badwater flats and Panamint Mountains are seen in the distance.
Death Valley Dawn
Joshua Evening
Mojave Evening
Granite boulders almost seem to glow orange when captured in the last rays of afternoon sun at Joshua Tree.
Desert Glow
Desert Survivors
These little trees somehow cling to life in the drifting sands at Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley.
Desert Survivors
Death Valley Dunes (wide)
Panoramic view of the Stovepipe Wells Dunes in Death Valley, photographed in the first rays of morning light.
Death Valley Dunes Wide
Light and Shadow, Death Valley
Shapes and colors of desert dunes, enhanced by the setting sun in Death Valley.
Light and Shadow
Death Valley Dunes
Wind blown shapes, light and shadow are constantly on the move at the dunes in Death Valley. A figure on the crest gives a sense of the scale.
Death Valley Dunes Death Valley California Desert
Andreas Canyon, (wide)
Cold, pure water flows down from Mt. San Jacinto through the oasis of Andreas Canyon in Palm Springs.
Andreas Canyon Wide
Palm Canyon Evening
A lush, green palm oasis photographed in the evening at Indian Palm Canyon in Palm Springs, California.
Palm Canyon Evening
Juniper and Monolith, Twilight
A post-sunset twilight view of the standing rock monolith and juniper tree in Joshua Tree National Park.
Juniper and Monoilith Twilight
Artist's Palette
Minerals in the rock create some unusual colors at this spot in Death Valley.
Artist's Palette
Mojave Desert Light
The last rays of sunlight create a magical effect after a cloudy day in Joshua Tree.
Mojave Desert Light Joshua Tree California
Boulders, Joshua Tree
Amazing stacks of granite boulders take on a different character in the evening twilight of Joshua Tree.
Boulders Joshua Tree
Spring Garden, Borrego
A patch of Chollas growing among spring greenery in the Borrego Desert. You need to stay very aware of where and how you move when photographing a cluster of these babies, or you'll get painfully stuck.
Spring Garden Borrego
Infinite Dunes
The dunes seem to go on forever in the wilderness area of Imperial Dunes Recreational Area in far southeastern California, right next to the Arizona border.
Infinite Dunes
Stormy Day, Joshua Tree
Granite boulders and a small Joshua Tree seen against a threatening winter sky.
Stormy Day Joshua Tree
Juniper and Monolith
It took me several years to find this spot in Joshua Tree after seeing a few pictures of it on the web. I finally found it quite by luck and was glad to be there on a perfect day when the sky and lighting were just the way I hoped for... a very rare occurrence.
Juniper and Monolith Desert Joshua Tree Juniper Tree Standing Rock
Dunes and Long Shadows
The shadows of early evening accent the graceful curving shapes of the dunes at Death Valley.
Dunes and Long Shadows
Stream, Indian Canyons
Cold, pure water flows down from Mt. San Jacinto through the oasis of Andreas Canyon in Palm Springs.
Stream Indian Canyons
Andreas Canyon Stream
Cold, pure water flows down from Mt. San Jacinto through the oasis of Andreas Canyon in Palm Springs.
Andreas Canyon Stream
Desert Bloom
These Beaver Tail cacti in the Borrego Desert, along with all the different species of cactus and desert flowers, bloom brightly each spring. Thousands of visitors come every weekend to observe and photograph the event.
Desert Bloom
Looking Sharp
Blooming spring flowers provide some interesting color and contrast on cactus in the Borrego Desert.
Looking Sharp
Yellow Cactus Bloom
The yellow flowers of a Barrel Cactus blooming in the sun of the Borrego Desert spring.
Yellow Cactus Bloom
Cactus Flower
A rare rainy day in the Borrego Desert makes the red of this unusual cactus flower especially attractive.
Cactus Flower
Spring in Borrego
A rather tall Cholla Cactus in Borrego, surrounded by fresh green growth and tiny desert flowers; a scene you will only see in the Spring in this very hot and arid area.
Spring Borrego
Electric Teddy Bear
A Cholla cactus, (also called the "Teddy Bear Cactus"), when backlit by the sun looks warm and fuzzy, but they are anything but if you happen to touch one... the sections break off easily and the barbs are extremely hard to remove.
Electric Teddy Bear