Looking at this aquatic scene it is hard to believe the normally here we would be looking at arid salt flats extending toward the horizon, not the reflective surface of a very large lake. But this is Death Valley, a place of astonishing variety, and sometimes that arid landscape is full of water.
Continue reading Desert Reflections, Lake Manly
I recall the first time that I became truly aware of the variety of patterns and texture found in the Sandstone faces of The Southwest. I was photographing deep in a canyon in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument with friends when I got the idea to keep my eyes open for petroglyphs, something I had not previously thought much about. Before long, I started imagining petroglyphs everywhere. Eventually, realizing that was impossible, I figured out that the rocks and erosion processes themselves produce remarkable patterns.
Continue reading Stained Sandstone, Lichen
This is not exactly my typical Death Valley National Park photograph, but for better or for worse, low fly-overs (and high altitude maneuvers) by military aircraft are part of the experience there. The park is virtually surrounded by military reserves and bases, and the atomic test site is not far to the east — in other words, there’s a heavy military presence in the area. My understanding is that part of the agreement that led to the establishment of the national park was a concession to allow overflights of the park.
Continue reading F-35
We arrived at Salt Creek before sunrise, planning to walk down to the end of the boardwalk and photograph some further areas at dawn. It used to be that you could continue on from there and investigate other interesting terrain, but there is now no obvious way off the boardwalk, likely because the park service is trying to protect those areas. So we photographed from the boardwalk as the sun came up.
Continue reading Boardwalk, Morning