The Canyonlands Overlook
Somewhere between The Needles and Island In The Sky is the Canyonlands Overlook. It takes a bit of four wheeling to get there, but the trip is definitely worth it. Here’s a shot from the overlook, captured just before sunset on an October day.
Sedona In Mind
When I think of Sedona, AZ, I naturally think of the red rocks that it is so well known for. But I also think of the Agave plants found scattered throughout the landscape. I’ve always felt that they make an interesting photographic foreground subject. Her’s an image that features both the red rocks and a couple of health Agave, captured just as the sun was setting.
Frosty Desert Sunrise
The Sonoran Desert has had an unusually wet Winter of 2019. When freezing temperatures met heavy precipitation in late February, we were treated to the heaviest snowfall I’d seen since leaving the North East in 2003. This photo was captured in the Four Peaks Wilderness before sunrise, 2 days after the storm.
Monsoon Sunset
Interesting skies have returned to Arizona thanks to the summer monsoons. This sunset was particularly colorful.
Magnificent Capitol Reef
Late afternoon in Capitol Reef National Park, UT. I climbed a hill off of the park’s Scenic Road to access this view of a small oasis near the Fruita Historic District. Capitol Reef is Utah’s least visited national park, but it’s certainly not for lack of spectacular views.
Autumn in the Canyons
I’d spent the night before camping up on the cliffs in the distance. When morning arrived, I noted a dry river bed lined with golden Cottonwood trees many miles below. I drove down and hiked along the sandy bluff above the river until I found this spot. With the trees illuminated by the afternoon sun, I waited for the cliffs to fall into shadow before releasing the shutter.
Forward
…to 2018. The possible titles included “You Don’t know What It’s Like” and “Dust In The Wind”. Grand Canyon National Park, South Rim at sunset, September 2017.
Glowing Window
Sunrise through a hazy atmosphere lends a warm glow to Angels Window on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
Life Above The Needles
The very first rays of sunshine light up a gnarled juniper pine that manages to survive on the edge of a cliff, high above the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. Smoke from wildfires across the south west created a haze on the horizon.
THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST: Landscape Photography by Mark Capurso 