Page, Arizona, near Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, is one of my favorite towns in the Southwest. A crossroads between the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and Zion National Park, the area has become a vacation destination for desert residents and tourists alike, offering recreational water activities such as charting a boat through the flooded canyons of the man-made Lake Powell.
Lake Powell is a key part of the community which stores and regulates water from the Colorado River for the area as well as powering the Glen Canyon Dam which provides hydroelectric electricity to surrounding area and beyond. The red rock in this area is next to none, with every area offering beautiful trails and hidden views around each corner of the city.
This photo was taken in one such area which was behind a local gas station a mile outside of town. This is a well known sand cave that has gone viral on social media. The feeling of being in this cave is stunning, but I found the warped red rock a much more fascinating feature. Using a long exposure, I used my headlamp to paint the rock against the starry night.
The Bisti Badlands are a remote and alien world in northwest New Mexico situated in the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, an area protected by the Bureau of Land Management.
The name comes from the Dinë (Navajo) word “Bistahi” translating roughly to “among the adobe formations”. The wind-formed hoodoos in this region are numerous leading to bizarre formations, varied colors, and precariously balanced rocks. The area doubles as a designated dark sky territory providing an unpolluted night sky.
This was my second time visiting this desolate world, and this time I backpacked in at sunset and spent the entire night photographing around camp, using my headlamp to paint the rocks. Finally, late into the night, the Milky Way became visible with the naked eye, and this silhouette of the landscape perfectly framed our beautiful galaxy. It was a stunning sight.
The Bisti Badlands are a remote and alien world in northwest New Mexico located in the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, protected by the Bureau of Land Management.
Unlike more developed national parks, the Bisti Badlands are largely untouched and offer a sense of solitude. There are no marked trails or facilities, so visitors must navigate the land carefully so as not to get lost in this maze of hoodoos.
Backpacking into the middle of the area, I set up a tripod and started light painting. Requiring a fifteen second exposure and precise painting with my headlamp, getting this lit evenly was a daunting task. Next time I’ll bring a flash.
Page, Arizona, near Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, is one of my favorite towns in the Southwest. A crossroads between the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and Zion National Park, the area has become a vacation destination for desert residents and tourists alike, offering recreational water activities such as charting a boat through the flooded canyons of the man-made Lake Powell.
Lake Powell is a key part of the community which stores and regulates water from the Colorado River for the area as well as powering the Glen Canyon Dam which provides hydroelectric electricity to surrounding area and beyond. The red rock in this area is next to none, with every area offering beautiful trails and hidden views around each corner of the city.
This photo was taken in one such area which was behind a local gas station a mile outside of town. This is a well known sand cave that has gone viral on social media. The feeling of being in this cave is stunning, but I found the warped red rock a much more fascinating feature. Using a long exposure, I used my headlamp to paint the rock against the starry night.