A Surreal Night II

There are many places in this world that are failed by any form of description. Amazing rock formations, patterns and colors make this area a top bucket list location for landscape photographers.

A Surreal Night

Surreal scenery, coyotes songs in the night and a beautiful Milky Way in the Arizona high desert made it a special night. Getting here is a challenge but definitely worth the effort.

Candy Swirl

I have made it White Pocket a few times now and each time, the other worldly rock formations take your breath away. There are many places in this world that are failed by any form of description and, no doubt this is one of them. Futhermore, the surreal scenery takes on another dimension under the Milky Way. This is a composite with the foreground captured during the blue hour.

Tatahatso Point

Tatahatso Point overlooks Point Hansbrough and the Colorado River in north-central Arizona. This huge meander is bigger than the ultra popular Horseshoe Bend a few miles north. That said, it isn’t nearly as easy to get to. Getting to shoot the Milky Way over Tatahatso Point was an incredible experience.

Candy Land

Another incredible experience to photograph the Milky Way at White Pocket. The drive to White Pocket itself is a great adventure and requires a high clearance 4X4 vehicle and experienced driver. As a rookie Jeep owner, I did not bother to air down the tires and sure enough got stuck in the soft sand. Lucky for me, a group came by and helped me out of the situation. Needless to say, my driving chops had vastly improved by the time I completed the trip.

The Reflection

This is one of my favorite spots in Sedona especially after rain as the red rock assumes an even darker color.

The Tree with a View

This juniper tree offered excellent opportunities for framing Cathedral Rock so I could not resist the opportunity. In practice it proved a lot harder getting both the tree and Cathedral Rock to be in focus. This ended up being a composite of two images.

The Window Frame

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

Peace and Serenity

This has been one of my favorite places to visit during our visit to Arizona this year. This place is especially beautiful after it has rained and the small puddles reflect Cathedral Rock. I was there for multiple sunsets and sunrises each time it would rain in the hopes of getting some action in the skies to complement the awesome Cathedral Rock monument and foreground. As luck would have it, I never came back feeling that I had achieved the killer shot I was hoping for. Eventually, as the weeks went by and March rolled on, the opportunity for a Milk Way shot also arose but as luck would have it, the skies turned overly cloudy and the reflection ponds started drying out. I finally did get my chance one night and the skies cleared up briefly. Most of the water puddles had dried out but this one was still holding on to its water. The sky is composed of 10 shots stacked with Starry Milk Way Stacker. The foreground was captured during the blue hour.

After the Snow

This was our second attempt to stay near Sedona during the winter season and capture some of the beauty that comes after a weather event. The area was blessed with a fair amount of rain and snow and it was wonderful to capture snow on Cathedral Rock during a beautiful sunset.

Red & White

The striking red rock and snow at Cathedral Rock made for an amazing scene during this beautiful sunset.

Metamorphosis

This image was taken after a recent snow storm at the Desert View Point in Grand Canyon National Park. It was bitterly cold but the scene was mesmerizing as the sun played hide and seek with the clouds constantly revealing different shades of the valley.

Robbers Roost

We got to enjoy a beautiful sunset at this location called the Robbers Roost in Sedona. Getting here requires a 4WD high clearance vehicle for the last one mile of the drive. The trail that leads to the roost is short – only 0.4-mile one way – but steep and rocky.

Sunset at Robbers Roost

Another image from a wonderful sunset at Robbers Roost in Sedona. The trail that leads to the cave is short – only 0.4-mile one way – but steep and rocky. There is a small part at the end of the hike that requires traversing a sloping ledge with a several hundred feet drop off. So caution is advised.

The Sacred Tree

The Seven Sacred Pools on the Soldier Pass Road and Trail is an easy hike in Sedona. I found this majestic tree at the location that I could not resist photographing. Getting there for sunrise is a bit of a challenge as there are gates to the trailhead that do not open till much later.

The Seven Sacred Pools on the Soldier Pass Road and Trail is an easy hike in Sedona. I found this majestic tree at the location that I could not resist photographing. Getting there for sunrise is a bit of a challenge as there are gates to the trailhead that do not open till much later.

The Seven Sacred Pools

One of the many unique sights in the Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness is a series of natural pools, reached by way of an easy hike from Soldier Pass Road and Trail. Seven Sacred Pools - Sedona, Arizona The Seven Sacred Pools were naturally carved out of ocher colored sandstone and fed by a seasonal stream. In this transition zone between the Oak Creek Mountains and Sedona's arid desert land, the pools are a very important water source for the area's wide variety of wildlife.

The Three Sisters

I had travelled to the area several times waiting for the flowers to bloom and the blue skies to yield some color. The flowers were not spectacular but finally got this image that I am pretty happy with.

A Desert Spectacular

Passing thunderstorm in Arizona

At the Edge

This beautiful tree caught my attention during a beautiful sunrise at Watson Lake. The boulder like formations at Watson Lake create an amazing other worldly view and each step presents unique opportunities to enjoy.

Dragon Land

Big Horn Family

Love to see the Big Horn Sheep traversing across the grasslands and mountain ridges in Badlands National Park. The young ones stay close to the mom as they learn to explore and climb along the rocky canyon ridges. Photographed in Badlands National Park, South Dakota. July 2021. www.shootingnomadsphotography.com