Of all the places Ive traveled for photography my most common destination is the Southwest. In particular Northern Arizona and Southern Utah. Theres something about the beautiful red rock, the way the wind has carved the sandstone or formed gigantic hoodoos, the giant vistas and the stunning monsoonal sunsets.
My first southwest trip in 2014 took Willie and I all over Northern Arizona. We started out on the southern border of Utah, explored the area around Page, and eventually made our way to Tuba City and the Painted Hills. It was our second night shooting this location and Willie and I had high hopes that the monsoon clouds would stick around for our sunset shoot something they had not done the night before.
We arrived early and noticed a stunning section of rolling hills: layers of various red rock with small mountains in the background. The clouds were perfectly aligned, if only theyd stay put. When the clouds burst into reds and oranges we both knew we were witnessing something special. After photographing the scene we both ran off in different directions, hoping to find another composition before the sky faded. I found this curve in the silstone and knew it would make a great photo. By the time I got Willies attention the color in the clouds had already begun to fade. This is a cloud Ill never forget
Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8:
17mm, f/14, 4.0 sec, ISO 100
