Distinctly Desert
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I absolutely loved all of the Saguaro cacti in Saguaro National Park, Arizona! They dotted the landscape no matter which direction I looked. One morning during sunrise, I noticed this beautiful prickly pear with a Saguaro cactus in the background. I put all of the focus on the prickly pear as the soft, desert sky took on different colors of the rising sun. I really enjoyed creating this fun photo while also still capturing the simplicity of the desert.
What I loved most about Aruba was the combination of desert plus ocean. Every night for sunset, I got to pick between which scenery I wanted to watch. For this photo, I chose the desert and captured how the silhouette of the cacti contrasted against the bright orange sky. What was even more enjoyable was hearing the ocean in the distance. Aruba has such an incredible variety of landscapes.
Looking out over the desert floor in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona, I was in love with the seemingly endless forest of desert plants and cacti. Ocotillo, teddy-bear cholla, prickly pear, and saguaro were just a few of the plants I spotted. Also incredible was watching the Ajo Mountains turn a beautiful, deep, red-purple color as the sun set. I watched the shadows creep slowly up the valley and eventually onto the mountains.
Everything about Big Bend National Park is magical to me. I was greeted with a new scene each night while backcountry camping. On this particular evening, the moon sits high in the sky during blue hour. I loved the colors and the simplicity of the huge desert sky before me. I combined two photos of this scenery in order to bring the image to life.
Sunsets are always spectacular and a beautiful experience, but sometimes I witness sunsets where I am absolutely blown away. This was definitley one of those sunsets and the colors just kept coming! I kneeled low to the ground to bring out some of the wildflowers against the background. The sky showed off swirls of colors in wave-like patterns. Truly a vibrant desert sunset like no other!
Different flora of the Chihuahuan Desert light up during sunrise in Big Bend National Park. Fog hugs part of the Chisos Mountains in the background. Sunrise in the desert is often a dramatic experience with the change in temperature from the cool nights to the warm days. When I first arrived to this spot, it was cold and the sky was pitch black. Within minutes, the colors of the sky changed, the desert plants turned golden, and the warm sun spilled over me.
Splashes of orange paint the sky and purple shadows deepen the mountains in Joshua Tree National Park during sunset. After spending the entire day outside hiking in the harsh, bright sun, I especially loved this sunset scenery because I was witnessing the land changing colors, softening its features, and magic energy spilling out everywhere.
This is a moment when I saw bright, orange rain for the first time. Camping on some elevated rocks in Mojave National Preserve in California, I was greeted with this incredible sunset. Rich purples, pinks, and blues...color was everywhere. But by far the neatest part was watching the rain turn bright orange in the setting sun. Streaks of orange fell from the sky like cascading fire.
While backcountry camping in Big Bend National Park in west Texas, I watched the sunlight as it peeked through a gap of dark, stormy clouds during sunset. The effect created a spotlight on a prickly pear cactus, lechuguilla plant, and creosote bush. The vibrant green colors of the desert plants shined brightly against the darkened Chisos Mountains in the background.