Icons of American Southwest
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Navajo Arch
Breathtaking beauty of Zion
Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are The Window through which you must see the world. Bernard Shaw
Delicate sunset
Bisti Badlands
Winter at Dead Horse Point
According to the legend, a number of horses died of thirst at this sight of the Colorado River. I always carry water during my photo shoots. Nevertheless, I also almost choked to death when I first time witnessed this beauty.
Heart of Utah
All you need is love. While I was hiking in endless deserts of Utah, I found a heart ❤️shaped by two different types of natural stone.
If you ever feel like you are stuck in one place, bored of everything, and drained of energy, - pack a sandwich, a bottle of water, turn your phone to airplane mode, and go for a three hour hike to the nearest park. The healing beauty of nature will cure you, revitalize and inspire you for your next adventure.
Needles
Composition and other technicalities.
At times I work hard at including pieces of the landscape puzzle into my frame, other times I work on taking things off. One way or another, I am always at the mercy of Mother Nature. Here is how I built my story here:
I noticed there were two layers of clouds. The lower layer was slightly darker. I used the darker clouds as the top of my frame. At the bottom I had two different types of stone as well. I used darker reddish stone as the bottom of my frame. There were two leading lines to the center piece: lines of snow in the bottom right corner, and slightly stretched clouds in the top left corner. I found the center piece interesting. However, the left center side was higher than the right one. I needed more light at the right center side to balance the center piece. I waited for it. As you can see, I finally got more light at the right center piece than at the left. Also, I had a nice white cloud on the right center side to counter balance the higher left center piece. In addition to all of these, I liked the horizontal and vertical line patterns: red and white stones on the ground, dark and bright clouds in the sky. In order to get a nice soft light and texture revealing shadows, this shot had to be taken during the sunset. The light and the position of the sun had to be calculated in advance. The weather could be predicted with only some degree of certainty.
The colors of this photo are within complimentary color theory.
This is one exposure.
The Organ
If you are wondering how Mars would look like after we colonize it, go for a hike at Arches National Park. Fresh air and some of the best sceneries will entice your imagination.
UtahArches National ParkCourthouse TowersThe OrganVitaly Glad
Balanced Rock
Shiprock
Shiprock is a lonely volcanic rock formation at the endless Navajo high desert plains. Peaking at 7 177 feet, its top often times rests above the clouds. Native Americans call it Tse Bitai, which means 'rock with wins'. Tse Bitai is a central peace of many legends of native Navajo people. It carries great historical and religious meaning. I took this sunrise shot with honor and respect for this wonder. Every time I look at this photo, I can feel the mystical wind taking me back to this sacred place.
