Lockett Meadow by moon light

A nearly full moon rises in the east to illuminate one of Arizona's scenic icons; Lockett Meadow in the San Francisco Peaks.

Marble Canyon Sunrise Surprise

A crop of a larger panorama taken over Marble Canyon.

Alpenglow on Four Peaks

Last light and alpenglow below Four Peaks near Fountain Hills, Arizona. Snow can still be seen on the peaks from a winter storm the day before.

West Fork of Oak Creek Subway Reflectons

Fall leaves slowly float by in the Subway at the West Fork of Oak Creek.

Red Stripe

A thin pale red stripe from the clouds above adds a subtle beauty to the marsh and reed landscape of Hart Mine Marsh on the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge.

Foggy Morning on the East Fork of the Black River

The previous, very-rainy day produced foggy conditions the next morning along this stretch of the river. I didn't have much time at this spot and was only able to make a few photographs before it started to rain and ended my photography for the morning. Nevertheless, it had been a very special morning.

Bulldog Rock on the Salt River

This iconic scenic is the same place people put in to go inner-tubing down the Salt River to escape the extreme heat of the Arizona Summer.

Sneezeweed Sunset

This sunset is not what it seems to be with the color in the sky coming from the south. Obviously, the sun sets in the west, not the south. But during the monsoon, with tons of cloud cover, brilliantly illuminated clouds to the south suffice as the sunset. #withsneezeweed

Horse Creek Meadow Monsoon

A low spot in this idillic meadow was still flooded from heavy rains the day before. A pine tree's shadow points to the clouds building up on the horizon in late July.

Forest Fog

It was an amazing experience watching the fog rise up out of the forest at the end of the day. The landscape was super-saturated from heavy rains. As night started to settle in, the fog started to appear. The fog grew more intense the darker it got. It moved in and around the trees giving it a ghost-like quality. Thin sheets of fog flowed out of the forest like lazy water into low spots on the flat open ground. During this experience, I was struck by how peaceful and serene this had been. There was no foreboding and dread like in a horror movie. It was a quiet and calming end to an action packed day. Darkness had the last laugh. Or was it only the absence of light?

Big Bends

Horse Creek makes a ridiculous number of bends on its course to the ocean. I saw this place on Google Earth and could not believe it, so, I had to see it. Sure enough, there were lots of amazing twists, turns and bends of every imaginable type winding through open meadows lined with quintessential, ponderosa pine forest. This was the day after a huge downpour of monsoon-season rain in the area caused the creek to double in size overnight. It would take another 24-hours for it to return to normal. It was a very fast-flowing creek and it made me wonder what its personality was like in a drier time.

Not a Bridge to Nowhere

Water and rocks, trees and grass, sky and clouds, all working in perfect harmony along Horse Creek.

Coneflowers and the Black River

The Black River flows by cut leaved coneflowers on a stormy morning in July.

Mountain Dew

Dew covered grass adorns this forested knoll in the White Mountains.

Marble Canyon Slab

Marble Canyon Wilderness, northern Arizona.

Chocolate Reflections

Monsoon clouds are reflected in the chocolate-colored waters of the Little Colorado River near Grand Falls.

Snow and Fog

Low hanging clouds, freshly fallen snow and majestic peaks of Colorado's San Juan Mountains. This color photograph is almost monochrome and flies in the face of the fact it was peak Fall color in the area.

Spur Cross Stunner

A stunning sunset over the Spur Cross Preserve near Cave Creek, Arizona.

West Fork Morning Rays

Crepuscular rays shine down on the West Fork of Oak Creek near Sedona, Arizona

Fall on the Red Rocks

A stormy day was the perfect lighting for all the intricate details along the banks of Oak Creek. This single frame is part of a much larger panorama.

Moon over Marble

A full moon rises over Marble Canyon in northern Arizona.

Cut

A juniper bears the mark of a chainsaw.

Morning Glow

Morning light on the San Francisco Peaks in northern Arizona.

First Light on the Peaks

Morning sunlight adds a pink hue to the slopes of the San Francisco Peaks with snakeweed blooming in the meadow. This was a frantic photograph. I was on the other side of the ridge shooting the sunrise and turned around to see some color on my main subject. I sprinted to set up and grab what I could before the color faded. And fade fast it did.

Peak Afternoon Light

Sunbeams, snakeweed and the San Francisco Peaks.

Snakeweed Triptych

Snakeweed blooming along with the changing light of a day near the San Francisco Peaks. I hadn't intended to put these together like this. Then I remembered seeing Monet's "Haystacks" in the Art Institute of Chicago's collection in the 90s. The series of paintings focused on the changing light of day on a pair of haystacks. It was interesting how one was warm and bright, while another was cold and dark depending on the time of day. So, while I was going through my images in post-production, I discovered I had the images to make it happen. Voila!