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In my naive, younger years, I considered desert scenes rather boring. I thought they lacked color, vibrancy and interest however I’ve since discovered the real living desert and just how much I love photographing desert scapes. To experience a desert’s awakening, you truly must be on the desert floor as the sun rises, as I was here. It’s only then that you see the colors of the plants but also their renowned halos. That said, the most most notable were the Saguaro trees and Cholas (both have dense needles), as you can see in this photograph. This photo was taken from a biking/hiking trail in Brown’s Ranch State Park (McDowell Sonoran Preserve), in north-east Scottsdale, Arizona). We arrived just after the park gate opened and cycled into the sun as it rose. It was so (unbelievably) beautiful; I was in awe and in that moment, I counted my blessings for being here. Brown’s Ranch hosts my favorite cycling trail (to date) because they’re undulating and curvy while surrounded by the desert plants, large boulders and the far off mountains. We had a blast! AND what a spectacular morning!
I am not a fan of cold weather but the allure of a great shot is like Christmas morning; I can hardly wait to get out there! That said, it was the first frost of the season when I headed out with eager anticipation of what I might find. As I drove along this countryside I stumbled upon this view and I immediately noticed the lead in lines of the bulrushes and that they lead my eyes to the old farmhouse. It was early, the morning air was calm, the light was still blue (see note below) and the sun was just about to appear from behind the mountain. “Perfect!” I thought to myself, and I waited patiently for the sun to appear (brrr!). When the sun finally did appear and I was thrilled by what I saw! Notice how the warm casting sunlight accentuated the lead in line of the bullrushes and how it created a mix of both blue and gold color hues. Within seconds this amazing view disappeared; my patience (and tolerance for the cold) paid off! “Blue hour” is the light that is just prior to sunrise, or after sunset.
