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Just west of Carefree, Arizona is Bartlett Lake, a reservoir lake formed by the damming of the Verde River. We had heard that the Arizona Desert poppies where bountiful here, so we just had to check it out! On our arrival, we noted these yellow-orange poppies covered the landscape and they were indeed beautiful! That said however I was most taken by the unique mix of saguaro trees and the soaring mountains in the background. Some of the key elements that I like in this photo include: -The darkest dark shadows (group mass), demands the viewer's attention, creating a strong focal point. -The strong vertical lines (the saguaro trees), adding contrast. -The color variety, that makes the depth of field stand out.
How lucky I was to be at Watson Lake (ready with my camera set for a long exposure), when the moon rose with the earth’s shadow in the background; which created an array of beautiful colors!
We arrived at Monument Valley with plans to tour and photograph the valley, We were so excited! It wasn’t however until we checked into the KOA campground (near the entrance) that we discovered the Valley was closed to visitors (because of covid). We were very disappointed but we decided to stay and explore the outlining area instead. Being an early riser, I’ve seen many beautiful sunrises but none were quite as amazing as this. Knowing how quickly the golden colors would change, I hurried outside and walked to a clearing where (only) these monumental mountains were in view. 5 minutes later, the colors were gone and the clouds dissipated. Okay, so I didn’t get to explore Monument Valley but I consider myself very fortunate to have been here (at the right time) to photography this beautiful sunrise.
