California
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I spent Christmas in Desert Hot Springs (with some dear friends) and although I wanted to travel home to my family I had to considered the implications; my tightening time frame (to the set up of the Arizona Fine Art Expo) and then of course, the threat of covid exposure. One of the most visually interesting things in Palm Springs are the 100's of wind turbines that cover the valley floor and hillsides; my objective here (besides Christmas!) was to get some "signature" shots of the Coachella Valley. It was late day when I noticed a sudden weather change so off I went, to my pre-planned photographic destination. With my tripod firmly anchored in the desert sand and my camera focused on a grouping of wind turbines, I suddenly noticed a change in overall color, and then I noticed why.... and you might say I changed my "focus"! The first thing I noticed was the complimentary colors of the hillsides and then I noticed the matching colors of the sky! "Really!" I exclaimed to myself! I was SO excited! It was (truly) so thrilling to witness this! I'm sure though, that most people wouldn't have noticed the colors of the hillsides but I'm so color intuitive that they "screamed" (lol) at me! With little time to spare, I removed my camera from my tripod, switched lenses and hand held this shot. I wanted a high quality panoramic shot of this scene so this photograph is actually comprised of three shots (that I later stitched together in post production). Sure, I didn't get the shots of the wind turbines I wanted but I got this shot instead; which made my day!
Death Valley (California) is known for extremes; it is North America's driest and hottest spot with fewer than two inches/five centimeters of rainfall annually and a record high of 134°F. It too has the lowest elevation on the continent (282 feet below sea level) and yet is only 76 miles from the highest point in the country, Mt. Whitney (at 14,505 feet) and two hours west of Las Vegas. I intentionally composed this photo to make you ( the viewer) question, "What is that?”. It's a barren mountainside, as seen from Zabriskie Point. From here the point offers a stunning and impressive panoramic views of the badlands; it’s various metals have oxidized the clay creating eye-popping reds, yellows, greens, blues, and purples. What a sight to see! There's a 2.5 mile loop trail that leads you through gullies and gulches, however because of our time restrictions, we weren’t able to explore it. We’ll have to go back!
Joshua Tree National Park is a vast protected area in southern California, near the community of Yucca Valley. This high elevation national park is characterized by it's rugged rock formations and stark desert landscapes. Named for the region’s twisted, bristled Joshua trees its uniqueness draws thousands of visitors each year.
