Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada – March 2023 – Part 27 – Final Sunset Shoot (continued)

This is the second part of our final sunset shoot in March 2023 in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada.

Rock Art

I’m always amazed at the rock sculpture nature provides for us to enjoy.

Wary Rock

There is definitely a wary looking face in this rock that appears to be watching me as I make this image.  Maybe this rock has had bad experiences with humans in the past.

Sandfall

While the image may not be a greatly attractive scene, I found it interesting enough to take time to capture it.  There is much texture, interesting rock shapes and lines running through the rock.  The image name is for the narrow wash in the center that has an accumulation of sand at the bottom center.

Catcher’s Mitt

I moved to the right from the last composition to make this image, which shows off some of the more interesting features in the rock.  The rock at the top, with its concave erosional form reminds me of a baseball catcher’s mitt.  With the Texas Rangers clinching a berth in the 2023 World Series, maybe this is an appropriate time to post this image.

Catcher’s Mitt

A close up, color version, of the “Catcher’s Mitt”.

Natural Shelters

Erosion has created holes in these rocks that I can imagine animals or ancient people using as shelters.  Modern day man might even take temporary shelter in one of these in an emergency.

To be continued,

Ken

 

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada – March 2023 – Part 25 – Another Sunset Shoot

This is a continuation of a late day shoot in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, March 2023.

Storm Light 13
Storm Shooter

My oldest son (on top of the peak in the lower right) shot the storm from other higher elevation vantage points and complained that I did not come up to join him.  I have not seen his photos, so I don’t know how to compare his to mine, but he is of the opinion that he had better views than I did.  I was busy shooting what I saw from my location and I thought I might miss out on the scene by taking time to move elsewhere and at least I know that we did not get identical shots.

Storm Shooter 2
When Gold Turns to Pink
Mystical Desert
Sunset Clouds and Distant Storm
Over The Hill Storm
Over The Hill Storm 2
Desert Eve
Storm Light 14
Storm Light 15
Storm Light 16

This wraps up today’s sunset shoot.  Next up, sunrise in the desert near the campground in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada.

Until then,

Ken.

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada – March 2023 – Part 24 – Another Sunset Shoot

This is a continuation of a March 2023 sunset shoot in Valley of Fire, Nevada.

Seeking Shelter
Skyline
Calm before the Storm
Light before the Dark
Skylight
Storm Light

I made many images with the late day light changing as the sun sank into the western horizon with clouds moving overhead and a distant storm on the easterly horizon.  I’m presenting a few selected images in this post.

Storm Light 6
Storm Light 7
Storm Light 10
Optical Filters
Storm Light 11

To be continued,

Ken

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada – March 2023 – Part 23 – Another Sunset Shoot

Hourglass

It seems suitable, at this time of the day, that the clouds in the sky and the geology in Valley of Fire, Nevada came together to create an hourglass shape, if one has the imagination to see it.

Light before the Storm

Another late day storm was brewing over the desert, which resulted in dramatic sky for background.

The Light and the Storm

I composed this image to have the rocks along the diagonal pointing towards the distant storm.

Then I thought maybe I had too much in this image, so I moved in close to the end portion of the foreground rock, keeping a portion of the little bush at the edge of the rock.

The Light and the Storm 2

This emphasized the foreground rock, but reduced the background and the stormy, cloudy sky, which I think is not an improvement.  The wider angle view is better, I think.

The Light and the Storm 3

I like the way the rock texture looks, even on its own, but with the late day light and a stormy sky background it seems to really pop.

The Light and the Storm 4

In this image I like the foreground shadows that contrast with the late day light on the middle ground and the background sky and the rugged geology.

Skyway – Walk this way to reach the clouds.
Symmetric Reflection – Earth and Sky Symmetry

Maybe the correct word is “symmetrical”, but the image is not exactly symmetrical, so I will stick with the “Symmetric” label.

Storm Reveal

I used the many linear features in the rock as leading lines in this photo, which is a cropped version of the original.  The original included much more of the foreground, as I like those linear features, but upon reviewing, I thought maybe I over did it with the foreground.

Rain Wish

To be continued with much more of that late day desert storm,

 

Ken

 

 

 

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada – March 2023 – Part 22 – Sunset Shoot

This is a continuation of a multiple part blog of a sunset shoot in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada.

Desert Structure 9
Desert Structure 10

The rock features in Valley of Fire take on different looks as one moves around, viewing these from various positions.

 

Desert Structure 11

 

To Reach the Gold, One Must Overcome the Obstacles

 

Desert Structure 15 – The Funnel

The Funnel is my name for this location.  The rock texture just seems to “funnel” one into the scene.

Desert Topping

Light tops off the distant rocks like a sweet, golden frosting on a multilayered cake, with a dollop of whipped cream on the edge.

Desert Topping 2

Everything in this image is in the previous one, but less.  I moved in to reduce the scope of the image, then cropped in more in post processing to make the sky more prominent and emphasize the large rock feature at the bottom right, which was in the bottom left of the previous image.  I think this makes the scene more dramatic, but that is in the eye of the beholder.

Flow and Glow

Evening sky flows and glows over Valley of Fire, Nevada, highlighting some features and casting others into deepening shadows.

This wraps up this sunset shoot, but there will be another.

Ken

 

 

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada – March 2023 – Part 19 – Sunset Shoot

This is a continuation of a multiple part sunset shoot in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada.

Serene Desert 5
Serene Desert 6
Desert Surf

The rock features here remind me of ocean waves and ripples on a shoreline.

Stage Light

A desert shrub stands as if on a stage in a spotlight as the late day desert light show begins.

Life on the Rocks

In a harsh, rocky, dry desert environment life finds a way to survive.

Life on the Rocks 2
Rock Huggers

Desert vegetation staying close to the rocks.  Is it because that is where the sand is deepest, where more water is available from run off from the rocks or is there more protection from the elements there?  I suspect all of those are factors in desert life survival.

Serene Desert 7
Serene Desert 8

 

Fin Rocks

These vertical rock protrusions remind me of fish fins.

This is a good place to end this post, but more of this sunset shoot to follow.

Until next time,

Ken

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada – March 2023 – Part 15 – Sunset Shoot

This is a continuation of a sunset shoot in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada.

Desert Tilt
Desert Tilt 2
Light Chase
Light Chase 2
Complex Geology
Shadow Remains
The Golden Life
Desert Nooks
Desert Eve

This concludes the sunset shoot on this day.

Until next time,

Ken

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada – March 2023 – Part 14 – Sunset Shoot

This is a continuation of a sunset shoot in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada.

Fragility in a Harsh Place
Serene Desert
Serene Desert 2
Juxtaposition
Golden Arch
Desert Contrast
Desert Variations

To be continued,

Ken

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada – March 2023 – Part 13 – Sunset Shoot

Photos from another sunset shoot in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada.  The day after the storm at sunset, we returned to the same area for another photo shoot.  Some of the photos in this post are similar to the evening prior, but with different lighting and sky

The Day After The Storm 1
The Day After The Storm 2
The Day After The Storm 3
Skyward Tilt
Desert Gold
Shadow Ravine

To be continued,

Ken

 

 

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada – March 2023 – Part 12 – Sunset Shoot

Desert Gold
Jug Handle Arches
Arch View
Relentless Evolution 1

There was a late day storm on the eastern horizon during this cloudy, sunset shoot.  Such desert storms contribute to the slow, but certain evolution of the rock features found here.  These are a few of those images.

Relentless Evolution 2

I made many images, capturing the changes in the sky as the storm and the late day lighting progressed.

Relentless Evolution 3
Relentless Evolution 4
Relentless Evolution 5
Relentless Evolution 6
Relentless Evolution 7
Evolution Layers

I hope the similarity of these images is not boring to the reader.  It was fascinating to see how the sky changed with the storm’s advanced across the landscape and the subtle changes in the light on the landscape.

Until next time,

Ken