Moon and Sandstone Arch, Valley of Fire
This is my favorite image from the Valley of Fire. It was incredibly peaceful and quiet with not a speck of wind or noise. The moon was positioned just right to fit nicely into a small cleft in this 10′ natural sandstone arch. While the daytime temps were warm enough that I could wear shorts and t-shirt, once the sun went down I had my long pants, hat and two sweaters on. One of my cameras suddenly started sparking and then spontaneously blew apart when I first photographed this arch under glorious golden morning sunlight. I’m pretty sure it was because the poor sensor could not cope with the incredibly rich and saturated red and orange hues that this gem of an arch exudes when the sun warms it up. I don’t think Canon Professional Services will be covering that one. My remaining camera (coward) insisted that it only be subjected to this arch at night when the color and detail of the scene is more subdued, which is why I ended up with this image. I’m already looking forward to a return to the incredible Valley of Fire State Park when I pass by on my way to Page for a few days of desert landscape photography with some buddies in March!
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| Natural arch formed in sandstone frames the setting moon. Image ID: 26486 Location: Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, USA |
Do you like how I worked the word incredible into this blog post three times? No, make that four! Incredible! Oops, that’s five. Google loves that.
See more Valley of Fire stock photographs.
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Updated: May 23, 2013
Ahh the old exploding camera routine. Seems to happen a lot in the southwest with those amazing blue skies and radiant sandstone. Seriously, this is an awesome image Phil. I love the moon-flair!
Comment by Russ Bishop — 2/2/2011 @ 1:02 pm
So what happened with the camera? (and where is this arch? I like it way better than the one that I found!)
Comment by John H. Moore — 2/2/2011 @ 1:13 pm
Thanks Russ!
John: the camera is toast. The arch is in Valley of Fire!
Comment by Phil — 2/2/2011 @ 1:15 pm
Beautiful shot, Phil. Can’t wait till next month!
Comment by Garry McCarthy — 2/3/2011 @ 12:01 am