The American Southwest

Arches Astrophotography and Night Scapes The American Southwest Utah

Pillar of Stone, Milky Way, Stars and Clouds, Arches National Park, Utah

This sandstone pillar in Arches National Park, which probably has an official name, looks to me like an enormous totem pole. I photographed it at night with a short enough exposure to freeze the stars but long enough that the quick moving clouds blurred across the sky. Lighting was tough…

Phil CollaOctober 11, 2012

Arches Astrophotography and Night Scapes The American Southwest Utah

Balanced Rock and Milky Way at Night, Arches National Park, Utah

Balanced Rock at Night, Arches National Park Balanced Rock rises 128' (39m) above the surrounding land, just off the main road in Arches National Park. It is an outstanding example of erosion and sandstone layering. The precariously perched capstone rock is made of harder sandstone than the layers beneath. As…

Phil CollaOctober 8, 2012

Arches Astrophotography and Night Scapes The American Southwest Utah

Photo of Delicate Arch and Milky Way, Hiker, Light Painting

Photo of Delicate Arch At Night and The Milky Way Galaxy, Arches National Park, Utah I recently made a short trip to Arches National Park to do some photography. One of the photos I made is a self-portrait, showing me light painting Delicate Arch at dusk with the Milky Way…

Phil CollaOctober 6, 2012

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Canyonlands Panoramas The American Southwest Utah

Milky Way Over Mesa Arch, Panorama, Canyonlands National Park

Panoramic Photo of the Milky Way Arcing Over Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park, Utah Earlier this year I spent an evening photographing Mesa Arch, the famous and oft-pictured natural stone arch at the precipice of Canyonlands National Park. I photographed Mesa Arch at sunrise twice previously -- quite fortunately alone…

Phil CollaOctober 2, 2012

Canyonlands Panoramas The American Southwest Utah

Sunset at Dead Horse Point Overlook, Utah

Dead Horse Point Overlook, a stunning promontory on the edge of the mesa that is Utah's Dead Horse Point State Park, offers a jaw-dropping view down 2000' to the Colorado River. Canyonlands National Park is visible in the distance. The entire scene is a jumble of convoluted bends in the…

Phil CollaSeptember 30, 2012

Astrophotography and Night Scapes California Joshua Tree The American Southwest

Milky Way Rising Over Joshua Trees

Joshua Tree National Park is the closest National Park to my home, so I visit it several times each year. It is a desert park, arid and sometimes quite hot, and given its proximity to Los Angeles it can be crowded on weekends which makes exploring Joshua Tree National Park…

Phil CollaSeptember 29, 2012

Arches Astrophotography and Night Scapes The American Southwest Utah

Tower of Babel and Starry Night, Arches National Park, Utah

Stars over the Tower of Babel, Arches National Park, Utah The Tower of Babel is one of the most imposing and distinctive sandstone structures in Arches National Park. An enormous narrow freestanding wall or "fin" of Entrada sandstone, the Tower of Babel may, over the course of eons, erode into…

Phil CollaSeptember 27, 2012

Arches Astrophotography and Night Scapes The American Southwest Utah

Landscape Arch and Milky Way at Night, Arches National Park, Utah

Landscape Arch and Milky Way at Night, Arches National Park, Utah Landscape Arch in Arches National Park, Utah, is considered to be the longest natural arch in the world, having a span of 290 feet (89m) . Landscape Arch is gradually falling apart, with at least three sections of the…

Phil CollaSeptember 26, 2012

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Joshua Tree The American Southwest

Juniper, Rock and Star Trails, Joshua Tree National Park

I made a brief trip up to Joshua Tree National Park recently with Garry McCarthy to do some night photography. In Southern California it is difficult to find night skies that are clear enough for productive night photography and heading east to the desert with its dry air and relative…

Phil CollaMay 30, 2012

Joshua Tree The American Southwest

Nature’s Best Windland Smith Rice: Giants Marbles at Dusk, Joshua Tree National Park, California

Giant's Marbles, Joshua Tree National Park, California. This is the second of three images I had that were Highly Commended in this year's Windland Smith Rice photography competition.* I made this photograph in Joshua Tree National Park just as the sun was setting, at a series of granite boulders that…

Phil CollaDecember 5, 2011

Slot Canyons The American Southwest Utah Zion

Nature’s Best Windland Smith Rice: Photographer in the Virgin River Narrows, Zion National Park, Utah

Photographer in the Virgin River Narrows, Zion National Park, Utah I was fortunate to have three of my photographs receive Highly Honored recognition in this years Windland Smith Rice photography competition sponsored by Nature's Best Photography. 21,000 images were entered in the competition, 500 made it to the final round…

Phil CollaDecember 2, 2011

Galleries The American Southwest

Stock Photo Gallery: Joshua Tree National Park

Stock photos of Joshua Tree National Park Joshua Tree National Park is a stone's throw from my mom's home (ok, a long throw) and only about 3.5 hours from where I live in Carlsbad. In the last five years I've made a number of visits to JTNP. It is easy…

Phil CollaOctober 5, 2011

Arizona The American Southwest White Pocket

Brain Rocks, White Pocket, Arizona

White Pocket Photographs, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona White Pocket is a relatively large area compared to, say, the Wave in nearby North Coyote Buttes. When I was there with some buddies in March, I saw many compositions that looked appealing but was unable to make photos of them in…

Phil CollaMay 9, 2011

Arizona The American Southwest White Pocket

Tortured Landscape, White Pocket, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

White Pocket was the highight of our recent banzai trip to northern Arizona and southern Utah. A remote and spectacular setting in the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument that includes such well-known landscapes as the Wave, North Coyote Buttes and Buckskin Gulch (thank you Bill Clinton!), White Pocket lies not far…

Phil CollaApril 25, 2011

Astrophotography and Night Scapes The American Southwest Utah

Milky Way Rising Over Hoodoos

The first morning of my recent roadtrip around northern Arizona and southern Utah with a few old diving buddies found us at the Toadstool Hoodoos a few hours before dawn. Garry McCarthy is always thinking of ways to creatively photograph the night sky, and on this trip he suggested photographing…

Phil CollaApril 11, 2011

Desert The American Southwest Wildflowers

Palm Canyon Brittlebush

This brittlebush photo, at dawn in Palm Canyon in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, was one of only a handful of desert wildflower photos I made last year. It is raining again, the second bout of rain the coast of Southern California has received this week. This is on the…

Phil CollaFebruary 19, 2011

Desert The American Southwest Wildflowers

Henderson Canyon Road Dune Evening Primrose

Its raining now. If the deserts to the east of us get some of this moisture, it should bode very well for the wildflower season. We received a lot of rain in November and December. When this occurs, typically all that is needed is another moderate rain or two in…

Phil CollaFebruary 16, 2011

Nevada The American Southwest Valley of Fire

Moon and Sandstone Arch, Valley of Fire

Valley of Fire stock photos 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…

Phil CollaFebruary 2, 2011

Nevada The American Southwest Valley of Fire

Windstone Arch, Valley of Fire State Park

Windstone Arch, Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada An arch within a cave! I've seen this interesting spot in Nevada's Valley of Fire State Park referred to as "Windstone Arch", "Fire Cave", and a few other names. Admittedly, it is more of a curiosity than a grand inspiring landscape view.…

Phil CollaFebruary 1, 2011

Nevada The American Southwest Valley of Fire

Sunrise, Sandstone and Shadow, Valley of Fire

The Valley of Fire sure lived up to its name on this morning! I was driving along the main road in Valley of Fire State Park at sunrise on Sunday, heading toward the White Domes area when I saw the top of a impressive sandstone wall receiving the first rays…

Phil CollaJanuary 31, 2011

Nevada The American Southwest Valley of Fire

The Fire Wave, Valley of Fire State Park

Photo of the Fire Wave in Valley of Fire State Park I recently had a chance to see a sandstone formation often called "The Fire Wave". My daughter and I hiked to this place at sunset, in Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada, an hour east of Las Vegas.…

Phil CollaJanuary 30, 2011

Slot Canyons The American Southwest Utah Zion

Fall Colors in the Virgin River Narrows, Zion National Park

The Virgin River Narrows in Zion National Park is an incredible slot canyon carved out of the red rock sandstone that characterizes this part of Utah. One can walk upstream on the river bed from the Temple of Sinawava for several miles. I plan to return with my daughter next…

Phil CollaNovember 16, 2010

The American Southwest Utah Zion

Arch Angel Falls, The Subway, Zion National Park, Utah

Archangel Falls is located a few hundred yards before and below the Subway, in Zion National Park, Utah. Our hike to the Subway took us past a number of small cascades. Most of them would be hard to categorize as waterfalls, but Archangel Falls (or is it Arch Angel Falls?)…

Phil CollaNovember 11, 2010

The American Southwest Utah Zion

Fall Colors, The Subway, Zion National Park, Utah

On the approach to The Subway in Zion National Park is this intriguing erosion slot, about 4" wide. Water rushes through it, blurred in this photograph. The maples and cottonwoods were in their full fall color and their fallen leaves were everywhere. Water rushes through a narrow crack, in the…

Phil CollaNovember 10, 2010

Slot Canyons The American Southwest Utah Zion

Hiking the Virgin River Narrows, Zion National Park, Utah

I recently made a couple of fantastic hikes in Zion National Park: the Subway and the Virgin River Narrows. I am editing photographs now, but here is a short rough video I shot on our hikes. The highlights were Archangel Falls near the Subway, and the Wall Street section of…

Phil CollaNovember 9, 2010

Arizona Landscape Monument Valley The American Southwest

Monument Valley Panoramic Photo

I just received an inquiry about my Monument Valley panoramic photo. I had forgotten about this image, and when I saw it again I was reminded of the beautiful, warm light that fell on the buttes when I last visited there. I was on my way south from Arches National…

Phil CollaAugust 31, 2010

California Death Valley Desert Infrared National Parks The American Southwest

Eureka Valley Sand Dunes, Death Valley National Park

Stock photos of the Eureka Valley Sand Dunes and the Eureka Valley in Death Valley National Park. One of the goals of our recent Death Valley trip was to reach the wonderful Eureka Valley Sand Dunes. At almost 700' tall, these dunes are some of the tallest in the United…

Phil CollaJune 11, 2010

California Death Valley Desert Flora National Parks The American Southwest Wildflowers

Eureka Valley Evening Primrose, Oenothera californica eurekensis

Stock photos of the Eureka Valley Dune Evening Primrose, Oenothera californica eurekensis, in Death Valley National Park. The Eureka Valley Evening Primrose (Oenothera californica eurekensis) is a federally endangered wildflower found only on and near the sand dune habitat of the Eureka Valley, in the far northern reaches of Death…

Phil CollaJune 4, 2010

California Desert The American Southwest Wildflowers

Anza-Borrego Desert Wildflower Update

Brittlebush at sunrise, dawn, springtime bloom, Palm Canyon, Anza Borrego Desert State Park. Image ID: 24301 Species: Brittlebush, Encelia farinosa Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Anza Borrego, California, USA I made a sunrise visit to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, my first visit this spring. By 9am I had seen enough…

Phil CollaMarch 13, 2010

Canyonlands The American Southwest Utah

National Wildlife Photo Contest Winner

The National Wildlife photo contest is the only one of the "big three"** in which I have not had any luck -- until now. After taking a hiatus from contests for about 8 years, something possessed me to enter this year. Lo-and-behold the image below caught the judges' notice and…

Phil CollaDecember 9, 2009

Infrared Joshua Tree National Parks Photography The American Southwest

Infrared Joshua Tree National Park

I shot these this morning during a quick trip to Joshua Tree National Park. I was totally uninspired for "regular" photography this morning, and the light was not that great anyway due to high winds and dust from the night before. But the little pocket infrared camera made some interesting…

Phil CollaApril 26, 2009

Antelope Canyon Arizona Landscape Slot Canyons The American Southwest The Wave Utah Wisdom

Photographing Antelope Canyon, The Wave, Buckskin Gulch and Horseshoe Bend

I have been fortunate to visit and photograph a few of the iconic locations around Page, Arizona: The Wave, Antelope Canyon, Buckskin Gulch, Horseshoe Bend and Monument Valley. Recently, I shared some correspondance about these places with another photographer whom I originally met at Brooks River a few years ago.…

Phil CollaMarch 11, 2009

California The American Southwest

Salvation Mountain

I recently made a trip out to Anza Borrego Desert State Park to take a look at how the wildflowers are developing there. I arrived at sunrise and took a look at a few of the spots I go to for flowers to see what was blooming and what is…

Phil CollaFebruary 19, 2009

Arizona Landscape Panoramas The American Southwest The Wave

Panorama of the Wave, North Coyote Buttes

The Wave, that much-photographed geological oddity on the border between Arizona and Utah. I spent some time there on my last visit trying to shoot appealing panoramas, but was not entirely satisfied, it is a tough landscape to capture that way. This was one of panorama photos I was happy…

Phil CollaJanuary 8, 2009

California Joshua Tree National Parks The American Southwest

Joshua Tree National Park Sunrise

On Thanksgiving morning I made a quick sunrise run into Joshua Tree National Park. Fortunately the Starbucks near my mom's in La Quinta opens at 5am so I was fully caffeinated for the drive. I got into my favorite part of the park about 45 minutes before sunrise, parked and…

Phil CollaDecember 17, 2008

Arizona The American Southwest The Wave

Wire Pass Trailhead

If you are going to hike to Buckskin Gulch or the North Coyote Buttes, you will likely start at the Wire Pass trailhead. Here is what it looks like at 6am. The dirt road you see, on which the trailhead parking lot is located, is the House Rock Valley Road.…

Phil CollaJune 6, 2008

Arizona The American Southwest The Wave

The Wave, North Coyote Buttes, Vermilion Cliffs / Paria Canyon Wilderness, Arizona

The Wave is such a wonderful place. I am fortunate to have visited the Wave a number of times and several times have had near-perfect conditions to make my hike and take photos. OK, this is last time I post a photo of the Wave! Well, at least until next…

Phil CollaApril 30, 2008

Arizona The American Southwest The Wave

Photo of the Second Wave

The Second Wave is found a few hundred yards from the Wave itself. While the Second Wave is characterized by striated sandstone in the same way that the Wave is, beyond that it is quite different in appearance, having a half-hourglass shape and being somewhat lighter in color. For photography…

Phil CollaApril 28, 2008

Arizona The American Southwest The Wave

Photo of Brain Rocks

Brain Rocks are found in the vicinity around the Wave. Here are some sporting a view across the Navaho sandstone of the North Coyote Buttes: Brain rocks, curious sandstone formations in the North Coyote Buttes. Image ID: 20611 Location: North Coyote Buttes, Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Arizona, USA Photos of…

Phil CollaApril 27, 2008

Arizona The American Southwest The Wave

Photo of the “Heart of the Wave”, North Coyote Buttes

Sitting on the rim of the main bowl of the Wave -- right where the photograph below was taken -- I watched a couple of hikers arriving. There reaction was natural: no sooner did they step foot through the entry passage than they looked around at the strange surroundings in…

Phil CollaApril 26, 2008

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