Landscape

Arizona The American Southwest The Wave

A Day At The Wave, North Coyote Buttes, Part III

The walk to the the Wave is really not all that difficult. There are only a few hundred feet of elevation gain, and it is only about 3 miles from trailhead to the Wave proper, so one would be hard-pressed indeed to consider it anything more than a moderate hike.…

Phil CollaApril 21, 2008

Arizona The American Southwest The Wave

A Day At The Wave, North Coyote Buttes, Part II

The last 20 minutes of my flight to Vegas were crazy, with the plane dipping and bobbing all over the place in the wind. The steward seemed to enjoy it, stating that it was just normal flying conditions for Vegas when summer approaches and the weather warms up, so I…

Phil CollaApril 20, 2008

Arizona The American Southwest The Wave

A Day At The Wave, North Coyote Buttes, Part I

I have long heard comments from hikers and landscape photographers about the beautiful and bizarre sandstone formations of the North Coyote Buttes area of Arizona. I am not a serious landscape photographer nor am I a what you would consider a "desert lover". However, on a lark, I decided to…

Phil CollaApril 19, 2008

California Desert The American Southwest Wildflowers

Photo of Dune Evening Primrose

My favorite desert flower to photograph is the dune evening primrose (Oenothera deltoides). It is so elegant and striking that even a blind monkey with a broken camera can get a good shot of this flower. I've seen them in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park during years of good spring bloom,…

Phil CollaMarch 4, 2008

California Desert The American Southwest Wildflowers

Photos of Anza-Borrego Desert Wildflowers

I got out for a quick look at some wildflowers at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park on Sunday morning. I got out there at 6am just as the sun was rising, and by 8am the light had grown so harsh I put my camera away and just hiked around. The bloom…

Phil CollaMarch 3, 2008

Antelope Canyon Arizona Slot Canyons The American Southwest

Slot Hobbit

I recently got the news that I was one of the fortunate to receive a permit to visit the Wave, part of the North Coyote Butte area in Arizona, in April. It's a place I have long heard about, and the photos that others have shot there make it look…

Phil CollaJanuary 18, 2008

Antelope Canyon Arizona Slot Canyons The American Southwest

Photographer in Antelope Canyon

Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon near Page, Arizona. In January I spent a day there shooting the upper canyon (there are two slot canyons, "upper" and "lower") and had a blast. We had Antelope Canyon virtually to ourselves (a small group of five) for several hours. A photographer works…

Phil CollaJune 13, 2007

California Desert The American Southwest

Photo of the Borrego Badlands from Fonts Point

From Font's Point in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, one can look across the Borrego Badlands (Carrizo Badlands), once an ancient lake but now a corrugated, tortured, barren wasteland (e.g., Mordor). Carrizo Badlands viewed from Fonts Point. Image ID: 05530 Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Anza Borrego, California, USA Carrizo Badlands…

Phil CollaMay 24, 2007

California Desert The American Southwest

Photo of 17 Palms Oasis

17 Palms Oasis is located in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, several miles down the lunar-looking Arroyo Salado wash. The drive along Arroyo Salado is fun and relatively simple, although a four-wheel drive car is recommended. Seventeen Palms Oasis, consisting of (not surprisingly) 17 palms, appears out of nowhere as you…

Phil CollaMay 23, 2007

Antelope Canyon Arizona Slot Canyons The American Southwest

Photos of Antelope Canyon Slot Canyon

Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon near Page, Arizona. I recently spent a day there shooting the upper canyon (there are two slot canyons, "upper" and "lower") and had a blast. We had Antelope Canyon virtually to ourselves (a small group of five) for several hours. A hiker admiring the…

Phil CollaJanuary 30, 2007

Arches National Parks The American Southwest Utah

Photo of Turret Arch, Arches National Park

Turret Arch at sunset, viewed from North Window, in Arches National Park, Utah: Turret Arch at sunset, winter. Image ID: 18146 Location: Turret Arch, Arches National Park, Utah, USA Turret Arch photos.

Phil CollaJanuary 28, 2007

Arches National Parks The American Southwest Utah

Photo of Pine Tree Arch, Arches National Park

Pine Tree Arch is a natural sandstone arch in the Devil's Garden area of Arches National Park in Utah. It gets its name from a small pine tree growing in the middle of the span. It is found on a short spur trail stemming from the more travelled trail to…

Phil CollaJanuary 24, 2007

The American Southwest Utah

Photo of Wilson Arch, Utah

Wilson Arch is a large natural sandstone arch about 25 miles south of Arches National Park in Utah. A short walk up a steep slope takes the hiker right to the base of the arch, with a fantastic view on either side of the arch. Wilson Arch rises high above…

Phil CollaJanuary 23, 2007

California Icons Trees White Mountains

Photos of Ancient Bristlecone Pine Trees

Ancient Bristlecone pine trees (Pinus longaeva) live in a relatively restricted area of eastern California, Nevada and Utah, typically at altitudes above 9500'. The ancient bristlecone pine tree is considered to be the world's oldest species of tree (and indeed the world's oldest sexually reproducing, nonclonal lifeform). A number of…

Phil CollaOctober 8, 2006

National Parks The American Southwest Utah Zion

Waterfalls at Temple of Sinawava, Zion National Park

On a recent visit to Utah I had a chance to spend some time in Zion National Park. A number of ephemeral waterfalls were flowing, the result of rainstorms that had passed over Zion Canyon a few days before. The Temple of Sinawava, a widening in Zion Canyon at the…

Phil CollaMay 2, 2005

California Landscape Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photos of Glacial Erratic Boulders in Yosemite National Park

Above the granite walls surrounding Yosemite Valley are found many examples of glacial erratic boulders. These glacial erratics are so named because they are erratic (i.e., differ materially from the naturally occuring stone nearby) and they were deposited by slow-moving glaciers, sometimes after having been moved a considerable distance (e.g.,…

Phil CollaFebruary 26, 2005

California Landscape Panoramas Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Panoramic Photo of Half Dome and Washington Column from Stoneman Meadow, Yosemite Valley

Yosemite Valley offers panoramic views that, in many cases, cannot be effectively captured with a single photograph (a frame of film or a single digital image capture). Stitching photographs together digitally offers a way to produce panoramic images using non-panoramic cameras. Below is an example of this technique, considering Half…

Phil CollaFebruary 25, 2005

California Desert The American Southwest Wildflowers

Photos of Wildflowers at Anza Borrego Desert State Park

The spring wildflower bloom is happening right now at Anza Borrego Desert State Park, as well as many other places in California. The bloom appears to be early and thick this year due to the heavy rains we had over the past few months. Here are some examples, shot Sunday…

Phil CollaFebruary 10, 2005

A Day At The Wave, North Coyote Buttes, Part III

A Day At The Wave, North Coyote Buttes, Part II

A Day At The Wave, North Coyote Buttes, Part I

Photo of Dune Evening Primrose

Photos of Anza-Borrego Desert Wildflowers

Slot Hobbit

Photographer in Antelope Canyon

Photo of the Borrego Badlands from Fonts Point

Photo of 17 Palms Oasis

Photos of Antelope Canyon Slot Canyon

Photo of Turret Arch, Arches National Park

Photo of Pine Tree Arch, Arches National Park

Photo of Wilson Arch, Utah

Photos of Ancient Bristlecone Pine Trees

Waterfalls at Temple of Sinawava, Zion National Park

Photos of Glacial Erratic Boulders in Yosemite National Park

Panoramic Photo of Half Dome and Washington Column from Stoneman Meadow, Yosemite Valley

Photos of Wildflowers at Anza Borrego Desert State Park

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