Southwest DesertSand Stoned
South-Central Utah.
During a five-day moto camping trip with my buddy Seth Hamel - owner of Enlighten Photography Excursions, scouting for an idea we have had for a while: an Utah Wilderness Photography Workshop. During this, we will camp for 5 nights, near the vehicles to experience the insanely beautiful landscapes in the backcountry of southern Utah. And in May of 2026, we did just that!
During the scouting we came upon these large yet thin sandstone formations, forming fins and spires. After some time photographing blooming Yucca's, I ventured closer to the main formations and came to this small section of white sandstone rock. These were very out of place in comparison to the red and orange sandstone that resided in the immediate area. Though, because of the color separation, I decided to work with the scene.
In order to photograph this scene, I extended my tripod all the way, and lifted it by the feet above my head in order to get the foreground black brush to not be so prominent. After a handful of attempts this worked and this is the image from that moment.