Nature Photography of our Amazing Planet

045 - Scarface Sunset

StevePorter-Arizona-Desert-Saguaro-Cactus-Sunset 20200822-04023 Scar Mountain Sunset

037 - Red Mountain Saguaro Lightning

Red Mountain from a trail above the Salt River that I run regularly. Expected to be hiking back drenched by the looks of this system as it approached from the north, but all I got was a couple of sprinkles. No complaints, ended up ideal for shooting an awesome lightning show! . Tech stuff: Sony A7R2, Sony 24-105 f/4.0, 10 sec exposures f/5.6 ISO 500 shot about 40 images, used the best 5 or 6 shots stacked in Photoshop including one that was a bright enough flash from overhead to illuminate the mountain and foreground.

052 - Three Sisters Sunset - Superstition Mountain

The Superstition Mountains have so much to offer; awesome majestic formations all over the place. The trick is anticipating the right conditions long enough beforehand and getting in to the ideal spot. The Three Sisters formation near the Peralta trailhead is one I had not shot before. Not an easy hike to this location, pretty thick with lots of cholla. Have to literally watch every step for about a mile of bushwhacking. Whatever it takes to get the shot.

Clouds over Moab, Utah

Returning from productive photo trips to amazing destinations, I can sometimes overlook worthwhile shots - like this one that sat for 3 months in my files before i noticed it. Maybe thats partly because my edits can be fairly complex and time consuming. I try to make the very most out of shots like this one in Canyonlands Nat'l Park from early 2018. This is a tripod based 5 shot HDR edit and includes a lot of work with shadows and contrast to bring out the depth and get the balance of the composition just right. Excellence in anything takes time and extended effort start to finish.

Ancient Formations Bisti Badlands

The Bisti Badlands is a 60 sqr ml wilderness are cut out of the Navajo Reservation south of Farmington, NM. It is a vary dark part of the country and excellent for astrophotography. I had found this formation in an article on line and set out to find it by the GPS data but finally gave up and found I the next day while hiking around. Very cool place with no end to the awesome unique shapes and creations the ages of wind and rain have sculpted.

046 - Superstition Buttes Sunset

The Buttes at the north end of the Superstition Mountain range are probably the most photographed part of the range. But the most common if not only perspective of the buttes os from the west looking east. I have wanted to get this perspective from the east looking west back into town for some time. Saw what looked like a nice sunset coming so go myself out to the east side.

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Big Rock Falls, Cayo District, Belize

HDR 10 second exposure edit of Big Rock Falls on Privassion Creek, south of San Ignacio, Belize. Can't get enough of these awesome Jungle rivers and waterfalls throughout MesoAmerica.

015 - Milky Way Over Totem Pole

I had been wanting to shoot the Milky Way over Totem Pole at Monument Valley for some time. I learned it required working with a Navajo tour group to be able to shoot at night in the back country of the Monument Valley Tribal Park. Fortunately, I was able to find a guide willing to ride with me in my vehicle and on my schedule for a reasonable $100 fee. It was a 20 minute drive from the park visitor center then a hike through the sandy desert and scratchy brush to arrive at my location at around 9:30 PM. What an awesome place to shoot the stars!. Made me wonder why I hadn't done this sooner. The skies were perfect with minimal light pollution and the Milky Way band of glory blasting up over our heads across a totally clear sky. Such an awesome sight - it was just dreamy!! I finished my shots and we started back for the Isuzu and couldn't find it! We had parked on the sandy depressed road putting it far enough below the brush that our flashlights weren't hitting it. Took an extra 20 minutes to zig zag our way through the sand to find the road that lead us back to the vehicle. Next time I think I'll bring a pole that I can tie something reflective on for return navigation. Wish it wasn't so late in the astrophotography season - I'll look forward to spending a lot of time in Monument Valley next year I think. . Technical stuff; Sony A7Rii, Nikon 14-24 f/2.8 at about 20mm, ISO 6400, (14) 15 sec exposures stacked to reduce noise. Edit in Starry Landscape Stacker, Lightroom and Photoshop

Electrical Storm over Red Mountain

StevePorter-Arizona-RedMountain-Monsoon-Lightning-Storm 2019-0803 Red Mnt LightningStorm

Monsoon Lightning Storm over Red Mountain

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Red Mountain Sunset from Salt River

During monsoon season in Arizona, I am always watching the western skies through the afternoon in case conditions might be right for nice sunset. If it looks like the sky will be sufficiently clear to the far west for the sun to shine up under cloud cover to my near west then we might get a sunset and I head out to find a shot. This was my first attempt at a drone based HDR sunset panorama using the DJI Mavic 2 Pro. As drones have evolved, using them as tools for high end still photography has gotten better and better. This is a combination of 3 frames, each frame compiled as an individual HDR image from 5 bracketed exposures. It excellent as a still photography tool because I can position the drone in just the right spot very quickly in order to get the composition that works best for me.

Colorado River Under The Milky Way

Beautiful astrophotography photo of the Colorado River at Gooseneck view shot in late June 2019 when the colorful Milky Way center is visible to the southeast with the lights of Moab, Utah on the distant horizon.

022 - Delicate Arch at 4:00 AM in Early April

Arches National Park in Moab, Utah

061 - Superstition Snow Storm

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Peralta Trailhead

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Milky Way over The New Wave

These formations are very convenient to Page, Arizona - just across the river/dam and a 15 minute hike to the north of the highway.

Snow Covered Mount Timpanogos

Shot from Squaw Peak Rd in Provo Canyon - Utah, Feb 2019

Amazing Layered Rock Formations in Snow and Ice

Icicles and snow along picturesque rock formations along Provo Canyon in Utah - Feb, 2019

Snowy Oak Trunks Sway to the Light

Winter in Rock Canyon above Provo, UT - Feb, 2019

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051 - Arizona Desert Monsoon

So that's an Arizona monsoon, right? Got the shot, grabbed the tripod and camera and ran for my car. 🚘🏃🌩

020 - Toadstool Hoodoo under the Stars

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Icicle Formations in Rock Canyon, UT - 2019

A series of cool icicle formations clinging to a boulder in Rock Canyon above Provo, UT. Broke my iPhone right after I took this shot. Had it in my back pocket , slipped on an icy rock and I think my rear and most of my weight came down on the same rock ... time for a new iPhone. Lesson learned; keep your phone in a front or breast pocket while hiking.

044 - Arizona Monsoon Thunderstorm over Red Mountain - Mesa, Arizona

Picturesque Red Mountain next to the Salt River in the bright oranges and reds of an Arizona monsoon sunset as a huge thunderhead builds to the north.

Vibrant Milky Way over Castle Rock, Sedona, AZ

Cathedral Rock in Sedona Arizona Silhouetted against that Epic Milky Way with Mars peaking out from behind the clouds

016 - Milky Way Watching Over Bell Rock, Sedona, AZ

Orange clouds from the city silhouette Bell Rock as the Milky Way watches from above.

090 - Horseshoe Bend, Page, Arizona

Brilliant red rock colors stand out just before sunrise at Horseshoe Bend in the early morning light

032 - Horseshoe Bend Star Trails, Page Arizona

Star-trails over Horseshoe Bend. Its gratifying in some way for me as a photographer to come across symmetry in nature - and Horseshoe Bend is definitely one of those places. I've done a lot of shooting in the deserts of the southwest in the middle of the night but this has got to be one of the most dangerous. Thats because I have to hike around the edge of an 800 ft ledge, equipment in hand, setting up and moving the tripod around to find the right frame - all without stumbling over the edge and screaming all the way down. As a safety thing, I regularly try to visualize that happening in order to wrap my head around that very real potential. And it has worked ... so far.

Snowy mountains of the Arizona desert, Apache Lake 2006

Rare sight to see snow covered mountains in the Arizona desert.

Stars over Castle Rock, Sedona, Arizona

AstroPhotography makes Sedona landscapes even more spectacular.

Quaking aspens, winter grass and contrasting pinetrees. AZ

Sunrise shining on bright yellow aspens. Arizona Fall

068 - Beautiful, Cold, Snowy Bald Mountain, Utah

Mother Nature at her one of her finest moments.

Mexican Hat Rock, Utah

On the edge of the Navajo Nation and the San Jaun River in Utah.

Dead Horse Point at Sunrise, Utah

Canyonlands in Utah with all of its crevices and unexplored places.

Lighthouse lookout, California

Lighthouse warns of rugged rocks along the shore of California.

Snow covered Rockie Mountains in the distance. Colorado

Glimpses of the end of fall as winter begins in Colorado.

Astrophotography over Arizona, Mexico Border

Lots of stars in the dark of night over the border towns of Arizona.

Night Blooms Under the Milky Way, Arizona Desert

Saguaro’s and the Milky Way.

Blue Starry Night, Desert of Arizona

Astrophotography of these cactus pointing towards the heavens on a dark blue starry night.

023 - Astro of Totem Pole in Devil's Canyon, Superior, Arizona

Totem Pole, (left of frame) a popular 150 foot climb above Devil's Canyon near Superior Arizona. Not an easy place to get to (but that didn't stop me last night). Decided I need a local climber perched on top of this thing for scale the next time I shoot it ... I'll stay on the ground floor. Arizona is the-Beeest (Nacho Libre accent)

Majestic Mountains of Utah

Flying a Cessna around these majestic mountains, searching for a great balance and beauty with low flying clouds.

Mount Nebo Through the Clouds

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River by Night, Zion National Park, Utah

Milky Way leading to the Virgin River as is flows through Zion National Park.

024 - Saguaro's Pointing Upward, Martinez Canyon, Arizona

I had taken my 99 Isuzu Rodeo into this area east of Florence, Arizona for a late night astrophotography attempt trying to get into some old coke ovens that have been there since the 1890s I guess - 4 of them all in a row, very cool. But couldn't make it past one bad spot in the road - need about a foot more clearance I think. So ... turn around and shoot something else. Which is how this shot happened. Came across this cool stand of Saguaros against an excellent rugged AZ desert mountain skyline and the Milky Way positioned just right. So I stopped and framed it up with the tripod just behind the Isuzu, opened the shutter (25 second exposures) and ran up the road a bit to light the cactus systematically with a little LED flashlight. Little tricky because I can't turn my lights on to run up the road - have to do that in complete darkness. Also near impossible to get all the cactus lit just right in a single shot so I combined about 4 shots in order to get all the cactus lit the same for the final image.

Majestic Saguaros against the Superstition Mountains

Apache Junction, Arizona

063 - Snow in the Desert, Superstition Mountains, Arizona

It’s a rare thing to see the Superstion Mountains covered in snow like this.

124 - Crazy Formations, Moab, Utah

Aerial views captures this crazy mountainside in Arches National Park.