They say “like father, like son”, and both my dad and I have a deep love for the American Southwest. Ok, his passion for silver and turquoise jewelry probably exceeds mine, but neither of us can get enough of the stunning red desert landscape. I shared a quick iPhone snap of this scene with my parents, and my dad asked if I could get it processed so they could hang on their wall. So there’s now a 40×60″ framed canvas of this image on its way. I can’t wait to see it on the wall, it’s always so fun to see your favorite images printed large.

I shot this image on a frosty December night with a good friend from high school. We stayed several hours after sunset to capture some of the gorgeous night sky. It may be a while before it’s ready, but keep an eye out for a completely different version of this image in the future. It was one of the most spectacular sites I’ve ever seen.  The sky became completely clear and with the dry air in high altitude, the stars were insanely bright. There were so many, you could hardly find the Big Dipper among them all. Crazy. Lots of good memories behind this image.

See more of my latest work on Instagram. This image was processed with the Lumenzia luminosity masking panel for Photoshop. It is a blend of two exposures, with significant tonal work for shadow detail and separation, and dodging and burning for creative effect.