Gumdrop Ridge by Pcoskun

Gumdrop Ridge- This is an image I photographed in south coyote buttes in Northern Arizona. It’s a spectacular place, one of my favorites as soon as I stepped foot onto the landscape here. There are so many interesting rock formations and patterns to admire here. I had seen images of this little rock commonly referred to as the “Gumdrop”. The split tones in the rock make for an excellent photo of itself, but when you look at the ridge behind it, you notice that the pattern continues up the slope. It makes you feel like you are in the game Candyland, and that each tile of rock is a space on the board. This was taken after sunset as the last remaining light was glowing on the rocks. The deep blues of twilight contrasted beautifully with the multicolored sandstone formations.

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Inferno by MikeOlbinski

I’ve made quite a few trips to the Grand Canyon this year and last, but never have I seen the color and sky like I did a week ago. I went up there of course hoping for lightning, which never materialized…but this blazing sunset was such a treat it made up for everything!

Someday I’ll get the storms I want over that place, but in the meantime…I’ll take a sunset like that!

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Morning Moo’s by Pcoskun

I found myself perched up above these unique spires that are somewhat hidden in the maze of cinder cones in Northern Arizona this morning. After getting skunked for a sunset that looked to be promising, I managed to wake up this morning in hopes for a little bit of redemption. Halfway up the hill in the near dark and I was beginning to reconsider this idea. I huffed and puffed while taking a few quick breaks to catch my breath. I could see the faint glow in the clouds to the east and when I finally arrived to where I wanted to be I just felt like laying down and going back to bed. I set up my gear regardless and ate a quick breakfast (if you can even call it that), and waited for the sky to do something. As I was waiting I couldn’t help but hear the many cows down on the prairie that kept mooing and making all sorts of noises. They happened to be making noises all night long as I was trying to get some sleep. The clouds to the east began to turn that beautiful orange crimson color while the clouds above and to the west were barely catching any color. I thought maybe I would be skunked again and that my efforts would not have paid off. Luckily, the light eventually caught some of the clouds above me and above the peak I was starring at. I managed a few dozen photos trying to figure out the best way to capture the whole scene and get those wonderful clouds above. When the light finally crested the horizon, it began to flood the prairie floor and Kendrick peak (the mountain on the horizon) began to catch it’s first light. It was nice to be up in the high country again, and to visit a place I have never been. I am sure I will be back in this area again in a few weeks when fall colors begin (hoping for a good year!).

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Colorful Morning by Pcoskun

Earlier this year I had a chance to join a friend and visit one of my favorite locations in the southwest. After a beautiful sunset and a chilly evening. I awoke before sunrise to get out onto the rock formations and find a few compositions. I typically like to find complex compositions with more unique angles, but when I saw this pool and this formation reflecting in it I figured I would go for something a little more straight forward. The few clouds in the sky just happened to be right above this spot and began to light up from the first rays of the sun. The scene transformed to beautiful blues, pinks, oranges, and purples. It truly reminded me of why these landscapes have inspired me for so long. Before I ever began photography, I always thought of the desert as bland and lifeless. However, after exploring a little bit I was obviously wrong. Most people who have never been in the desert would imagine miles of desolate sand and tumbleweed and shades of brown and tan. The desert indeed can come to life in extraoridnary fashion such as in this scene here. The seasonal pool of water and the reflection of the sandstone is probably the last thing people who have never been to the desert would think of. Add to that the amazing display of color that isn’t different shades of brown. Sometimes, I cannot believe I get to live in such an incredible landscape!

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Payoff by Pcoskun

While exploring the vast expanses of wildflower covered hills in Northern Arizona, I came to find myself atop a hill with one of the most stunning views I could recall seeing. After shooting a pretty vibrant sunset, I kept pushing myself to get to the top of this hill hoping to time it right with the moonrise. I thought the top would never come into view, but sure enough, I could see the cinder hills in the distance and the glow of the moon creeping above the horizon. I searched for a composition quickly and fired off two shots for depth of field and then switched my lens to capture the moon. This made the moon appear more natural to how I saw this scene in person. The last colors of sunset still lingering in the clouds added to the wonderful display of color found within these hills. The very next morning, I forced myself back atop the hill to catch another beautiful sunrise and carpets of vibrant wildflowers blooming. I find it interesting that I have such a connection with this specific image. One of my very first places I had taken photographs was around sunset crater, which is the mountain you see in the background. Back then, I didn’t come back with any photos I enjoyed. To photograph this scene and see how far I have come in my own work in the short amount of time I have been taking photos was pretty special to me. It inspired me just like the first time I went to make photographs in this area. Anyways, I recently put up a handful of images on my website from this summer. Not quite as dramatic of a series I was hoping for, but I think the diversity of the images and the somewhat subtlety of them make them unique. You can view them on my website here http://ift.tt/1NWXGnV

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Summer Splendor by Pcoskun

Summer Splendor- I try every year to make it up to the mountains during the summer. Early plans to visit more rugged mountains quickly changed when wildflower blooms occurred nearly two months earlier than normal. This was in places like Glacier National Park and Mount Rainier, two prime locations for summer wildflowers. Now with so many fires ravaging these areas, scrapping those plans seems like such a great idea now. I made a brief visit to this location last year for the first time and it absolutely took my breath away. I feel fortunate to have been shown this area that is now so special to me and a few others. It’s just simply one of the greatest views in this great state of Arizona. These wildflowers are only present for a very short period of time. In fact, they are probably toast by now even though this was photographed only a few days ago. Perfect timing I suppose. I spent the entire weekend up on these beautiful yellow hills thinking of how lucky I am to be able to witness something so beautiful. For someone who spends the majority of my time in the hot desert, this was a much needed getaway to the mountains, and I didn’t need to travel thousands of miles to get there. When I left this place I thought to myself even if I didn’t come back with any photographs to show for, the time spent here was good enough. Luckily, I was treated to a few beautiful shows of light that seemed to be perfectly situated for whatever composition I chose. It was one of those weekends that just rejuvenated my desire to explore and create.

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The Stone Path by Pcoskun

Late evening light illuminates the clouds and intricate rock formations found in south coyote buttes. The colors found in the rocks here are some of the most diverse and incredible in the southwest. Many shades of yellow, orange, and even purple. This place has been one of the highlights of my travels this year and I hope to return in the near future.

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Departure by Pcoskun

Please view this one on black!

One of the many photographs I made earlier this year while visiting some remote sandstone formations. This photo was taken shortly after sunset when there was still enough light to illuminate the landscape, but dark enough to reveal the stars. This is one of my favorite times to take photographs as I love photographing the night skies. I’ve always enjoyed this feature of sandstone swirls, spires, and brainrock. It’s extremely photogenic and it seems to come to life as the light changes over it. With the fading clouds holding on to the last bits of the colorful sunset, Venus shines brightly above. I imagine the foreground rocks and formations in the midground were at one point joined together, but the forces of nature divided them over time to create the split shown between.

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