Monday, October 8, 2018

Saguaro National Park, July 2018: Vistas

I like shooting scenic vistas. Most of my experience as a nature photographer has come shooting in Colorado, where if a hike doesn't end with a summit or alpine lake and pass a few overlooks and waterfalls along the way its not worth doing. One of my challenges since moving to Texas has been trying to find spots to shoot that are relatively free of the hand of man, which isn't easy given how developed the area is.

One of the best parts of my summer road trip was getting to some pretty remote locations and just looking around and seeing nothing but nature. Saguaro National Park, despite being split in two by the city of Tucson, provided some truly wonderful moments in that regard.

Valley View Overlook Trail, Saguaro National Park
I drove through some heavy rain on the way from Joshua Tree National Park which actually forced me to make a slight detour.  But when I got to Saguaro the afternoon sun was shining brightly and the remaining clouds were adding some terrific texture to the sky.

Valley View Overlook Trail, Saguaro National Park
The saguaros themselves were fun to work with and compose around.  Seeing them reach for the sky lent itself to portrait shots like this one.

Valley View Overlook Trail, Saguaro National Park
The Valley View Overlook Trail leads to exactly that -- a wonderful look to the west.

Valley View Overlook Trail, Saguaro National Park
Cacti and clouds -- not a bad combination.

Valley View Overlook Trail, Saguaro National Park
These suckers really do get pretty tall, some as much as 45 feet.

Valley View Overlook Trail, Saguaro National Park
The late afternoon sun was at a perfect angle to shoot some silhouettes.

Gates Pass Road Overlook, Saguaro National Park
As the sun descended the clouds grew thicker.  But I still took the advice of a park ranger and stopped at the overlook along Gates Pass Road at sunset just in case there was something to see.  A tiny sliver of open sky on the horizon provided just enough of a break to make the stop worthwhile.

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