All images © 2007-2013 Aaron Meyers
In August 2014, Willie, David, Phill and I spent almost a week exploring more of the Arizona desert. I think if I spent any more time there I might have to start paying taxes! The week was quite action filled: beautiful light, steep hikes, crazy rock formations, popped tires, squeaky styrofoam coolers, and lots and lots of exploration. Willie and I drove hundreds of miles around Arizona on this trip and we were fortunate enough to have David show us around the Painted Hills. After making our own parking spot on the side of the road we explored this area, which we’ve now dubbed “Breezyland”, and fell immediately in love. It’s hard not to when you have amazing hill formations, striped colors, and an absolutely gorgeous sunset. This was our second night exploring this area and I camped out here for a quite a while, hoping the clouds would be in the right spot at sunset. We couldn’t have asked for anything better — the beautiful color exploded out of this wave-like cloud just as it rolled over the hills. I just wanted to lie down and fall asleep here, trying to make the moment last forever. Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED AF-S: 38mm, f/13, 1/5 sec, ISO100
Of all the places I’ve traveled for photography my most common destination is the Southwest. In particular Northern Arizona and Southern Utah. There’s something about the beautiful red rock, the way the wind has carved the sandstone or formed gigantic hoodoo’s, the giant vistas and the stunning monsoonal sunsets. My first southwest trip in 2014 took Willie and I all over Northern Arizona. We started out on the southern border of Utah, explored the area around Page, and eventually made our way to Tuba City and the Painted Hills. It was our second night shooting this location and Willie and I had high hopes that the monsoon clouds would stick around for our sunset shoot — something they had not done the night before. We arrived early and noticed a stunning section of rolling hills: layers of various red rock with small mountains in the background. The clouds were perfectly aligned, if only they’d stay put. When the clouds burst into reds and oranges we both knew we were witnessing something special. After photographing the scene we both ran off in different directions, hoping to find another composition before the sky faded. I found this curve in the silstone and knew it would make a great photo. By the time I got Willie’s attention the color in the clouds had already begun to fade. This is a cloud I’ll never forget! Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8: 17mm, f/14, 4.0 sec, ISO 100
