Desert Sunset

Last evening, I ventured out into the desert for some sunset scenes. I was accompanied by Bill McAdam for what proved to be a productive shoot. We didn’t have far to go, the desert is all around us. We travelled about 10 minutes to a location where I had scouted some good scenery and spent about an hour and a half photographing from different vantage points.

My first picture features a lone mountain and a cactus so I’ve chosen to call it Saguaro and Peak. The peak is one of a few that protrude from the desert floor, distinct from the adjacent mountain range. I’ve included a very nice Saguaro Cactus specimen in the foreground. The brush in the background completes what is a very typical landscape in the Sonoran Desert.

The next picture shows the same peak but from a different location. This area was littered with some impressive boulders that I wanted to capture in this scene. Again, lots of interesting flora including more towering Saguaros in the back ground and on the slopes of the mountain. The sun was getting low in the sky, casting a warm glow across the scene.

These two boulders also caught my eye. My first impression was that of a giant bunny hidden behind the hill with its ears protruding above. Not really, but you do see the resemblance. Again, the scene was bathed in the warm light of the early evening, just before sunset.

As I strolled along a wash (a dry stream bed) I came upon some very pretty wildflowers.  I’ve been unable to find a name for this one, so I’ve labelled it as “Wildflowers”.

As the evening progressed, we experienced a very nice sunset. We were able to capture some “made for tourist brochure” shots of the iconic Saguaro Cactus, silhouetted against the colourful sky. Not a bad crescent moon either.