Desolate Splendor

I've spent quite a bit of time over the years seeking out landscape photography locations in Utah. Even so, world-class vistas like this one have managed to slip under my radar.

 

I first saw an image of this amazing spot earlier this year thanks to my Flickr friend John Mumaw in a photo he called "Desert Island."

 

This a 'rincon' which is a river meander (like Horseshoe Bend" but the river has changed course leaving the riverbed dry. It's one of those things you have to see to believe.

 

There seem to be a lot of names for this spot: Jackson Hole Rincon, Dry Bayou, Crater Butte...but whatever you call it, you will likely be alone. It is isolated and well off the beaten path near the Valley of the Gods Utah

 

I got a chance to visit in April and took John's advice to bring my drone. I was lucky to get some nice clouds right before sunrise.

 

This is a multi-frame, exposure bracketed image consisting of 12 different shots and the final product was nearly 13,000 pixels across (I had to reduce the size to fit on Flickr). Needed every bit of that resolution to do justice to this expansive view.

 

Seeing places like this for the first time is one of the things I love about photography. It sure keeps me young.

Cheers!

Jeff

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Featured on Explore! 23 Oct. 2024

 

Check out my Southwest Portfolio at: www.firefallphotography.com/southwest-2021/

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