At the southern end of the Arizaro Salt Flat in Salta’s Puna, the Cono de Arita rises at 3,600 m altitude, its nearly flawless symmetry reaching 200 m tall. Often mistaken for a volcano, it’s actually a unique geological formation that emerges from a salt desert reminiscent of Martian landscapes. Mystery and legends surround this natural pyramid, rarely visited and protected in northern Argentina.

A setting looking to the northeast while taking in views of some Acorn Woodpeckers at this one tree in the Bear Gulch Day Use Area of Pinnacles National Park. The few images that I did capture here were mainly random ones as I watched the birds go about interacting with each other and pecking into the tree. This particular one caught my attention as the woodpecker had an acorn and its beak. The blue skies helped to highlight and make the bird stand out more against the tree trunk.

While walking the Condor Gulch Trail with a view looking southwest and to a nearby lone tree in Pinnacles National Park. This location is along the higher points of the ridges in this part of the national park and near the intersection with the High Peaks Trail. So given that, I decided to take advantage of the height I was located on and capture a look across some of the nearby landscape, but really focus on having the blue skies with wisps of clouds as a backdrop. I felt those blue skies and clouds helped to better highlight the lone tree in the image. The rest was later making adjustments with control points in DxO PhotoLab 6 to bring out the contrast, saturation and brightness I wanted for the final image.

A setting looking to the north while taking in views across eroded volcanic formations going down the ridge I was hiking. This was while walking the High Peaks Trail in Pinnacles National Park.

A setting looking to the east while taking in views across rolling hillside leading up to eroded formations and volcanic leftovers on the High Peaks in this part of Pinnacles National Park. My thought on composing this image was to zoom in on the focal length to have as much of the ridge with the High Peaks caught in later afternoon sunlight fill the image from edge to edge.

While walking the Moses Spring Trail and taking in views at Bear Gulch Reservoir. The setting is looking to the southwest in Pinnacles National Park. My thought on composing this image was to focus on a portion of the waters with its reflections, but include more of the hillside to the south of the reservoir. I felt they added to the setting and helped fill up the image, while minimizing what I felt was more of a negative space with a blue skies above.

A setting looking to the east while taking in views across eroded volcanic formations present in this part of Pinnacles National Park. I captured this image while I was hiking the Jawbone Trail. the formations present are of Resurrection Wall and The Fingers.

While walking the Condor Gulch Trail with a view looking east and then down and across a canyon between ridges in Pinnacles National Park. My thought on composing this image was more of a look back along the path I had just hiked but also a little bit of capturing the view with the nearby ridges the way they opened up with the canyon or draw below and then the more distant ridge. The other thing I had to keep in mind was that the sun was in the direction that I was facing and definitely affecting any exposures that I attempted to capture.

I chose to work with Aurora HDR Pro to better bring that complete setting in the image. I later exported a TIFF image to DxO PhotoLab 6 where I did some final adjustments with contrast, saturation and brightness for the final image.

A setting looking to the northeast while taking in views across hillsides with wild grasses and trees and a backdrop of blue skies. This is while walking the Condor Gulch Trail in Pinnacles National Park. My thought on composing this image was to take advantage of the way the hillside angled to my front with a more distant ridge off in the distance. The blue skies and clouds would be that color contrast to complement the earth-tones in the lower portion of the image.

While hiking the Juniper Canyon Loop with a view looking to the west at eroded volcanic formations. This is looking to Resurrection Wall and The Fingers and is in Pinnacles National Park.

A setting looking to the south while taking in views on a slender crawlway along the High Peaks Trail in Pinnacles National Park. One finds a need to get down on all fours and crawl over the walkway with the overhang and drop off on the left side. So my thought on composing this image was to capture a setting of a trail to be “hiked” and lots of fun!

photo rights reserved by Ben

The Tergi Valley is an impressive valley where the Tergi River also known as the Terek winds its way through the mountains. The landscape is breathtaking, with steep rock faces, vast grasslands and the snow-capped peaks of the Greater Caucasus in the distance. It is the ideal place to relax, enjoy the fresh mountain air and take beautiful photos. The Tergi Valley is located in Georgia, along the Tergi River, which flows through the Caucasus. In autumn, the trees turn golden yellow, while in winter a thick layer of snow covers the area, giving each season its own charm. If you turn around, you will see steep rock faces with beautiful basalt columns – special geological formations formed by volcanic activity. These columns are formed when lava slowly cools and shrinks, creating natural hexagonal columns . They are similar to the famous Giant’s Causeway in Ireland or the Garni Basalt Columns in Armenia. The Tergi Valley is located near the Larsi Checkpoint, the border crossing between Georgia and Russia. Every day, travelers, trucks, and pilgrims pass through here, following the ancient route through the Darial Gorge . Once a strategic point on the ancient Silk Road, this valley has seen traders, warriors, and monks come and go throughout the centuries. Despite its proximity to the border, it feels as if time has stood still here.

These stunning basalt columns, with their unique geological structure formed by volcanic activity, can be found in the Tergi Valley (also known as the Terek Valley). This valley is located in Georgia, along the Tergi River, which flows through the Caucasus. Basalt columns form when lava cools slowly and contracts, creating natural hexagonal pillars. They are similar to the famous Giant’s Causeway in Ireland and the Basalt Columns of Garni in Armenia.

De Tergi Valley is een indrukwekkende vallei waar de rivier de Tergi ook bekend als de Terek zich een weg baant door de bergen. Het landschap is adembenemend, met steile rotswanden, uitgestrekte graslanden en in de verte de besneeuwde toppen van de Grote Kaukasus . Het is de ideale plek om even uit te rusten, te genieten van de frisse berglucht en prachtige foto's te maken. De Tergi-vallei ligt in Georgië, langs de rivier de Tergi, die door de Kaukasus stroomt. In de herfst kleuren de bomen goudgeel, terwijl in de winter een dikke laag sneeuw de omgeving bedekt, waardoor elk seizoen zijn eigen charme heeft. Draai je je om, dan kijk je tegen steile rotswanden aan met prachtige basaltzuilen – bijzondere geologische formaties gevormd door vulkanische activiteit. Deze zuilen ontstaan wanneer lava langzaam afkoelt en krimpt, waardoor natuurlijke zeshoekige kolommen ontstaan. Ze zijn vergelijkbaar met de beroemde Giant’s Causeway in Ierland of de Basaltzuilen van Garni in Armenië. De Tergi Valley ligt vlak bij het Larsi Checkpoint, de grensovergang tussen Georgië en Rusland. Dagelijks passeren hier reizigers, vrachtwagens en pelgrims die de eeuwenoude route door de Darial-kloof volgen. Ooit een strategisch punt op de oude Zijderoute, heeft deze vallei door de eeuwen heen handelaren, strijders en monniken zien komen en gaan. Ondanks de nabijheid van de grens voelt het hier alsof de tijd heeft stilgestaan.

Roque Cinchado - unique rock formation, emblematic of the Tenerife

While walking the Balconies Cave Loop with a view looking to the northeast in Pinnacles National Park. This setting is looking to the Balconies in this part of the national park with the eroded volcanic rock formations coming off that ridge. That's what I decided to focus on in composing this image and zoomed in a little with the focal length to have much of that area fill the image. There would be a little portion of blue skies with wisps of clouds above that would be a color contrast to complement the earth-tones in the lower portion of the image.

A setting looking to the southwest while taking in views across the wild grasses and sagebrushes in Pinnacles National Park. This was while walking the Jawbone Trail. My focus on composing this image was to have this one prominent oak tree in the image center, more or less. I did include some foreground leading up to the tree, but my focus was on the more distant ridges and hillsides and having the blue skies as a backdrop. I felt the blue skies helped a better highlight that tree.

While walking the Condor Gulch Trail with a view looking to the northwest towards the High Peaks pinnacles one lone Turkey Vulture that just happened to be soaring above. My thought on composing this image was just a simple matter of attempting to capture an image of the bird soaring above. I later was able to zoom in with the details, and confirm that it was not a condor, which I had hoped to see on that hike and others.

The rest was later making adjustments with control points in DxO PhotoLab 6 to bring out the contrast, saturation and brightness I wanted for the final image.

A setting looking to the east while taking in views across eroded rock formations and volcanic leftovers in this part of Pinnacles National Park. The setting is along the Balconies Cave Loop in this part of the national park. Composing the image was a matter of lining up the ridge to my front and have it go across the image in the center portion. There would be some foreground with the wild grasses and sage brush, as well as the blue sky backdrop to complete this setting.

A setting looking to the northwest while taking in views across eroded volcanic formations along the hillside I was hiking. This was while walking the High Peaks Trail in Pinnacles National Park. The more distant view is of the Balconies, which I had hiked for a little while the afternoon prior.

A setting looking to the northeast while taking in views across eroded volcanic formations present in this part of Pinnacles National Park. I captured this image while I was hiking the Jawbone Trail. Balconies is more or less image center with Machete Ridge coming in from the image right.

A setting looking to the north while taking in views across eroded volcanic formations along the hillside I was hiking. This was while walking the High Peaks Trail in Pinnacles National Park. I liked the layered look the ridges created, one after the other, leading to more distant mountains.

A setting looking to the west while taking in views at a hillside of the pinnacle formations present on the High Peaks. This was while walking the Condor Gulch Trail in Pinnacles National Park.

A setting looking to the northeast while taking in views across wild grasses with other plant-life present while finishing up a hike along the Jawbone Trail in this part of Pinnacles National Park. My thought on composing this image was to get up close to the grass and catch a look at and then beyond this one area. The grasses would stretch across the image from edge to edge and create a feel of the "impact of less."

While at the Chaparral Trailhead Parking after walking a few miles of trails in this part of Pinnacles National Park. The view is looking to the southeast to the High Peaks area in this part of the national park. What drew me into the setting was the layered approach in my mind that this area had. Nearby would be sage brushes that sloped downward from left to right. Then would come the volcanic and eroded rock formations on the more distant ridge. I decided to zoom in with a focal length and have this setting fill much of the lower and a little bit of the upper portion of the image. The blue skies and wisps of clouds would be that color contrast to complement the earth-tones in the lower portion of the image.

A setting looking to the northeast while taking in views across a forested landscape in Pinnacles National Park. This was while walking the Jawbone Trail. My thought on composing this image was to focus on the oak tree and have that in the image center, more or less. I pulled back a little on the focal length, though to include more of the surrounding landscape.

A setting looking to the northeast while taking in views across volcanic eroded formations present along the High Peaks in Pinnacles National Park. This was taking in view where the Juniper Canyon Loop meets with the High Peaks Trail, which I had hiked the day prior. My thought on composing this image was to keep more or less a balanced view with the ridge to my front and using a trail as a leading line to it.

While walking the Balconies Cave Loop with a view looking to the east in Pinnacles National Park. The setting is of volcanic rock formations and eroded leftovers with the Balconies on the image left and a ridgeline coming off the High Peaks on the right. My thought on composing this image was to have a balance with the nearby grasses in this field, leading up to the rock formations, and finally with that of the blue skies and clouds above. The rest of my thought was metering the image to not blow any highlights, while still being able to pull the shadowed areas out later in post-production.

A conversion to black & white using DxO PhotoLab 6 where I made some adjustments to color filters to bring out a much richer tonal contrast for the final image.

Part of the highlands that can be visited from the road are these twin sinkholes (not volcanic craters), surrounded by scalesia forest.

Vermilion flycatchers are often seen here, as are short-eared owls on occasion. Los Gemelos are about 2km beyond Santa Rosa on the trans-island road. Although the sinkholes lie only 25m and 125m from either side of the road, they are hidden by vegetation, so ask your driver to stop at the short trailhead.

While walking the Condor Gulch Trail with a view looking northwest and up a nearby hillsides in Pinnacles National Park. This was another image captured, where I wanted to keep a balance between the contrasting colors of the hillside with the earth-tones, with that of the blue skies and clouds in the upper portion of the image. The hillside top is along the high peaks Trail that I would be later walking that morning.

While at the Bear Gulch Day Use Area with a view looking to the northeast and one lone acorn woodpecker. This is in Pinnacles National Park.

While walking the Condor Gulch Trail with a view looking northeast and up a nearby hillsides in Pinnacles National Park. What I wanted to capture with this image was the contrast of colors between the earth-tones with the grasses and trees in the lower portion of the image, and the blues and whites of the skies with the wisp of clouds above. I tried to ensure that the upper portion of the hillside where it met the skies was about halfway, so that there was a balance between the two. The rest was later making adjustments with control points in DxO PhotoLab 6 to bring out the contrast, saturation and brightness I wanted for the final image.

While walking the Juniper Canyon Loop with a view looking east to other pinnacle formations along the High Peaks in this part of Pinnacles National Park. What I wanted to capture with this image was a slightly wide angle, vista-like view of the High Peaks but also include some nearby foreground to add to the setting. I decided not to go completely wide angle as the sun was shining more or less in the direction I was looking. I was able though to use the ClearView Plus and some tools in DxO PhotoLab 6 to bring out more of the colors and textures present.

A setting looking to the northeast while taking in views across a forested landscape in Pinnacles National Park. This was while walking the Jawbone Trail. My thought on composing this image was to angle my Nikon SLR, camera slightly downward and create more of a sweeping view across the foreground, leading up to the Balconies formation in the upper portion of the image.

The many of the signs in this national park comment on the volcanic past of Big Bend area from a few tens of millions of years ago. This was a roadside pulloff on the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive and is definitely a prominent feature seen from the road. Here one can see evidence in the colors of different volcanic events with ash and other igneous type of rock.

While hiking the Juniper Canyon Loop with a view looking to the southwest at eroded volcanic formations. This is looking to a ridge coming off the High Peaks as well as Resurrection Wall and The Fingers and is in Pinnacles National Park.

While walking the High Peaks Trail with a view looking northeast and across several nearby ridges with the distinct pinnacles in this part of Pinnacles National Park. I decided to angle my Nikon SLR camera slightly downward from the ridge I was on in order to bring out a more sweeping view across this landscape. That would bring the horizon higher into the image, but there would still be a little bit of blue skies to complement the earth-tones in the lower portion of the image.

Towering volcanic rock formations rise against a flawless blue sky, standing as silent witnesses to the forces of nature. These rugged structures, shaped by time and erosion, embody the raw beauty and power of Earth's geological history.

A setting looking to the east while taking in views across eroded rock formations and volcanic leftovers in this part of Pinnacles National Park. This is while walking the Balconies Cave Loop. In composing this image, I decided to use the wild grasses and sage brush leading up to that ridge and have a layered look across this national park setting. The blue skies and that long wisp of clouds would be that color contrast to complement the earth-tones in the lower portion of the image.

While walking the Balconies Cave Loop with a view looking to the northeast to rock formations and volcanic leftovers in Pinnacles National Park. My thought on composing this image was to zoom in with the focal length and have much of the image be filled with the ridge that consisted of the Balconies.

While walking the Condor Gulch Trail in Pinnacles National Park with a view looking uphill and to the southwest across a hillside of trees leading up to the namesake pinnacle formations. I liked how the blue skies and clouds were that color contrast to complement the earth-tones in the lower portion of the image.

While hiking the Jawbone Trail with a look to nearby evergreen forest in Pinnacles National Park. My thought in composing this image was to capture a look to the forest and then have the Balconies as a distant backdrop with the blue skies and clouds.

A setting looking to the southwest while taking in views at Bear Gulch Reservoir with its still waters that had reflections from nearby hillsides. This is in Pinnacles National Park.

While hiking the Juniper Canyon Loop with a view looking to the southeast at eroded volcanic formations. This is looking to the High Peaks and is in Pinnacles National Park.

While walking the Moses Spring Trail with a view looking to the southwest at a cave like passage. This is in Pinnacles National Park. My thought on composing this image was the pull back a little on the focal length and use the nearby wall and cliff-face to create a channelize view or portal to the far end opening. Metering the image was what I needed to focus on then and not blow any highlights with the nearby and far opening, compared to the more shadowed portions in the walkway.

While views like this are incredible, it certainly explains why cruise and container ships alike enter the island of Curacao through Santa Anna Bay on the South side of the island! Giant Caribbean waves crash into the volcanic lava formations comprising most of this beautiful island. This photo was taken from the Boka Tabla inlet within the Shete Boka National Park.

© LMGFotography 2017; please do not use without permission.

A setting looking to the southwest while taking in views to volcanic eroded formations present in this part of Pinnacles National Park. This is while hiking the Juniper Canyon Loop. My thought on composing this image was to use one of the many spurs coming off the main ridge and have that cut across this setting. Nearby would be filled with trees and other plant-life before coming up to the pinnacle formations. The blue skies and clouds would be that color contrast to complement the earth-tones in the lower portion of the image.

A setting looking to the southeast while taking in views across eroded volcanic formations present in the High Peaks in this part of Pinnacles National Park. I captured this image as I was heading out to hike the Juniper Canyon Loop.

A setting looking to the northwest while taking in views across eroded volcanic formations. This is while walking the High Peaks Trail in Pinnacles National Park.

A setting looking to the southeast while taking in views up a hillside to volcanic leftovers and rock formations present while walking the Balconies Cave Loop near the trailhead. Was roomy end of the setting was the way the sun casted lights and shadows across this hillside from the different spurs, rock formations and nearby woodland forested areas. In my mind, that all added to the texture of the image and setting.