Orion over Igloo

Orion over Igloo
Originally uploaded by Mark Griffith

Among the Giants

Among the Giants
Originally uploaded by Mark Griffith

Dawn in The Valley of Fire

Dawn in The Valley of Fire
Originally uploaded by Mark Griffith

I woke at 4:30 am, was out of my $28 dollar hotel room by 4:50 and on my way up I-15 north headed for the Valley of Fire. I drove in the dark and was enchanted by the crescent moon. I eventually stopped and set up the tri-pod took a photo of the moon sliver. I got to the first entrance of the park in the dark. Thankfully unlike Red Rocks which isn't open until after sunrise, there was a self-pay station and I could enter. There were no maps but Ingunn had mentioned Elephant Rock so I kept driving through the park until I found the pull off. I grabbed my pack and scrambled up on top of a large outcropping of rock and set up my tri-pod and waited for the sun. This was taken using a 2-stop graduated filter. See a different view before the light.

Approaching the Ridge

Approaching the Ridge
Originally uploaded by Mark Griffith
Shon in perfect marshmallow snow approaches the top of the ridge as the fog and clouds and sunlight roll over head.

Watch the video.