Sometimes a documentary photographer needs to mix it up a bit from taking portraits to set off into the wilderness in an attempt to make soulful images that have been sitting deep in his bucket for years gathering dust. Over the past week and a half I did just that. This summer’s vacation started out with a flight into Las Vegas where my wife and I spent two evenings eating world class food and watching club bound models balance in what looked more like stilts than heels. The stay was short and we quickly traded in the neon lit strip of extravagance for sleeping on the ground under star-filled evenings that illuminated the vast red sandstone desert. The Western United States has always intrigued me since it is the antonym to my normal outdoor theater where I grew up which is green with humidity and views obscured by lush trees. The west is a world silent from night time cicadas, temperatures that fluctuate from 111 degrees to literally half that within hours and vistas that seem endless.
This was my second time traveling out west and since that first visit to Zion and the Grand Canyon I have always wanted to return and photograph a few things that I missed on my inaugural trip. This time I managed to check off a few items from that bucket list which included being deep in the the bowels of two slot canyons as well as feeling microscopic under the glowing arch of the Milky Way - both of which I feel blessed to and super thankful to have experienced. Those items and others have already been replaced with new ones so I must keep the adventures going, but for now, back to my home where I will continue capturing peoples special moments and sharing in their joy.
