The summit of Haleakala on the Hawaiian island of Maui is a beautiful place to watch the sunrise.  As a pilot, I have photographed this sacred place many times, but the conditions have never what I had hoped them to be.  On this recent visit, however, I was finally rewarded with the beautiful light and color that only a dawn at 10,000' can produce.

A wonderful evening spent with a dear friend on an incredible photography excursion to Arizona

While hiking out of the dunes in Death Valley, California in a massive windstorm, I happened to turn around and see this scene unfold in the fading light

It took centuries for water to carve the image of a woman with flowing hair deep in the slot canyons of Arizona

An incredible area of eroded sandstone under fiery sunrise skies. Thanks to my friend David Thompson for sharing this location and experience with me

These salt flats in desert California rarely see rain, much less a thunderstorm. I was fortunate to capture the fleeting drama

Filtered light glows through the dust in a deep slot canyon of Arizona

The odd rocks of the Alabama Hills of California witness a fantastic lenticular cloud light up in twilight sky

A panicked search for subject matter led Ryan, Cody and I to an amazing grove of Joshua Trees outside of Death Valley, California. Every idea and composition got thwarted until the last light of day revealed this scene

A 180 degree panorama captures beautiful sunset light spreads across these rocky cliffs in Central Oregon

The name is confusing I'm sure. But my tripod ballhead failed right when I got to this magical location in Arizona, leaving me utterly devastated. Luckily my friend Steve Turner offered a quick fix solution... the diaper he was carrying. I was grateful enough not to ask why a mature gentleman actually had a diaper on him

These fascinating monoliths in the California desert catch beautiful side light at sunrise. To get to this composition I had to shimmy out on a tiny ledge 15 feet off the ground and hold my camera out to the side, shooting totally blind

Wind erosion creates wild formations all through the Great Plains of South Dakota

Wild clouds glow during sunset over the alien landscapes of New Mexico

Mud cracks reflect afternoon light on a dried playa in Colorado

In a remote part of Oregon, these rolling painted hills look like ocean waves in the last light of sunset.

Erosion patterns in Arizona combine fascinating colosr and textures which makes for abundant opportunities to create abstract images

Arizona is home to some of the most magical sandstone formations on earth. It's fascinating to contemplate the forces that carved such masterpieces

Deep canyons of erosion cover the Great Plains of South Dakota

A remote section of Arizona with colorful ribbons of sandstone in twilight light

The Painted Hills in Oregon are an otherworldly place, and I was fortunate to capture some nice light here

A rock leaves it's mate and heads off to find a new life in the desert of California

Sandstone formations stretch out to the horizon in South Dakota

Good friend David Thompson shared this wonderful formation with me in his back yard in Nevada

The slot canyons of Arizona glow during the mid-day sun creating wonderful colors

The aspens of Utah in late fall stand out amongst the dying ferns in the soft, pre-dawn light

A tiny cavern is filled with interesting formations created by eons of erosion in the deserts of Nevada

A detailed study of ancient rocks of the Eastern Sierras in California

The wind erodes the sandstones of New Mexico into a wild collection of shapes

Wild sandstone formations are abundant in Arizona creating ample opportunities to find creative compositions

Ancient dry lake beds below sea level occasionally flood in Death Valley, California, leaving little river channels criss crossing the salt flats

A fortuitous storm rolled through Utah bringing with it a great sense of drama as the first light of day pierced through the clouds