Monthly Favorites 2024

Change of season in Arizona's White Mountains

Yep, here I am again with gratitude and awe, looking back at the year’s work and experiences.  Thank you all for riding along!

January

Winter fog in Peeples Valley, just up the road from my home in Yarnell was irresistible.  The moody black and white image shows Hidden Spring Ranch’s thoroughbred horses and cottonwoods. As if that weren’t enough, when I turned around there was a fog-bow across the highway in Maughan Ranch land.

February

A cold solo trip to the Mojave Preserve and Death Valley turned up some photographic opportunities.  There was a nice storm over the first night.  Driving over a mountain pass to my next camp I came upon snow on Joshua trees, a rare treat.  

March

I like to get away on my own to the Harquahala Mountains, one of my favorite places to find solitude nearby. I was on a zoom meeting in the camper van when this light came up and I ran out with my gear and shot it.

April

The point of the trip to central Texas was the eclipse.  I had fun shooting it from a friend’s driveway, but the real attraction was wildflowers.  I loved the backlighted glow here in Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area.

May

This somewhat silly composite came about during a workshop with Colleen Miniuk called, “In the Footsteps of Georgia O’Keeffe.”  Perhaps I was inspired to be daring like Ms. O’Keeffe.  Here’s the road to Ghost Ranch, Cerro Pedernal (a favorite subject for her, though I couldn’t say why), the moon, and a skull she collected which is on display at her Abiquiu.

June

My husband was teaching scouts at Flyfishing Camp, so Gypsy and I ran off to the North Rim Forest, our happy place.  I shot this from a camp just off the Arizona Trail which offers lovely hikes in both directions.  The light took me by surprise.  Pro tip: black pets look great with backlight.

July

Fish Lake National Forest (Utah), on the way to our habitual summer trip to Park City.  Flowers, sweeping views, quiet.  This area has become a favorite.

August

This time I tagged along on the fishing trip, collaborating with Marco on the planning while combing through Google Earth for camp sites near rivers.  This one didn’t pan out so well for fish, but the morning light was worth the stop, to me at least.

September

Perhaps the best part of the rare opportunity to camp at RC Scout Ranch was access to Box Canyon, just downstream. I relish the opportunity to shoot here again, in different light and with clear water.  In the meantime, I’ll relish the memory of shooting this one, hanging off a ledge.

October

Hell’s Backbone has long been on my list of places to explore.  During the autumn Utah trip, we decided to see what was there, taking the long way from Boulder to Escalante. I put the drone up to show some of the drama we experienced.  Here’s sunrise looking down at Sand Creek Canyon, on the left in the aerial. Aspens are doing their thing on the far slope.

November

Morocco.  I’d envisioned this image in the Sahara, and am so pleased that it worked out. There are so many memories in this album of photos, and it was tough to choose just one.

December

The highlight of December was an 8-day solstice trip through the desert. The brightest spot of that trip was the quest to find and photograph this striped tinaja in Nevada.

Again, thanks for riding along this year.  With any kind of luck, there are great things coming in the new year.  Cheers.