A soaptree yucca stands atop a sand dune as the morning sun brings out the texture in the sand ripples. White Sands National Monument, New Mexico - February 2014

Dune shadows and sand ripples in afternoon light. White Sands National Monument, New Mexico - February 2014

A perfect trio of sunflowers grow on the towering dunes.  Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado - August 2010

The Virgin River Narrows glow in reflected light over the cool flowing waters. Zion National Park, Utah - November 2017

Fallen maple leaves fill a dry riverbed, leaving a clear shape of a stone heart emerging from the ground. Zion National Park, Utah - October 2017

A windy day kicks up dust and illuminates the light shaft deep within a slot canyon. Near Hanksville, Utah - May 2017

Basins of solid earth create shapes within the dunefield. Death Valley National Park, California - November 2018

Stone swirls lead up to towering formations shaped like wizard hats. Arizona - November 2018

Rocks cross paths as they slide out of the black abyss and onto the sunbathed playa. Death Valley National Park, California - January 2018

The Left Fork of North Creek flows through a narrow crack in deep red sandstone. Zion National Park, Utah - November 2016

A salt and mud flow through Badwater Basin. Death Valley National Park, California - December 2015

Last light on the mystical Racetrack Playa, where sailing rocks move on their own. Death Valley National Park, California - December 2015

A bush among giant mud cracks. Death Valley National Park, California - January 2017

The remains of a juniper tree reaches for sky on the South Rim of the Chisos Mountains.  Big Bend National Park, Texas - April 2014

Sunset over the south rim of the Chisos Mountains.  The view from here stretches over the Rio Grande Valley and into the mountains of Mexico.  Big Bend National Park, Texas - April 2014

First light on the crest of a white dune. White Sands National Monument - February 2018

Multi-colored rock glows vibrantly during twilight in this long exposure image. Arizona, November 2018

A pastel-toned sunrise over ripples of sand. White Sands National Monument - February 2018

Sand ripples and sweeping curves of dunes just before sunset. Death Valley National Park, California - February 2021

Silhouettes of saguaro cactus reach up into the sky at sunset. Organ Pipe National Monument, Arizona - March 2021

A small bush of grass glows in reflected sandstone light. Arizona, February 2021

Detail of Mud Tiles. Death Valley National Park, California - January 2017

Detail of a young Joshua Tree sprout. Death Valley National Park, California - February 2017

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada - January 2017

First light on the curves of sand dunes. Death Valley National Park, California - January 2018

Sunrise over the Mesquite Dunes. Death Valley National Park, California - February 2017

Curves and patterns on the dunes of White Sands National Monument. March 2015

A yucca at dawn in a sea of dunes. White Sands National Monument, New Mexico - January 2020

A yucca on the dunes at sunset. White Sands National Monument, New Mexico - January 2020

Yuccas on white dunes at twilight. White Sands National Park, New Mexico - January 2020

A broken shub among the sand ripples bathed in purple twilight hues. White Sands National Monument, New Mexico - March 2015

Joshua Trees glow in the twilight.  Death Valley National Park, California - December 2015

Rocks slide out of the black mountainside.  Death Valley National Park, California - December 2015

Fallen maples leaves lay scattered in desert soil that was washed into waves by recent rains. Zion National Park, Utah - October 2018

Agave and blooming poppies on a desert mountain hillside. Kofa Mountains, Arizona - March 2017 Provia 100f 4x5, 210mm lens 1 second at f32, warming filter

Moqui stones lay in the crevases of cracked earth to reveal the shape of a heart. Arizona - November 2018

Last light on the dunes. White Sands National Monument, New Mexico - March 2015

An amazing slot canyon called The Subway carved through the sandstone in Zion National Park, Utah. November 2013

A wild sunset over the remote Ibex Dunes.  Death Valley National Park, California - December 2015

Sunrise over the otherworldly "Cracked Eggs" of New Mexico's Bisti Badlands.  March 2013.

Stormy clouds and morning light make a dramatic scene on the Temples of the Sun and Moon.  Capitol Reef National Monument, Utah - May 2016

Sunrise over the surreal rock formations of the Bisti Badlands of New Mexico.  March 2013.