Since winter began, my husband and I have been traveling around in southern Arizona & California. Mainly following the nicer weather and avoiding nasty weather altogether. This is really the first time as a photographer I’ve been primarily in desert regions, except for a brief trip to Valley of Fire State Park a few years ago.
Coming from the Pacific Northwest where everything is green and lush, it’s a whole new world for me here in the desert. I do feel like a total tourist at times since everything in the southwest is so new to me. I am enjoying visiting new places and photographing these arid regions. My list of places to visit is huge and I still haven’t had the chance to see everything on it, but I will get to those places eventually.
Even though I’m enjoying creating images from the southwest, it’s a bit of a challenge for me. Though I feel as a traveler I’ve taken a lot of images, I don’t think I have taken as many quality desert landscape images as I thought I would have by now. Though we’ve visited some iconic locations and of course I photographed them, I want to also spend time in areas that aren’t those familiar sought out places.
This year I am slowing down, taking it all in and experiencing the places I visit first and foremost. If that means that I don’t produce as many images as I have in the past, then so be it.
The temperatures are warming up here in the southwest and we plan to travel to New Mexico next week where the temperatures are a little cooler. For the rest of the month and into April, we’ll be hitting many spots in New Mexico and Northern Arizona.
