Southwest U.S. | Bird's Eye Gallery

Bird's Eye Gallery

Fine Art Photography of the Natural World

Micah "Doc" Daugherty

Scenic and majestic views of...

DESERT BEAUTY

I won't deny it, desert landscapes are challenging to photograph, but they are my favorite landscapes to shoot. Lighting is the first challenge. The sun is abundant and extremely strong in the Southwestern U.S. during any season. There is little cloud cover and the sunlight reflects brightly off the desert floor. This creates the challenge of overexposing the image. However, the use of good polarizing filters is a must. Using a circular polarizer is the best option because you can control the amount of light you let into the lens. The best times of the day to shoot in the desert are sunrise and sunset. Aside from the fact that it will be cooler in the summer months (although colder in the winter), the "golden hour" sunlight provides longer shadows and some additional color to create stunning images.

The second challenge is composition. Shooting the desert floor, even with mountains in the background, creates a boring image. It's always best to search out the location to look for trees, cacti, rock formations, and even contours in the sand with some plants or flowers in the foreground before choosing the location. Combine the composition with the sunlight and you'll find yourself loving desert photography as much as I do.

As I compiled this collection of photographic images of desert landscapes over the years, I considered all technical aspects of creating stunning landscape photos. The end result is "Desert Beauty", an exclusive portfolio of my favorite and most memorable desert landscape images. I created this page to showcase the beauty of the desert... and I hope that what I've captured through my lens will give you a different perspective of what "desert beauty" is all about.

"Contrast" was my first desert image. I created this photo at Desert White Sands National Park in New Mexico during our 21-day road trip across the U.S. in 2020. This photo has become a staple in my portfolio and one of my most iconic landscape images. I chose black and white for this image to detail the contrast between the sky and the sandy desert floor... and of course with a "lonely tree" as this image's focal point.

Contrast

Peek-A-Boo Canyon (also commonly called Red Canyon) is one of the more popular slot canyons in Southern Utah. Located north of Kanab off U.S. route 80, this slot canyon is accessible by taking an ATV through the trail system to the canyon entrance, or by vehicle with high clearance to a point close to the entrance. The hike is short, but the colorful canyon walls make it worthwhile and a great subject for photography.

Peek-A-Boo

Saddle Up!

As the first light of dawn breaks over Monument Valley, a weathered saddle rests on a sturdy hitch post, its leather softened by years of use. The warm hues of the sun cast a golden glow, illuminating the intricate stitching and the stories woven into the saddle's fabric. Surrounding the post, the iconic red rock formations stand tall, creating a breathtaking backdrop that captures the essence of the Wild West. The quiet stillness of the morning air evokes a sense of adventure, inviting the next rider to embark on a journey through this stunning landscape.

Sunrise at the Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park, Utah, is always amazing. The "golden hour" light of sunrise blankets the red rocks of the arch, creating a beautiful glow. Also, by using the arch to frame in the sun peeking over the horizon, you can create your own "Window of The Sun."

Window Of the Sun

Night Shade

It was an early, pre-sunrise start for us in Canyonlands with the goal of shooting a sunrise at Mesa Arch. To kill some time, we drove around during the "blue hour" (that hour or two before the sun rises or after setting) to search for something to experiment on for some night photography. This tree lit up in the headlights and I stopped for the opportunity. "Night Shade" is the result of this experiment!

Desert Trek

Every trip we take to the Southwest becomes an "adventure" to find wild horses. During our trip to Monument Valley we drove the 17-Mile Loop. It was a beautiful drive full of awesome landscape opportunities. But when a couple of wild horses strolled over one of the barren hills, this made the trek worth its weight in gold.

Contours

Death Valley National Park has a special place in my heart, and my portfolio. While shooting at Zebriskie Point, I paid extra attention to the contours of the badlands and knew that the shadowing and contrasting colors of the formations would make a great black and white image.

Artist's Palate

Painting a picture with this palate of color would be an artist's dream... and yes, these colors are REAL! These colorful hills in Death Valley, known as The Artist's Palate, are formed by the minerals within the hills. The colors become more prominent after the sun sets, but you'll have to use slower shutter speeds and a tripod to capture these beautiful hues.

A Delicate Sunset

The Delicate Arch is the iconic arch located at the end of a moderate 1.5 mile hike in Arches National Park. Sunrises and sunsets here are amazing. The park is located just outside of Moab, Utah, and is home to over 2,000 documented natural sandstone arches.

Another World

This was one of the most AMAZING finds in New Mexico. Called "The Valley of Dreams", this beautiful area of unique rock formations and hoodoos is located South of Farmington, New Mexico, and after a long drive through some fields over dirt roads and a 5-mile hike.

Desert Beauty

Arizona is definitely the definition of "Desert Beauty." Its rugged mountains make for a beautiful background to almost every desert photo. In this case, I found a Saguaro Cactus standing tall amongst the desert shrubs to add extra composition to the photo.

Ghost Town

Rhyolite Ghost Town, just outside the east entrance to Death Valley National Park between California and Nevada, will find its way into this page a few times. This image is of an abandoned house, which since this image was taken has collapsed!

Blue Mesa

Blue Mesa is a unique badlands ares in Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona. The coloration of the formations comes from deposits of bentonite clay and manganese oxide in the volcanic ash. These minerals, along with iron oxide, were deposited in the rock millions of years ago.

Monumental View

Monument Valley, Utah, is one of the most visually stunning landscapes you will see. To get the most of a trip to Monument Valley, you must drive the 17-mile Loop. During this drive you will see all the formations, some up close, and maybe some wildlife along the way. But don't just drive. Stop to get out and hike where it's permitted.

Sunrise In Monument Valley

The formations in Monument Valley are great subjects for sunrises and sunsets. Catching the sun rising over the monuments gives the opportunity to create some beautiful silhouette shots.

Forrest's Highway

If you remember the movie "Forrest Gump", then you will remember the scenes where Forrest decided to run across the country. On this road is where his journey ended with the iconic line, "I'm tired. I think I'll go home now." It's a MUST do and see (especially for sunset) when you visit Monument Valley.

Mosaic Path

Death Valley has provided my portfolio with some stunning desert scenes. Desert imagery requires some imagination to create interesting and compelling images. "Mosaic Path" is a great example. Notice how this dried up wash weaves between the sand dunes and leads your eyes to the mountains in the distance; and how the detail of the desert floor adds to the composition of this image.

Mesquite Sand Dunes

Once again, I'm using black and white to create contrast in this image of the Mesquite Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park. I wanted to bring out the details of the shadows across the sand dunes, as well as create some crisp detail in the mountains in the background and the shrubs scattered on the desert floor. Also, notice how creating the B&W image has highlighted the patterns in the sand. You won't see this prominent detail if the image is printed in color.

Delicate Arch

Although the goal for our hike to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Utah, was to capture some good sunset images of the arch, this photo with the long shadows and golden hour light of the Delicate Arch makes for a really good image.

Alien Throne

We didn't know what to expect when we hiked to Valley of Dreams in New Mexico. That being said, we definitely didn't allow more time to really explore this unique landscape and create more stunning images of the unique sandstone rock formations here. Next time we WILL be prepared!

The Bucket

Once again, creating great images requires a good eye, creativity, and a little bit of luck (sometimes). The snow-capped mountains in the background of this golden field were beautiful to behold. However, as a photo it would've been boring. I saw the fence running through the field and stopped to check it out to see if I could "get creative" with the fence as the subject... but then I saw this old rusty bucket hanging from one of the fence posts. OUILA! A good image was created!

Wagon Wheel

As I was leaving Rhyolite Ghost Town to head into Death Valley, I noticed this old wagon off the road a bit. The aging lines of the wood in the wheels of the wagon tells a story... this wagon has seen its share of rugged roads and countless miles in the scorching heat. Here is where it stopped to finish out its days. I created this image in black and white to highlight those details of the wagon's wheel.