Cedar Pocket: Scenic corner of the Arizona Strip
Joshua Tree at Sunrise in Arizona I have driven through the Northwest corner of Arizona 1000 times. On every trip I take to Las Vegas or California I pass through this rugged and dry country. Sometimes I have seen bighorn sheep. There's only one exit and it's not in the most scenic portion. This month I finally decided to spend some good time here. I found a pull-off into the brush beside the freeway. Finding a gap in the fence and a faint trail, I figured I am not the only person to ever come here. It had rained this week and I hoped for some dramatic clouds for the sunrise. Nature gave me a great scene as sunrise gradually crept across the open valley. I isolated 1 Joshua tree for my main photographic subject and try to balance that with the red and gray mountain which was catching the morning light. That was my composition decision. I ended up having to blend a couple of exposures in photoshop to get the light just right.