Desert Phoenix: Behind the Shot

‘Desert Phoenix’ was created in an in Goblin Valley State Park, Utah in late December 2023. I scrambled to the small summit of a rocky crest, calculating my route down the smooth rounded rock - gambling a bit, but knowing it would be worth it to get a little higher up to set the stage for sunset. As I waited for the light to start simmering, a long cloud aligned with the mountain range in the distance, jutting out like the wing of a phoenix. Slowly, the wing ignited in the setting sun casting an alpenglow on the ancient hoodoo formations below. A surreal evening alone in the desert.