Sunrise, The Cosmic Ashtray Big Bend where the desert drops away

where the desert drops away into a narrow ribbon of water and vegetation below

achieving clean focus across the frame requires careful stacking

captured from front to back to maintain clarity across the cactus pads

every facade

This photograph was made beside Lake Ilopango

Sunrise, The Cosmic Ashtray Big Bend where the desert drops awayCosmic Ashtray, Utah, United States This photograph was created at the Cosmic Ashtray in southern Utah after a full night spent photographing the Milky Way from the lowest point of the formation. The location is one of my favorite places in the world, not only to photograph, but simply to exist within. Its scale and structure feel completely out of place in the surrounding desert, rising abruptly from the landscape in a way that feels both massive and