Cliffs of Dawn

I didn’t know that I was about to stumble into a photographic “goldmine.” I think I read a reference to this overlook in a book that I was carrying around with me. I was driving the back roads of the area, following some suggestions from this book. I pulled over a few times and did some exploration for photo compositions. At one of these stops, I met another photographer. Among other things he suggested I check out this locations. I did that afternoon as it was already in my mind. BUT I had no idea what I would find.

This first photo was take on that afternoon. The sky was mostly overcast, so there were no strong shadow and contrasts in the badlands.

I returned the following morning, well before sunrise to watch as the landscape caught the morning light.

Above is the expansive view, still well before sunrise. I returned to this location one last time a few days later, hoping for more clouds and color in the sky. I didn’t get it, but the scene was fantastic anyway. I decided to put some of the cliffs which I was standing on in the foreground to give a bit more perspective.

There was another photographer on the cliffs close by that I chatted with. I include the photo below to give some perspective of the cliffs on which we stood. The drop-off was sharp and dramatic!