Jack Dykinga photo of cacti and clouds in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains in Arizona Jack Dykinga
"It sounds simple, but you should make a decision about what the image really is, a landscape or a cloudscape." Foothills and Santa Catalina Mountains, Tucson, AZ. D3X, PC-E Micro NIKKOR 45mm f/2.8D ED, 1/80 second, f/11, ISO 100, manual exposure, Matrix metering.
Jack Dykinga photo of the salt valley wash in arches national park in Utah Jack Dykinga
"If the light shifts away from a preconceived composition, don't be afraid to abandon that notion and follow the light's drama." Salt Valley Wash, Arches National Park, UT. D3X, AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED, 1/4 second, f/13, ISO 100, manual exposure, Matrix metering.
Jack Dykinga photo of the park avenue section of arches national park in utah Jack Dykinga
"Photographing from deep shadows into dawn-lit landforms resulted in dramatic silhouettes." Park Avenue section of Arches National Park, UT. D3X, PC-E Micro NIKKOR 45mm f/2.8D ED, 1/5 second, f/22, ISO 100, manual exposure, Matrix metering.
Jack Dykinga photo of reflections in the salt creek in death valley national park in california Jack Dykinga
"For reflections, the best results occur when the reflection pool is shaded and the reflected object is bathed in early or late horizontal light." Salt Creek, Death Valley National Park, CA. D3X, AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED, 1/13 second, f/22, ISO 100, manual exposure, Matrix metering.

Ask any aficionado of workshops and photo treks, "Why the southwest?" and the answer comes easily: an abundance of photo opportunities. Ask Justin Black, co-founder and managing director of the Visionary Wild Workshops, and he'll quickly get down to the specifics of the area's appeal, starting with the generally good weather and the translucent quality of the light in the desert air. Then he'll mention the graphics of a wide-open landscape, much of it on public land that's easily accessible for day trips, weekend excursions and longer trips and travel. Not to mention the sense of discovery in many of these areas. "Even though people have been there," Justin says, "there's little evidence of it, so you're an explorer as well as a photographer."

So there you have it: in southwestern Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and areas of the California desert—big, graphically clean landscapes that offer everything from broad vistas to the intimate details that are revealed as, say, sunlight reflects off the walls of sandstone canyons.

Jack Dykinga photo of giant saguaro cacti in Arizona Jack Dykinga
"Cross lighting emphasizes the texture of giant saguaro cacti. Take care to make use of the less harsh, less contrasty early morning or late afternoon light." Sonoran Desert National Monument, AZ. D3, PC-E NIKKOR 24mm f/3.5D ED, 1/13 second, f/22, ISO 200, aperture priority exposure, Matrix metering.
Justin Black photo of the little colorado river in grand canyon national park in arizona Justin Black
"Water brings complementary cool colors and a feeling of softness to contrast the otherwise hard, stark landscape." Little Colorado River, Grand Canyon National Park, AZ. D3X, PC-E NIKKOR 24mm f/3.5D ED, 15 seconds, f/11, ISO 100, manual exposure, Matrix metering.
Justin Black photo of the paria plateau, close up in Vermillion cliffs national monument in arizona Justin Black
"Canyon country is a natural outdoor studio. The canyon wall behind, in direct sunlight, illuminates an eroded formation in the petrified sand dunes." Paria Plateau, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona; D3X, PC-E Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/2.8D, 1/4 second, f/16, ISO 100, manual exposure, Matrix metering.