Dave Daniel Photography

The southwestern US has such a diversity of landscapes and scenery unlike any other place on Earth. My fall 2011 tour is taking me through this rich area of the country to capture a new set of inspirational vistas. I planned on hitting some of the top photo destinations among many National Parks (thanks tax dollars), but am finding the best shots are coming from the drives between planned locations.

Here’s an example. This image was collected on Castle Creek road, south of Aspen, Colorado. As it happened, this scene opened up in front of us right when the sun was hitting a group of aspen trees in full fall regalia. Now, the picture really doesn’t do the scene justice, but it nevertheless looks amazing at full resolution. This is just one of those pictures that couldn’t be planned for unless you lived close by and could keep an eye on daily condtions.

Another example; I was Planning a full day at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Southwest Colorado, a location that makes the Grand Canyon jealous. An overnight rain-in-to-snow event totally obscured seeing anything beyond 30 feet, totally busting any images. I was really frustrated as I expected to get some really unique landscape images. Unfortunately, the snow and fog prevented me from taking a single shot. Discouraged, we left the location and headed for out next planned location, Arches National Park in Utah. Halfway through the drive a furious snow squall starting changing the landscape around us. I managed to find a safe spot to stop and capture this:

So, next time you want to “Plan” for that perfect image, don’t forget to look for those “Un-Planned” opportunites.