It’s been a busy week, full of shooting, writing, designing, and some great discussions with other photographers, near and afar! I was going through some old images tonight looking for some submit-worthy photographs to go with an assignment, and I came across this image from the Big Bend Ranch State Park near Lajitas, Texas. I drove back in down some fairly fresh cut roads the afternoon before this morning and car-camped until an hour before sunrise.

There is nothing better than waking up before the dawn and hearing nothing, while being able to barely see across this vast expanse of rugged land, decorated with desert vegetation and craggy peaks. Twilight (no, not the movie) is an interesting time to shoot as well, and it’s a good practice to do so if you are interested in understanding the dynamic range capabilities of your camera (sorry, enough of the nerd talk, let’s just soak it in). You sense the stillness at this time of day, regardless of where you are. I continually tell my students that it’s worth waking up at least one morning out of the year before the sunrises. Your life will be better. Wake up more often, go take a few images, and you might just have struck the fountain of youth!

If you happen to be camped out on a mountaintop straddling the Texas-Mexico border, even better!