USA - West American

Smoothness

Death Valley - California - This shot has been in my mind for weeks, even for months. I was hunting for it and i knew i would catch it one day. A game of white balance, right exposure, and early sunrise shadows and lights to send me the perfect atmosphere. . Here is my screen saver as i always wanted it.

Earliest Rise Poem

Canyonlands NP - Utah - A place to fracture your eyes and your patience. I had been warned that people get there extremely early to catch the sunrise and be on THE right spot to shoot the sun going up through that window.. i mean THIS spot i shot from, which felt the best in my opinion.. But the really early hike to the arch was mandatory to choose where to stand in the emptiness and the silence before other humans rock in. . Apart from that human flow, this arch is a Waoww one. The underneath of the arch turns unreal once the light reflect on the steep walls from below.

Nuance

Sequoia NP - California - A scenic panoramic view of the giants. The light came striking the hills to give crazy colors and shadows. These Californian southern Sierra Nevada mountains are known for the huge sequoia trees they host, dominating the forest. It is once we reach the bottom of the trunk that we realize how colossal they are.. Find the cropped and full sized image on these two captures.

Acrobatic Lighter

Grand Canyon NP - Our visit to North Rim has been spectacular. Incredible "fake" looking colors in the sky.. i did not even dare to shoot straight where the sun was going down as it looked naturally over photoshoped and saturated.. Instead, I faced the layers of the Grand Canyon, its immense depth and alternative foreground juggling with the color balance.. A Banger!

Among The Giants

Sequoia NP - California - Giant Sequoias are the fastest growing conifer on earth given the right conditions. They have the potential to grow faster every year, and that's only when you face them that you realize their size. Have a closer look on that capture until you find the real size of a man compared to these enormous and amazing trees. Thx for standing there and showing us how small humans are in between these giants.

Corridor Hide

Antelope Canyon - Arizona -

Smooth On Death Bed

Death Valley - California - An early morning, hiking up and down the sand dunes for about one hour, searching for the great shape of art created by the wind and away from human foot steps. This stunning panorama shows the mood and the reward for that sunrise mission.

Milky Boulders

Joshua Tree NP - California - A night sky that i will remember.. we see a complete different side of the milky way down there on these latitudes, the bright side !! Mix it with the crazy round boulders of Joshua Tree NP and you obtain something to remember for a long time. . Also to remember, this is a desert area, and mice love crawling into your van during the night, munching cereals, hide away, and reappear on your knees the day after while you are driving. Keep this in mind..

Pink Of The Desert

Death Valley - California - Shot during twilight before sunrise, on the edge of Death Valley, that Red Spined Barrel cactus made a perfect composition to me, matching the balance frame and the morning light of deep California.

Breath In

Death Valley - California - The challenge on these dunes is so intense. A step aside, one forward, and your composition completely changes. The lines lit up by the sun gain perspective or loose depth.. it is a crazy game to find the right place to shoot in this place.. It just feels like "not this dune, the next one, nahhh... the next one.." and you are 5 miles forward.. But when you find the right shape and time it with the upcoming light.. it is all a matter of putting creativity down. I found the result of that color palet just fantastic, and so worth to have woken up super early

Reflect Gate

San Francisco - California - A short hike down the shore to look for the right compo. This place is so great to work with, tides are quite important as they reveal great rocks and superb shapes. This is high tide in front of the iconic Golden Gate, and even with these conditions, it all came together.. A perfect clear sky, purple twilight, reflection of the bridge and water movement.. All i love in ONE !

Straight Up

Death Valley California - That shot has been quite a hard one to get. this color balance is in my opinion perfectly as i wanted it. A blueish night tone, and some yellow warmer soft light casted on the cactus, reminding the milky way tones, and to do so, it is quite an amazing process. The composition is simple, straight up in your face. It is composed of 2 different shots. One on F11, to capture sharp spikes of the cactus, and surprisingly, shot in early morning. That did allow me to have an exposure of about 1 second, enough to lower my ISO, and minimize de noise. The second one is taken at night, focused on the milky way, on 20 seconds opening and 2.0. The color balance was significantly different, and by pulling the cactus shot toward blue and colder temperatures, lower overall exposure, the blending just did fit on top.

Waver Effect

- Arizona - A piece of art hunted by thousands of tourists every single day. This place was on my list for a long time, because of its photography potential, and it was for sure going to be one of my highlight in the USA. Well, it is an incredible place, carved by mother nature, and absolutely woaoo looking; But the flow of people going through these slot canyons is slowly breaking the image of it. I thought about 100 times before going for it, the prices are increasing, and i kept thinking "if i don't do it now, and go for a "Next time!", then the tourists and the price will triple, or the place will shut down." . My love for photography and respect of nature is huge, and it really killed me to think that i am one of these tourists, hunting the beauty of it in these manipulated conditions.

Sayan Patern

Death Valley - California - So much creativity can come out of this place. I see many different photos of that area, and each photographer has his own style and way to illustrate it. I love landscapes portrait shape, enhancing this S shape which brings your eye down to the sand patterns. I look for color balance and enough contrast to let the bent line sneaking toward the foreground, but not too much to keep enough details in my darker left area. I did add some vignetting at the bottom so the eye stays focused toward the central area, which basically frames the whole bottom part together. 🇺🇲 Captured that one on my last October trip to California

A Golden Window

San Francisco - California - Now exploring California, and the wonder of the United States of America ! I start this series of captures with the symbol of San Francisco, California, and the United States. Declared one of the Wonders of the Modern World, the Golden Gate Bridge is simply amazing especially under late September sunsets.

Horse Windy Shoot

I thought this was gonna be easy. That place was on my list for ages as well, and trust me, getting this shot has not been piece of cake at all! . I had it all planned as usual, but i quickly forgot about my original plans .. (steady shot, long expo, lower aperture for focus stacking, and a spot in mind from where to shoot). Well, well.. find a spot to stick your tripod is something you forget about; Because of the people ? Yes, but especially because of that 60km/h wind bouncing upward against the canyon wall and slapping you right in the face ! Sand and dust in the camera lense and your eyes.. ouchy!!.. So the tripod will definitely not stand still.. change the settings, we gonna have to hold it, shoot fast, and use a long focus length instead ! And i have to say the result came up fabulous and super sharp shooters ! Who said you need a tripod in these conditions ?!! Loved that challenge

Squeeze It Through

Antelope Canyon - Arizona -

Forget It All

Death Valley NP - California - Have a sit in the soft sand, put the camera aside for few minutes and spend precious time staring at these smooth shapes created by nature.

Float Away

- Zion NP- A floating rock through the narrow flows

On The Twilight Zone

Death Valley - California - An area known for its extremes. It is North America's driest and hottest spot and has the lowest elevation on the continent. The park receives nearly a million visitors each year and going off the beaten track to avoid people can be challenging. This two captures are taken during twilight, when all the details hidden in the shadows emerge once more before darkness.

Far On Tracks

Death Valley - California - This early and this far, only insect tracks are visible, an environment that reveals the night animal traffic when light appear in the morning; And this light is simply insane, changing every 5 minutes. A pleasure to shoot and try different settings on. Can you find the insect prints in the sand ?

Powerful Morning

Grand Canyon - Arizona - To these powerful sunrises. An early morning on the trails of the magnificent wonder. Hard to put in words or picture the immensity of that place

Le Suspect

Antelope Canyon - Arizona -