Deserts

Flourish

A fleeting moment of dramatic light illuminates an enduring juniper as it seemingly grows out of rock. What is more remarkable than a life flourishing in its given conditions? It’s as if this tree has moved beyond acceptance of what is to wholeheartedly embracing and celebrating where it has taken root. Not dreaming of what could be but singing of what is.

© copyright by Joseph Ondrako

Mesa's Hearth

An iconic scene of the American west, Mesa Arch glows from beneath with an intensity that unseen with my own eyes seemed fictitious. The forecast was for completely overcast conditions and rain starting in the early morning hours and throughout the day. However, a small break in the clouds out east appeared and it was all that was needed to light the fires below. The glow underneath the arch was beyond what I deemed possible for any natural light to do.

© copyright by Joseph Ondrako

Delicate Desert

White Sands National Park. Gypsum sand creates a sea of crystal that readily reflect the light conditions and atmosphere. This desert along with much of the American West were part of an ancient sea bed hundreds of millions of year ago. Slowly over time this stunning location, rose from the ocean floor as part of the same phenomena that birthed the Rocky Mountains. Standing in any one natural location it is easy to forget that nearly imperceptible changes (most of the time) over a very lengthy period of time shape what stands today. This world is so delicately woven together and even more so our own life.

© copyright by Joseph Ondrako

Wrapped in Light

The interplay between the direct light, texture and curvature in the sand dunes is something I have never tired of. I find these soothing and ever changes shapes and patterns both mesmerizing and inspiring as light rolls over the dunes dancing together in morning hours. They make not a sound but put on quite the show for those who care to quietly observe.

© copyright by Joseph Ondrako

Sands of Time

I have an unfortunate habit of eternalizing my current state of existence. Whether it be moments of bliss or a day with the blues. My mind will often insist this is how it will always be. When in the natural world though I try to envision what this landscape was like in the distant past or what it may become in the future. The vast open expanse of the dessert envisioned as great forests or lakes shake this practice of permanence to the core. Everything is always in a constant state of change. True freedom in life is the wholehearted embracing of our and our worlds ever changing state. With hands and minds open taking in each moment for what it is and then releasing that moment free to receive the next.

© copyright by Joseph Ondrako

Golden Dunes

An explosive morning in the Great Sand Dunes of Colorado. A rolling low band of cloud has cloaked the mountains above as the sun crests their peak. The warm light from the mornings first rays is welcomed after a long and cool night of camping out in this vast landscape. This image was one of my earliest that I captured that I felt proud to share and I will not be forgetting the effort and adventure involved.

© copyright by Joseph Ondrako

Firelight

Double Arch in Arches National Park beneath an early Spring night sky. Although I am not much of an Astrophotographer I tried my hand at some light painting with a red light. The results were more than I expected for a first experiment. During the day this arch is overrun with many visitors, but on this night the I experienced a peaceful and serene silence, taking in the beauty of this location while exploring a new creative space.

© copyright by Joseph Ondrako