Utah/Arizona 2014

Welcome to the gallery or Dubland Media and Caleb Weston's photography

Sunset Near Delicate Arch
Another curious thing I noticed about Delicate Arch was all the tourists were so focused on the arch they missed a beautiful sunset and what it did to the outling area.

This shot was looking northwest of Delicate Arch
Caleb Weston Rock arches national park clouds delicate arch desert sandstone sunset utah
Delicate Arch
Probably the most famous natural arch in Utah if not the world.

Being so accessible to car travelers I was warned and prepared for the crowds. What I found so interesting was how snippy people got photographing it.
Caleb Weston Rock arch arches national park delicate arch dusk red sandstone stone sunset utah
Turret Arch
Another one of the more iconic arches in Arches National Park.
Caleb Weston Rock arch arches national park black white sandstone stone turret arch
Double Arch No. 1
Looking up at this classic arch in Arches National Park
Caleb Weston Rock arch arches national park detail double arch sandstone stone texture utah
Nearby Strata, Double Arch
Looking at the rock anchoring the popular Double Arch in Arches National Park
Caleb Weston Rock arches national park detail double arch sandstone stone texture utah
Double Arch No. 2
Looking up in between the two double arches from their base gives you a different perspective of the arches and the cloud wisps repeat the arch lines in the composition
Caleb Weston Rock arch arches national park cloud wisps clouds detail double arch sandstone stone texture utah
Lens Flare on Double Arch
Close-up looking up almost into the noon day sun gives this image an almost mystical feel to the image
Caleb Weston Rock arch arches national park clouds detail double arch lens flare sandstone stone texture utah wisps
Thunderheads Forming Over Arches National Park
Our first full day in Moab/Arches National Park brought the beginning of what would be three days of rain. This formation was just the beginning of it. What caught my eye with this image was the repetition of shapes of the sandstones in the forming thunderclouds.
Caleb Weston Rock arches national park blue desert green sandstone storm thunder clouds utah
Dead Horse Point Panoramic
Caleb Weston canyon clouds contrast dark dead horse point state park dramatic rain storm stormy thunder clouds utah
Dead Horse Point Panoramic
Having seen a good deal of the southwestern US I have learned the places with bleak or ominous names are more than likely places with lots of spetacular visuals and Dead Horse Point lived up to that.

We happened to visit on a day it got a surprise rainstrom.
Caleb Weston canyon clouds contrast dark dead horse point state park dramatic rain storm stormy thunder clouds utah
Dead Horse Point
Heavy storm clouds making a dramatic impact on the spetacular view from Dead Horse Point State Park
Caleb Weston canyon clouds contrast dark dead horse point state park dramatic rain storm stormy thunder clouds utah
Dead Horse Point (Color)
Heavy storm clouds making a dramatic impact on the spetacular view from Dead Horse Point State Park
Caleb Weston canyon clouds contrast dark dead horse point state park dramatic rain storm stormy thunder clouds utah
Rain at Dead Horse Point
Thundershowers met us at this iconic view
Caleb Weston canyon clouds dark dead horse point state park dramatic rain storm stormy thunder clouds utah
Rain at Dead Horse Point (Color)
Thundershowers met us at this iconic view
Caleb Weston canyon clouds dark dead horse point state park dramatic rain storm stormy thunder clouds utah
Storm Over Dead Horse Point
Called the Grand Canyon of Utah, I was eager to see it after seeing images of it online. I wasn't disappointed. To top things off we happen to get there as a storm came rolling in, making the landscape that much more dramatic.
Caleb Weston canyon clouds dark dead horse point state park dramatic rain storm stormy thunder clouds utah
Mesa Arch Panoramic
Iconic arch found in Canyonlands National Park, There's only about an hour in the early hours of sunrise that this arch looks like this. The rest of the day looks pretty flat.
Caleb Weston arch canyonlands national park desert mesa arch panoramic sunrise utah
Mesa Arch in Morning Light
The early morning sun striking the famous Mesa Arch made for quite the frame of the scene of the morning light spreading across the canyon floor below.
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Paparazzi lining up at Mesa Arch
This was the view we got when we arrived at the Mesa Arch about an hour before the sun really hit the arch. Probably 30 minutes later there were about 15 more people who filed into this little pocket in front of the arch.
canyonlands national park mesa arch paparazzi set up utah
Untitled
Caleb Weston Foliage bush cedar mesa utah
Posing at the Fallen Roof Ruins
These thousand-year-old ruins are in Cedar Mesa in the southeastern portion of Utah.

Slogging through a rainy gourge we spent the better part of an hour looking for these ruins. Once we did they didn't disappoint.
Caleb Weston Doug Hammer cedar mesa cliff dwelling david hammer fallen roof ruins utah wayne purcell
Fallen Roof Cliff Dwelling No. 2
Another perspective of these magnificent thousand-year-old dwellings.
Caleb Weston Rock cedar mesa detail fallen roof ruins red rock texture utah
Fallen Roof Cliff Dwelling
The day we sought out this cliff dwelling was easily the rainiest day of our trip, which made that much more challenging to find. Thankfully just as we were about to head back Wayne found it.

We were so grateful we hadn't turned around sooner. A magnificent find. It was hard to believe this dwelling is over a thousand years old.
Caleb Weston Rock cedar mesa detail fallen roof ruins red red rock texture utah
Fallen Roof Cliff Dwelling (Black and White)
The day we sought out this cliff dwelling was easily the rainiest day of our trip, which made that much more challenging to find. Thankfully just as we were about to head back Wayne found it.

We were so grateful we hadn't turned around sooner. A magnificent find. It was hard to believe this dwelling is over a thousand years old.
Caleb Weston Rock blak and white cedar mesa detail fallen roof ruins red red rock texture utah
Doug at Fallen Roof Cliff Dwelling
My father-in-law caught in action capturing an image of this magnificent cliff dwelling.
Doug Hammer Rock cedar mesa fallen roof ruins red rock texture utah
House on Fire Ruins Close-Up
Caleb Weston cedar mesa close up house on fire ruins utah
House on Fire Ruins (Black and White)
Probably one of the most photographed ruins in the Southwestern US. There is a point around mid-morning when the sunlight bounces off the opposing canyon wall and really illuminates the strata above the dwelling, making it look like it's on fire.

Unfortunately the weather cancelled out any chance of seeing that effect regardless it's still an impressive dwelling to see in person.
Caleb Weston blak and white cedar mesa cliff dwelling detail house on fire ruins indian ruins red rock texture utah
House on Fire Ruins
Probably one of the most photographed ruins in the Southwestern US. There is a point around mid-morning when the sunlight bounces off the opposing canyon wall and really illuminates the strata above the dwelling, making t look like it's on fire.

Unfortunately the weather cancelled out any chance of seeing that effect regardless it's still an impressive dwelling to see in person.
Caleb Weston cedar mesa cliff dwelling detail house on fire ruins indian ruins red rock texture utah
Storm Break at Sunset
Near Mexican Hat. Utah we had a break in the storm/cloud-cover right at sunset which produced some fantastic colors. I kept some of the distortion curve of the panoramic shot to help give you the feel of how fast these clouds were moving at that moment.
Caleb Weston bluffs clouds landscape mesa mexican hat panoramic plateau sandstone storm sunset utah
Highlighted Butte Near Mexican Hat Utah
A brief break in our stormy sky right around sunset made it look like this sandstone monolith had a spotlight on it near highway 191 heading into Mexican Hat, UT.
Caleb Weston brush butte clouds desert highway 191 mesa arch mexican hat orange plateau sandstone sunset utah
Horseshoe Bend, Arizona
This iconic stretch of the Colorado River near Lake Powell was great to see in person.

One fun point of interest was two weeks later I flew over this point and was able to spot it from the air thanks to google maps http://instagram.com/p/pCf7PLLZje/
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White Pocket at Dusk
The last light of the day gave the the red, orange and yellow hues in the sandstone an extra kick. A true sight to behold in an area like this.
Arizona Caleb Weston Rock color desert sandstone stone sunset texture vermillion cliffs white pocket
White Pocket at Night
Arizona Caleb Weston Rock night sandstone stars vermillion cliffs white pocket
Texture Study at White Pocket
A closeup look of some of the texture in the sandstone at White Pocket in the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument
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Swirling Layers, White Pocket
One of the things that sticks out the most of the White Pocket area in Arizona is the varying layers of sandstone and how they seem to have been violently mixed together like they went through a mixer. In many parts of this area you'll see these layers topped with what looks like a white 'cobblestone-like' layer seen here in the foreground.

It makes for some very dramatic images and quite a sight to see in person.
Arizona Caleb Weston cobblestone color layers orange red swirl texture vermillion cliffs white pocket yellow
White Folds
Detailed look at the sandstone texture at White Pocket in Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, AZ.
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White Pocket - Vermillion Cliffs
The blue cast of this morning shot in White Pocket near the Arizona, Utah border really makes the reds and oranges in the sandstone really pop and accentuate all the truly bizzare textures in the stone.
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Ribbons of White, White Pocket
The early morning cool tones mixed with the red rock gives this shot an almost other-worldly feel to the picture.
Arizona Caleb Weston blue canyon color landscape layers national monument outdoor red sandstone texture vermillion cliffs white white pocket
Delicate Arch at Dusk
Well after all the tourists left Delicate Arch, even the "die hard" photographers were gone. I finally got to enjoy the arch at my favorite time after the sun went down.

They have no idea what they missed.
Caleb Weston Rock arch arches national park delicate arch dusk red sandstone stone sunset utah
Morning at White Pocket
A freeze-frame moment with a great range of tones on this beautiful structure as the morning sun was beginning to lay claim on the area on its trek through the sky.

This whole area was quite a sight to see in person.
Arizona Caleb Weston Rock layers morning red sandstone stone texture vermillion cliffs white pocket yellow
White Pocket, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument
The blue tones of this morning shot in White Pocket near the Arizona, Utah border really makes the reds and oranges in the sandstone really pop and accentuate all the truly bizzare textures in the stone.
Arizona Caleb Weston Rock blue color landscape layers national monument orange outdoor red sandstone texture vermillion cliffs white white pocket
White Pocket Before Sunrise
This panoramic was taken in the predawn light hours which made this place feel even more 'other-worldly'. At times I felt like I was on the face of Mars while exploring this enchanting landscape.
Arizona Caleb Weston Rock detail panoramic red sandstone stone texture vermillion cliffs white pocket