Clouds were casting shadows across Kauai’s Na Pali Cliffs, so I waited until the sun dropped to the horizon. The last, low rays of sunlight streamed in across the ocean below the clouds, striking the cliffs and lighting up the bottom of the clouds, and turning them orange and red. I waited for the sun to drop toward the horizon and for the clouds to move into better positions. After the sun drops below the horizon, I always wait twenty minutes for the best colors, when extra-warm light passes through more of the Earth’s atmosphere to paint the bottoms of clouds with more vivid shades of red.

You will find more information on Kauai in Issue #79 of Photograph America Newsletter.

The Coyote Buttes, in a remote area on the Arizona/Utah border, was considered inaccessible and almost unknown. It has become easier to explore the desert back country and venture into locations that were once too dangerous and too remote. These places are protected by acts of Congress as wilderness areas, to keep them from being overrun and exploited. The Bureau of Land Management uses a quota system and issues limited numbers of permits to keep visitors to a minimum in fragile areas like the Coyote Buttes.  If and when you get a permit and spend a whole day photographing the Wave, you will want to explore the area surrounding the fantastic formation of the Wave. Walk up the long slope on the east side of The Wave, all the way to the top of the rim. It’s an easy climb to the upper level where several large pools of water can be found almost year around. Here you’ll find some great reflections. Move around the pools and try different angles. Climb up to the higher slopes above the pools and look around. There are long lines of pillow-like formations at the foot of the cliffs above. Off toward the southwest, a few hundred feet beyond the pools, there is a bright yellow/orange stone formation, four-feet high. The far side looks like a hamburger with two slices of beef. The best angle for a photograph of this rock is just beyond the “hamburger,” looking back toward the pools.

You will find more information on photographing the Wave in Issue #71 of Photograph America Newsletter.