I have shared a lot of landscapes of the American west. Mountains, deserts, prairies, and rock forms. They are iconic, and actually much varied. There are powerful images to be made of all of the land, north, south, east and Midwest as well, but it is often easier to make a statement in the west.

Below are a wide assortment of what just a tiny bit of the west has to say. Today’s images are not meant to be the most iconic images I have made there, but they help to show that when images say west, they can do so in many different ways.

Navaho Sandstone and rock forms are among the most popular subjects for photographers. The three images below were all created in Utah although other states have various sorts of formations as well.

The west really begins, at least in northern areas, with the Dakotas. Below we have a Badlands of South Dakota image and a Theodore Roosevelt N. P. of North Dakota image.

I have shown many times on these pages, at least hopefully so, that the white gypsum sands of White Sands National Park in New Mexico, is a photographer’s dream when it comes to flowing sand dunes with tones and shapes. There is also a small mountain range on the edge of the dunes, and that gives a mixed perspective and a whole different feeling to the location.

Colorado might have the most varied of western landscapes. Valleys, super high mountains, rock forms and prairies all live there. Every shape and color of the rainbow can be found.

Below are a few from that state.

Texas might have fewer wild west scenes within it, as that state is huge and really begins in the western edge of the American south. Still, west Texas has many unique scenes with great western “feels” to them.

Every so often, I preferred shape and form over detail. That is best accomplished with backlight either in the cool colors of late twilight, or the fiery red of the rising or setting sun.

Less detail, more drama.

Of course landscapes worthy of our cameras can be found everywhere at the right moment in time. A winter scene such as the one below. can found in all northern destinations, at the right moment in time.

This one was made in Wisconsin only a brief drive from home.

Ahhhh the land.

Below we have lyrics from the old folk group The Byrds. The year was 1965. They are suggesting that there is a time for everything in life. Good and bad.

A time to gain a time to lose, a time to reap, a time to sow, a time for love a time for hate, a time for peace…..I swear it’s not too late.

Below we have an even greater collection of words from a much greater source.

Micah 7:8
Rejoice not against me O my enemy, when I fall I shall arise, when I sit in darkness the Lord shall be a light unto me.

Romans 10:9
If you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe with your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

I know not about any of you, but for a large section of my life, when confronted with the dichotomy of doing the right thing or the wrong, often I chose to pursue wrong. Sometimes it seemed easier. It never is.. Often the wrong thing seemed as though it would actually feel better. For an ever so brief period of time it did. Sometimes I thought I had no conscience, therefore bad will feel good. In the long run, it never did. There was a conscience (God), I just did what I could to ignore it.

It is amazing, just how good doing the right thing feels. I still fail sometimes, but when I follow the right path, ultimately I receive the reward of having that good feeling. That contrite feeling of goodness.

It occurred to me, that goodness is rewarded even if we fail to see it immediately. Evil is punished either soon down the line, or for eternity if we do not know God and understand Salvation.

We are given the choice either to die in Adam’s sin, or to be justified in the Blood of Christ.

God Bless,
Wayne