"Clouded in Superstitions" I captured this image of a cholla ("choy-a") cactus against a rare backdrop of the cloud-filled Superstition Mountains near Apache Junction, Arizona in December 2011. It was an unusually rainy, cold day in the Valley of the Sun. We get 320 days of sun a year in this part of Arizona--so when it's blustery and misty, it's a rarity worth venturing out to capture with my camera! Seeing fog, rain, and misty clouds like this MIGHT only happen 1-3 days per year in this part of Arizona. ©2011 Langell Photography, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
"Superstition and Mist" I captured this image a Saguaro ("Sa-war-oh") cactus against a rare backdrop today during a rainy, cold day in the Valley of the Sun. We get 320 days of sun a year---so when it's blustery and misty, it's a rarity worth venturing out to capture with my camera! The mountains in the background are the Superstition Mountains. Seeing fog, rain, and misty clouds like this MIGHT only happen 1-3 days per year in this part of Arizona. ©2011 Langell Photography, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
"Moonhawk" The December Full Moon in Arizona is my favorite moon of the year, given its early rise that coincides with sunset, making for lighter skies and beautiful horizons. On December 9, 2011, I was photographing the moon over Four Peaks Mountain and other nearby mountains from the edge of the Tonto National Forest in AZ. I was just about to put away my gear for the night, as I got the images I wanted and the moon had since risen beyond the peaks at too high of an angle to capture it beautifully for landscapes. Just then, a Harris Hawk flew atop a nearby Saguaro. I happened to have enough time to switch over to my 500mm lens + 1.4x teleconverter, mount it to my tripod (already set up), run about 50' to frame the shot, and grab this image before the hawk flew away. It all happened in seconds. What a moment! ©2011 Langell Photography, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
