Mesa de Anguila at Sunset

Mesa de Anguila at SunsetMesa de Anguila, Big Bend National Park, Texas This photograph was made on the rim of Mesa de Anguila during sunset, overlooking a tight bend in the Rio Grande far below. The vantage point sits high above the river, fully exposed, with no shelter from wind or sun. I worked close to a cluster of prickly pear at the edge of the rim, letting the cactus form a barrier between myself and the drop beyond it. The wide angle emphasized proximity, placing the

It reminded me of the idealized dunes you see in films or illustrations

With virtually no light pollution

they become reference points

Every frame felt like a gamble

the sky stretches clean and dense with stars

especially near sunrise and sunset

and airglow often paints the horizon in subtle greens and blues

bentonite hills streaked with color

slowly returning to the ground they came from

and light rather than foreground detail

barely anchored

cracked egg formations found elsewhere in the badlands