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Natural oils made from decaying plant matter create patterns and colorful iridescent reflections in stagnant pools of water at the bottom of Coyote Gulch in the Grand Staircase / Escalante Wilderness... If left untouched, (which is a distinct possibility in such a remote backcountry area) this leaf too will disintegrate into the mixture of water and oil over time.

I positioned the camera at an angle that could capture the reflection of the setting sunlight on the orange canyon walls, high above - which is why the photo has such a rich golden color...

Thanks for looking :-)

Tags:   grand staircase escalante desert nature abstract oil leaf utah macro

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miles deep into the Escalante backcountry, but just a short hike from our campsite, part of this canyon switches back at such a hard angle, with such high walls, that it appears as a tunnel or alcove...
there was a bright moon this night, which illuminated the inside of the canyon walls, but also drowned out the stars to some extent... With that much moonlight, high in the sky, 22 minutes was as long as I felt comfortable exposing for...
Luckily, this "river" was but a stream-like trickle during this expedition, as the monsoon season had long since passed...
This was my first time getting out in quite some time, so doing a shot like this was extra special for me...

Tags:   grand staircase Escalante southwest wilderness coyote gulch utah landscape stars star trails Long exposure desert night

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