2019 year in review

Written by Alpenglow Images on December 31st, 2019

Photoshop and other editing tools can do amazing things, but truly great landscape images can’t be made on a budget of limited time. 2019 was spectacularly busy at my house leaving me a paucity of time. Some photographic projects were put on hold, but fortunately I was able to pursue others with purpose. I was quite pleased with some of the images I made this year.

One of my goals two years ago when I started the Wilderness Project was to finish it by the end of 2019. Many of Riverside County’s wildernesses were created from the California Desert Protection Act, which turned 25 years old in 2019. As such, it seemed a fitting way to celebrate our desert wildernesses. I started the year with some wonderful weather in the Cahuilla Mountain Wilderness, but life took over and all of a sudden we’re looking ahead to 2020.

Despite the unfinished Wilderness Project, I enjoyed developing a deeper relationship with northern New Mexico, and spending more time in the Navajo Nation, which I grew up near to, but haven’t really gotten to know much. A couple of years ago I made a “resolution” (I don’t think I made it at the end of the year…maybe a solstice resolution?) to travel less in general and specifically for photography. The notion of using art in conservation is a bit confounding to me if there’s a large carbon footprint involved in making the art. So, I stick to local, place-based photography.

Looking ahead to 2020, I’m looking forward to some backcountry trips as well as more work on the Wilderness Project. I hope you had a productive year, and have a happy new year!

wildflowers and hills at sunrise in the Colorado desert of Southern California
fresh snow on the chuska mountains in northern New Mexico
comb ridge near monument valley in sunrise light
drying mud cracks and creates an intricate tile pattern
An abandoned Navajo ruin sits on top of a boulder at the edge of a canyon.
snow-covered Joshua Tree forest in the Mojave Desert
a colorful yellow cottonwood in fall in southern Utah
colorful oak leaves that have fallen off of trees
rabbit brush and cottonwoods along a creek in southern Utah

Past images of the year:

2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018

 

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