Afternoon in Needles District (Infrared). On the way home from our Colorado fall colors trek, we spent an afternoon in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. I’ve never found a better place to savor an unadulterated American Desert Southwest experience, and my infrared camera agrees wholeheartedly. It found this alcove with an unnamed (AFAIK) sandstone spire just a short walk from Elephant Hill Road, and insisted on capturing a few shots. And when it subsequently delivered the images, it once again decided to mimic Kodak’s Aerochrome color infrared film (assisted, as always, by my resident artistic digital elves).

Tech info: Nikon D3200 camera (modified for infrared with 590nm filter), Nikon 18-140mm lens at 32mm, 1/200 sec. at f/11, ISO 100.

Image ©2021 James D. Peterson