Jeff Hackett Images

Last light in the desert of stone and sky.

A week ago I was back in the homeland of Ohio and as usual I had to get out to visit some of my favorite creeks and forests. This is Brandywine Falls in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

The part of the day that represents stillness to me the most is the moment right before first light touches the peaks. It is the moment when anything is possible.

Five days coming up in the "Range of Light". That would be the Sierra-Nevada to you and me. Just what the doctor ordered!

Monday I put myself directly on the center line of the total eclipse just north of Makay, Idaho. After missing the total eclipse on Baja California in 1991 I made a promise to myself to put myself in the next one here in the U.S., little did I know I would have to wait 26 years. Well I am still alive so I followed through. It was an unbelievable exerience! That is all I can say.

A colorful summer sunrise at the north rim of the Grand Canyon.

Cool and calm mountain mornings are one of the best ways to start a day.

The calm before the storm in the Canadian Rockies.

This is one of the largest undercuts I have seen. I have seen only one deeper over in the Escalante canyon country. You really don't notice how deep they can be until you're in it.

Deep in the heart of the waterpocket fold with several of my closest friends - horseflies, hummingbirds, tadpoles, lizards, falcons, ravens, rattlesnakes, and silence.

Last week I caught some nice sunrise light in the desert around Caineville, Utah. After the morning shoot I went to climb the mesa in the background and it was nothing short of brutal. No gentle switchbacks here, just straight up. Once near the final ascent the "trail" seems to disappear with cliffs all around, but there was about a 10' chute that went under and between boulders and cliff and I had to remove my pack to slide/climb through. Once through this chute it was a short scramble to the top.

A yucca plant bursts out of the snow on one of our winter desert hikes in southern Utah.

Mysterious lines of reflected reeds and sky.

Another from Canada and with an approaching storm which seemed to be the order of the trip. The storminess converts well to black and white due to the light being evened out. Just a few minutes after I shot this the rain cometh along with some thunder for some flavor.

A late afternoon hike ended for me here then came a short wait for sunset. I was rewarded with a stunning view of the area and one hanging cloud on Mt Assiniboine for that little extra. It was a nice hike in the dark back to my tent and a warm supper.

Outside of Banff NP is the Kootenay Plains, a good place to get away from other touristas. Here was a good spot along the North Saskatchewan River complete with reflecting pools (I'm a sucker for reflections) and nearby peaks. At first I thought sunrise was going to be a wash, but there was five minutes of sweet light with some low fog added for some extra awesomeness!

While in Canada I was helicoptered into a remote area and left for three days. The weather here is tempermental at best and I gave myself six combined sunrise/sunsets in hope that one of them would be photographically productive. Fortunately I had one great sunrise. I arrived at this marsh after a nerve racking grizzly-paranoia filled hike mostly in the dark. Over the next three days I seemed to be right on the local grizzly's trail since I was constantly seeing fresh sign. Though I never actually saw him I feel pretty confident that he knew I was around.

Just returned from a trip to the Great White North, yep Canada! A lot of mountains, a lot of rain, and a lot of grizzly s**t. This was just another foggy/rainy sunrise with some pretty good light for about two minutes in Spray Valley Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada.

After an emergency appendectomy hopefully it is smooth sailing from here on out! Summer sunset on the Great Salt Lake.

Some great photographic conditions were on display here in Skull Valley, Utah yesterday. It was clearing toward the end of a stormy day and the vegetation is still in good shape and looking healthy, not heat stressed, the light was getting sweet and there was a comfortable gentle breeze. All any photographer could ask for! Now for the behind the camera situation... feet in mud, kneeling in thorns while trying not to fall in the muddy mucky mess directly behind me, and being a mosquito buffet. All good!

Springtime in canyon country is awesome! This is from Willis Creek near Escalante, Utah.

The badlands take on a different mood after some rain.

Some more off trail hiking in one of the coolest landscapes that I've been to - the badlands near Caineville, Utah

This was the only light that crept through during this particular sunrise last week on my latest desert journey, it lasted only about thirty seconds. At first I thought I was going to be disappointed, but I really ended up liking the different tones on the surrounding badlands. (near Hanksville, Utah)

I just spent several days in the desert between Torrey and Hanksville, Utah and it has long been one of my favorite places. On this trip I did not hike on a single official trail it was all cross-country hiking. I just chose a spot on the map or saw something that I thought looked interesting on the horizon and just kept on walking.

Fresh spring greenery in Capitol Reef National Park.

Deep in the heart of hoodoo country on the Utah/Arizona border.

Just after some fresh snowfall here in Tooele County.

Sunrise from Muley Point, Utah with Monument Valley in the distance. A good place to camp out with awesome evening and morning photographic opportunities.

Pleasant Creek and the Waterpocket Fold - nowhere else but Capitol Reef National Park, Utah.

Our hike this weekend circumnavigated this formation called Pectols Pyramid in Capitol Reef National Park. Capitol Reef is one of our favorite national parks.

Heavy snow here in Tooele, Utah weighed mightily on these Gambel Oak branches. This image was used in a creative collaboration with my brother Jason Hackett and his ceramic and sculpting work. Last year we had a show in Gallup, NM and just recently we had the piece featuring this image accepted to a juried show at the Alexandria Museum of Art in Louisiana where we took first place.

It was nice to be back in Ohio for a bit, but it is also great to be back home in Utah and the Great Basin Desert. I really do need the quiet time and open spaces. I shot this image just this morning at an un-named warm spring in Skull Valley with the Cedar Moutains in the background. The air was beezy and a cool 15 degrees and the spring is about 70 so some light fog was produced which in turn created this hoar frost when it contacted vegetation. I particularly liked the contrast created by the cool tones and feel of the frost and the warm colors of a nice sunrise.

I just spent some time back in the motherland of northern Ohio and it was good to see family and some old bricklayer buddies. Of course I had to take my camera and get some time out at a few of my favorite photographic haunts. I was fortunate to have some great conditions here at Hale Farm in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

During fall in the mountains the spotlight is on the beautiful aspen trees that are changing color. Mother Nature agreed on this day.