It was truly the last light of day as we arrived to photograph Factory Butte, a 1,920-meter-tall, cathedral-like mountain standing alone against the fading sunset. Arriving late on our first full day in the area, we hurried to set up our tripods and cameras before the light disappeared. We worried that we had arrived too late to find the best location, but the curvy road leading to the butte offered a nice S-curve that guided the eye toward the peak.

The afternoon had been cloudy, leaving us uncertain about whether we would have any decent light at all. However, as the sun sank beneath the horizon, it illuminated the clouds from underneath, providing us with a stunning glowing sunset.

Factory Butte, with its pyramid-like shape, is the most recognizable feature in this barren landscape, which consists of orange-brown sandstone. It is located in the Upper Blue Hills, just east of Capitol Reef National Park. The surrounding otherworldly landscape makes it feel as though you are exploring another planet; in fact, the Mars Desert Research Station is nearby. Early settlers named it Factory Butte because they thought it resembled a huge mountain with a factory on top.

The weather in southern Utah varies during springtime, and each day we spent there was different. We experienced everything from a snowy morning with white covering the red rocks to sunny afternoons with clear blue skies, and even dangerous thunderstorms that turned the undulating hills of these badlands into inaccessible mudflats. We relished the variety and captured many beautiful images. Springtime in southern Utah can be a photographer’s paradise.