My favorite part of photographing our planet is seeking out the uncommon and unfamiliar. Wandering through the silence of these desert badlands, it is not difficult to suspend your disbelief and think, even if just for a moment, than you are an explorer on another world. This image produced one such occasion. What is bleak and bleached during the day takes on a totally different appearance in the evening. The rock and crust soak up the color from the fading light and transform into saturated sculptures brimming with visual appeal.

I am often too stimulated by the change in light and landscape to commit to a tripod, so I walk with camera in hand searching for compositions. After finding this spot, I continued to explore until sunset came when I returned and was rewarded with these subtle pastel colors and soft sky.