After hiking to the Seven Sacred Pools near Sedona, Arizona, I realized I needed to photograph them at night, as I primarily focus on night scenes. I learned that while hiking to the Seven Sacred Pools during the day is relatively easy—it's about a mile and a half hike—the trailhead gate closes at night. Leaving a car in the parking area could prompt a rescue team, which I wanted to avoid. Therefore, I contacted the Forest Service to obtain a special permit and plan my shoot.

I convinced a friend to join me on this nighttime adventure and help as my assistant. My biggest promise to her was that we would have plenty of laughs, and I definitely delivered on that. We had a great time!

The hike isn't very long, and it has minimal elevation gain, which was beneficial while navigating in the dark with photo equipment, lighting, and tripods. I planned our hike for winter, so we didn’t have to worry about encountering rattlesnakes or spiders in the dark desert environment.

When we arrived at the Seven Sacred Pools, we waited a couple of hours for the moon to set. The moon dipped below the Coffee Pot rock formation on the left in the distance, while stars blanketed the sky. As the night progressed, temperatures dropped. The dark conditions were ideal for the lighting we had brought. We strategically placed a few lights to illuminate the blue agave and the surrounding desert rocks, finishing our vision with some light painting to create the perfect night desert scene.

The reflections of stars on the Seven Sacred Pools, the red rock desert landscape, the blue agave, and the starry night culminated in my dream shot for the evening. By that time, the pools were beginning to form a thin layer of ice, and we noticed frost on our hoodies as we left this stunning sight to hike back. It was truly worth it!