“Starburst Rocks”

Location: Smith Rocks State Park, Oregon (2019)

The sun sets behind the cliffs of tuff and basalt rock famous amongst rock climbers at Smith Rocks State Park in central Oregon on a summer’s evening.

I was here to show a Korean friend Oregon. I had taught English in South Korea for 3 years and had talked up the beauty of my home state to my coworker. He was fascinated by Oregon’s high desert and found Smith Rocks to be the highlight of his trip.

This place is a favorite with both rock climbers and photographers. It’s easy to see why it’s so popular with photographers in this photo. But this exact location isn’t where most photographers want to be if they were waiting for the sun.

It just so happened that I was walking back to camp with my friend when I noticed the sun was illuminating the top of this desert shrub next to the trail. It was a moment that needed to be recorded. There were only a few seconds before the sunlight would disappear.