This is a wide angle view of the Bowl of Fire. As the crow flies, it's about 30 miles east of Las Vegas to the north side of northshore road in the Lake Mead National Recreational Area.
While the work ‘fire' might lead some to think it's volcanic in origin, the red rocks are actually a sandstone that contrasts with the surrounding gray limestones. There are a number of trails that take you right up to the rocks where a number of hiking trails are laid out. You can get pretty close in a 2WD vehicle and closer still in a 4WD. But, as with any backcountry adventure, make sure someone knows where you're going and when you're expected back and stick to your route plan so if you break down or something untoward happens, someone can raise the alarm. And don't rely on having mobile phone coverage!
Again, this is a mid-day shot. I was on a run-and-gun trip to run from Las Vegas, round the Northshore and back through the Valley of Fire to Las Vegas in a day so I didn't have time to wait for the golden hour.
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Production Data
As the notes below show, I took this with my old but trusty EF 17-35mm f/2.8L. The exif data shows I had the lens at the 17mm end of the range. One of the features you get with wide angle lenses is strong diagonal features as the lens tends to pull everything to the center. I've chosen to emphasize the clouds in the sky that show this diagonal emphasis.
Camera: canon eos 5d
Lens: Canon EF17-35mmf/2.8L
Processing: Lightroom 3.6
Processing: Photomatix 4.02
Processing: Photoshop CS5
Processing: Topaz Adjust 5
