05/27/2026
I’m heading back to one of my favorite places — the Southwest.
Front of mind for me is the ongoing drought across Utah and the Colorado River Basin. Federal projections this spring warned that inflow into Lake Powell could be among the lowest on record, and emergency measures have been taken in recent years to protect water levels and hydropower generation at Glen Canyon Dam.
Lake Powell remains breathtakingly beautiful, but it is also a visible reminder of how fragile water is in the desert.
As photographers, we often chase the beauty of these places — the glow of sandstone at sunset, the quiet of the canyons, the Milky Way stretching across the night sky. But standing above Lake Powell, it’s impossible not to think about the changes happening in real time: receding shorelines, exposed rock, and a landscape being reshaped by drought, demand, and climate.
I hope images like these inspire people not only to appreciate the Southwest, but also to care deeply about its future. The desert has always been a place of extremes, but water is what makes life here possible.
