Hidden Gems: Photographing the Unexpected Landscape
 

Text and photos by Heather Cline 

Round shaped concretions, Bowling Ball Beach

Not all beauty is lush, green, or symmetrical. Some of Earth’s most captivating scenes are born from volcanic fury, ancient decay, or mineral mystery. Geothermal basins, salt flats, petrified forests, and hoodoos challenge our visual expectations — and invite photographers to reimagine what “beautiful” really means.

This post covers some unique landscapes that I have captured, along with tips and field notes for each shot. 

1. Geothermal Features: A Study in Chaos

• Visual Challenge: Steam, distortion, and unpredictable light
• Composition Tips:
  • Use aerial or elevated perspectives to capture concentric color rings and bacterial mats.
  • Frame with surrounding textures — cracked earth, mineral deposits, or silhouetted trees — to contrast the fluidity of steam.
  • Shoot during golden hour to soften harsh contrasts and add warmth to surreal palettes.
• Field Notes:
  • Geysers are hot springs with underground plumbing that periodically erupt, shooting steam and water into the air. The eruptions happen when pressure builds up from superheated water trapped beneath the surface. This image of Clepsydra Geyser was shot on an early summer evening to accentuate the frozen water through backlighting. There will always be steam at geothermal locations, but if you want less steam, shoot at the warmest part of the day. Note: The acidic content of geyser water can damage camera gear so it's best to stay on paths and behind protective fences. 

2. Petrified Forests: Time Frozen in Texture

• Visual Challenge: Static subjects with muted tones
• Composition Tips:
  • Focus on texture: use side lighting to emphasize the grain and mineral veins in the wood.
  • Include scale references — a boot, a hand, or a distant figure — to convey the size and age of the logs.
  • Try monochrome edits to highlight form over color.
• Field Notes:
  • Petrified wood is a fossil, that is formed when trees are buried quickly by sediment or volcanic ash, cutting off oxygen and slowing decay. Over time, mineral-rich water flows through the wood, replacing its organic material cell by cell with minerals. The result is a stone replica of the original tree, often preserving bark textures and growth rings. Petrified Forest NP is one big open landscape that looks barren at first glance. However, the park's namesake is conveniently located at ground level, making for a good foreground element. 

Painted desert, Petrified Forest National Park

3. Salt Flats: Minimalism Meets Infinity

• Visual Challenge: Flatness, brightness, and lack of visual anchors
• Composition Tips:

• Embrace minimalism: isolate subjects against the vast white to create surreal, dreamlike scenes.
• Use reflections after rain to double the sky and play with symmetry.
• Shoot at sunrise or sunset to introduce soft hues and long shadows.

• Field Notes:
  • Death Valley has no shortage of salt flats, and the shapes, colors, and textures differ throughout the valley. In some areas, there are hexagonal patterns, in others perfectly round depressions, and this area with sprawling asymmetric stream of highly salt concentrated water. A wide-angle lens and shooting from a lower angle were helpful for creating this image which incorporated clouds that mimicked the meandering paths of salt and water.  

Salt Flats, Death Valley National Park

4. Hoodoos: Sculpted by Time

• Visual Challenge: Busy backgrounds and irregular shapes
• Composition Tips:

• Use leading lines and foreground elements to guide the eye through chaotic formations.
• Frame hoodoos against dramatic skies or use rim light to highlight their contours.
• Experiment with low angles to exaggerate their towering forms.

• Field Notes:
  • The hoodoos of Bisti Badlands are unlike any others — slender rock spires topped with larger capstones, formed by the slow erosion of soft volcanic ash beneath harder rock layers. What makes Bisti especially compelling is its remoteness and lack of marked trails. It’s a true wilderness experience — no signs, no crowds, just you and the wind-sculpted silence. These hoodoos are best photographed at sunrise or sunset to encourage a warm glow on the hoodoos that complement the blue sky.  

Hoodoos, Bisti Badlands

In a world saturated with postcard-perfect vistas, the landscapes that defy expectations offer something deeper — a chance to see beauty not as symmetry or softness, but as story, texture, and transformation. Geothermal basins, fossilized forests, salt-crusted plains, and wind-carved hoodoos remind us that nature’s artistry is often wild, weird, and wonderfully imperfect.