Canon Digital Rebel, ISO 100, f/11, 1/100 sec, circular polarizer filter

Painted Hills, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon

The Painted Hills is a favorite place to go in the spring.  Wildflowers are at their peak and afternoon thunder storms add drama to normally clear skies.  Colored soils bring a surreal element to photographs.

Less is more, as they say.  Landscapes can be busy with details…or not.  Simplicity will often make a more compelling image than one filled with details and distractions.  While walking one of the boardwalks in the monument this simple layered pattern in the landscape grabbed my attention.

More information on the monument can be found here:

http://www.nps.gov/joda/index.htm