Wild Horses
The lower elevations of Arizona's Tonto National Forest don't look much like the deep dark woods; the lower Salt River instead flows through the Sonoran desert towards Phoenix, passing through the bare, striking landscape of the Salt River Canyon. The Salt River Wild Horse Herd can be found across the opening landscape at the canyon's lower end. The Herd enjoys state and federal protection now, and is aided by the volunteers at the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group. Check them out.
The late afternoon light and the blue of the water were perfect, it was just a matter of readying for the moment. This shot was a good 100 yards away and taken at the limit of my lens (300mm focal length). As you can see, the focus was where it needed to be; you can even pick out the water droplets coming out with the left rear hoof.
Fording the salt
There are a variety of reasons why I love this shot: the interplay of light and shadow in the fore- and middle ground, the peaks rising in the distance, the great "sweep" of the landscape as a background for the horses (As a geologist, I also like the geologic structure atop the peaks. The light-colored band of rocks is a syncline, defined by the bowl shape you see.).
Beneath the peaks
