Matthew Fox Photography

We spent the evening watching the sky slowly change as storms rolled across the horizon. Every few minutes the colors shifted, the clouds took on a different shape, and the whole landscape felt alive.

We hung around hoping the weather would clear long enough for the Milky Way to make an appearance, but eventually the rain won.

Honestly, I didn't mind.

Some of my favorite parts of the trip weren't even the photos. They were the conversations on the hike, laughing about nothing, and watching another sunset with good friends. Before we knew it, it was time to head home.

The only thing I would've changed is having a little more time.

There’s something surreal about standing in the middle of the Idaho desert at 4am, watching the Milky Way rise over the tallest single-structured sand dune in North America.

This photo was taken at Bruneau Dunes State Park in southern Idaho....a place that feels completely different once the sun goes down. The park is home to an observatory and some of the darkest skies in the state, making it one of the best places in Idaho to experience the night sky.

One of my biggest goals this Milky Way season has been to create cleaner, more detailed night photos, and this photograph feels like a step in that direction. The wind-carved textures in the sand, the silence of the desert, and the galaxy stretching overhead made this one a night I won’t forget anytime soon!

Keep a lookout for more Milkyway/ Nightscape images this season!

Not every shot comes easy.

I spotted this scene from the other side of the creek and knew it was there… just out of reach.
So we pushed upstream, looking for a way across.

I still ended up with wet feet.
But sometimes that’s the cost of chasing a feeling you can’t quite explain.

Im grateful to have friends who are always down to change plans, wander off trail, and chase light into places like this.