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At least once each year,
Claus packs up his equipment, his broad-brimmed hat and
his knee-high, rattlesnake-proof leather boots and hops
a plane to the Southwestern U.S. Upon arriving at his
destination, he connects with his pre-arranged group of
Navajo guides and finalizes the details of their
upcoming trek into the desert.
After traveling into the hot, dry land on foot, over
terrain too difficult and remote to traverse by vehicle, Claus and his companions arrive at one of the
region's Slot Canyons.
Carved by the sheer force of nature, Slot Canyons are
the result of water finding its way down through the
desert sand, down what begins as a minuscule crevasse,
down towards the bowels of the earth. As time passes and
more water moves through the layers of soil, even solid
stone finds itself subject to the whims of the raindrops
that wend their way into the heart of the earth.
Slowly, eventually, underground caverns begin to emerge,
each one unique and amazing. Where once water flowed,
rock cascades in sheets and swirls of undulating
magnificence.
To reach these depths and plumb their mysteries, Claus
and his guides often lower themselves down on sturdy
ropes, using torches to light the way and fend off the rattlesnakes that slide in from the shadows. As
streaks of light trickle in from above, they are fickle,
changing hue and brightness as the minutes tick by. Claus works for hours at a time until the daylight wanes
and it becomes unsafe to remain in the caves. His goal? To
capture the one instance among all the seconds of a day
when beauty just explodes into being.
The incredible fine art photographs showcased on this
website are the result of hours, and sometimes even
days, of painstaking, heartfelt work.
Welcome to an incredible world of inspiration! |
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