Island in the Sky — Marie Love & The Poisonously Sensual (Patreon)

These photos might look like they were taken at the Grand Canyon, but this is Canyonlands, Utah. More specifically, we were at Island in the Sky, where a high stretch of sandstone gives way to canyon after canyon in every direction.

Just beyond Marie Love and The Poisonously Sensual was a drop of roughly a thousand feet. It’s hard to get that across in a photograph. Even in the widest frames, you can only see a fraction of what was in front of us: the cliffs, the layers of red rock, and all that open space.

I’ve always favored Canyonlands over the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is incredible, but Canyonlands feels different to me. From Island in the Sky, it feels like you’re standing above an entire landscape that keeps unfolding the longer you look at it. It’s one of my favorite places I’ve ever brought a camera.

I loved putting Marie and The Poisonously Sensual into that scene. The black lace, cowboy hats, and boots against the red rock gave the set a look I couldn’t have made anywhere else. They look completely at home out there, even with a landscape so enormous behind them.

I haven’t seen many photographs quite like these. That’s what makes this set special to me: two people, one remarkable place, and a sense of scale that you almost have to experience in person to believe.