In early 2025, the team at Valley of Fire State Park reached out on social media, and I assumed they were looking for authentic park imagery to use for event flyers and digital posts. Being a local landscape photographer, I figured submitting a few shots of my Valley of Fire Nevada photography might land my work on a quick social media post for the park—which is located just an hour north of Las Vegas, Nevada, right off Interstate 15.
I’ve explored Valley of Fire about ten times over the last decade (plus one memorable, totally relaxed trip with my mother and aunt about 15 or 20 years ago where I actually left the camera behind).
Over the past ten years of shooting there, I’ve found myself drawn mainly to the north side of the park, in part because it is away from the heavy crowds, so I like to head off the main paths and scramble up into the vibrant sandstone hills. Because of that, a huge portion of my portfolio focuses on the incredible Desert Bighorn Sheep that roam the Muddy Mountains (to stay away from the annoyance of the crowds) and the backcountry areas. I’ve always loved capturing these majestic animals against those massive, fiery red rock backdrops.
Well, I got a fantastic surprise email the other day!
The park staff reached out to me and sent over photos of the brand-new permanent kiosks and interpretive signage installed throughout the park. Right there, printed beautifully on the official displays, was my artwork.
I am incredibly humbled by their choice, and it’s a true honor to see my images integrated into the park’s physical landscape. Having my work recognized and appreciated by the local Las Vegas community and the state of Nevada is something I don’t take for granted.
When an official state park selects your imagery to represent its natural beauty to millions of annual visitors, it adds so much to the endless hours spent waiting for the wildlife and perfect light in the desert. While the exact photos of mine featured on these kiosks aren’t part of my main commercial collection that I sell for wall art, it is pretty cool that the photos were selected. Maybe I will print one or two if I get enough requests. One of the photos is one of my favorite photos of sheep that I have taken. Can you guess which one?
Knowing that some of my photos of Nevada’s oldest state park are now a permanent part of the visitor experience is incredibly rewarding.
Below is a little gallery of the newly installed park signage, followed by the original high-resolution photographs they selected.
If you are interested in purchasing any of these photos for prints, please fill out the form on the Contact Page here.
