A photographer's work often begins before sunrise. Factory Butte is the most recognizable feature of a large area of stark, barren land either side of the Fremont River known as the Upper Blue Hills, bordered by Capitol Reef to the west, the Henry Mountains to the south, San Rafael Swell to the north and the San Rafael Desert to the east. This was the main attraction for me going into the Hanksville portion of the trip. The landscape is incredible and doesn’t look like any place on Earth. From the ground, it’s pretty cool, but to truly appreciate the area, you need to get a different perspective.