This collection of photographs shown in this “Forces of Nature” collection are flowing abstract compositions of beauty and spirituality, reflecting the natural forces of water on stone. These exotic “inner landscape” images were taken in light canyons on the Navajo reservation in Northern Arizona.

Light canyons are formed by torrents of water created by rainstorms in mountain ranges over 200 miles away. Days later the water its way down dry sand river beds and cuts its way through these sandstone rock formations en route to the Colorado River. Some visitors and photographers have lost their lives when unexpected walls of water rush through the caverns.

These formations are called light canyons because at a certain time at midday, the sunlight shines through the cracks and openings casting beams of light on the canyon floor, illuminating the carved caverns.

It is easy to understand how ancient Native Americans, their culture so rooted in the spirits of nature, saw the divine in these rock formation. One can only imagine what images and stories the Navajo peoples found in these shapes. As the shapes are ever-changing with each new flood that flow down from the mountains, they are always in the process of being recreated, and stand as a constant reminder of the immutable force of nature.

The photographs are a new direction for Vincent Scarano, whose previous work has centered on portraiture, commercial and photojournalistic styles. He unexpectedly discovered the light canyons on a journey through the western states, and was inspired by the abstract shapes and rich earthy colors. These photos are brought back to you to find your own artistic and spiritual interpretation of these inner landscapes of line, texture, shadow and color.