Steve DaCosta, Ranger & Photographer

Steve DaCosta, Ranger & Photographer Park Ranger, Photographer, and Storm Chaser with a passion for the American Southwest!

After moving from Maryland to Arizona in 2010, my passion for both photography and the outdoors exploded. In addition to photography, I spent time as a ranger for the US National Park Service, an educator and telescope operator at the famous Lowell Observatory, and as a college English professor. For the past four years, I have been a commercial tour guide based in Phoenix.

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) setting over the Hieroglyphic Mountains west of Lake Pleasant, Arizona.
10/23/2024

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) setting over the Hieroglyphic Mountains west of Lake Pleasant, Arizona.

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) setting in the evening skies behind a group of Saguaro cacti at Lake Pleasant Region...
10/22/2024

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) setting in the evening skies behind a group of Saguaro cacti at Lake Pleasant Regional Park, Arizona.

This comet, a visitor from the Oort Cloud, only visits the inner solar system once every 80,000 years! It'll still be visible for a few more days-- get out there and have a look!

I breathed a huge sigh of relief Thursday night, as I missed the major geomagnetic storms in May. Not this time! A Kp In...
10/12/2024

I breathed a huge sigh of relief Thursday night, as I missed the major geomagnetic storms in May. Not this time! A Kp Index of 8.3 and a strongly south-oriented magnetic field made the auroras dance in the sky over Arizona once again. Just after sunset, the pink and purple glow in the sky became quite obvious to the naked eye, as did the pillars!

05/07/2024
Finally, a year later, I am finished with my 2023 wildflower photos. Having a baby sure doesn't leave much time to sit o...
05/07/2024

Finally, a year later, I am finished with my 2023 wildflower photos. Having a baby sure doesn't leave much time to sit on the computer! I wouldn't change a thing, though. Becoming a dad has been an amazing adventure.

A giant saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) stands among a superbloom of poppies on the San Carlos Apache Reservation ab...
11/16/2023

A giant saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) stands among a superbloom of poppies on the San Carlos Apache Reservation about 2 hours east of Phoenix. The wet winter of 2022-2023 helped produce one of the best poppy blooms in recent memory from February into mid April.

Hello, everyone! It's been almost two months since I posted. I've been a busy Ranger and a busy Dad! My son is growing l...
11/09/2023

Hello, everyone! It's been almost two months since I posted. I've been a busy Ranger and a busy Dad! My son is growing like a w**d, almost six months old now! Thank god for my job because I often have my camera with me in the field and I'm able to take photos from time to time.

Last spring, before Henry was born, we had an amazing display of wildflowers statewide following a wet winter. While I may not be getting out to take photos often, I'm sitting on quite the backlog of old work to get pushed out!

This is Peridot Mesa on the San Carlos Apache Reservation about two hours east of Phoenix. You have to obtain a permit to go out there, but it's easy to do. I've been to several blooms in this area, but 2023 was simply astounding. Millions and millions of Mexican Gold Poppies as far as the eye could see!

Sonoran Desert Tortoise
08/21/2023

Sonoran Desert Tortoise

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Easton, MD

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My Story

Photography transformed my life. It has been the impetus for a lot of amazing trips and experiences, and I've met a lot of great people along the way. Currently, in addition to photography, I’m a commercial tour guide providing services around the entire Southwest. It’s a perfect way to combine the things I’m passionate about! Please see www.dacostacreative.net for prints! I can do almost any size and medium, so if you don’t see the perfect combination on my website, let me know! Workshops are offered throughout the year, so keep an eye out! My landscape work has been featured by NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, Arizona Highways, Outdoor Photographer Magazine, Yahoo!, the Yosemite Conservancy, Travel & Leisure, the National Park Service, and others!