Landscape, Nature And Travel Photography

As long as there are trees to walk under I will forever enjoy a harmony with nature.

Back in 2007 a morning walk along the shore of Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park yielded stellar views of Mount Moran, but it was my brief moments amongst the trees as I returned to the trailhead that grabbed my eye most. Wildflowers, vibrant green grass and dappled light filtering through the tree canopy created an infinite space to let my mind and body wander. While there were infinite elements of the scene before me to grab my eye it was the vastness of the forest that captured my imagination most and inspired my photo “Wonderland”.

Wonderland - Grand Teton National Park

Technorati Tags: photography, fine art, nature, landscape, Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park

Devil’s Tower in Wyoming is often associated with Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. I have to admit that ever since seeing that movie as a kid I’ve always wanted to visit. Last year I drove way out of my way en route to Glacier National Park in order to see this amazing geological formation. Upon arrival I was treated to a fantastic cloudy sky that accentuated the scene. The one thing that I was pleasantly surprised by when I got there was seeing “Prairie Dog Town”, a decent sized plot of land at the base of Devil’s tower filled with Prairie Dog dens. It was pretty fun to just hang out and watch the Prairie Dogs run around doing their thing. I’ll have to be sure to hit this location again in 5 years or so to show my son, who is due in two months..

Devil's Tower, Wyoming

Technorati Tags: Photography, Devil’s Tower, Wyoming, landscape, geology, stock photo, travel

On a drive through Wyoming I had the great fortune of watching and photographing Pronghorn in a near by field. Much of the Wyoming landscape is fenced off and mostly with barbed wire fences. This photo is a great example how high a healthy buck can jump easily clearing such a partition. Unfortunately I’ve seen some rather gruesome photos of Pronghorn and other migratory species getting caught on such fences and perishing. Fish and Game departments in various states with in the wildlife corridor have made attempts to provide ranchers with guidelines to minimize such events (Ex. Pronghorn Management Guide – 2006 via Game and Fish Department North Dakota), but they do still occur.

Leaping Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana)

With out thinking, due to our constant exposure to fences and walls in urban areas, we seldom think twice about such structures in open areas. The next time you take a road trip through the country take notice of how many fences there truly are… it’s astounding.

“Good fences make good neighbors.” – Robert Frost’s poem “Mending Wall”

Fences, particularly barb wire, certainly do not make us good neighbors or stewards of nature.

Technorati Tags: Pronghorn, wildlife, photography, stock photo, fences, barb wire

This week PBS is airing the Ken Burns: National Parks – America’s Best Idea
series and two days in I can’t say enough about it.  The history and archival footage (inclusive of early photography) intermixed with modern video footage is spellbinding. The quality of this documentary is as good as it gets.

I have been visiting National Parks and inspired by them all my life. It is the beauty of the land & animals that inspired and attracted me to photography. Each story with in this documentary covering the philosophy of park evangelists, naturalists and protectors fuels my passion for these amazing places all the more. The magnificence of Ken Burns work is that it captures the timeless appreciation of our natural world by the great men and women who raised awareness and created the laws forming our National Parks… and aligns it to the philosophies & believes held by viewers like myself. This timeless philosophy of appreciation and protection of our natural world is both an inspiration to further document it and protect it.

National parks… It’s not the story of the place, but the people who devoted themselves to preserving them.

I cannot help but beam with pride as I watch these programs, seeing National Parks I’ve visited and photographed, feeling a deep connection with those that made each park possible. This sense of pride… valuing the struggle of those before me to protect these great lands is what lies beneath the surface of each of my photographs. As most photographers can relate seeing a viewer gasp in awe or become transfixed on a photo is the feedback telling us our moment of inspiration has been transferred to another who could not see it first hand. Ken Burns work elicits this very reaction in me with his documentary story telling and no doubt will impact my future work and the appreciation of those that view it.

The text of the Organic Act of 1872 could not have said it more eloquently, as quoted on Roosevelt Arch, commemorating the creation of our first National Park – Yellowstone National Park:

For The Benefit and Enjoyment of the People

Let us hope that our National Parks continue to to be a source of benefit and enjoyment for the years to come. I cannot wait to see the remaining episodes of National Parks: America’s Best Idea later this week.

Roosevelt Arch, Yellowstone National Park

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With an eye towards big landscapes its easy to become focused to the point of having tunnel vision when trekking around. These days with every step I take I’m often taking note of what’s beneath me as much as what is in front of me. In some instances this is to make sure I’m not at risk of being bit or stung by animals or insects, but its also to look for photo subjects that I might otherwise quickly walk past or worse crush.

Case in point are these dew covered Harebell flowers. Kneeling down to get what later turned out to be a mediocre landscape photo of the Grand Tetons at sunrise I noticed these beautiful flowers. I made sure to set my knee down off to the side of them knowing I’d come back to photograph them before the morning light became too harsh. While I came away from this particular morning hike with several photos I liked this is among my favorite.

Dew Covered Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia) Flowers

Technorati Tags: photography, macro, fine art, stock, photo, Harebell, Campanula rotundifolia, flower

I’ve been working on a few photo series as of late. “Free” (unrelated to recent posts) is one series that I’ll be slowly releasing capturing the essence of vast open landscapes. As urban sprawl continues to expand its easy to forget what beauty the land holds when it is left untouched. Its becoming increasingly common for many people to have never laid eyes on a view of vast open and untouched land. I hope that this photographic series opens peoples eyes to the beauty of the land beyond suburbia.

Free - Plate I

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In any family, herd, pack, pod, etc. there’s always someone to lean on. These young Bison calves (Bison bison bison) were having a good time in a Yellowstone National Park meadow. Clearly one was trying to lure the other into some activity other than resting by leaning on him/her. 

Here’s to family and those you can lean on. Have a great weekend!

Bison Calves (Bison bison bison) - Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Technorati Tags: Photography, Bison, Wildlife, Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone, Stock Photo, Wyoming

Wind Blown Flowers, Grand Teton National Park

This particular photo was taken minutes before a heavy down pour of rain in Grand Teton National Park.  While I had no illusion that the weather would get better I embraced the diminishing weather conditions to experiment with longer exposures. Shielding my camera and lens from intermittent rain drops I was able to compose & expose for some non-standard perspectives of this iconic landscape.

Technorati Tags: Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, Landscape, Photography, Photo, Stock Photo, Fine Art, Nature