While it can be enticing if not blinding over time to chase golden hour light I’ve come to savor the moments I can explore a foggy landscape. While photographers will often use depth of field and lighting (ex. rim lighting, naturally occurring spot lighting, back lighting, etc.) to place an added emphasis of focus on a subject fog provides a naturally occurring means of doing the same thing. Fog both obscures a
The Bisti Badlands of New Mexico is one of the most intimidating yet beautiful landscapes I’ve visited. This open arid expanse quickly puts you in your place or rather makes you realize how out of place you are walking around. Extreme weather can dominate the area (heat, sand storms and extreme winds), but it is this harsh combination that has made many of the geological features there including t
One of my favorite techniques to tame the chaotic beauty of the ocean into a smooth surreal scene is to take long exposures. Earlier in the year I decided to buy and test the Singh-Ray 10 Stop Mor-Slo filter. One of the big features I liked about this filter over the Lee Big Stopper filter is that it was actually available and Singh-Ray makes an amazingly high quality product that produces minimal color cast. I was
Last Spring I decided to hike up Yosemite Falls Trail to spend the better part of an evening photographing Upper Yosemite Falls to capture a moonbow, star trails and a time-lapse. As you might imagine I was the only person nutty enough to try this and the only living creature I saw for much of the evening was a couple of raccoons. Hiking up to this spot with 2 sets of cameras and tripods seemed like it made good sen
One of my many idiosyncrasies that has worked out well for me photographically is my inclination to always look behind me on my hikes. Invariably when you think that you’ve waited long enough to capture all the best light Mother Nature has to offer and you let your guard down, she throws you a curve revealing something even more amazing. Unless I have the luxury of waiting until dark as I hike back, I frequen
“To love beauty is to see light.” – Victor Hugo This Victor Hugo quote in its original context had nothing to do with photography, but it is quite appropriate to photographers and those who love photography. Not only does nature photography revolve around the art of light and seeing, much to Hugo’s original intent, beauty inspires and gives us hope. One of the many reason I enjoy photography
Glacier National Park has always been a special place for me. I’ve been guilty of driving far out of my way to visit, in some instances with 19 hour stretches of driving. The park’s amazing views and glacially carved valleys are mesmerizing. One of my favorite locations in the park is Two Medicine Lake with its crystal clear water, majestic peaks and amazing morning light. This is one of a few locations I
This weekend I went back to look through older footage of Glacier National Park as I worked on a long standing personal project. While much of what I was working on in the field at the time centered on the iconic views of Glacier National Park, I was happy to see that I also captured the subtle beauty of the park as well. Sometimes simple aerial or atmospheric perspective can transform a well known view into somethin