Did you ever have that one photo that you took a long time ago and wanted to reshoot it again? This was one of those. I took the original shot in 2006 somewhere along the road to Moraine Lake. The composition was okay, but I knew that it could be improved upon. I was with Jeff Clow and Cody Kahl, and, as we drove past this scene, I yelled "There it is!" Not wanting to miss out on the sunrise on Moraine Lake, Jeff said that he would stop on the way back. So, after shooting Moraine, we tried to find the exact spot of my 2006 shot again, but it proved to be elusive. Sure there were nice places to shoot, but they weren't THE one. Thank God Jeff is patient, and after about 10 or 15 minutes, I found it. Mission accomplished.
Colorado Vista - Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
I spent a few days exploring Rocky Mountain National Park on my own this past September. My previous visits were drive-throughs on vacation and not for photography. The weather was a bit hit and miss, but this is one terrific place. The park has a great mix of mountains, valleys, streams and wildlife. I took this shot on a windy afternoon. I was driving down Moraine Road and I noticed this scene in my rear view mirror. On my way back, I stopped and hiked to this point of the steam. Even thought the light wasn't great, the clouds and blue sky gave some nice interest (at least to my eyes) to the scene.
Spires - Colorado Springs, Colorado
I have always liked photographing architecture, particularly unusual buildings. I uncovered this shot that I took a long time ago while I was perusing my Lightroom catalog. I remember being fascinated with photos of this chapel well before I ever saw it with my own eyes. It certainly is an unusual chapel in many ways, apart from its unique look. Because it serves all of the academy cadets, the chapel has five distinct areas for differing religions (Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Buddhist and Islamic). Each chapel has its own entrance so that services may be held simultaneously. For anyone who visits the chapel, the inside is as beautiful and modern as the outside is.
Badlands Sunrise - Badlands National Park, South Dakota
Although I only visited Badlands about a year and a half ago, I can't wait to go back. This happens whenever I edit a photo from this rugged place (it is called Badlands for a reason). I was lucky to visit in September when it wasn't hot, and there were very few people out and awake before the sun rose. I remember getting up and driving about 20 minutes to shoot this scene of Norbeck Pass. I was the only one in sight and there were some great clouds that lit up as the sun came over the rock formations. I love how most of the formations in the park have the layers of strata that show how these might have been formed.
New York Lights - Manhattan, New York
I dare anyone who doesn't live in New York City to stand in the middle of Times Square and tell me that it is not mesmerizing. Even though I have been there a number of times, I still have to stop and try to take it all in. For a photographer like me, you want to try to convey that feeling through a photo, but it is nearly impossible. A photo doesn't have the sense of movement, the sounds and the smells. The best I could think of was to shoot a panorama to show as much as I could.
Desert Wonder - Moab, Utah
Whenever I think of Moab, two National Parks come to mind (Arches & Canyonlands). Many visitors don't realize that one of the best views in the area is this one from Dead Horse State Park. This signature image shows the effect of erosion, where the Colorado River has carved the rock over thousand of years, to leave us with this spectacular view that rivals any in the area. The park itself was named after the mustangs that used to run wild in the area. The overlook from which this image was taken acted as a natural corral, where cowboys would drive the herds so they could be captured for personal use or for sale to others. According to legend, a group of mustangs remained on the overlook and were somehow trapped there. As there was no food or water available, they supposedly died of thirst within sight of the Colorado River.
I have posted images from this location before, so I changed it up a bit with a black and white interpretation. The shadows in the canyons along with the early sunrise light made the tones pop.
Towering - Denali National Park, Alaska
This mountain does indeed tower over everything, at least in North America. Its name to many is Mount McKinley, but to local Alaskans, it is known simply as Denali. A little history is in order. A local prospector gave it the name Mount McKinley after the newly elected president in 1897. The name stuck and was even more solidified when, in 1917, President Wilson signed into law the establishment of Mount McKinley National Park. In 1980, a federal law was passed to combine the park with the Denali National Monument, and the combined park was renamed Denali National Park and Preserve. The federal law did not change the name of the mountain from Mount McKinley to Denali. The state of Alaska legally changed the mountain's name to Denali, but that change is not recognized by the federal government. Regardless of its name, the mountain is an amazing sight to see. Visible only 30% of the year due to cloud cover, I was lucky enough to shoot this on our first day.
Cell Block - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
And now for something different. I am known primarily as a landscape and travel photographer, but I have been known to dabble in some urbex subjects. I know that this is not technically an urbex location, being a popular museum in Philadelphia, but it sure seemed like one when we visited there. The Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia was once (it was built in 1829) the largest and most expensive public structure in the country. The penitentiary resembles a hub-and-spoke, consisting of an octagonal center connected by corridors to seven cell blocks. It has been home to many convicts, most notably Willie Sutton and Al Capone. This shot is from one of the cell blocks that is not open to the public, but our group was given access to it. While it is quite run down now, even when it was new, it probably was a scary place to live.
Road to the Glacier - Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada
I have shared the majesty of the Icefields Parkway many times on the blog and it seems that I can't stop doing it. Every time I look at the ruggedness of the Canadian Rockies along this famous road, I get the urge to hop in a plane and head there. This particular stretch of the 140-mile road is just north of the Banff - Jasper boundary and the Columbia Icefields. A well known saying is that "A picture is worth a thousand words." I prefer this one, "A picture of the Icefields Parkway is worth a thousand different feelings." I don't know if anyone has ever said that before. If not, I own it.
New England Weather - Ogunquit, Maine
When the NxNW crew headed to Acadia for our October outing, we stopped along the way to visit some favorite spots along the coast. The weather was quite dreary with intermittent rain. Despite that, we stopped in Ogunquit, Maine, to check out Perkins Cove. The cove is a small little harbor that is quite quaint and is a popular destination on most days (not so much when we were there). Not only is it where boats head out to the Atlantic Ocean, it also is at the beginning (or end depending on where you start) of the Marginal Way, a coastal trail.
After editing this in color, I wasn't feeling the mood that I felt when I shot this. I came to the conclusion to convert it to black and white and the mood came shining through.
Monolith - Yosemite National Park, California
I shot this image back in 2010 and it quickly became one of my favorite images. I was on a family vacation, and, as normal, I was up before dawn (and anyone else) and headed out into my favorite national park, Yosemite. The morning light was awesome, and I had the run of the Yosemite Valley with no one else in sight, except for the occasional bear. As I drove along the valley loop, I stopped at a few places, and wandered into this picnic area along the Merced River. Here I had a great view of El Capitan and its reflection. This granite monolith is such a great sight.
You might be wondering why, if this is one of my favorites from Yosemite, am I posting it only now. The truth is that I have posted it before, but, when I looked at it last week, I realized that I could do much more with it. Not only has the editing software improved greatly in the past four years, but my editing skills have improved also. So this is a re-edited version and I am much happier with the result.
Island in the Sky - Canyonlands National Park, Utah
In case you are wondering why so many Moab area photos are showing up on the blog, I am finally beginning to go through all of the images I shot in 2014. You can tell how far behind I am as this is from March and I will probably spend most of the winter hopefully catching up. This image is from Canyonlands National Park. The park is divided into three main sections: Island in the Sky, the Needles and the Maze. The most accessible section is Islands in the Sky and is where most visitors visit. The Needles is a bit less accessible, but still not that hard to get to as long as you don't mind driving. The Maze is very remote and a four-wheel drive is a must. Not for the faint of heart which is why I haven't visited that section of the park.
This particular photo was taken from the Islands in the Sky section from the Grand View Overlook. As you can see, the overlook is aptly named. The orange sandstone is a staple of the American Southwest and is always beautiful to see. Our group shot this in the morning hours and if you look very closely, you will see one of us in the distance (Rad - that is you!) along the edge composing a shot.
Sunlit Formations - Colorado National Monument, Colorado
Tucked away near the Colorado - Utah border is a real cool National Monument that I try to visit whenever I visit Moab. Located about 20 minutes outside Grand Junction, the 23-mile Rim Rock Road rises 2,000 feet to give visitors to the park great vistas of the surrounding landscape. There are some amazing canyons along the road with sandstone and granite formations that tower above the canyon floor.
I had flown into Grand Junction and planned to shoot sunset and sunrise in the park before heading to Moab. When I landed, the rain started and continued through the afternoon. I was almost ready to hang it up but something told me to at least drive the road and scout out for the next morning. As I started up the road, the weather began to clear and some great golden hour sun began to peek through. At one of the pullouts, the sun lit the tops of these formations just right and made it worth the trip.
La Sal Vista - Moab, Utah
I have been to Moab quite a number of times and thought that I had been to most of the locations in the area. I was proved absolutely wrong when my buddy Jeff Clow took a few of us onto La Sal Loop Road into the La Sal Mountain Range in March. The La Sals are visible from Moab and Arches National Park and are a great backdrop to the desert especially when they are fully snow-covered. The road provides very different vistas overlooking unique formations. This particular photo was taken on a very cold, windy day and the color contrast of the green with the orange made it the scene pop for me. Quite a different Moab that I have seen before.
Strolling the Canal - Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Walking around Amsterdam for me is a head turner. Everywhere I turn there seems to be another canal leading somewhere else. You can easily spend days, maybe weeks, exploring each of the 165 canals in the city. Connecting these canals are small bridges, lots and lots of bridges. In fact, there are almost 1,300 bridges in Amsterdam, almost three times the number in Venice. I find that mind-boggling. Then there are the houseboats where many residents live, almost 2,500 of them. Most of them are residential, and, as you pass them by, they are unique from one another (you can see one in the left center of this photo. Then there are the bikes. It seems that there is almost one per person (600,000 bikes vs. 750,000 residents). I could go on an on about the city. Needless to say, Amsterdam fascinates me like most cities in Europe do. I don't know exactly where I took this photo, but it is very indicative of any canal.
2014 - My Year in Review
Grab a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. This post is a bit longer than usual.
I have been posting on this blog for almost four years, and I have never written a year in review before. I don't know why I haven't posted one before, but 2014 was a big change for me photographically, so I thought I would touch on the significant ones. Before I start, let me first state that I am pretty lucky and thankful for the past few years. I know not that many people have the opportunity to travel the world and get to document their travels in photos. I have been fortunate over my corporate career to financially plan and achieve the goal of being able to do this. There were many times that I wasn't sure if it was achievable, but perseverance won out over time. I am also very thankful for the support I get from my wife and son, who put up with my travels and passion for taking photos. So, without any further ado, here we go.
Goodbye Nikon, Hello Sony and Fuji
I have been a Nikon shooter since they came out with their first digital camera, the D100. Over the years, I acquired way too many lenses and spent a lot of money on them (I usually went after the fastest lenses I could afford). I also upgraded my camera faithfully with every iteration until the D700. It is and may always be my favorite camera ever. Nikon's failure to update the D700 (even though Nikon introduced the D750, it isn't truly an update - just marketing of an update to the D610), coupled with the size and weight of my equipment led me to experiment with the Sony A7. I was immediately impressed with the camera, and, after shooting with it awhile, I was hooked. The downside was the lack of lenses. I knew that my Nikon days were numbered and when the reviews for the Fuji XT-1 came out, I bought one. The Fuji had a full complement of lenses that are quite impressive. I brought all three cameras to Banff with me and ended up shooting with the Fuji and Sony almost exclusively. I posted this writeup on it, which became my most viewed post. From there I sold eleven of my Nikon lenses, and the remaining lens and D700 will be sold in 2015. I am very happy with the change and I am not looking back.
Editing Software
If you read any photography blogs, you usually end up reading an article that states that photographers should develop a style that is theirs. This stumps many who think there is a defined style that they must come up with. There isn't. I believe a style is an evolution of experimentation of using different editing software, and, that over time, a style will emerge. I have used almost every editing software out there, from Capture NX to Photoshop to Lightroom to Nik to OnOne to Topaz. That is a lot of experimentation. For the first time, I am settling with mainly two: Lightroom and OnOne. I believe that OnOne is evolving to become a Photoshop replacement. Full disclosure: I will likely use Photoshop for some of its functions, but it will be few and far between. Don't think that I am stating that everyone should follow my choices. Your choices should be dictated by your own style and what tools get you there.
Travels
- Moab - I joined my buddy Jeff Clow on his March tour. Jeff's tours are memorable outings, and attending one of them is like visiting him at home, only his home is some very impressive landscapes. His motto is "Stand in Front of Better Things" and boy does he ever make sure that you do. Moab is one of my favorite places, and Jeff always seems to find new locations to shoot at, like the La Sal Loop Road. Moab is a home base to Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Dead Horse State Park and the Colorado River Scenic Byway. Here are a few photos from the trip.
- Banff National Park - Another trip with Jeff in June. Banff is in my top three favorite places, and the drive up the Icefields Parkway is the most spectacular drive that I have ever done. It was a long six years since I had been to Banff, and I took the opportunity after the tour to shoot for a few days in Jasper National Park. Truth be told, I would go to Banff every year if I could. Here are a few photos from the trip.
- Glacier National Park - My final trip this year with Jeff in August. Glacier is one of those places that I have been to before (in 2005), but that trip was almost totally rained out. This was the first year that Jeff offered a tour of Glacier and I am very happy to have attended his inaugural trip. The Glacier weather was much better this time, although we still had some moments of challenges. Unlike his other tours, there is a lot more driving due to Glacier's configuration. This was made so much more enjoyable as the other participants were flat out great. I never laughed so hard and for as long as I did on this trip. That is one thing about tours and workshops. You meet some very special people on them, and, in some cases, you make life-long friends. I know I did this year. Here are some of my favorite photos from Glacier.
- Newport - A quick trip to this seaport town with my wife and great friends. A must-visit destination for terrific architecture, sailing and quaint town charm. Not a photography trip per say. Here are two images from Newport.
- Colorado - Another photo tour in September, but this time with long-time blog friends Rick Louie and Chris Nitz. This was my first time meeting them in person, and they are just as great in person as they are online. This tour was run by Rick and it is a pretty impressive one, exploring Colorado foliage in western Colorado and a few other places along the way west from Denver. I flew out a few days early and shot a little in Rocky Mountain National Park. My favorite shot of 2014 is the one at the top of this post of Maroon Bells. Along with that shot, here are some of my favorites.
- New York City, Boston and Acadia National Park - After our Colorado tour, Rick invited me to join the NxNW crew on their Acadia trip. The crew are a bunch of photographers that get together once a year. Many of them I have followed for years. The full group was to meet in Boston and then head to Acadia. Rick and Chris had decided on a pre-trip to New York City and I tagged along. All in all, it was a terrific experience, even though I have shot many of the locations before. It was great to show off some of the places in my "backyard" to those from other parts of the country. We dealt with some typical New England weather, but managed to get some great shots. Here are a couple of mine.
- Disney - My last trip of the year was with my wife and friends in late October. We spent two weeks in Disney during its International Wine and Food Festival. I didn't shoot much at all, as I was probably a bit tired of shooting after my September and October trips. I didn't think that was possible, but there it is.
2014 Goal - Shoot in Black and White
My major project going into 2014 was to shoot more black and white photos. I love color photography, but I wanted to start thinking about my early days in photography and see what I could do with it. I shot more B&W this year than I had in the previous five years. I am happy with the progress I made this year and look forward to continuing with it in the future. Here are some of the results of my project.
Closing
If you have stuck with me this far, I thank you for your patience. It has been a fantastic year for me in 2014, and I am looking forward to reshooting with some of the new friends I made this year. While not all of my trips are totally in concrete, here are some of my destinations: Florida's West Coast, Maine, Grand Teton National Park, the Palouse, California coast and Europe. Most of all, I am grateful to those of you who follow, comment, like and favorite my photography here on the blog and on social media. I hope each of you have a great New Year's Day and 2015.
Acadia Sunset - Acadia National Park, Maine
I hope everyone who celebrated Christmas yesterday had a great holiday. This will be quite the short post today. This shot was taken from the top of Cadillac Mountain, looking toward Bar Harbor. As you can see, a fall foliage cruise was underway, and the ship was anchored in Frenchman Bay. The NxNW crew was there in full force to catch the sunset light, since we had totally struck out in the morning due to fog. Have a great weekend everyone.
Ornamental Glow - Merry Christmas 2014
I hope everyone who celebrates Christmas has a wonderful day full of great gifts. You may recognize this from ornament from a couple of years ago. I wasn't intending to re-post it but Jeff Clow had never seen it before and he asked me to re-post it. I didn't want to be too lazy so I pulled out my new favorite tool, Topaz Glow, to enhance the ornament.
Aspen Light and Shadow - White River National Forest, Colorado
One of the stops on Rick Louie's Fall Colorado Tour was the Aspen Snowmass area. I think it was the first time he had visited there on one of his tours. To get there, we took Capitol Creek Road, which is a one-lane dirt road that has some spots to park along the way. The objective was to get some shots of Capitol Peak towering over a valley of aspens. The weather did not cooperate much in that regard, as the peak was covered in clouds and fog (we did get a small peek at the peak - pardon the pun). That was okay, as the colors of the aspens were pretty amazing, but there just wasn't much sun to light them up. A little patience proved to be the correct approach, as we got a good play of light and shadow. The challenge was to spot where the sun was, and quickly compose, focus and shoot. That didn't always work, as the light would disappear quite quickly. In this case, I managed to pull it off.
Melting Ice - Icefields Parkway, Alberta
In the middle of June, I headed out to Banff to join my buddy, Jeff Clow, for one of his great tours. The first day it was only the two of us, and we headed up the Icefields Parkway. It had been eight years since my last visit, and to say I was excited about the trip was an understatement. One of the things that I didn't expect at that time of year was ice covering the lakes. We stopped at Bow Lake, and, as you can see, there was still a thin layer left from the winter. There was not a lot of direct sunlight on the lake due to a mostly overcast sky, so I decided to edit this photo in black and white. There was just enough of the lake showing to get a decent reflection. Good thing we stopped, as the ice was gone for good the next day.