Impressive from Every Angle - Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming

Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming

One of the classic images of Devils Tower seen in famous movies is the one from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I have always wanted to see this with my own eyes, and decided that we would visit Devils Tower on our way back home on our cross country trip. It was a little out of the way for our final destination for the day (Badlands National Park) but I was glad that I did it.

Devils Tower is quite a large formation that sticks out of the landscape and it is surrounded by plains. Despite that, you can't get a good glimpse of it until you are almost there. The wind was blowing so hard that I had to hold onto my tripod to keep it from blowing over. There isn't a bad angle to shoot the tower from, as the flat land that surrounds it makes it stand out. The main difference in the views are the foreground. Looking at it from the east, there are fields of grass. This composition looking south towards the tower shows a more rugged foreground with hills and trees. No matter how you look at it, Devils Tower is well worth a side trip. 

What to Shoot When it Rains - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Colton Bay, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

No matter how much time and effort we spend when planning a trip, whether it be a vacation or a photo tour, a major factor in the trip's success is the weather. This can be frustrating as sometimes these trips take lots of travel time and cost lots of money to get to. As a photographer, I know how the weather can impact your shooting. Sometimes it is clouds that block the scene you want to shoot at either sunrise or sunset. Other times it is a rain storm that gets you and your equipment soaked. I used to complain about it, but that doesn't change anything but your attitude. Now when the weather takes a turn for the worse, I simply look for other things to shoot. So when this happened to me in Grand Teton National Park, I headed under the cover of the trees and started to shoot the branches of an evergreen with some cool looking pine cones. No, it is not majestic like the nearby Rocky Mountains, but it sure beats feeling sorry for myself.

Parkway View - Banff National Park, Alberta

Icefields Parkway, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

I have posted a number of images from the Icefields Parkway and every one is different from the last. That is because the parkway is about 140 miles long, parallels the Canadian Rockies, and passes by some of the most pristine mountain lakes anywhere.. There is no one image that can really convey the full beauty of the road. The parkway consistently appears on most top 10 lists of most spectacular roads in the world, including National Geographic. I wanted to post a photo that truly puts the road into perspective of its surroundings, and I hope this one does. This was taken from an overlook on the parkway looking south toward Banff. The road leads the eye down the middle of the valley and shows how the Rockies tower above it. This is one of the reasons that I keep wanting to go back there. 

Nubble from the Boat - York, Maine

Nubble Light, York, Maine

Nubble Light (aka Cape Neddick Lighthouse) is one of the most  picturesque and photographed lighthouses on the Maine Coast. Located about an hour and a half north of Boston, visitors flock to this lighthouse. The light actually sits on a small island only a hundred yards offshore. There is a nice sized parking lot that accommodates visitors, although in peak season, parking is challenging. Almost everyone who visits walks away with a photo that shows the front of the light and island. I wanted to get a different view, so I took a cruise out of Perkins Cove that headed south to the island before heading back to port. While a boat cannot circle the island fully, I was able to get this shot looking north that cannot be achieved from land.  

Place to Relax - Hilton Head, South Carolina

Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort, Hilton Head, South Carolina

With all of the traveling that I do, sometimes people assume that I have been everywhere. There are plenty of places that I have yet to visit and the saying, "So many places, so little time." definitely applies to me. While most of my bucket list places are out west, I was able to check off Hilton Head a couple of years ago. We stayed at a Disney resort on the island (yes, it was a little weird staying at Disney with no amusement parks around) and we found it to be a great place to relax. Located about an hour north of Savannah and two hours south of Charleston (both were bucket list destinations), Hilton Head is a great place as a center of operations. Coupled with golf, fishing and beach, I can see why it is a prime vacation destination.

Cruising Upper Waterton Lake - Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta

Upper Waterton Lake, Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada

Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is a World Heritage site that is the union of the American and Canadian national parks. There is a way to visit both parks on the same day without hopping in a car and crossing the border. If you are staying in the Waterton Townsite, you can take a two-hour boat trip on Upper Waterton Lake, and travel south to Goat Lick, Montana. There you can get off the boat and scout around for a half-hour before heading back. Surprisingly, passengers do not have to go through US Customs as long as they get back on the boat. Along the way, you get some terrific views of the Rocky Mountains with their towering cliffs and rugged snow-capped peaks. Waterfalls can also be seen from the boat. The only problem for photographers is that the cruise leaves at 10:00am, so getting the great early morning light is near impossible. The day we took this cruise, the weather wasn't the greatest, but the scenery made up for that. 

Glorious - Manhattan, New York

St Patrick's Cathedral, Manhattan, New York

This past September, I joined fellow photographers Rick Louie and Chris Nitz on their trip to New York City before we were to meet up with the NxNW crew on Boston. This was Chris's first visit to NYC, so of course we had to show him some of our favorite places. I hadn't been back to St Patrick's near 30 Rock since 2008 and I was excited to shoot there again, as it is a magnificent church. When we walked in, we were in for a surprise, as there was scaffolding everywhere to be seen. Seems like St. Patrick's has been under restoration since 2012 and is not scheduled to be completed until December of this year, at an estimated cost of $175 million.  

I still wanted to post an image of the inside of the church without scaffolding, so I dug out an old image and processed it as you see here. I can't wait to revisit there after the restoration is completed, as I am curious to see what it will look like.

Glacier Wildflowers - Glacier National Park, Montana

Logan Pass, Glacier National Park, Montana

Logan Pass is a must stop destination for anyone visiting Glacier NP. It lies on the Continental Divide of the Rocky Mountains and is the highest point on the Going- to-the-Sun Road at almost 6,700 feet. It is unusual to see wildflowers in the middle of August (when this was taken), but the summer season was a short one in 2014. The road to Logan Pass was opened in mid-July and closed in late September, so the growing season was quite short due to the snow melt. This vantage point is near the Visitors Center and is the beginning of the Hidden Lake Trail that takes you past Reynolds Mountain. The hike to Hidden Lake is on a boardwalk with some decent elevation change, but it is so worth it for the view.

The Road - Colorado River Scenic Byway, Moab, Utah

This is a photo that I might not have taken a couple of years ago. Fortunately, in the past few years, I have been able to connect with other photographers that I have known for years online. Shooting with other photographers can't help but change your personal perspective, especially when you love their work. This particular shot is a tribute to my friend Jeff Clow. Before shooting with Jeff, I didn't shoot many road shots nor did I shoot much black and white. It is now part of my repertoire. I know he has picked up a few ideas from me too, especially when there are puddles around. Thanks Jeff.

Out for a Hike - Bloomfield, Connecticut

Pennwood State Park, Bloomfield Connecticut

Being a landscape and travel photographer, I am often in front of some pretty impressive subjects. I sometimes forget that there is beauty in all corners of the world even if they are not prime destinations. Case in point. I hike around a reservoir that is pretty close to my home. It is a 3-mile hike with a good portion of it being a tree-lined dirt road. I try to bring my camera with me on these hikes, as there are times when the light and shadow paint such a photogenic picture. I shot this photo on one of those hikes and it is a favorite of mine. Don't forget your camera wherever you go. You just might run into a place where the scene is screaming "shoot me."

Awaiting Canoe - Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta

Cameron Lake, Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada

I like going through my Lightroom library and looking at some old stuff that I have shot over the years. Sometimes I come upon one that takes me back in time like this one did. Back in 2006, we hit most of the national parks, from Glacier in Montana to Jasper, Alberta. What a great trip it was. One of the places we stopped at was Waterton Lakes National Park. This little gem of a park abuts Glacier and is a wonderful place to explore. It doesn't get nearly the number of visitors as Glacier or the parks to the north, but it should. We seemed to have the park pretty much to ourselves. When we drove up to Cameron Lake (pictured here), there was no one in sight except for a couple of canoes on the lake. This canoe was just sitting there waiting for someone to take it out for a spin. 

Temple of Poseidon - Cape Sounion, Greece

I am a lover of architecture and there is no better place to see some of the really old structures than Europe.  After visiting the Acropolis in Athens, we decided to get outside of the bustling activity of the city and took a bus to Cape Sounion to visit the ruins of the Temple of Poseidon. Along the way to the cape, we passed some stunning coastal views as well as many great beaches. Pulling up to the entrance of the temple, it was obvious why the temple was built on this site. The ruins are situated on top of a rocky hill, where views of the beautiful Aegean Sea are visible in almost every direction.

The Temple of Poseidon was built around 440 BC and these columns are all that remain. According to Greek legend, Cape Sounion is where Aegeus, king of Athens, leapt to his death off the cliff, thus giving his name to the Aegean Sea.

On the Way to Moraine Lake - Banff National Park, Alberta

Valley of the Ten Peaks, Banff National Park, Alberta

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

Moraine Road, 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

Air Force Academy, 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

Norbeck Pass, 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

Times Square, 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

Dead Horse Point State Park, 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

Mt McKinley, 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

Eastern State Penitentiary, 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.