Back in March, after a week of shooting Monument Valley and Moab, we spent the last day heading south of Moab to Canyon Rims. We had had some rain earlier in the week but we didn't expect to drive through a snowstorm as we left the hotel. We literally could not see very far beyond the windshield. I wasn't sure if we were going to ride it out or head back to town. Fortunately, we continued on, and when we made the turn onto the long entrance road, the snow had stopped, leaving a nice blanket of white snow on the desert floor and the rock formations. The sun came out and we were blessed with scenes like this one to capture and enjoy.
The Shooters - Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, Pemaquid, Maine
I usually don't include people in my landscape photos unless I am trying to accentuate scale or some other element. I am not sure why I don't include the human element, as plenty of other photographers do so quite successfully. I accidentally learned about my tendency not to include people in my photos very early on during my life-long photography journey. It was in the early 1980's and I had gone with a co-worker to shoot some gardens outside Philadelphia. When we had the film developed, we were showing our photos to others in the office. One person asked if we had shot in the same location. I was a bit puzzled by the question and asked why did he think we didn't. His response was that there were no people in any of my photos and there were lots of people in my co-worker's photos.
Even today, I have this unconscious tendency. For this photo, I overcame it to show the scale of the cliffs around Pemaquid Point Lighthouse. To the left of me is John Bishop, who was one of the few of our group that climbed down the rocks. Up at the lighthouse level are a few members of our group that seem to be mere specks in the scene.
Golden Light - Colorado National Monument, Colorado
How can you drive through the west and not be awed by the various rock formations that Mother Nature has created for us to enjoy? What is even more amazing is that you can be driving along the interstate with the surrounding area being totally flat and, then bam, there is some unique rock formation that seems to pop up out of nowhere. Sometimes, some of the most beautiful places are unseen as you speed from one place to the next unless you know about them. Fortunately, internet searches, all kinds of apps and travel sites provide us with the ability to research just about anywhere on Earth.
Colorado National Monument, pictured in this photo, is one of those places that many people driving on Interstate 70 near the Colorado / Utah border probably miss. A small turnoff and a short drive takes you up to the majestic 23-mile Rim Rock Drive. From there you can view some amazing rock formations. While it is spectacular any time of day, the best time to see it is in early morning or late evening when the soft light is still present, creating terrific contrast between light and shadow. This particular photo was taken in evening light.
Evening at the Farm - Steptoe Butte State Park, Washington
Just about a year ago, I made my first and only visit to one of the coolest landscapes I have photographed, The Palouse. This area encompasses a large part of eastern Washington State, as well as parts of Idaho and Oregon. The land is some of the most fertile in the world and is a major producers of wheat and legumes.
The landscape is amazing to photograph, and the best place to start is Steptoe Butte State Park. The butte is the tallest feature in the Palouse area, rising about 3,600 feet above the surrounding rolling hills and mounds. At the very top, you get a 360-degree panorama of some of the best farmland in the United States. The best times to shoot are at sunrise and near sunset, when the shadows begin to accentuate the many mounds, roads and tractor tracks. In my opinion, zooming in to capture the many small scenes is the best way to capture it. Wider shots tend to lose some of the intricate detail. For this photo, I zoomed into this small farm as sunset approached.
Run Free - Mt Pleasant, South Carolina
A quick post on this Memorial Day. Today is reserved to honor all of those who have served and protected our freedom. Many of them lost their lives in this pursuit. Others have come home wounded either physically or mentally and have had to persevere. My father was one of those who came back from World War II after active duty flying over Europe. He never talked about his time there with me but I know it must have been a traumatic experience. Thanks Dad to you for your service and sacrifice along with everyone else who served this country. It has allowed us to be able to run free.
Autumn Splendor - Echo Lake, Franconia, New Hampshire
By now you must know that I am a sucker for reflections. I look for them everywhere that I go, whether it be on city streets, hiking on trails or going to a lake with the purpose of capturing a reflection shot. This shot of Echo Lake was one of those stops where a reflection was the main goal.
For a compelling reflection photo, there are several things that are needed. The first is shooting during the golden hour to get that soft light. Second is to hope that the water is perfectly still - almost glass-like. Sunrise is the best time to avoid any rippling of the water caused by the wind. The next requirement is having a good subject matter like mountains that will reflect well in the water. The last requirement is to have a foreground that adds an anchor to the overall image. After you have these things, you then hope for a little icing on the cake, like clouds that will light up when the sun begins to rise. This photo has all of these things, with the additional bonus of the fall foliage on the mountains.
Stable View - East Burke, Vermont
One of the coolest places that I visited in New England was the Inn at Mountain View Farm in East Burke, VT. The inn is located on a 440-acre historic farm on top of a mountain, with picturesque views of the surrounding Vermont countryside. There were a number of us that had the opportunity to shoot the property even though we didn't stay at the inn. We were given the run of the property and one of the places I headed to was the stables. There I spotted these windows with some great afternoon light shining through. The light angled into the room and onto a storage basket. The way it was shaped led me to believe that, when full, the horses could reach up and eat the hay. The light coming through the window was wonderful and lit the weathered wood, giving it a golden glow.
The inn was a wonderful place to visit and shoot, and I hope to revisit with my wife sometime in the near future to get the full experience.
Ranching - Telluride, Colorado
I always find it fascinating to envision life in the old west and how challenging it must have been to survive. No lights, electricity and modern conveniences to rely on, just hard work and sheer determination. When I first come to scenes like this one, the first thing that comes to mind is how beautiful the landscape is with the lone ranch house and the beautiful mountains in the background. The next thing that pops into my head is how resilient the people who first came here and built this house must have been. I wonder how many people that live in today's world (including myself) would have survived the harsh winters, lack of food and wildlife. I'd like to think that I would have, but that is just conjecture on my part. Suffice to say that I will never know, and all I can do is take in the scene and capture it on digital film. By the way, that mountain is Wilson Peak which is featured on Coors beer cans.
Lightkeeper's View - Marshall Point Lighthouse, Port Clyde, Maine
When you visit the same location a number of times, it is often hard to come up with a new composition. But that doesn't mean you stop trying. I don't know how many times I have been to this terrific lighthouse but, suffice to say, it has been more than a few. Every time I visit, I imagine Forrest Gump completing his cross-country run at the door to the lighthouse. I started to try remembering the exact angle that was shown in the movie, and in doing so walked around the back of the lightkeeper's house (now a museum). That is when I spotted this composition that I haven't seen before, getting both the house and the lighthouse in the frame. Thankfully, my wide-angle lens was wide enough to capture the scene.
Pyramid Morning - Jasper National Park, Alberta
The Canadian Rockies are calling me. It is T-Minus three weeks to my arrival there.
When many (including myself) think of them, the first thought is Banff and why not? Banff continues to attract visitors at a record pace. Approximately 3.6 million people visited there in the 2014-2015 season. The challenge in visiting are the crowds, especially in the summer months. So where do you go instead to avoid the crowds and still have all the beauty the Canadian Rockies have to offer? The answer is quite easy. Simply drive about three hours north on one of the most beautiful roads in the world and stay in Jasper.
Jasper National Park "only" gets 2.2 million visitors and covers 4,200 square miles (Banff covers 2,600 square miles). That translates to much more open space per visitor. In fact, there have been some mornings that I have been there when I didn't see another person for several hours. This photo, for example, was taken just after sunrise of Pyramid Mountain reflected in Pyramid Lake. There was only one other person there. This is significant, as the lake is basically located in the outskirts of town. As you can also see, the full beauty of the Canadian Rockies is on display in Jasper.
Coastal Tranquility - Pacific Coast Highway, California
The Pacific Coast Highway conjures up many different images in peoples minds. Perhaps they are different because of the length of the highway. The road runs 656 miles along California's coast. The road changes names here and there, but it is essentially the same road. Pick a section of the road and it will bring different things to mind. It might be the rocky shoreline of Big Sur, the sea stacks in the ocean in places like Morro Bay, or the great small towns like Half Moon Bay just south of San Francisco. That doesn't include places like Monterey or Carmel or Pebble Beach or Santa Barbara. How about unusual places like eating in the Artichoke Restaurant in the artichoke capital of the world, Castroville. The list goes on and on. The point is that if you haven't driven that road, make sure you add it to your bucket list. I have lost count on how many times I have driven it (somewhere between 10 and 20 times) but each trip is a new adventure.
Dreary Day - Nubble Light, York, Maine
I almost felt like a mail carrier on the first day of Jeff Clow's Maine Lighthouse and Coast Photo Tour last month. To steal from the Post Office's creed, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these photographers from capturing photos." The first day of the tour we had snow and rain with some hail thrown in. We didn't have heat, but we had cold that was made worse by strong winds. We also had the gloom as you can see in this photo of Nubble Light. But like the mail carriers, we persevered and got some good photographs. Our plan was to get the a sunset photo of the light, but when the weather was not in our favor, it was time to look for different compositions. Fortunately, the snow and rain left some big puddles on the rocks, and some of them were surrounded by rocks so that there was no rippling. I hope this conveys some of the mood that I felt when I took this photo.
Golden Drive - Agathla Peak, Kayenta, Arizona
A couple of months ago, I headed out to Moab to join my friend Jeff Clow on his Spring Photo Tour there. Every time I head west, I try to add some days to the trip to visit some new places or revisit some great places. This year, it was to revisit Monument Valley, which should be on everybody's list to visit. I convinced Jeff and Jaki Good Miller to join me there before the tour. I normally would fly in and out of Grand Junction when I visit Moab, but due to the timing of flights, I was forced to fly into Albuquerque. Jaki met me there and we headed out on the five hour drive. It was great catching up with Jaki during our drive, but as we got nearer to Monument Valley, I wanted to speed up and maybe catch the sunset at the Mile Marker 13 that was made famous in Forest Gump. That was not to be. I had never visited Monument Valley from the south and, as we past the town of Kayenta, we saw this very unique rock formation. We both immediately agreed to stop and shoot this. Turns out that this 1,500 foot formation is actually a volcanic plug that has blocked a vent of a volcano. As you can see, it really sticks out because of all of the flat land that surrounds it.
Aegean Gem - Oia, Santorini, Greece
It has been quite a while since I have posted a photo from Europe. We try to get there every other year or so, but we had to miss last year because of illness. There are so many places to see and never enough time or money. The architecture there is so different from the United States and I love learning about it and documenting it through my photos. The architecture is not limited to mainland Europe and can be found on its many islands. Up near the top of great islands and architecture to visit is the Greek Island of Santorini. Famous for its blue-domed churches, it is a mecca for photographers and vacationers alike. A great place to see them is in the town of Oia. If you are simply looking for the blue domes though, you would miss out on some terrific scenes in other parts of town. After I shot the domes, I walked around town to the other side and was able to capture this scene. The uniqueness of the architecture is still apparent with the two unusual windmills in the distance. You can also get a great appreciation of how tightly together people live on the island.
Banff Magic - Banff National Park, Alberta
In about a month from today, I will be headed back to the majestic Canadian Rockies. No matter how many times I visit there, I always want to go back. June is a special time of the year for visiting and photographing. There is usually lots of snow left on the mountain peaks and there may also be a thin layer of ice on the lakes. The wildlife seems more plentiful during the month and there are sometimes babies to be seen. Lastly, the summer crowds are yet to make their way to this popular vacation destination.
Whenever I have an approaching trip, I start reviewing my photos from previous trips to see what I may have missed. I also spend some time looking at other photographers works to see what I may have missed or maybe a different way to look at a scene. In any case, I am starting to get quite excited about my trip to Banff, as it is my number one destination of all of the places I have been.
This photo of Herbert Lake is from my last trip there. All you have to do to get this shot is to wake up very early, hope that the weather cooperates, drive the fabulous Icefields Parkway to the lake, park on the shoulder of the road, get out of the car, and compose and take the shot.
Clouds Above Pemaquid - Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, Bristol, Maine
Okay, I couldn't resist posting a different photo of my favorite lighthouse. One of the reasons that this light is my favorite is that it looks very different depending on the side of the lighthouse you are on and the time of day. I have shown people many different photos of it from all angles, and they are amazed to find out that it is the same lighthouse in each one. To put perspective on the different looks, check out the reflection shot of it in the puddle that I posted on Monday. If you walk (okay, climb) from where I am standing to the lighthouse and then climb down some rugged terrain, you will find the puddle. Quite the different look from this photo. To get where I am standing, you have to climb down along the fence and then climb up and over a bunch of rocks to get to this view. For this composition, I thought that including more of the amazing clouds that we had this morning would give a sense of scale of the bluff that the light stands on.
Mount Desert Reflection - Little Long Pond, Mt. Desert, Maine
I have been to Acadia National Park a number of times and have thoroughly enjoyed everything that the only national park in the northeast has to offer. It wasn't until I started to co-host Jeff Clow's Maine Lighthouse, Lobster and Coast Tour that I explored outside the park. There are some great spots that many visitors don't realize are there without some driving around.
Acadia is actually on an island off of the coast of Maine. It is the largest island in the state, which consists of 3,165 other islands (yes, you read that right). Acadia was formed by donations of land by many philanthropists led by John D. Rockefeller Jr. in the early 1900's. While the park takes up a significant portion of the island, there are many small towns and homes that dot the landscape. On the southern part of the island near Seal Harbor is this "little" pond, aptly named Little Long Pond. It is privately owned, but the signs indicate that the public may use it as long as they respect the property. On the morning that I shot this, the water was as smooth as glass. The building on the right is actually a swimming hole for kids in the summer. The landscape in the background is actually the southern back of Acadia.
Sunrise in Acadia - Thunder Hole, Acadia National Park, Maine
If you want to be one of the first people to see the sunrise each day in the continental United States, head to Maine. A great place to capture the first light is Acadia National Park. While it is not the most eastern part of the state (West Quoddy Head is), it is pretty close. You also won't find a more beautiful part of the coast to shoot it from. The Maine Coast in Acadia is one of the most rugged in the US. Jagged rocks and boulders of all shapes and sizes are the norm for the coast. Every step might land on what looks like solid rock, but sometimes the rocks move unexpectedly.
There is nothing like the feeling of climbing to your spot on the rocks before the sun rises above the horizon. As you stand there waiting, the sound of the waves hitting the rocks, and the clouds beginning to light up in different shades of colors make you feel insignificant in the overall scheme of things. On this morning, the tide was out, so Thunder Hole was rather silent for the most part. Then the sun crests the horizon and you are glad that you were out of the hotel by 4:45 am to experience the scene.
Perkins Cove - Ogunquit, Maine
Jeff Clow's Maine Lighthouse and Coast Tour started off with some challenging weather. Jeff and I arrived the day before to do a little pre-scouting before the group met for the first time. The weather was predicted to be rainy most of the day, but we were hopeful we would catch a break. Out just after dawn, the weatherman's prediction was actually accurate for a change and it was raining. As we drove around all morning, we encountered a little more than we bargained for. Heavy downfalls changed to ice and then to snow. To me the snow was just a little dusting, but Jeff, being from Texas, was positive it was more than an inch in some places.
Luckily, when we met our group in the afternoon, the rain, ice and snow stopped and we headed to Perkins Cove. The cove has an interesting history. The cove was originally unprotected, and fisherman had to bring their boats onto land each evening to protect them. In order to solve this issue, they purchased land and dug a channel across it to create a tidewater basin now known as Perkins Cove. The cove has a footbridge crossing it to allow boats with high masts to pass as they head out to the Atlantic Ocean. I shot this from the footbridge that shows the quaint cove and the dreary weather.
Return to Pemaquid - Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, Bristol, Maine
Back from Jeff Clow's Maine Lighthouse and Coast Tour and I have started to look at the photos that I was able to shoot. Other than some stormy weather on the first afternoon, we were blessed with nice weather, although it was a bit cold and windy. Over the next week or two, I will be posting from the trip.
To the surprise of anyone who has been with me in Maine, my first photo is of my favorite lighthouse, Pemaquid Point Light and its famous puddle reflection. Many people have asked if that puddle is real and did I Photoshop a reflection in it. I can state unequivocally that the puddle is there year round (or at least over the course of my 15+ visits). The puddle may be bigger or smaller on each visit depending on the weather. The better question to ask is "Was the wind blowing?" That question is easily answered in that, if there is any decent wind, there will be no reflection. Our group visited the puddle in the late afternoon and the wind was pretty steady. While we got some reflections, the ripples made it barely recognizable. Fortunately, we visited Pemaquid on our last day at sunrise. After shooting from the front and the other side, some of us revisited the puddle, even though the wind was blowing. With a little patience, the wind died off periodically in order to get some still reflection shots.