If you do a search on the best national parks in the US or the world, two parks consistently appear in the top two spots, Yellowstone and Yosemite. Both parks evoke imagery that captures one's mind and soul. There is no doubt that these rankings attract hordes of visitors (and photographers) to them. The big difference is that Yellowstone is a lot larger at almost 3.5 thousand square miles vs. 1.2 thousand square miles for Yosemite. Most visitors to Yosemite stay primarily in the Yosemite Valley, which measures a minuscule 5.9 square miles. All this means is that Yosemite is extremely crowded throughout most of the year. When I visited Yosemite last September it was still very crowded, and finding anywhere in the valley where there were no people was hard. If you look hard enough, you can find some tranquil spots like this one near Sentinel Bridge on the Merced River.
The Goal - Mesquite Dunes, Death Valley National Park, California
Death Valley is part of the largest desert in North America, namely the Mojave Desert. Of course, when one thinks of the desert, one of the first things they picture are sand dunes. The one thing that surprised me about my visit to the valley was, while there were dunes, the majority of the park (at least the parts that I saw) was more valley floor and mountains. Fortunately, down a few miles from our hotel, the Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes were there waiting for us to explore. Arriving at the parking lot for the dunes about an hour before sunrise, we trudged out toward the dunes in the distance with our flashlights and head lamps. Along the way, the clouds began to put on a light show, before the sun peeked above the horizon (we were lucky enough to have clouds most of the week, which is most unusual for Death Valley). I shot a number of photos of the clouds, but my heart was waiting for the sun to light up the landscape and the dunes to the west. Once lit up, you could look in the distance and see the highest dune. I looked at my great friend, Jaki Good Miller, and I think we thought the same thing. Climbing to the top of the dune was going to be "the goal". Off we went and made it after a strenuous climb.
Crop Dusting - Steptoe Butte State Park, Colfax, Washington
As many times I have been in the Palouse, I have been very unlucky with seeing crop dusters that I could shoot. On my visit there last month, we saw lots and lots of them that more than made up for previous visits. We spotted them flying overhead, landing and taking off at the small airport, in the distance and, my favorite, looking down on them form Steptoe Butte. The first time I remember becoming aware of crop dusting was many years ago watching Alfred Hitchcock's great movie, North by Northwest. In it, Cary Grant is attacked by an in-flight crop duster. The good news is that none of us was attacked on this trip.
Framed - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Is this the most photographed barn in the world? Do a search on the internet and you will see that many believe it is. I suspect that this barn has been shot from every angle possible and that there are not any new compositions left. If that is what I believe, why shoot it? The answer is simple. It is a gorgeous scene when the sunrise light hits the front of the barn for about five minutes. To me that glow is worth shooting. There is another reason to shoot it and that has to do with weather, clouds and light. No one day is identical to another. When you get up before dawn, you almost never know what conditions you will experience once on location (I wish I could get paid for being wrong as many times as weather forecasters are). Great clouds? Low hanging fog? Will the sunrise reach the barn? Who knows for sure, but you will find me shooting this iconic barn every time I am in the Tetons.
National Elk Reserve Sunrise - Jackson, Wyoming
Being a landscape photographer, you always have to be ready to chase the light even if you have a different destination in mind. In this case, the light found us. We were up at o'dark thirty and piled into the cars to make the drive to Oxbow Bend. Just outside the town of Jackson, near the National Elk Reserve, we encountered one of the best sunrises I had seen in quite a while. Needless to say, when you see this kind of light, you must stop for it and, stop we did. The clouds were perfect and Flat Creek's surface was a smooth as glass, with the added benefit of a low mist on the water in the distance. The biggest question in my mind was whether I should include the fence in the composition or not. Since digital film is free, I took a bunch of shots with and without the fence. When viewing the photos in the digital darkroom, I opted for the fence, as its silhouette seemed to anchor the composition better.
Saltbox Barn - Moscow, Idaho
The Palouse extends into the western part of Idaho and, while there are not as many photographic opportunities as there are in Washington, there are still a few gems to be found.. This "salt box" barn is one of them and sits all alone in this little valley and stands out primarily due to its bright red color. It contrasts quite well with the surrounding green farmland and blue sky. For those of you who follow me regularly, you know that I often wonder how things got their names. So here are a couple of useless tidbits. The term "salt box" is a reference to the old wooden boxes that were used to store salt (no, I am not old enough to remember them). This style of barns and houses originated in New England, and were built that way so that snow would slide down the steep roofs. The other arcane tidbit is the name of the town that this barn is located in, Moscow. It turns out that one of the original traders was born in Moscow, Russia, and he opened the first trading post in the area. I had never heard of the town before my visit, but was surprised to also find out that it is the home of the University of Idaho.
Emerald Reflection - Yoho National Park, British Columbia
Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park is the largest lake in the park as well as its main attraction. I have always thought the word Yoho was a strange name until I found out that it is a Cree name meaning awe and wonder. That fits the park perfectly. The lake gets its brilliant color from fine particles of glacial sediment suspended in the water. The lake itself is totally surrounded by the President Range of the Canadian Rockies. Unfortunately the mountains were not visible on the morning we visited as overcast skies and low-hanging clouds obscured them. A slight drizzle added to the atmosphere. The lake was unusually still, so reflections were clearly visible. I wanted to get a photo of Emerald Lake Lodge's Restuarant (some mistakenly think it is a Tea House), the Lodge's Boathouse and the bridge connecting the two. To accomplish this, I hiked around to the opposite shore and was able to capture this composition.
American Tuscany - Steptoe Butte State Park, Washington
From mid-May through June, I was fortunate to have visited Grand Teton National Park, The Palouse in eastern Washington, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park. It was a busy time and I am glad to be spending July and August close to home before I hit the road again in September. The Palouse is often referred to as America's version of Tuscany. The main difference is that the miles upon miles of undulating farmland is a patchwork of wheat and soybeans rather than vines. The character of the landscape changes with the seasons. Spring brings us all shades of green into the early months of summer. As summer comes, these hues change into amber waves of grain. The fall brings reds and gold and winter covers the land with a blanket of white. The best place to watch the transformation is from the top of Steptoe Butte. The butte, rising 3,000 feet above the farmland, provides a 360-degree view. My favorite spot to photograph is this scene with a building sticking out from the green patchwork. For many years, I thought the building was called the Whitman County Growers building but have recently discovered that is not the case. I have tried to find out what the building is known as, but haven't been able to. If anyone can name it, I would appreciate knowing its name.
Iconic Oxbow - Grand Teton National Park,Wyoming
What is there to say about Oxbow Bend that hasn't been said before? It is an iconic location that has been photographed millions of times. Every time that I visit there (and there have been many), I am always curious what Mother Nature will show us. Will there be a sunrise that lights up Mount Moran? Will there be great clouds that will light up when the sun rises above the horizon? Will we even be able to see the peaks of the Tetons? Will the waters of the Snake River be still enough to give a mirror-like refection? As you drive from the town of Jackson in the dark, you ponder the answers to these questions during the 45 minutes it takes to get there. As you look to the sky for the answers, you realize that you won't be sure until you actually pull into the parking lot. Sometimes you are disappointed and other times you are happy. That is what makes us photographers keep revisiting this iconic sight and, when it works, any previous disappointments seem to melt away.
Banff Hoodoos - Town of Banff, Banff National Park, Alberta
When one thinks of hoodoos (a tall, thin spire of rock), they imagine places like Bryce Canyon, where it seems that the whole landscape is full of them. There actually are hoodoos in the town of Banff, but don't expect much, as they pale in comparison to what you might think. Instead, take the hoodoo overlook trail to see this view. It is a beautiful landscape that shows the town in the distance, with the fabulous Banff Springs hotel nestled in the center of this photo on the slopes of Tunnel Mountain. In the center in the distance is Sulphur Mountain and Sanson Peak, along with the slope of Mount Rundle on the left. Below is the Bow River, which splits into two and then merges together just before downtown, creating Bow Falls. Looking at this scene from afar illustrates why Banff is a prime vacation spot for people from all around the world. Oh, by the way, you can see a little of the top of the hoodoos in the foreground.
Grounded - Pryramid Lake, Jasper National Park, Alberta
Sometimes it is fun to come up with a shot that takes a bit of work to get. Pyramid Lake is mere kilometers from downtown Jasper and is a big attraction which serves as the anchor of Pyramid Mountain. Along the shoreline of the lake there is a small secluded section surrounded by forest where several kayaks are tied up on a makeshift dock. I have never been there when the kayaks are in use and I don't know if they are ever used. I've used them as foreground elements many times in the past and planned to do do again. When I got there to do so, my friend John McCaine was already there shooting. I had noticed other boats in stages of disrepair buried in the brush before, so I decided to trail-blaze to see if I could get a shot. After fighting through the brush and getting a few scratches on the way, I found this grounded boat. I had hoped to get a shot of it with Pyramid Mountain as the background, but all I could get was its slope to the right. I was able to get a shot of Pyramid Island in the distance instead.
Iconic Canadian Rockies - Jasper National Park, Alberta
The other day, I posted a photo of Moraine Lake and proclaimed it in a tie with Spirit Island as the most iconic scene of the Canadian Rockies. I thought I would post this photo of Spirit Island and let you make the choice. As you can see, Spirit Island is technically not a island, although during some parts of the year, it is. Spirit Island is located on Maligne Lake and the only way to get there is by boat. That leaves two main choices - rent a kayak and spend most of the day paddling there or sign up for one of the boat tours that take you there. The boat ride itself is worth the trip as you cruise about 35 minutes with the glorious Canadian Rockies towering on all sides of the lake. The cherry on top is spending either 15 or 30 minutes at Spirit Island (depends on the cost of the particular boat ride) and get to photograph the island from below and above. As you can see, it makes a great subject surrounded by the majestic mountains.
Mount Robson View - Mount Robson Provincial Park, British Columbia
Most people think that the Canadian Rockies run through the Province of Alberta. That is true, but a good portion of them also run through British Columbia. In fact, the Canadian Rockies serve as a boundary line between the two provinces. When you want to visit the highest peak in all of the Canadian Rockies, a trip to Mount Robson Provincial Park is in order. Mount Robson towers above the visitor's center almost 13,000 feet above sea level. Next to the visitor's center is an open field that, in June, has beautifully colored lupines that act as a great foreground against the mountain. After shooting in the field for awhile and inadvertently stepping on a large anthill (I literally had ants in my pants), I walked up the stairs to the deck of the Visitor's Center to check out the view. As I reached the upper steps, I saw the deck railing curving away from me and thought that would make an unique composition with Mount Robson as the background.
Rockpile View - Moraine Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta
Moraine Lake is arguably the most iconic location in the Canadian Rockies, although Spirit Island in Jasper is right up there (I'll call it a tie). The thing about Moraine Lake, especially in June, is that you never know what you will get until you get there. I have been there at sunrise in glorious light, overcast skies, snow, rain and sleet. Each condition lends itself to interesting photos. Last month, it was overcast skies and a cold wind. As I walked up the trail to the top of the rockpile (my favorite place to shoot sunrise), I knew that it was going to be a challenging shoot. First, the rockpile was already pretty crowded and the overcast skies held no promise. Everyone was shivering and hoping for the best. My experiences shooting there in the past told me to be patient and wait it out (not my strong suit). Sure enough, maybe after an hour of waiting, we got a glimmer of light that briefly lit up a portion of the mountains and I was happy to get this shot. With a location like this, little goes a long way.
Cascade Ponds - Banff National Park, Alberta
There are so many places to photograph Mount Rundle around the town of Banff, it is hard to choose which one to go to first. Two Jack Lake and Vermilion Lakes are top notch locations to do so, but there are other less visited spots that offer great views like this one at Cascade Ponds. Just outside of town, the ponds are a day-use facility with hiking trails, picnic tables, restrooms and, most importantly, superb views. The ponds are fed by snow melt from Cascade Mountain, so the level of the ponds is often dependent on the past winter's snowfall. I have been to the ponds when they have dried up. Fortunately, the water level at the ponds last month were quite healthy and I was able to get a good reflection of Mount Rundle in them.
Lake Edith Morning - Jasper National Park, Alberta
The Canadian Rockies are blessed with so many lakes that it might take years to visit each one. Fortunately, a good number of lakes are easily accessible to enjoy. Lake Edith is located just outside of the town of Jasper and, at sunrise, it is usually deserted. On this morning, the lake had some really great mist rising off of it's surface. Adding to the scene was a glass-like surface that allowed for reflections of the mist as well as Pyramid Mountain in the distance. Of course, a good foreground is desired for most landscape photos, and what photographer can resist canoes laying idle on the banks of a lake?
Ewe - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Happy Fourth of July! Yesterday, I posted a photo of grizzly bears and today I am, for the first time ever, posting another wildlife photo. I shot this photo of a female bighorn sheep in the National Elk Reserve just outside of Jackson. The group of bighorn sheep was primarily female, and they were all in the process of shedding their winter coats. Since they usually don't look great when they shed, I tried to zoom in to get portrait shots. The sheep started to smile at me as I took the photo (either that or she wanted to bite me).
Tender Moment - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Those of you that have followed me over the years know me as a landscape and travel photographer. I usually don't plan trips around wildlife but will gladly photograph them when they are present. Over the last year or so, I have been more interested in capturing wildlife. It takes a little different skill set than landscapes and I am learning that it doesn't come quickly. I experienced three true "bear jams" recently in the Grand Tetons and I may be getting the wildlife bug. This photo was taken early in my visit and was of grizzly bear 399 and one of her cubs sharing a tender moment.
Vermilion Beauty - Banff National Park, Alberta
Photographers often wish for a cloudy day. No, not the overcast white sky that we hate, but rather the wonderful cumulous clouds that look like someone painted them on the blue sky. Great locations look even greater when the skies have clouds. Last month, we were blessed with this type of sky at Vermilion Lakes, just outside the downtown of the town of Banff. These three lakes, at the foothills of Mount Norquay, offer great views of Sulphur Mountain and Mount Rundle. The area is often teeming with wildlife and the road to the lakes have been closed due to heighten grizzly activity in the past.
Magical Moment - Bow Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta
There is a saying that the third time is a charm. When it comes to the weather surrounding or over mountains, the saying simply does not apply. Watching numerous weather apps is just as futile (even more futile than having them predict your local weather). Why? It is a scientific fact that mountains create their own weather. Don't ask me how as I am not qualified to answer this, but my experience of many years of traveling and shooting them simply proves it to be true.
Last week, it took a fourth visit to Bow Lake when the magic happened unexpectedly. Our first three visits saw rain, snow, wind and low-hanging clouds. Not ideal, but we were still able to get some nice moody photos. On our last day in Banff, we headed toward Jasper National Park with very little expectations. The forecast was for rain and we were hoping for a few breaks along the Icefields Parkway. When we pulled into the parking area for Bow Lake, magic happened. The sun was shining, cumulous clouds were above, and most surprisingly, the lake was as still as glass. I couldn't get out of our car fast enough. It was hard not to get a great shot. The magic lasted for about 20 minutes, but what a 20 minutes it was.