John Muir
John Muir was born April 21, 1838. He had a profound influence on how Americans viewed our wild lands and his influence led to the establishment of many of our National Parks and other protected lands. He was nicknamed The Father of our National Parks. This is National Parks week. Go explore somewhere this week, or make plans to visit sometime this year.
Here are photos from some of my favorite National Parks along with quotes from John Muir.
Ocotillo. Big Bend National Park, Texas.
Believe it or not, spring will eventually arrive in areas of the country that are still dealing with a lingering winter, so I am re-posting this article. Which national parks are at their best in the spring? Here are my choices, grouped by state from west to east. This list includes the favorites I have been to and want to go back to again, plus the ones I haven’t seen and most want to photograph. Don’t forget, April 21 is a fee free day at all of our national parks.
National Parks Collage. Click for a larger version.
April 21-29 is National Park Week and April 21 is a fee free day! The National Park Service is partnering with the National Park Foundation to celebrate our national parks. It is time to head to one of our national parks.
Photo by David Muench.
You can get a free 122 page photography ebook if you subscribe to the Muench Workshops newsletter (which is also free). David Muench is a world class photographer. His work has inspired me for years.
Great Egret. Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Fremont, California.
When I posted this photo on one of my Facebook pages, a friend posted this happy comment:
“I LOVE this egret photo!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Look at the right wing trailing in the water. How DO you capture these?!”
Good question.
My two favorite introductions to landscape photography.
How to Photograph Landscapes by Joseph Lange and Digital Landscape Photography by John and Barbara Gerlach are my favorite introductions to landscape photography.
Sunset, “The Window”, Big Bend National Park, Texas.
David Muench is a world class landscape photographer. So when he recommends his favorite national parks, I pay attention.
Last Light on El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, California.
I know, April seems like an odd time of year to write an article on winter photography hot spots. But I was going through old photography magazines before consigning them to the recycling bin and found a great article on winter photography hot spots.
Posted April 3, 2018. Updated April 9, 2018.
Wildlife Location Guides
Looking for wildlife this year? If you want to photograph wildlife you need to find wildlife. A good wildlife location guide can send you to the right places and save you hours or days of frustration looking in all the wrong places.
“The Knockout Punch“, Grand Prize Winner by Christer Berg
Digital Photo and Outdoor Photographer magazines announced the winners of their joint 2017 black and white photo contest. The photography is excellent.
Thunder Hole, Acadia National Park. Photo © Sue Anne Hodges.
I came across an article on the prettiest drives in America. One of the photos that jumped out at me is this excellent photo of appropriately named “Thunder Hole”. Kudos to Sue Anne Hodges for this image (and my thanks to her for permission to use this image). It is filled with action, intensity, and drama. You can feel what it would be like to get drenched if you were at the end of the observation area.
Estimated Print Life from Wilhelm Imaging Research
Would you rather pay more money for a print that will fade in as little as 5 or 6 years, or would you rather pay less money for a better print that will last up to 50 years? People pay more money for prints with a short life expectancy all the time. Why? Because they don’t have the right information, and they may have no idea that prints have such widely different life spans.
Hans (left) and Sophie Scholl with Cristoph Probst (right), leaders of “The White Rose” resistance movement. Munich Germany, July 1942.
Hans Scholl and his sister Sophie were part of “The White Rose”, a group that opposed Hitler and the Nazi party. Hans served as a medic on the Eastern (Russian) front from late July to October 1942. One month later, 300,000 Germans were trapped in Stalingrad and only 5,000 returned to Germany. . . .
Video screen capture. Sotheby’s International Realty, Telluride Colorado.
Do you want to see how real estate video photography should be done? Scroll half way down this page and start the video. This is one of the very best real estate videos I have watched thanks to the quality of the individual video segments and a great mixture of video styles from slow motion to aerials to the time lapse at night.
The lab you choose and the kind of file you send to your lab can make a huge difference in the quality of prints you get back. How do you pick a good online photo lab? How do you get the best results from your lab? What color space should you use for your digital files and how do you convert your files to the right color space? How big a print can you make from your digital files?
Nature Photography Books
A good photography book can put you well ahead of the game, and three essential nature photography books (plus maybe a few others) can save you years of time learning things the hard way.
“Celebrate What’s Right With the World!” with Dewitt Jones. This video is great!
12 Months National Parks Collage
What is your favorite photography season or seasons? Does the number of photos you take match your favorite seasons? What percentage of your photos are taken during each season of the year?
Hallett Peak and Flattop Mountain, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
What are the best national parks to photograph in the fall? Here are my choices, grouped by state and province from west to east. This list includes the favorites I have been to, plus the ones I most want to see based on the recommendations of the photographers I trust, like Tim Fitzharris and QT Luong. More about them later.
Long’s Peak and Bear Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park
Fall is a fabulous time of year to visit the national parks. Crowds are usually smaller than in the summer, temperatures are cooler, and some of our national parks have glorious fall colors. With so many to choose from, where should you go? Which national parks will provide the best photographic opportunities in the fall?
Maroon Bells and Maroon Lake. Mid-morning. September 24, 2015.
Welcome to my Colorado fall color travel and photography guide with over 100 pages of information (if you print it all out), 114 photos, and 17 maps. I cover some of the best known fall color locations in Colorado, and one real gem of a road that is mostly unknown to photographers and leaf peepers. Spend anywhere from a few days to three weeks exploring the beautiful Colorado Rockies at a gorgeous time of year.
Pika, Rock Cut, Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
What are the best national parks to photograph in the summer? Here are my choices, grouped by state from west to east. This list includes the favorites I have been to and want to go back to again, plus the ones I haven’t seen and most want to photograph.
Royal Arches, North Dome, and Washington Column from Stoneman Meadow. Yosemite National Park. California.
Summer is the most popular time to visit the national parks. With so many to choose from, where should you go? Which national parks will provide the best photographic opportunities in the summer?
Ocotillo. Big Bend National Park, Texas.
If I could go on a fabulous spring photography trip to the national parks of my choice, with no time limit and all expenses paid, which ones would I pick? Here are my choices, grouped by state from west to east. This list includes the favorites I have been to and want to go back to again, plus the ones I haven’t seen and most want to photograph.
Moon Over Balanced Rock, Arches National Park, Utah.
Are you planning a spring photography trip to some U.S. national parks? Where should you go? Which parks will provide the best photographic opportunities? Which parks are at their best in the spring?
Doris. The digitized copy of an original print.
You can create high quality, high resolution digital images of analog prints, and you can do it on the road without having a flatbed scanner and computer with you. You probably have everything you need with the possible exception of a couple of small, inexpensive accessories (less than $10 each). This article will show you what to do, step by step.
Are you ready to take your nature and wildlife photography to the next level? Are you ready to learn the professional secrets that make the difference between good images and great images? Are you ready for a high intensity, action packed, total immersion photography weekend? Come to Park of the Pines on beautiful Lake Charlevoix June 8-10, 2018.
Plustek Film Scanner, Epson Flatbed Scanner
If you have precious slides, negatives, or prints that you want to scan, you have come to the right place. Choose wisely from the scanners that are available or you could get burned. A scanner that might be just fine for one person will be totally unsuitable for the next person. When it comes to scanners you need to know what you are getting and, just as importantly, what you aren’t getting. That is what this article is all about.
Why not? Let’s soak four cameras with a water sprinkler and see if they stay dry inside.
Black-crowned Night Heron, Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Fremont, California.
I learned the hard way that a poorly positioned outside car mirror can cost you some great wildlife images.