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?
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.
Perseid Meteor photographed from Rose Hill Cemetery west of Lamoni, Iowa. 4:55 am CDT, August 13, 2018. Cropped from the original image.
The night of August 12-13 is the predicted peak night of the Peresid Meteor Shower. But you can look for the next few nights after the peak night. This article will tell you what you need to know to see and photograph the most popular meteor shower of the year.
Favorite Photos, July. Click for a larger version.
Here are my favorite photos for the month of June. The story behind this “favorite photos by date” project is here.
You shouldn’t be able to photograph stars from a plane. At least that is the conventional wisdom and the conventional wisdom, and in this case it almost always right. I have tried to photograph stars from a plane in flight numerous times but without success. But this flight was different.
You guessed it. Same place. Same subject. This time I captured a tern exploding up out of the water with a minnow in its beak. This is my favorite image for July 19.
The big day arrived, the celebration for Doris’ 90th birthday. Doris in the middle of the seated row, along with her four daughters. Gathered around are her sons-in-law, all of her grandchildren and some of her great-grand grandchildren. This is a favorite family portrait and one of my two most favorite images for this date.
Sorry. No favorite photo for today. For some dates I have dozens of favorite photos. For other dates just a few or only one. And for some dates I have none. This is not the only date in July that I will not have a favorite photo.
The Kirtland Temple is a fascinating 1830s era building on the National Register of Historic Places. The walls of the Temple are white, but you wouldn’t know from this photo. The late evening light, combined with a nearby street light created this unusual color mix. This is my favorite photo for July 7.
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), 120 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.
I have three most favorite photos for this date. This is one of them. Our son Jared married Catharine July 3, 2010 and this is one of my photos of them on “The Vegas Strip”.
I have quite a few favorite images for July 1 in my “favorite photos” folder. When I spotted this orchid at Thorne Swift Nature Preserve, the sunlight coming through the white petals was perfect. This is one of my two most favorite images for this date. Thorne Swift near Harbor Springs is a great place to do nature photography.
Thomas Jefferson by Rembrandt Peale, 1800
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
From the Declaration of Independence, signed July 4, 1776. Written by Thomas Jefferson (1762-1826). 3rd US President (1801-09).
More images (including Thomas Jefferson’s original draft and George Washington’s personal copy) and the complete text follows the break.
Favorite Photos, June. Click for a larger version.
Here are my favorite photos for the month of June. The story behind this “favorite photos by date” project is here.
There was a power outage in our part of town, so it was a perfect night to do moonlit photos without the intrusion of city lights. The three lights in the yard run on batteries that are charged by small solar panels during the day. The remarkable thing about this photo is how little our dog Sunny moved during the 30 second exposure. He was patiently waiting for me to finish what I was doing so we could get on with our night walk. This is my favorite photo for this date.
My lovely wife Melissa wanted a portrait, so we picked a nice location and went there on a day with nice, soft light – ideal for doing portraits. This is one of her favorite images, and a favorite of mine too. This is my favorite photo for June 24.
Bob, my brother-in-law and photo buddy, were driving through Nederland Colorado when we spotted these orange colored poppies in front of the Presbyterian church. We stopped and took pictures. This is my favorite photo for June 10. If this feels a bit like deja vu, I also drove through Netherland June 9, 1997 on my way to take what ended up being three of my favorite photos for that date.
I was photographing baby sparrows being fed in a bird house. The depth of field (DOF) was really shallow and I was curious how shallow.
CELEBRATE WHAT’S RIGHT WITH THE WORLD! Dewitt Jones, TEDx Talk, South Lake Tahoe
Link
CWR Website The Film from Shervin Communications on Vimeo.
Life (and great photography) is about inspiration as much as it is about information. Whatever it is that moves you to do things is just as important as knowing how to do it. If you aren’t inspired, all the information in the world won’t help you very much. But if you are sufficiently inspired, you will move heaven and earth to find the information you need. It is about vision! This 22 minute video is about finding the kind of vision that inspires your life and your photography.
President Reagan’s 13 minute speech at the U.S. Ranger Monument at Pointe du Hoc is considered to be one of the great speeches in American History. In addition to President Reagan, these world leaders were present: Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands, King Olav V of Norway, King Baudouin I of Belgium, Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, and Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau of Canada.
President Reagan’s 13 minute speech at the U.S. Ranger Monument at Pointe du Hoc is considered to be one of the great speeches in American History. In addition to President Reagan, these world leaders were present: Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands, King Olav V of Norway, King Baudouin I of Belgium, Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, and Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau of Canada.
The text of Reagan’s speech follows.
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?
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.
Favorite Photos, May. Click for a larger version.
Here are my favorite photos for the month of May. The story behind this “favorite photos by date” project is here.
It was a rainy, drizzly day at Whitefish Point in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, but photographers and bird watchers were everywhere. I was leading as photography field trip. This curious Blue Jay got closer and closer and was eyeing me carefully. I kept clicking the shutter as the jay got closer. This is one of my two most favorite photos for this date.
Danielle and I were creating portraits in my studio for both of our portfolios. In this image I was going for a classic look with minimal contrast. As you can see from the catchlights in her eyes, I used two studio lights aimed at her face. The main light was up and to camera left and the fill light, which was only dialed down a bit, was up and to camera right. A third studio light is behind her and high to the right, putting a highlight on her hair. This is my favorite images for this date, and one of my all time favorite portraits. I made display prints of this image in several sizes from wallet size up to 16×20 inches.
The Vietnam Women’s Memorial, Washington D.C.
U.S. Flags at Sunset, Rose Hill Cemetery, Lamoni, Iowa
From Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865.