If you have been following this series, you might have guessed this is another conference photo, but in a different building.
Favorite Photo, April 12
Category Archives: Photo Locations
Favorite Photo, April 11
This is one of my favorite rooms on the planet. Ever since I was a small boy I have been intrigued by the large, roundish, room with a dome for a ceiling and a mini-dome at the top. This is my favorite photo for April 11.
Total Immersion Nature Photography Weekend in Beautiful Northern Michigan
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 7-10, 2019.
Favorite Photo, April 8
If you have been following this series, it will not surprise you to known that I was again out at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. But this was a rainy day. There were no wading birds to be seen. It was a gloomy day
Favorite Photo, April 1
Almost every year in the spring we go to California to visit family in the Bay Area, and some years our visit coincides with the bloom of California Golden Poppies.
Favorite Photo, March 29
The San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge is one of my favorite places on the planet. Usually I am there to photograph wading birds. But this particular year I was there when the poppies were in bloom. My brother-in-law (who is also an avid photographer) and I had a great time. This is my favorite image for March 29.
The National Park Series: Where to Go and When
National Parks Collage. Click for a larger version.
America’s National Parks are natural, environmental, and photographic treasures. They are high on the list of preferred destinations for professional and amateur photographers alike. To help you show up at right places at the best times to create beautiful images, I put together this ongoing series of articles.
Posted January 22, 2017. Updated and re-posted April 2, 2019.
Favorite Photo, March 8
As a very small boy living in Walsenburg Colorado, I could look out our window and see these mountains. They have been special to me ever since.
Favorite Photo, March 3
One of my favorite places in the Fort Worth area is the Buddhist Temple in Keller Texas. Officially know as Wat Buddharatanaram, it is sometimes called Wat Keller for short.
One Photographer and Nine Outdoor/Travel Writers Pick the Best National Parks for Spring
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?
The Best National Parks to Photograph in Spring
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.
Favorite Photos – February
Favorite Photos, February. Click for a larger version.
Here are my favorite photos for the month of February. The story behind this “favorite photos by date” project is here.
Favorite Photo, February 28
I spent a few days photographing Colorado and ended up at the Great Sand Dunes. During the day the sand is light in color, much like a light colored sandy beach. Late in the day the light hits at such a severe angle that the dunes turn almost brown.
Favorite Photo, February 26
It was a beautiful evening in Rocky Mountain National Park. Sirius, Orion, Taurus, and the Pleiades star cluster were shining brightly in the night sky. The sun set at 5:50 pm and I clicked the shutter at 6:43 pm. The beautiful blue sky was due to the long, 30 second exposure.
Favorite Photo, February 25
Upper Tahquamenon Falls in deservedly one of the most popular tourist locations in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Another photographer and I mostly had the place to ourselves with only a few other people around. I am surprised more people don’t go in the winter.
Favorite Photo, February 24
There weren’t a lot of wildlife to be seen on this particular day in February. After the fall rut ends, most of the elk retreat into the forest. But I was lucky enough to find this group of young bulls on the edge of the forest in Horsehoe Park.
A Snowy Owl Photo Expedition
Snowy Owl
What is a Snowy Owl expedition really like? This article is your chance to find out. Join me for a two day photo safari! I give you tips and photo suggestions along the way, and you get to see how I prepare, plan, and adapt on a photo trip. I tell you what went right and what went wrong so this is also about what to do when things don’t go according to plan.
How to Find and Photograph Snowy Owls
Snowy Owl Sightings, January 2016
Winter is your opportunity to photograph Snowy Owls. When it is cold enough and there is enough snow cover, snowy owls move down into the northern U.S. The colder it is the farther south they move. If conditions are right, don’t delay. If the winter turns warmer the snowy owls will head back north.
“How To†Series: Snowy Owl Photography
Snowy Owl looking for prey.
If there are cold enough temperatures and plenty of snow cover on the ground, the northern United States has a winter invasion of Snowy Owls. These are magnificent creatures and well worth your photographic time and attention. This series is filled with tips on how to find and photograph snowy owls.
Favorite Photo, January 25
White Sands National Monument is one of my favorite places on the planet. I highly recommend it as a top priority photo destination. In January you pretty much have the whole place to yourself.
One Photographer and Nine Outdoor/Travel Writers Pick the Best Winter National Parks
Last Light on Long’s Peak and the Keyboard of the Winds, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.
Thinking about a photography trip to one or more U.S. national parks this winter? You can benefit from the work I have done. Some national parks look better in the winter than others. You will want to make them a priority. After you read this article I recommend you also read the companion article: The Best National Parks to Photograph in Winter.
Originally posted January 17, 2017. Updated and re-posted January 10, 2019.
The Best National Parks to Photograph in Winter
Bryce Canyon
Winter provides some wonderful photo opportunities in our national parks. But some national parks look much better in the winter than others. So if you haven’t gone into hibernation for the winter, here are the best national parks to go photograph this winter, grouped by state from the west to the east. There are a few bonus locations thrown in too. At the end I give you my “best of the best” list.
Posted January 17, 2017. Updated and re-posted January 10, 2019.
Metering Daytime Winter Scenes
Mount Hunter from a Bush Plane. Denali National Park. Alaska.
Metering for scenes with a lot of snow can be tricky since the bright snow fools the camera meter. I see a lot of winter photos with gray snow, which means the camera meter did exactly what it was designed to do. The solution is quite simple provided you know what to do.
“How To†Series: Winter Photography
Last Light on El Capitan, Yosemite National Park
In addition to all of the usual photographic challenges, winter provides some extra complications, especially in terms of metering. So I began this series of articles on winter photography. Check out the links below. The articles will help you meet the unique challenges of winter photography. So get out there, have fun, and create some great winter images!
Favorite Photo, January 9
Western Scrub-Jay, Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife, Fremont California. January 9, 2014.
I was at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Fremont California. It is one of my favorite photo locations in the Bay Area. Continue reading
Favorite Photo, January 8
Organ Mountains, New Mexico. January 8, 1990.
Ansel Adams is right. There is something wonderful about New Mexico. There is an abundance of great subjects to shoot and the light can be magical.
Favorite Photo, December 30
Last Light on El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, California. December 30, 1990.
In my “favorite photos” folder the photos for today’s date are a mix of landscape and family pictures. I have two first choices for today’s favorite photo. The first was taken in Yosemite National Park.
Favorite Photo, December 28
Bird Reflections, Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Fremont California. Dec 28, 1990.
We were in Fremont California visiting family over the holidays. As I sometimes do when we are there, I head out early in the morning to go to the local wildlife refuge. This image is my favorite that morning, my favorite for this date, and one of my all time favorite wildlife images.
Favorite Photo, December 22
Grand Canyon at Dawn, Arizona. December 2, 1985.
Landscapes photos are rare for me in December since we aren’t usually traveling unless we are going to see family for the holidays. But in 1985 we were driving across country on I-40 to spend Christmas with family in California. The Grand Canyon isn’t far from I-40.
Favorite Photo, December 9
Cougar, Wildlife Prairie Park, Illinois, December 9, 1995.
My favorite photo for today’s date happens to be one of my all time favorite images. The intensity in the face makes this photo. It was a bitter cold morning with a windchill of -40 degrees. I was in my heaviest winter clothes and I still got chilly in the brisk wind..