Union Officer, Civil War Days, Lamoni, Iowa. August 30, 2014.
As I looked at my favorite images for August 30, I quickly narrowed my choices down to three, but then it got really difficult. I ended up with a landscape image, a portrait, and a wildlife image. I wanted to call it a three way tie, and depending on my mood, I pick a different image out of theses three each time I choose a favorite.
Denali and Wonder Lake, Denali National Park, Alaska. August 28, 2000.
My favorite photo for August 28 is from a once in a lifetime trip to Alaska. My wife and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary with a five day cruise on Prince William Sound followed by five days at Camp Denali in Denali National Park.
Sunstar, Turnagain Arm, Alaska.
When I looked at my “favorite photos” folder for August 20, what jumped out at me were images from Alaska and from a dance recital. It was a tough call. I ended up choosing a photo of Turnagain Arm in Alaska.
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.
Our three children. O’Haver Lake, Colorado. August 19, 1990
In my “favorite photos” folder there is only one photo for August 19, but it is very special to me.
Rooster at Strings of Pearls, Elmira, Michigan.
My favorite photos for August 17 were taken one year apart. I was on my way home from a photo workshop in Northern Michigan and spotted a bunch of yard art in the village of Elmira Michigan.
Our three children at O’Haver Lake. August 16, 1979.
Easy choice today. I went through my favorite photos folder and found two photos taken on August 16. This one is far and away my favorite for sentimental reasons.
Northern Lights over Lake Michigan. Lake Michigan Shores Roadside Park.
My August 15 photo was an easy pick. I was leading a photography workshop in northern Michigan. We were about to wrap up a night time field trip when I saw a little bit of a flicker in the northern sky. Northern Lights! So instead of packing up we stayed out longer.
Blue-headed green frog, Northern Michigan. August 14, 2016
My favorite photos for August 14 all came from the same year, 2016. I was leading a photography workshop in Northern Michigan and we were out on an evening field trip. It turned out to be a great evening for photography, so it was hard to pick THE favorite photo for the day.
Cardinal Flower, Sarett Nature Center, Michigan. Aug, 4, 1996.
My favorite photo for this date is a Cardinal Flower. I was a Sarett Nature Center northeast of Benton Harbor, Michigan. Early August is the time for Cardinal Flowers. They like a pretty wet area to grow in so you take a boardwalk trail out to the wetland area where they grow and bloom.
Arctic Fox, Columbus Zoo, Ohio. August 1, 2012.
August is a slow photography month for me. It is just not the month I am inclined to pick up a camera unless some portrait photography is involved. But I decided one day to head for the Columbus Zoo and practice my wildlife photography skills.
Fawn, first image. Tahquamenon Falls State Park.
When a potentially fleeting photo opportunity arises, get the shot first. Then take the time to improve the shot.
Green Frog, Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Michigan’s U.P.
If you want a nice image of a frog, you have to go where the frogs are. And that means getting down in the swamp or bog or whatever other wet place the frog happens to be.
Torres del Paine, Chile
I came across this article from a link on Facebook. The article is from 2014 but it is still a great list.
Venus and the stars over Lake Michigan. Click for a larger version.
Twilight hangs on for a long time in June in the far northern reaches of the United States. I captured this image a few days ago while leading a photography workshop in northern Michigan.
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.
Believe it or not, spring has finally arrived in areas of the country that were dealing with a lingering winter. Which national parks are at their photographic 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, this is national parks week and many of our national parks are having special activities all week long.
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.
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.
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 in this article). 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.
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.
UPDATE: The most recent and updated version of this article is here.
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.