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.
John and Melissa on the trail up Flattop Mountain. Longs Peak in the background. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Wednesday, August 13, 1969.
When I went looking through my favorite photos folder for photos taken August 13, I found a few photos from August 13, 2016 at a workshop I was leading in Northern Michigan, and just one photo captured with an instamatic camera August 13, 1969. The 1969 photo is the clear prize winner as my favorite August 13 photo.
Group Portrait
All my favorite photos for August 12 were again (August 11 post) from Jeremy Bruskotter and I’s second nature photography workshop at Gibraltar Island for OSU. Out of those photos my most favorite image was the group photo toward the end of the morning field trip. A little Photoshop might have been involved.
When I went looking for my favorite photos for August 11, they were all from the same year. It was my second year leading a nature photography workshop with Jeremy Bruskotter workshop for OSU at Gibraltar island. August 11, 2012.
Some of the digital images in my “favorites photos” folder.
It Began Like This . . .
It all started the morning of August 6, 2018 when I woke up and asked myself, “What is the best photo I have ever taken on August 6?” So I went through my “favorite photos” folder to find all of the photos I had taken on August 6, no matter what year. I found only three photos, all of them portraits. My favorite August 6 image is a head and shoulders portrait of a young woman in a wedding dress. So I posted it. August 7 I did the same thing. I found no photo for August 8. (August is not my favorite photo month.) August 9 I found three photos to pick from and posted my favorite. What started as a one time thing has become a regular thing.
Sarah.
As part of this ongoing series, I went looking through my folder of favorite photos for images taken August 10. I found a sunset photo of Lake Erie from August 10, 2003, and photos of Sarah taken August 10, 2006. While the sunset photo was nice, the photos of Sarah are much more important to me. Sarah is the first professional model I had the privilege of working with, and it was the first of several photo shoots we worked on together. So my all time favorite August 10 photo is this portrait of Sarah.
Kristin
Kristin is my best “August 9” photo. This was a fairly easy pick. My only other August 9 option is an image of the sun, but I will post a favorite sun image from the August 21, 2017 eclipse when we get to that date.
Sunny
It all started yesterday when I woke up wondering, “What is the best photo I have ever taken on August 6?â€Â So this morning I went looking for my best photo taken on August 7.
Sarah, Worthington Ohio. August 6, 2003.
I woke up this morning with this curious question on my mind: “What is the best photo I have ever taken on August 6?” Continue reading
Bee on a Coneflower, Columbus, Ohio. August 5, 2017.
I was out in my garden one day and spotted a bee among the coneflowers. I pulled out my iPhone and tried to get a good photo.
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.
Selina, Columbus, Ohio. August 3, 2011.
I was working with the model Selina in downtown Columbus Ohio. This portrait is my favorite photo for August 3.
Kristina, Columbus, Ohio. August 2, 2016.
All of my favorite images for August 2 are from one photo shoot with one professional model. It all started with a phone call from Kristina, a model and actress based in Los Angeles. We have done several photo shoots together, beginning when she was a college student in Ohio.
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.
Grass splattered Marcia, Graceland University, Lamoni, Iowa. July 27, 2006.
I had a hard time picking my favorite photo for July 27. I finally decided on this image from “Spectacular”, an annual event for about 1,000 high school students from all around the world.
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.
Anoush on the beach. iPhone. Click to see a larger version.
After 11 o’clock at night with the only light coming from the moon, I would assume an iPhone would not be able to capture an image. But I am curious so I tried anyway. I was surprised. iPhones have come a long way. There is a lot of murkiness in the water and sky in this image, but Anoush looks much better than I would have expected from an iPhone image by moonlight. My iPhone tried to create a daylight exposure.
Brittany, Northern Michigan
A photography trip in Northern Michigan and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
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?
Southwest Colorado in the Fall.
Come spend four exciting days on a total immersion photo safari in beautiful southwest Colorado. Colorado is magnificent in the fall as the aspen turn gold. The safari is September 27-30, 2019. Registration is limited and this photo safari is filling up. Detail are here.
Whites Sands New Mexico
Controlling depth of field is one of a photographer’s most powerful creative tools. That is why my photography book devotes two chapters and 40 pages to tools and techniques you can use to control depth of field.
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.
“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.
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.