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.
Summer is here and that means hot weather. So it is time for a “save your camera gear” reminder. Camera gear has a temperature and humidity rating. A top of the line Canon camera body has a limit of 115°F and 85% or less humidity. A black camera on a hot day can easily exceed that limit. Less expensive cameras of any brand have lower limits so it is important to protect your gear.
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.
Bishop’s Bog in Portage Michigan is one of my favorite nature preserves in southwest Michigan. There is almost always something interesting to photograph from spring through fall.
I was surprised to learn that there is a Confederate Civil War Cemetery in Columbus Ohio, so I went late on afternoon to check it out. Over 2100 confederate soldiers are buried here. More information is at the Camp Chase link below. This is my favorite photo for this date.
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.
I have so many favorite photos for this date (36 total) in my “favorite photos” folder, it was hard to pick. I finally decided on this one as one of my most favorites for several reasons. One is the actual lightning bolt. Another is the reflection, especially of the left side of the bolt. And I love the clouds which I think really help make the photo. But there is an additional reason.
When Sunny and I go for a walk, I usually let him determine the route. Most days he heads for his favorite park. On this walk I got down at his eye level to take a picture with my iPhone. This is one of my two most favorite photos for this date.
When I saw this flag comping down the street, I knew what I needed to do. My experience as a newspaper photographer taught me to look for unusual angles and to be bold enough to get in the right spot.
May is the time of year to photograph birds feeding their young. A pair of cardinals built a nest in a bush right by our front porch. This mail ;anded on the porch with food in his mouth, looked at me, and then went inside the bush to the nest to feed his young. This is one of my two most favorite photos for May 25.
John Weese, one of my photo buddies, called to tell me Robin’s were nesting in a tree in his front yard. We were able to watch the whole nesting process, right through the appearance and feeding of the babies. I was fortunate enough to catch a moment with both parents at the nest as one of them fed the babies. This is my favorite photo for May 24.
A bee was busy in one of our flower gardens so I pulled my iPhone out of my pocket and started taking pictures. Catching a sharp closeup of a busy bee with an iPhone is a hit or miss proposition. I got a total of five images before the bee flew away and only one of them was sharp. This is my favorite photo for May 23.
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.
Hallie and I were creating portraits and this is one of our favorites. To get this subtle reflection, Hallie is on top of a grand piano. We went with a non-traditional pose. This is one of my two most favorite photos for this date.
I am reading to my very young grandson Terran. I love the look on his face. This is my favorite photo for this date.
Our daughter-in-law, Jennifer, and our grandsons Andrew and Ryan at Tae Kwon Do. This is my favorite photo for May 18.
At the end of a photography workshop we were on an afternoon and evening field trip near Glenn Michigan. This is my favorite photo for this date.
My photography workshop was out for an afternoon and evening field trip and we ended the day at Holland State Park. Jupiter (upper center) and Venus (lower and to the right) were shining brightly in the western sky. It was a beautiful evening. This is my favorite photo for May 16.
We were visiting on the campus of Graceland University. I decided to do a casual portrait of our oldest son Jim and his fiancée, Jennifer. Their wedding was 6 weeks away. This is one of my most favorite photos for this date.
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.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Washington D.C. Click for a larger version.
Richard Duane Klug (the name just above the rose) was born January 26, 1946. He died in Darlac Province, Vietnam, November 14, 1967 at the age of 21. He is one of over 58,000 American soldiers that died in Vietnam, and one of over 1.1 million American soldiers that have died in all American wars (almost half of them in the Civil War). It is with a profound sense of gratitude that I reflect on the lives of those who “gave the last full measure of devotion” on behalf of their country.
Every years in May, thousands of tulips bloom around the public library in Portage Michigan. I was there to make the most of it. This is my favorite image for May 14.
May is wildflower heaven in southwest Michigan, and I had several places I would go in search of photos. Trillium Ravine Nature Preserve is one of them.
I was given a photographic assignment: Take casual, unstaged portraits of people at church for a video to be created at a later date.
I have been photographing Erin (and her sisters) since she was about two years old. If you have been following this series, she should look familiar.
It was a beautiful evening on the State of Michigan’s “Sunset Coast”. At cities and towns all along Lake Michigan, people gather for sunset. I was shooting the sunset when I spotted this boat. I clicked the shutter as the mast cut across the sun. I couldn’t wait to get my slides back from the photo lab. This is my favorite photo for May 9 and one of my all time favorite sunset photos.
I was walking our dog and spotted this marble. I decided to see how close my iPhone could focus and chose to create this with the marble and my camera on the ground. I don’t know exactly why, but I really like this photo.
I was visiting a friend in the Orlanda area. Knowing I loved photography, he took me to the Environmental Studies Center, Spring Hammock Preserve, Seminole County, Florida.