Landscape

The Angry Sky

As I drove back from Glenorchy, I could not help but notice the sky becoming more and more active behind me. The wind was furious and the lake water began to kick up further. What's a photographer to do - pull over of course! I found a place to stop the car and walk down to the shoreline. I stood there and watched mother nature a bit before setting up the camera to capture the angry sky above.

The Yellow Sunset in Havana

Aurora Borealis in Fairbanks, Alaska

I was not going to go out last night, but I am sure glad I did! The northern lights were amazing to see dancing in the sky for me - absolutely gorgeous!

The Magical Bridge

Beyond the Trees

The Winding Path Between the Trees

Winter is Coming

The Golden Path through the Trees

Reflecting on What Remains

There are still some autumn colors appearing in various parts of Fairbanks, Alaska - if you go looking. This reflection is found in the Creamers Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge.

View from the Cabin

This cabin was built in the 1930s in the desert in Nevada, just outside of Las Vegas.

Autumn in May

Yes - this was taken in the month of May! Autumn is a special time of year when many of us that live in North America enjoy the changing of the colors in September/October. Luckily, I was sent down to Canberra, Australia in May and was able to get out one day to walk through a park and take some photos. I wish I would have had more time to get out and get some more of these!

The Rocky Pier

This rocky pier was just outside of a shopping stop made by our taxi driver while visiting Roatan, Honduras. As you can likely tell, I didn't do much in the shopping area. Instead, I grabbed my camera and started shooting. I did not bring my tripod or platypod on this one, so this was done without support and processed from one of the three exposures taken.

Spring in Death Valley

During my photo safari in April, I was able to witness the flowering Beavertail Cactus in Death Valley.

The Divi Divi Tree on Aruba Beach - fofoti tree

My first visit to Aruba and I had one photographic goal in mind - to be at The Divi Tree at sunset. Unfortunately, the day I had available turned out to be a bit more cloudy than desired. I also learned after posting this photo that the tree in question might not be a divi divi tree, but a fofoti tree. I am still waiting for an official answer from the Aruba Tourism Board!

Milky Way in Arizona

I might be tired from taking the drive out to the middle of nowhere, but it was well worth this!

Sunset above Tucson

The view from Windy Point Vista on the way up to Mt. Lemmon outside of Tucson, Arizona is amazing. The sky was amazing for sunset and I managed to find a tree to catch the sun as it came down towards the horizon. Gotta love the golden hour!

Sunset over Arizona

I meant to take a drive all the way to the top of Mt. Lemmon just outside of Tucson, Arizona. But, as fate would have it, I stopped at Windy Point Vista and took a little walk. I found this tree just off the main path that most people walk through when they stop at this gorgeous lookout, but I did not get this shot until after sunset when most people were alredy gone from the area. The sky was amazing!

Mitre Peak at Milford Sound

One of the wettest places in the world, and certainly the wettest place in inhabited New Zealand is the beautiful Milford Sound. Mitre Peak rises 1692 meters at the center of this shot and is seen reflected in the freshwater basin easily accessible from a public parking lot.

Stirling Falls at Milford Sound

Stirling Falls stands at over 150m. For an idea on how this looked when I took it, check out http://gph.is/2b6S2A3

Bonsai Rock at Lake Tahoe, Nevada

Only had one free evening to get over to Lake Tahoe on this trip, so I went to nowhere else but the famous Bonsai Rock. I got there a bit late, so I couldn't get to the place I wanted to on down the shore. I found a place to get comfortable to watch the sunset and shot a while. There is a hike down from the main road which is easy to get down, but make sure to bring a flashlight to get back up!

Tres Ojos Santo Domingo

This panoramic is made up of 12 photos, resulting in a 169.7 megapixel final shot. Tres Ojos, or Three Eyes park is one of the top tourist attractions in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It is said that the caves were created hundreds of years ago when underground caves collapsed and the bottom of these caves filled with water from an underground river. You can see here the stalagmites hanging from the ceiling, the vegetation and the blue/green water of one of the lakes below. Note that there is no easy way in/out of these areas for the physically challenged. As you will see at the top right of this photo is the entrance to the cave via a long and uneven staircase leading down to the water. There are many other staircases to climb up and down if you want to visit all of the lakes.

Horseshoe Bend in Arizona

I've always wanted to see this iconic landmark in person and I can now say I have! It is by far the most photographed place around Page, Arizona, but I didn't care, I had to do it myself (well, with my friend and fellow photog, Rene). To get to this spot, you must walk (or hike if you want to call it that since it is dirt and rocks after all) approximately 3/4 of a mile from the parking area. If you go for the sunset, remember to time your arrival so you could get there with plenty of time to find a spot on the rim and setup your gear. The rim drops down 1,000' to the shore of the Colorado River below and there are a handful of deaths yearly from careless behavior. This was actually put together from two shots, one up to get more sky and one down to see the shoreline below, making a 52 megapixel final image which is up on my site. If you look closely, you will see an orange ball at about the 6:30 position... I am adding a zoomed in screen grab of this to give you an idea of the detail captured... Think I am printing this one for my wall!

Eureka Sand Dunes in Death Valley

The Eureka Dunes lie in the remote Eureka Valley, an enclosed basin at 3000 foot elevation located northwest of Death Valley. The dunes cover an area only 3 miles long and 1 mile wide, yet they are the tallest sand dunes in California, possibly the tallest in all of North America. They rise suddenly more than 680 feet above the dry lakebed at their western base. As tall as these dunes are, they are dwarfed by the impressive limestone wall of the Last Chance Mountains which rises another 4000 feet above the valley floor. SOURCE: National Park Service

Dead Tree on Sand Dunes

A very easy to get to location in Death Valley National Park is the Mesquite Sand Dunes. Here you can walk for miles along the dunes looking for wildlife trails early in the morning and capture great scenes in the evening.

Life in the Desert

The wonderful Eureka Dunes in Death Valley demonstrates that life can exist anywhere. Getting here takes a while, but the experience once there is amazing.

The Hidden Lagoon in Santo Domingo

This is my first time in the Dominican Republic and after a long week of being stuck in a hotel working, I finally got out on Saturday to see one of the "top things to do" in Santo Domingo. I summoned Uber and headed over to Tres Ojos (Three Eyes) National Park. I had seen photos that people posted on Trip Advisor, but had no clue that it would be such a treat to explore this little park. If you go, you should likely give yourself 3 hours or so to casually go up and down hundreds of stairs and enjoy the scenery, especially if you are taking photos. SAFETY WARNING... If you use Uber, wait INSIDE the gates for your taxi or Uber driver. The main road the entrance is on is not safe at all per on-site security - especially if carrying around a nice camera! I called this the hidden lagoon because, well, it is hidden. Take the time to pay your 25 pesos and get on the 8-10 passenger man-powered ferry which takes you across the water through a cave. Once on the other side, climb up and over the rock stairs to find this gorgeous view!

Aerial photo of the Grand Canyon of the Pacific

Waimea Canyon State Park is known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. It is located on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. Visitors can only access about twenty percent of the island by car. The rest of the island must be explored by hiking it, boating or kayaking it, or flying over it in a helicopter.

Manawaiopuna Falls - aka Jurassic Falls

So happy to have had the opportunity to book a private helicopter to take me all over Kauai. One of the most well-known places is this hidden gem which was featured in the 1993 movie Jurassic Park.

Sunset on the Cliffs

One of my favorite and most peaceful places to enjoy the sunset that I have ever been to is part of the Sheraton Kona Resort in Hawaii.

Secret Falls in Kauai

The Secret Falls in Wailua River State Park in Kauai is amazing. I was lucky enough to be at the front of our hiking pack to get down to the base before people jumped in to enjoy the water and take a few shots. This is the same waterfall you may have seen on the show Fantasy Island. To get here, you must kayak about 2 miles up to the trailhead, then another 3/4 mile hike to the falls.

Manihiholo - Kauai's Dry Cave

So many sites say there is "not much to see here"... well, they are right... Unless of course you know how to take long exposure photographs. This is a 25 second exposure with zero artificial lighting. Rather than taking the photo straight into the cave, I moved off to one side to avoid catching my own shadow from the setting sun behind me. The colors in the rocks are amazing. This is a dry cave across from Ha'ena Beach Park. It is named Manihiholo after the legendary head fisherman of the menehune.

The Na Pali Coast

If you are a hiker and in Kauai, you MUST find the time to hike the Kalalau Trail. I wish I would have headed there earlier in the day to get all the way to Hanakapi’ai Beach which is 2 miles from the trailhead, but I was only able to get to the 1/2 mile mark to catch this glimpse of the Na Pali Coast.

A Sunless Sunset

After hiking a bit of the Kalalau Trail from Ke'e Beach, I stopped at Haena Beach Park and walked along the beach for the sunset. Being on the north shore of the island, I did not expect much, but it turned out to be a magical evening and one of my favorite sunsets I have captured.

Hiking over the Crek

Tree Across Creek

Panoramic Great Falls of the Potomac