Early May is the prime time for wildflower displays in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. There are a number of locations on both the Oregon and Washington side of the river that are great for finding and photographing wildflowers. Here are three of the best places for getting photos with masses of color. Tom McCall Preserve, pictured above, is a Nature Conservancy holding at Rowena on the Oregon side of the River. An easy stroll just a few [read more ...]
The fantastic rock formations of the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, California, have been favorite subject matter for photographers for many years. The combination of jumbled and roundly eroded rock rising up from the Owens Valley with a backdrop of the dramatic eastern face of the Sierra Nevada mountains is hard to beat. Scattered throughout the Alabama Hills are a number of interesting rock arches. At one time, some photographers and concerned conservationists tried to keep the location of the [read more ...]
One of the most scenic places on the Oregon coast is Bandon Beach. It’s one of my personal favorites, and I think it is has some of the most photogenic scenery on the entire west coast. The main attraction for photography is the sea stacks – monolithic rock formations that provide dramatic subject matter for photographers in just about any weather condition. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better location for sunset seascapes. Nowhere else on the coast has such [read more ...]
The Seattle, Washington area is home to several beautiful Japanese Gardens, and right now they are at their very best. The fall color is at peak and the maple trees are brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow. Best known of the Seattle area gardens is the Japanese Garden at Washington Park Arboretum. This garden, part of the University of Washington Botanic Gardens, is a photographer’s delight most any time of year, but especially in fall. The ornamental maple trees [read more ...]
Interested in where to find the best autumn foliage for landscape and scenic photography in Washington State? I did a quick circuit around the Cascades last week and found quite a range of fall color. In most locations, the color was just starting to get good, so this week and the next should be optimal for making photographs, or just viewing for the pleasure of it. In the southern Cascades, around Trout Lake and Mount Adams, there were places with [read more ...]
A selection of thirty of my scenic landscape and nature photos is currently on display in the upstairs gallery at the University of Oregon School of Law. The photographs were taken over a period of years during my many wanderings and journeys in the Pacific Northwest, and highlight some of the best locations for nature photography in Oregon and Washington. Each of the 18×24″ prints in the show were custom printed using archival inks, paper and framing materials (for the [read more ...]
The Big Island of Hawaii was my home for a number of years and is still one of my favorite destinations. Largest of all the Hawaiian Islands, it contains a full range of environments from arid desert to tropical rainforest. Plentiful rainfall on the Hamakua Coast and in the Hilo area – the northeast side of the island – makes for lush forest and a number of waterfalls that are great subjects for nature photography. Best of known of the [read more ...]
In a year with more typical weather, the meadows in the Paradise area of Mount Rainier National Park would look something like this photo around the first week of August, and the place would be swarming with photographers. This year, while much of the country suffers under sweltering heat, summer has barely arrived in the Pacific Northwest. The La Niña weather pattern brought us a long, cool and wet winter and spring, and lots of snow in the mountains. [read more ...]
The U.S. National Wildlife Refuges system celebrates the 108th anniversary of its founding on March 14. President Teddy Roosevelt signed the law creating the first National Wildlife Refuge in 1903. Today the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service maintains more than 550 refuges in the country, helping to preserve over 2,000 species of our native critters. The 95 million acres of refuge land are spread throughout all 50 states. The refuges benefit people as well as the animals they were established [read more ...]
I’ve been inspired by the blogs of a number of photographers who’ve recently posted their top photos for 2010, so decided to add my own to the mix. Most of the photographers post either landscape and scenic photos or travel photography. I do a mixture of both – something to do with being a Gemini perhaps? – so my selection of favorites is a combination of nature images and snaps from my travels this past year. Early in [read more ...]
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