The readers of Travel + Leisure magazine have voted Bangkok as their favorite city in the world. I had the opportunity to visit Thailand earlier this year and certainly agree that it’s a wonderful place. Bangkok is a huge, bustling modern city, but with incredible historical and cultural sites. And, of course, food to die for. Chiang Mai was voted second favorite city in the T+L poll – amazing that Thailand would score #1 and #2 in the same year! [read more ...]
My trip to Thailand was packed with visits to markets and temples, tourist attractions and local neighborhoods. A multitude of exotic sights, sounds, smells and tastes. The Thai people are wonderfully friendly and welcoming, and seemingly always open to having photographs made of them. My new Nikon D300S performed like a champ and allowed me to give video a try without carrying extra gear. Thank goodness for digital cameras – I’m sure glad I don’t have to pay the cost [read more ...]
A couple of magazines feature my photography on the cover this month. VIA, the magazine of the AAA auto club, assigned me to shoot a story on the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area and nearby Florence, Oregon. For the cover, they chose a shot of a couple of guys jumping off a dune face along the John Dellenbach Trail in the Umpqua Dunes Area. Just so happens that the two guys are my son Hunter and his friend Tom Clawson. [read more ...]
I’m back on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington this week, making a circuit of the coast, rainforest and mountain areas. Started in the incredibly lush temperate rainforests of the Lake Quinault area and the Hoh River, then hiked the Ozette Triangle to Cape Alava on the northern coast. Hurricane Ridge and views of the Olympic mountain range are next. Olympic National Park is magnificent, with so much to see and do I’m already planning a return trip.
Olympic National Park in Washington state is a wondrous place, with environments ranging from snow-covered volcanic peaks to lush temperate rainforest to wild and remote Pacific coast. A couple of weeks ago I visited the Olympic Peninsula, accompanied by Laurent Martres, publisher of the PhotoTripUSA guidebook series. Laurent and I did an overnight backpack hike to Shi Shi Beach and Point of Arches. It’s possible to do this trail as a dayhike, but we really wanted to catch sunset and [read more ...]
I spent a few days last week hiking and doing photography at Joshua Tree National Park in southern California. It’s a fascinating place with some very interesting geology and ecosystems. Those not familiar with the area tend to think of the southwest deserts as hot, but the upper areas of Joshua Tree, part of the huge expanse of the Mojave Desert, are at 3000+ feet in elevation, and temperatures are quite cool in winter and spring. It’s much warmer in [read more ...]
To see more photos from my recent trip to Mexico, go to this gallery of photographs of Cosala. This historic mining town in Mexico’s Sierra Madre Mountains has been designated as a “Pueblo Magico” by the Mexican tourism authorities. It makes a nice side trip from Mazatlan, or a great destination in itself if you just want to kick back and enjoy a typical village in the state of Sinaloa. More impressions of Cosala are in a previous post below.
The latest email promotion from stock photo agent Viewfinders features my new book Photographing Oregon, and includes some of my photographs that are available from the agency. Links to the email and to Viewfinders. Photographing Oregon, from publisher Graphie International, will be released in early April, and will be available in bookstores and directly through me. More information is available on my website at www.GregVaughn.com/books/.