It was still dark out, as far as I could tell, and I had no idea in which direction we were traveling or what roads we were on. I sat in silence, listening to the conversations around me. In the front passenger row of the van, University of California Santa Cruz graduate student Abe Borker was c...
by Royce Howland | March 23, 2011
The famous Robert Frost poem, “The Road Not Taken,” ends with a few lines that are easily seen as inspiration for the outdoor photographer:
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
But what...
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Generally speaking, nature photographers aren’t known for traveling light. We’ve got tripods, ballheads, lenses, cameras, filters, flashes and reflectors, not to mention backpacks, headlamps, tents, sleeping bags and the myriad items required to hike into the backcountry. If you spen...
While assisting at a photo workshop in Arches National Park, the leader called it quits when warm sunset light failed to materialize. We all packed up our camera gear and loaded into cars for the trek back to Moab. No sooner had we hit the main park road than a faint wash of color started spread...
With memories of alpine wildflowers in the not-too-distant past it’s almost impossible to believe that autumn is right around the corner. And yet, all the signs point to exactly that. Temperatures are trending lower, bears are focused on getting fatter and sunset is arriving earlier every...
by Alain Briot | July 19, 2010
Creating a portfolio of your work is one of the most important things you can accomplish as a photographer. Unfortunately, relatively few photographers create portfolios because they find the process daunting or think their work is not good enough to be included in a portfolio. Others squirm at...
Wouldn’t it be grand if every photo vacation involved puffy clouds filling an azure sky above rugged peaks, deep canyons or vast deserts awash in alpenglow every morning and every evening of our trip? Perhaps some photographers are so lucky. I am not one of them. Twice now I’ve spent...
by Gary Crabbe | June 22, 2010
Many people that know me, or have followed my photography, are aware that I got my start in the industry working for the internationally renowned photographer and adventurer, Galen Rowell. It quickly became apparent that I had stumbled into a position that many people, especially other photograp...
by Mark Graf | March 31, 2010
Anyone with interest in improving their photography can attest to how part of the challenge is simply to capture an image as seen through their eyes. How many times have we thought to ourselves, “I didn’t see that soda can next to my waterfall!” or “All of my whites are c...
by Rob Servranckx | February 16, 2010
In the colder North American climates, such as found in southern Quebec and Vermont, Mother Nature puts up an incredible display of colors in September and October. For many of us landscape photographers, this 2-3 week period of fiery fall colors is the most productive, exciting and stimulating...
Nature photography has taught me to measure a day by heartbeats instead of a clock. No second hand will tell me when and what I have seen. I can glance at water rushing down a stream, feel the wind rustling through trees, hear the roaring of thousands of honking geese flying overhead, or watch t...
When I opened up my Fall 2009 issue of Nature’s Best Photography magazine featuring the Windland Smith Rice International Award winners, I was delighted to see that a few NatureScapes members and friends had been honored. I was particularly excited to see the spread on pages 94 and 95 that...
From time to time, I find it useful to review and fine tune my strategies for photographing nature. These principals help the photographer utilize his or her resources and not squander precious time and money, which is always useful but is even more important during these tough economic times.
by Royce Howland | November 9, 2008
Last year was highly fulfilling for me in terms of photography, and I had more goals for this year, building on everything I felt was going well. However, as they say, life is what happens while you’re making other plans. A number of things didn’t work out as needed, and most of my p...
“I HATE you!”
Not the kind of reaction you typically want to hear from a friend, I suppose. But spoken in a thick Long Island accent and with a twinkling smile, it was a comment that nonetheless always brought a grin to my face because it meant I’d created a photograph specia...
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