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...
Continue readingIn the first installment of this article, I talked about the benefits of using the Skimmer Pod II. In Part No. 2 I will talk about a very cool and interesting product that we as nature photographers can benefit from: the Puffin Pad.
Continue readingWith 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...
Continue readingWouldn’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...
Continue readingOutdoor photographers shoot year round. That includes the hot summer. You may be surprised to learn that the best way to tolerate the heat is not to strip down to your skivvies. Instead, using the right products and wearing clothing designed to face the challenges of summer will help you keep yo...
Continue readingIn the heart of New Mexico lies White Sands National Monument, a 275 square mile field of gypsum dunes that sets a nearly perfect stage for those interested in creating minimalistic yet otherworldly landscape imagery. The serenity of this setting stands in contrast to its immediate surroundings,...
Continue readingWe just finished our very first NatureScapes Photography Series event at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, and I must say it was a huge success!
Continue readingIt was that time of the year again. Where would this year’s annual bird photography trip take me? For the last 8 years, my trips have taken me up north to Finland and always in the depths of winter. There is something compelling about Finland or, I should say, Northern Scandinavia. Perhaps...
Continue readingIt was still dark outside when we walked into the lobby of the Snow Lodge for a cup of coffee before breakfast. A few people were milling around discussing what the weather might be for the day. Weather is always the topic of discussion in the morning in Yellowstone National Park because it...
Continue readingJust thirty minutes from Minneapolis, Minnesota is the worlds’ largest congregation of wild Trumpeter Swans. Each year, from early December through late February, as many as 1,600 of these rare swans spend their winter on the Mississippi River here. Nearby is a little-used public viewing a...
Continue readingMay 7
Every spring, millions of migratory songbirds travel through the Mississippi Flyway into eastern Canada. Along the way they meet an obstacle: Lake Erie. Upon seeing this vast expanse of water, many birds look for a place along its southern shore to rest up a bit before the crossing. The...
Would you like to take some interesting photos that will wow your viewers, and you get to enjoy some time in solitude? Why not try some star trail photography!?
As our planet Earth rotates around its axis every 24 hours, the star field that we see in our night sky rotates around the polar axis...
Continue readingOften described as one of Africa’s last true wildernesses, Zambia had been high on my wish list of destinations for some years. After terrific self-drive travels through South Africa, Swaziland and Namibia, this year we finally exchanged the beaten tarred and gravel tracks of Southern Afri...
Continue readingThe ancient face of the earth from 20,000 feet—that’s the view I was afforded from the air over Afghanistan during a four-month tour with the US Air Force. From mid January to mid May of 2006, I had the opportunity to occasionally fly over the varied landscapes of Afghanistan. There I wa...
Continue readingSmack in the middle of a lek, mating grounds for the Greater Prairie Chicken, I wait away the pre-dawn spring morning. My spot is near a U.S. Forest Service blind on the National Grasslands near Ft. Pierre, South Dakota. A better stage for chicken dancing would be hard to find. Imagine the entir...
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