In the Wind

Death Valley is a place of extremes. Weather can swing from 30 in the morning to 90 in the afternoon, elevation ranges from -250 feet to 7,500 feet and most absurdly, full brim hats cost $90 at the visitor center. With sand storms like the one pictured, they probably get away with selling a few of those every year. Thanks to @tedgorephotography for unknowingly making a great model in this shot.

Brilliant San Juans

Fifteen minutes later and I was cowered in a little ball trying to shield myself from rain and lightning. My friend @milesmorganphotography said I looked like a drowned rat when he came to pick me up. 😆.

Eruption Construction

This shot was taken about 1.5 miles down the Boundary Trail at Johnson Ridge Observatory on Mt. St. Helens. I walked past this meadow on my way to find an iconic shot of flowers in the foreground and Mt. St. Helens in the background. After struggling to find a composition that I loved, I came back to this meadow and decided to get a shot that didn't include the volcano. I'm pretty happy with the results. Also, if you ever go up there and stay after dark, be careful of GIANT, cantaloupe-sized frogs waiting to jump on you. Walking back was like navigating a mine field.

Reine Rainbow

Not to be confused with Reading Rainbow. I didn't need an alarm to get up the morning I took this. 40 mph winds and hail had been disturbing my sleep all night. With no rest and bleak conditions, I almost stayed in bed and skipped photographing. Grudgingly, I made it out and caught this moment when the hail parted for a period of about 10 minutes. I'm grateful when I'm rewarded for my efforts. As I get older, realizing my efforts don't always guarantee success allows me to appreciate the times they do.

Death Valley Pause

One of my friends left a lens bag about a mile behind us and had to trek back through the dunes to get it. As he paused to evaluate the effort required to get the bag, he made a perfect subject for this frame.

Abraham Splendor

This is Abraham Lake up in Alberta, Canada. The weird UFO looking ovals in the ice are actually frozen air bubbles trapped in layers down to the lake's floor.

Nordic Rumination

Skagsanden Beach in Lofoten, Norway is one of the most incredible places to watch aurora. When waves retreat leaving wet sand, the Norther Lights reflect leaving beautiful greens in both the ground and in the sky.

Redwood Majesty

This is a scene from deep in the California Redwoods taken in May of 2014. Cold fog blocks out the sun and creates a cool atmosphere. The subject of this photo is a rhododendron tree which is actually growing out of the giant Redwood.

Canyon View

Looking up at our view of the universe from deep inside Bryce Canyon.

Last Light on Segltinden

Only assessable by boat, this view of Segltinden was a highlight on a recent trip I took with @arildheitmannphotography and @ryandyar. Segltinden means Sail Peak which is fitting for the shape of the mountain.

Exquisite Erosion

As light waves enter the slot canyon from above, they are filtered to beautiful pinks and blues for viewers on the canyon floor. Lower Antelope Canyon is one of my favorite places to go despite feeling like a sheep as guides herd millions of visitors through the canyon every year.

Layers of Death Valley

An extreme zoom on some of the beautifully layered crests in Death Valley. Two years ago, I thought Death Valley was just flat desert.

Multnomah Falls

Multnomah Falls in fall of 2012.

Dallas Flooding

This is my favorite photo of the city I was born and raised in, Dallas, Texas. Lightning was cracking every few seconds when I took this shot. I situated my camera on the edge of a bridge and used my wallet to prop the lens in place. Since I wasn't about to stand at the top of the bridge during the lightning, I set my camera on interval timer, got back in my car and drove around the bridge for about twenty minutes. Luckily, one of the exposures caught this lightning webbing across the skyline before the rain got so heavy I had to retrieve the camera.

Redwood Carpet

Underneath giant redwood trees, the forest floor is just as beautiful as the expansive gargantuans above. With the trees soaking up most of the sunlight, the floor is mostly in shadow. This is a fifteen second exposure.

James Bond Rock

This rock is popular with tourists in Thailand as it was used in a James Bond movie during the 60's.

Dune Glow

Death Valley Sand Dunes Catching the First Light of the Day.

Wallowa Lake

Beautiful Wallowa Lake near Joseph, Oregon. In 2013, I came to this spot three days in a row waiting for a great sunrise to commemorate my first trip to the region.

Carpet of Leaves

2013 image of a Japanese Maple in the Portland Japanese Garden.

The Subway

I made the hike to this tunnel deep inside Zion National Park by myself in fall of 2015. I made a calamity of errors that led to me making the last three miles of the hike back in my underwear. It's a long story I'm not proud of but I hope you enjoy the image.

Wanderer

Another lone figure in Death Valley's expanse.

Peter Iredale

The remains of a ship from the 1920s after it ran ashore in Northern Oregon.

Fairy Lake Tree

A small bonsai finds life on a log protruding in a remote lake on Vancouver Island.

Tranquil Trillium

My first experience at Trillium Lake on Mt. Hood in Oregon. When people ask me where to go in Oregon, I often tell them to go here.

The Tree

One of the most photographed trees in the world. This 3-4 foot Japanese Maple in the Portland Japanese Garden receives visitors from around the world in October. Recently, the garden has stopped letting photographers come in without special permits because fights would break out to shoot the small tree.

Joshua's Reach

There's a huge grove of Joshua Trees in California's Death Valley. This was taken on the third day of a waning crescent moon in February. Getting under the tree let me get some hard to see moon shadows.

Ravenwood

Northern Norway in January of 2017. I love the dark form of the trees in Senja against the soft snow.

Wildwood Autumn

Just one mile from where I was living at the time, this park was a frequent destination of mine in the Summer. When fall rolled around, I was in the park every chance I could get looking for these dramatic comps. On this Saturday morning, fog rolled in and hung around until 11AM. The best part was having the entire park to myself to hunt these scenes.

Downburst

An incredible storm over sand dunes in Death Valley National Park.

Last Light Colorado

Fall color in one of the craziest sunsets I've ever seen. The last rays from the sun hung on the mountain in a spectacular red with deeply saturated storm clouds behind.

Hamnoy Aurora

This is the only shot I have printed in my house. I took it at 3AM after waiting all night for good aurora in March.