Falling for the Cascades

October 06, 2023 in Travel Stories

I was in North Cascades National Park in Washington late August. The one morning I wanted to hike the Cascade Pass trail which is about a 7mi hike total, nothing too crazy. I left at 4:30am from the campground and made it to start my hike at 5am and made my way towards the vantage point. I had my camera bag/accessories, water, forgot the bear spray, and there was just enough light so I left the flashlights. Turns out the bear spray wasn’t my worry.

The hike was pretty easy as I am accustomed to higher elevations in the Rocky Mountain Range. It went from around 4,300ft to 6,100ft. I was stoked as I didn’t have to take a single break or water.

I made it to the top vantage point of the hike shortly after sunrise around 7ish and watched the morning light spill through the pass and illuminating the mountains. After some time of hanging out I decided to head up another steep trail that took me off the main trail 200-300ft higher to a more open vantage point of the one mountain.

After some looking around I found my self on the edge of the mountain at 6300ft-ish with soaking shoes and clothing from the morning dew. I was walking my way around this boulder (for a photograph) that sat on the edge above some plants that seemed to been wet for days. Half-way through passing along the boulder I turned to look at the view, after a few seconds of realizing the shot would work, I immediately lost my balance, slipped and fell.

At first I had my back/backpack to the mountains edge sliding down along the soaked plants. I was able to roll over so I was sliding down on my right arm and eventually move my arms up above me. I then kept my hands open until I felt like I could grab onto one or many of the plants. Thankfully the two plants that caught me held on. I was able to then use the plants to climb back up the mountain. I’m not quite sure how far I got but I had to climb up a decent bit and it was about 5ish seconds.

I made it back to a safe section and sat down on a boulder and took in the view.

Walking up to the mountain I was trying to get a different angle on.

Images from the Hike

Sitting on the rock after I fell. Looking down at the “slip-and-slide” of a mountain side.

Glad I made it down the safe way from this hike and was able to have images I captured I’m super proud of and yes my camera is okay!

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Story Behind the Image 6: Medicine Bow Milky Way

March 30, 2023 in Story Behind the Image

This story is one for the books, truly, as I’ll also be adding this image to my book when I can finally get it complete. Taken within the Snowy Mountain Range in Eastern Wyoming, Medicine Bow peak stands tall at 12,018ft. The goal was to capture this stunning “wave-structured” peak in the Wyoming wilderness with the Milky Way galaxy shooting out of the top whilst showcasing the many alpine lakes below.

It took me two attempts to get the shot I had in mind. First attempt was quite wild while the second was more relaxed and much comfortable. The total hike was 4mi round trip with about 1,000ft of elevation gain. And of course this shot had to be done at night to get the milky way in prime viewing.

The first attempt (Image 1): After some research to get to the trail I had to get onto and the amount I’d be hiking, I arrived around 11pm and made my way to the trail. After adventuring on the trail for about .25mi my flashlights died. Yes, both my flashlights were useless surrounding in miles of wilderness that I was most likely alone in to only try and avoid the Mountain Lions, Moose, Elk, Cows and Bears! So after contemplating about moving forward for a few minutes, as I still had 1.5mi left of my hike to the get to the view, I decided to go ahead and use my phone flashlight as the only light which garnered me about 10ft of view distance. Using my ears and keeping my head on a swivel for stalking Mountain Lions and plenty of switchbacks. I made it to the spot, and although beautiful, there was one problem. I was late, the Milky Way had already made its way behind Medicine Bow and was tilting out of frame, and if you have noticed in my photography, I love symmetry and balance. So after taking a few photos I decided it was no longer worth it and trekked back down the 2mi and thankfully got back to my car without encountering any wildlife, that I know of. So that takes me to attempt two.

Attempt 2 (2nd and 3rd images): Two nights passed of clouds and I decided it was time to try again and see if I could accomplish the shot I wanted. This time I left a little earlier. At around 9pm I made it to the trailhead and started the 2mi hike. With new batteries in the flashlights and carrying my good ole 40lbs photography bag I made my way up the 1,000ft climb. This time it was a little darker out as the Moon hadn’t risen above the horizon yet. So after taking time to navigate and understand where I was I set up shop. After a little bit of trial and error with focus, I got what I had gone there for. The Milky Way, standing up tall, over Medicine Bow, with the alpine lakes below. This shot was super rewarding not only because of failing the first night but because my plan was exact. I was able to have plenty of time to get different views and different compositions below the stars. Definitely my favorite Milky Way shot from 2022 and I can’t wait to see what I can capture this coming year.

Attempt 1: The Milky Way can be seen behind Medicine Bow Peak with some crazy hues in the sky as well. And the ridgeline of mountains that reach out to the peak as well.

Attempt 2 Image 1: The Milky Way exactly where I had envisioned and even created a stunning reflection in the water of the lakes below. The long exposure brought out just enough detail in the mountains for this compelling shot.

Attempt 2 Image 2: A little rotation in the Milky Way but that’s better than it being straight up for this image. It had some balance to the alright right heavy frame and balanced nicely along the Alpine Lakes.

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Thank you for reading and plenty more blogs to come!

The Rocky Mountains & Then Some

February 14, 2023 in Travel Stories

I traveled to Colorado in the middle of November 2020. This brought for late fall colors, snow, and a little bit of warmth mixed in. While in Colorado I got to experience the Rocky Mountains from the small section that is open during this season. Then I got to experience Moab and its two national parks, Arches and Canyonlands. To which then I circled down and ended up in Northern New Mexico to then head back to Southern Colorado in Great Sand Dunes National Park.

For sleeping I slept inside a rented Chevrolet Impala, it had seats that could fold down and I could sleep in the back seat/trunk. Using the impala as my mobile home for a few days I traveled 27 hours in 3 days.

This trip was pretty simple logistically and flexibility. The possibilities I had to make it different locations and switch things up the day before is rare and was a nice change of pace compared to past trips I have done.

Enjoy the images and I hope you’ll be back to read my next blog post!

Snow flooding through the pine trees in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Ice bubbles rising to the surface of a small frozen lake. The bubbles are filled with methane. Also a super cool design in the ice that surrounds the methane bubbles.

Snow blow shifting through the mountain’s trees. The layers of snow, to trees, back to snow was a fun detail that led to some more rounded mountain peaks.

The Milky Way over a redock landscape with some light pollution on the horizon from Moab, Utah. I met another photographer here, it was fun to see what each other captured while avoiding a cliff edge.

A crazy shark fin shaped rock in the southwest. Taken during sunset I had quite the adventure of getting to this location. But it was definitely worth the hassle and lived up to the hype.

An aerial shot of a rocky spine leading towards the shark fin rock with the sunset light fading from the horizon and the Utah mountains showing in the background. It’s always worth bringing the drone to locations I can fly, the other perspective is awesome.

A bull elk bracing the snow blow coming from a mountain pass to the right. I was laying in the grass while covering my face so I could focus on getting this photos.

Stacked layers of a landscape in Canyonlands National Park, Utah. The red rock was phenomenal and looked nice in this golden hour light.

The sand dunes in Colorado were a surprise. I got there at night and slept overnight alone at a campground. Then made my way onto the dunes for sunrise, and the mountains being so close was definitely a cool perspective.

Grass growing in one of the valleys of the sand dunes being struck by golden hour light. The shadows elongating out the back caught my eye and completed this simple scene.

A lone tree standing on the cliff edge enjoying the long canyon with the sun shining through it. Had to grab this scene as the sun was shining perfectly. Made for great light.

Thank you for reading. I have so many photos to catch up sharing about. I am going to try to use this blog more in the future. Let me know if there is anything else you’d like to see more of.

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Superior Shredding

February 15, 2021

Lake Superior - 6 degrees, 12mph wind, Cloudy

"It would be awesome to see someone surfing out on those waves." What I said to my self when I arrived to Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula (The U.P.) of Michigan. It was 10am in the morning and I was going to go on a hike through the woods and to explore the coastline. I sat in my car enjoying the scenery when I saw a car pull in to the parking lot with surfboard on top. I saw a man get out with headphones on and he started to walk along the lake and enjoying the view as well. I gave him some time and then grabbed my camera and walked toward him fast, but not too fast, so I didn't look weird but also so I didn't miss the chance to talk to him. He turned around and saw me coming his way and took off his headphones.

I introduced myself and found out his name was John. I asked John if he was looking to surf and if I could photograph him. He explained how he was going to come surf later around 3pm when the swell would be stronger, along with that it would be his last time to surf with the winter weather. So we exchanged phone numbers and I went on my hike and John went to a meeting he had at work. 3pm came around and John showed up with his surfboard and people were amazed he was about to get in and surf. Then after he was ready we proceeded to a point he used before to enter the water.

John then paddled out to where the waves were breaking and waited until a good one came and took off. It was crazy to see because he explained earlier how he had been a big surfer than stopped for 9 years and then got back into it about a year ago. This passion for surfing could be seen in his eyes and I felt honored to be able to capture him that cold Saturday.

The first ride was a success, but John didn’t make it as far as he would have liked. So he kept catching waves (which I chased him up and down the shore capturing imagery) until he made it to the beach and was able to restart again and walked back to the launching point. John explained to me how the ice blocks in the water were hard to avoid especially if he hit one he’d fall right off the board. Then the second ride came along and the wave decided it was its turn to ride John. After John recovered he was able to catch a few more waves until he made it back to shore. After surfing a few more times and the sun going down, John got out of the water and said he was done for the day.

John was wearing a 5mm Wetsuit, 7mm Gloves, and 5mm Booties. He surfed for 2 hours in the lake that the swell was called "The Zoo" because there used to be an old zoo near the lake. I was amazed at John’s endurance and motivation to continue surfing until it became dark. John then stopped surfing and got out of the water and we talked a little longer and he than sprinted into a bathroom by the parking lot to warm up. I then carried on my way and traveled to my next location.

Thank you so much for reading this blog post!

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Story Behind the Image: 6

August 11, 2020

This image was something I had thought about before. Never thinking about ever having the opportunity to take this photograph though. The idea came back when I was catching up with a friend when he started sharing about his flight experience in a Cessna C170B. Of course this conversation sparked my interest and I had to ask for a trip around downtown Pittsburgh. So then we started planning, he created a flight plan and I started researching angles I could possibly get from 3,000ft within the sky. This photograph however was the main one I wanted to capture throughout the whole flight. So when we went past Point State Park and the rest of downtown, the plane roll was a perfect spot to be able to capture the wing and the city within one frame from the window. The reflection on the wing was completely unexpected but brought another amazing detail to this frame.

I went about taking this photograph as how I would any take any photograph, figure out exposure, make any more adjustments and make sure I’m getting clear photographs through any possible obstacles such as the window I shot through for this frame. Once I have all of that figured out I just buckled down and started photographing as much as I could as we were moving pretty quickly around the downtown area. Being comfortable while taking photographs is not a must but it sure helps, with my fear of heights it took me some time to get over being suspended in air with mild turbulence, but after 20min or so I was comfortable with the discomfort and was able to capture some of my personal favorite images and perspectives I’ve been able to capture of downtown Pittsburgh.

I hope you enjoyed this blog and I look forward to sharing another photographic story, of course ask any questions you may think of and I’ll be sure to get back to you! Thank you for taking the time to read about this Pittsburgh aerial photograph!

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California Trip - February

August 03, 2020

In February I went to California to road-trip and explore the National Parks as I enjoy them a lot. Their unique beauty brings something different every time I photograph them. I also wanted to go and have a chance at photographing the “Firefalls” in Yosemite, but Yosemite ended up being too dry. So upon finding out Yosemite was dry and had no snow I decided to leave the next day and go down to Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks 7 hours away. Before that though I decided to photograph stars the night before and then sunrise in Upon arriving to those parks as I needed to adjust my plan I quickly found locations to shoot while getting lunch on the way down. I then improvised and was able to photograph these locations in the light conditions I hoped for with the weather that was given. Of course I woke up for sunrise, in these locations and stars every night that the weather allowed. After visiting Death Valley and Joshua Tree I decided to drive back up north along the Pacific Coastal Highway. I stayed in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and photographed stars before I continued the drive in the morning to return to San Francisco. When getting to San Francisco I touched on Daly City where I had always wanted to photograph for the repetitive and intriguing architecture and then some locations in San Francisco I had touched just yet. The West Coast is one of my favorite places I’ve had the opportunity to visit and explore and I can’t wait until I’m there again.

A shooting star over climbers on El Capitan with Half Dome looking in the background with more stars peaking through the cloudy sky.

Some deer within just outside of the Yosemite Valley

The Red sunrise light smacking the side of the Panamint Range

Amazing light spilling through coastline trees.

Daly Cities repetitive buildings and architecture.

The white architecture of San Francisco joining together for this calming shot.

Drone shot of streets coming together in San Francisco.

El Capitan being frame between pine trees on the Valley Floor with the Merced River running through.

Sand dunes during Golden Hour in Death Valley National Park

Sunrise with salt flats and the Panamint Range in the background.

Crazy cactus in Joshua Tree National Park

Milky way over a waterfall along Big Sur’s highway.

The lines of housing within the Bay Area / Daly City.

Neighborhood of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge overlooking it.

Transamerica Pyramid overlooking light trails.

Thank you for reading and looking at my photographs from my trip to California in February.

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The Water of Death Valley

April 13, 2020

If the desert is mentioned you'd probably think of a barren wasteland that has nothing around it but rattlesnakes, sand, and the sun. Death Valley National Park’s name even offers and feeds to this generalization of deserts around the globe. But truthfully there is still life that flourishes in these harsher environments even though it’s not as saturated as other ecosystems. The 3.4-million-acre park has much to offer from its many oasis, sand dunes, mountains, and even having the lowest point in North America, with its lowest point reaching -282ft.

This park has many valleys, but those valleys aren’t just flat desert they offered a wide variety of places to enjoy. Of course, for there to be a valley there are mountain ranges that surround these valleys, the most famous in the park being the Panamint Range. Throughout my visit at this park I tried to see as much as possible and capture the many things that water brings life to in the valley of death.

Death Valley was also important at the beginning as it was prosperous mining region for many decades. It graced the likes of many pioneers who wanted to get rich off the many minerals. There are 61 known geological formations within the park and there are still 20 formations that have not been added to the collection. There are also 3 different formations that have unofficial names. The many different rock types brought people to Death Valley in the beginning and keep bringing people back.

That’s not the only thing that brings people to Death Valley either, there are plenty of other things to enjoy such as sand dunes, salt flats, ghost-towns, different plants and animals, and the amazing stars. Only the plants and the salt flats are pictured below, so you’ll have to wait for further blog posts or visit for yourself to see the rest

Death Valley National Park deserves to be preserved because of these many things and the unique landscape it encompasses. In these photographs I hope I can give you a feel of what it feels like to be in these remote locations and observing the beauty unfold. The many sunrises, sunsets, stars, etc. are amazing sights within themselves but are more spectacular than those that are inhibited by chemicals in the air of cities and the light pollution blocking the stars. These natural spaces offer way more than people realize how they help you understand yourself and the world around you more as well.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this blog post and enjoy these photographs. I hope you’ll make the trip to Death Valley to enjoy its unique beauty.

At the bottom is a video that explains these ideas more!

Erosion flowing down the mountain can be seen throughout the different ridges and then the valley floor below.

A clump of salt being formed on the surface after evaporating

Human tire-track destruction on the desert floor over mud-cracks.

Water run-off with desert plants in the shadows.

Water erosion through the desert floor creating empty banks.

Panamint Mountain Range during sunrise. Snow melt creates erosion on the mountain-sides.

Salt flats happen from rainfall that evaporates too quickly (from the desert sun) before the next rainfall and creates this layer on top of the ground.

Mud-cracks from hot desert sun and little to no rainfall.

A fully grown desert plant basking in the desert rays.

Water run-off from the rugged mountains and colorful rocks.

Erosion in this spectacular area a couple miles North of the Panamint Range.

More erosion in front of the Panamint Range

Thank you for reading my post about the water in Death Valley National Park!

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Ireland

October 21, 2019

Ireland quickly became a trip of adapt and create. From looking for new ways to get around to finding the best food around. There was not one day there was not a challenge to be conquered. These challenges easily slid aside when the green country-side revealed itself. This journey was significant for the amazing cliff-side views, cultural happenings, and exploring a country of friendly people. Starting off in Dublin there was a walk to a Hostel. From there it was time to explore and see what the Guinness Capitol had to offer. After was a trip to Belfast where the exploration of the Titanic Museum and Northern Coast happened. Then, puddle-hopped to Scotland and explored Edinburgh and met some fantastic people also along the way. Went back to Ireland to go to Galway and see the classic Cliffs of Moher, and then ventured down to Cork to create a home-point to explore the Dingle Peninsula and then make it back to Dublin for a final night of relaxation and final bucket-list-stops. Overall the trip was a success and brought many great images, memories, and sleeping after.

Dublin, Ireland: The Long-Room: A beautiful Library filled with 2000+ books.

Northern Ireland: Beautiful beach trees line a street in Northern Ireland.

Friendly sheep saying hello and posing for my photograph.

Edinburgh, Scotland: A crowded street in Edinburgh during an overcast day. Beautiful architecture lines both sides of the street.

Galway, Ireland: Streets of Galway, a colorful city.

Cliffs of Moher: The famous cliffs looking over the blue sea and blueish-grey life.

One of the stone walls in South Western Ireland showing off the years of history are packed into Ireland.

Dingle Town: A seagull walking away when I caught him stealing sharks from a fisherman.

Dingle Town: The Colorful town of Dingle still shining bright in the grey skies. A mountain pokes up behind.

Dublin, Ireland: People getting around a grey afternoon underneath to a beautiful sky-bridge.

Northern Ireland: Beautiful golden light hitting the side of the uniquely shaped basalt stacks.

Aerial: Ireland coastline and a small town complimented by the green landscape.

Edinburgh, Scotland: A beautiful tower dedicated to a famous historical figure.

Galway, Ireland: A blue and yellow house combining for great contrast on a Galway street.

Along the Dingle Peninsula this powerful wave crashes and erodes the rock.

Dingle Town: A representative of the fishing scene that Dingle has to be offer.

The Ireland Coastline from the Air. One of the most seas that meet with Coastlines I’ve seen.

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Story Behind the Image: 5

September 05, 2019

This is one of my favorite images I’ve ever captured. Going to Iceland was something I had wanted to do for awhile to explore the country and see what I could capture there photographically. One of the things I really wanted to photograph was the Iceland Horses that roamed the vast landscapes. So, when I arrived to Iceland one of my first stops happened to be a farm where I was able to experience my first group of Horses. I pulled off the side of the road and started walking closer to get the photos I could only dream of capturing for years until this particular day. I was enjoying photographing these horses, they were so friendly (I assume because they thought I would feed them).

But little did I know that I would capture this welcoming, calming, and funny photo. At first I didn’t realize I captured this moment, I was so excited to get back on the road I didn’t spend time reviewing my images and knew i would see more horses as I traveled around the Ring Road. It wasn’t till I got back home to the United States and I was looking through what I had captured from this amazing trip, that I noticed this frame. Now, one thing I have learned from photography is if you see the action in the viewfinder, you missed the shot… I most certainly did not see this moment happen and it took me a couple minutes to comprehend what I had captured from the week before. I was planning to photograph the one horse in the middle, but the second one jumped in and photobombed my frame with his pearly whites!

Ironically the photograph I thought I had I didn’t capture, but I definitely like this moment more than what I was thinking I’d capture that morning. This photo makes me feel like I am being welcomed to Iceland every time I look at it. These horses seemed so happy to be photographed and have this friendly photobomb portrait captured. I feel this photograph also captivates my energy in Iceland. I was like a kid in a candy store and I can’t wait till the next time I make it back!

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The Elements to the "Dreamscapes"

July 31, 2019

A couple months ago I shared a blog post about a photoshop project I did of “Dreamscapes”. These dreamscapes helped me see a different way in Photoshop. (I know my way around photoshop, have just never composited images to this extreme). When first starting this project I was just thinking about doing one of them, but that quickly turned into four more projects for a total of five. This group of composites took about 50 hours working in Photoshop. It really shows how powerful these programs are to be able to complete compositions with different photographs. In this series there are photographs featured from all over the world forming to create one. I hope you enjoy and your imagination grows!