Nkoehlerphotography

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.

Last Blog Post

Print Shop

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!

If you’re interested in my last blog post click here.

If you’re interested in purchasing any of my prints from around the world click here.

Alberta, Canada

July 16, 2019

Being able to return to Alberta was a refreshing experience. I was able to capture so many different animals and landscapes in the time I was there. Coming a month later this time it opened the opportunity to see more. Less roads are closed and less possibilities for roads to be closed due to little to no snowfall. Which it did snow on the drive into Banff National Park. Though it didn’t last long the snowballs were bigger than I’ve ever seen before. But past that the Canadian Rockies didn’t show themselves till the second day, but that didn’t stop photos from being taken in the moody weather. There were amazing canyon hikes along with just easy trails to see the smaller wildlife. Jasper National Park also offered some great views and continued the beautiful mountain ranges. I was able to photograph a lot of locations that were on my bucket-list this trip. It certainly brought more inspiration to see more landscapes and capture the amazing wildlife. The world is so big and there is so much to see. With its beauty, this should be just enough to conserve the rest of its beauty.

Thank you for reading and I hope your inspired to go see more of nature!

Click Here to go to my last Blog Post

Click Here to go to my Print Shop

Iceland

May 25, 2019

January I finally had my breaking point with wanting to go see Iceland. I finally booked my plane ticket to force myself to make it to my dream destination. February came along and it was time to travel to Iceland. Originally I wasn’t going to go to Iceland as a Solo-Trip. I scheduled it so quickly, I didn’t have any extra time to organize any travel buddies. So I landed in Iceland early morning and ventured to my rental car. Was able to get the rental car reasonably fast and off I was towards Reykjavik. The point of this trip was to discover a new destination, see the culture, landscape, and to hopefully have a chance at capturing the Northern Lights. To get around the country I rolled around in a Nissan SUV. While living in the car, I had to listen to the roaring Iceland wind at night. About 4 days into my 7 day trip there were 180km/h winds that prevented me from driving for half the day. I also got to explore a cave that was used in a scene of Game of Thrones. Along with meeting a lot of pleasant travelers on the way exploring the country too. The Ring-Road brought a lot of unexpected landscapes, I absolutely was stopping the car every 5 minutes to capture something completely different than the last 5 minutes. Well, here are my photos from my crazy cross-country Iceland trip.

Thank you for reading!

Click Here for my last Blog Post.

Click Here to visit my Icelandic Prints.

Click Here to go to All Prints.

Upstate New York

December 27, 2018

At the end of the summer I decided to sleep and travel through central New York to North Western New York. Some of the most beautiful locations on the east coast are contained in this area. The locations I went to are Letchworth State Park, Chimney Bluffs State Park, and had a little fun of exploring in Rochester. While on this trip I wanted to sleep in my car so I found places to sleep each of the nights I was traveling. Many hours of driving and hard-work here are some of the images!

Click Here for my last blog post

Click Here to go to my print shop

Cross Country

November 06, 2018

My Cross Country road trip was full of experience and amazing adventures. There are so many destinations I was able to set foot on and see for the first time and hopefully not the last. My favorite location is always Yosemite National Park or San Francisco, but I've been to both before. After this trip I think Joshua Tree was one of my favorite National Parks; the peacefulness just stuck out to me and the temperature was a perfect 100 (in May). Things I saw went from a huge slug, to a black bear. Or these amazing tree landscapes and then to see the red rock mountains of the South West. The uniqueness of the United States is impeccable with the different ecosystems and stories each place told. Here are some of my favorite images from this journey!

Chicago: Some high rises during golden hour.

Badlands National Park: Right after the sunrise, this light was giving a nice textural feel along the ridges.

Badlands National Park: Beautiful morning light casting on a tree.

Yellowstone National Park: Bison family crosses creek.

Yellowstone National Park: Looking for lunch in the snow.

Jackson, Wyoming: A smaller portion of the snake river weaving past Jackson.

Glacier National Park: Beautiful wispy clouds catching light above the mountainous landscape.

Banff National Park: A waterfall making way through a forest.

Jasper National Park: Light tipping the peaks of an amazing ridge.

North Cascades National Park: A beautiful view of an emerald lake, Mt. Diablo.

Hoh National Rainforest: This could’ve been a scene out of a Jurassic Park movie.

Seattle, Washington: Space needle behind the conglomeration of buildings.

Yosemite National Park: El Capitan being masked by the moody clouds.

Yosemite National Park: A black bear walking along the forest floor after eating a nice grass lunch.

San Francisco: The Golden Gate Bridge framing the large city.

Big Sur: A drone shot of a beautiful curved bridge during sunset.

Joshua Tree National Park: Moonrise behind a Joshua Tree illuminating a cactus in the foreground. Stars spinning above.

Death Valley National Park: Sunset over Zabriskie Point.

Grand Canyon National Park: The Milky Way across the cloudy sky.

Grand Canyon National Park: Horseshoe Bend, such a classic spot. But lived up to it’s hype.

Bryce, Utah: I’ve always wanted to see a rodeo. So this was my one time!

Bryce Canyon National Park: The tons of Hoodoos layered with the morning glow.

Zion National Park: Starry night over a crazy tree.

Monument Valley: Car drives past the amazing Monuments.

Chicago: The "L" snaking through the architecture in downtown.

Badlands National Park: Sunrise right above all the beautiful scenes in Badlands National Park.

Mount Rushmore: Holding my passport book in front of a great historical monument.

Yellowstone National Park: A geyser steams as a beautiful blue hot spring gives great color.

Grand Teton National Park: One of the fancy barns in front of the mountain range. A foggy sunrise was what I received.

Grand Teton National Park: Experiencing the Teton’s from a classic spot.

Glacier National Park: A beautiful island complimented with the gorgeous mountains.

Glacier National Park: Beautiful golden hour light cast on a calm rocky landscape.

Banff National Park: An amazing sight at this river byway.

Banff National Park: Mountains get swallowed in clouds.

Jasper National Park: A raging waterfall being fed by a beautifully shaped river.

Washington, USA: Every pine tree possible was in this amazing state.

Seattle, Washington: The space needle with the blue city behind it.

Oregon, USA: A beautiful group of rock formations along a sketchy cliff.

Multnomah Falls: Raging down to the lower levels where people can view.

Yosemite National Park: Half Dome controlling clouds as a beautiful red sunrise leaks in.

San Francisco: The Transamerica Tower leading the way for downtown.

San Francisco: Beautiful skyline behind the famous Painted Ladies.

Big Sur: A beautiful place to watch and listen to the ocean.

Mojave National Preserve: A beautiful sand dune being touch by the morning light.

Mojave National Preserve: Light shoots through a hole in this amazing cave.

Arizona, USA: A random horse along the side of the road wanted to say hello.

Bryce Canyon National Park: Sunrise over the layers of beauty.

Bryce Canyon National Park: Utah has the most amazing stars.

Zion National Park: A classic spot in the center of this gorgeous multi-tool of a park.

So here are all of my favorites from this awesome cross country road trip!

Click Here for my last blog post

Click Here to see these prints and more on my store

Washington D.C.

July 06, 2018

The Cherry Blossom festival is something I've always wanted to photograph since I was told it existed. This year was the year I was finally able to make it down to D.C. to capture the beautiful cherry blossoms all around the city. Arriving to D.C. I was able to explore around and see the blossoms the first time during a sunset near the Washington Monument. I then stayed out till 11pm that night to try and capture some images of the buildings and monuments around D.C. Staying out late put me in a position to not wake up for sunrise, but I did anyway to try for one last push for the image I wanted so bad of the blossoms. Before leaving the city I went around and I photographed some of the images during the day! With all that being said, I hope you enjoy the images!

Click Here for my last blog post

Click Here to go to my print store

Philadelphia

June 25, 2018

Going back to Philadelphia was an adventure to see some old friends but also photograph the city with a new eye and my drone. Attending school there and then transferring was not something I expected but something that was needed for my photography career. Being back in this city brought new light to me starting to like Philly more, but not as comforting as my network back in Pittsburgh. Below are some of the images I captured while here! Hope you enjoy!

Click Here for my last blog post

Click Here to go to my print shop

Aruba

April 04, 2018

Welcome to Aruba, I small little Island about 19mi long and 8mi wide with winds that average 18mph everyday. I was here February 10-18 of 2018 exploring and experiencing the Aruban culture and climate. One thing that stuck out most to me was the windy days combined with the heat created a great temperature to enjoy during the day. Aruba being a touristy destination has a lot to offer. You can quad around the Island, jet ski, sunset cruises, parasailing, snorkeling, you name it they probably have it. From the most northern part of the island to the most southern part of the island it is lined with hotel after hotel on the left side, and on the right it's lined with beautiful rocky scenery and a National Park. This small little island only being 6mi from Venezuela is apart of South America. Being this close to South America made me want to have an impromptu trip to Peru, but that would've been a little hard to do considering the time of year. The activities I was able to experience were the Quads, a couch type tubing in the sea, a sunset cruise, and then I watched wild Pelican's hunt for food off the beaches by the resort. This trip was filled with drama, I almost lost my drone to 25mph winds and the sea, I was thankfully able to bring it back; the wind also played a game of knocking over my camera and tripod every once and awhile. The landscape and the people were great and fun. Here are images I took from this trip!

The famous Divi Tree. This was a must have shot, I went during sunrise. Did not regret it, except this is when the wind knocked my camera and tripod over 3 times!

The rocky coast drew my eye when I saw the waves crashing and leaking through the cracks.

This image from my drone is a product of 25MPH winds carrying my drone to the sea and me fighting to bring it back.

The beautiful California Lighthouse during Sunset. With some Cacti in the foreground.

What is left of the Natural Bridge. Was fortunate enough to come go here for sunrise.

Beautiful sunrise shooting through stacked rocks.

Waves were shooting into this wall and jumping out taller than me standing on top of this. About a 10ft drop into the first level of this wave pool.

Thank you for reading this post about my trip to Aruba. If you would like to see more blog posts like this please check this trip out I'll be going on in May. Please do not feel pressured to donate, but it would be a great help and you get a free print!

Click here for my last blog post

Click here for my print shop

Drone!

March 01, 2018

Recently I got the DJI Mavic Pro drone. This thing is a beast for what it's been through so far. I flew it in the snow storm, sunny days, snowy days, and in decently fast winds. I try to not really test my equipment, but it's become a habit recently; you'd be surprised as to what this gear can do. I've been able to fly it in Maine, Pennsylvania, and Aruba so far. I will definitely bring it with me wherever I go to continuously look in different perspectives. This drone will be a great tool to have on this upcoming summer road-trip!

Here are some photos I've been able to photograph already.