Photography

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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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 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!

Desert Sails - This was the first one I made, it included sand dunes, the milky way, and a sailboat. This creation was to fill it all with Irony. Sailing on sand, and Stars during Sunset. I mainly masked and then did some color correction to fit the… — Desert Sails - This was the first one I made, it included sand dunes, the milky way, and a sailboat. This creation was to fill it all with Irony. Sailing on sand, and Stars during Sunset. I mainly masked and then did some color correction to fit the mood and scenery.

Used the Milky Way. Masked out the umbrella and clouds.

Cropped this shot vertically and used it as the base.

Masked out the boat. Photoshopped the people off the boat. Masked to use the sun.

Lake House Moonrise - This image was created to bring the idea of a walk in pool. This image has the moody grass fading into a lake that is from Montana.

Used the mountains and beautiful sunset light.

Bridge to the Lights - This image was created to incorporate Northern Lights I was able to capture in Iceland. Then to have them placed about a gorgeous bridge that is in New York.

Northern Lights used for the sky. Masking and Layer Effects.

Used the S-Curve river and the pine trees to add depth.

Yosemite Dream - I wanted this to be a dream in Yosemite National Park. Having the Hot Air Balloons brings me the dream of the valley. If one day they released Hot Air Balloons I’ll be there. California made me think of hot so I added the ice to add… — Yosemite Dream - I wanted this to be a dream in Yosemite National Park. Having the Hot Air Balloons brings me the dream of the valley. If one day they released Hot Air Balloons I’ll be there. California made me think of hot so I added the ice to add the Irony.

Looking to San Francisco - This image I wanted to incorporate my enjoyment of the city of San Francisco. And also add in the amazing landscape features to compliment it.

Used the sunrise to lighten up San Francisco.

Used this image for the gorgeous bridge.

San Francisco Aerial image as the Base Layer.

Thank you for reading!

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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!

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Photoshop "Dreamscapes"

April 24, 2019

Photoshop has been a love and hate relationship for me since I jumped into the program. Sometimes it does what I want to do and sometimes I wonder how wrong could it actually get. This beautiful program has made so many things easier to do and broadened the road for more creative pieces. The multi-use program has been helpful to me in many different situations and shoots. From photoshopping small details out to compositing images like this, or repairing a subject. Photoshops many great uses have benefited and broadened art.

These images below were all crafted with images I took personally. They are from many different locations such as Yosemite National Park, Iceland, Grand Teton National Park, etc. These locations are all special to me, along with the beautifulness each spot holds. In total I spent about 40 hours creating this group of work.

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!

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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.