Blog

Jan 19

2020

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Articles & How-to, Events

Upcoming Wildlife Photography Course (DU)

Upcoming Wildlife Photography Course (DU)

Few experiences in the outdoors can top encounters with wildlife. Whether sought-after or unanticipated, it is a special experience to come upon elk in Rocky Mountain National Park, a mountain goat on Mt. Evans, or even a deer at your local park. But have you ever pointed your camera at an animal only to be disappointed by the results? Join me for an upcoming course that I’m teaching through DU’s enrichment program to learn both technical tricks and creative secrets to bring your wildlife photography to … well, LIFE!

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Jan 11

2020

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40 by 40, Trips

Bears Ears and Natural Bridges National Monuments

Bears Ears and Natural Bridges National Monuments

A little late in posting this one (okay, very late), but better late than never. Last March we ventured to Bears Ears and its vicinity to camp, hike, and photograph.

We spent one evening in Monument Valley, which was just a short distance from our camping location at Goosenecks State Park. We then spent a couple days around Bears Ears including a night out at Natural Bridges National Monument.

The weather was not very cooperative, between recent snow and more rain during our trip, which prevented us from getting down some roads and on some trails. On the plus side, however, the crowds were nonexistent.

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Jan 05

2020

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40 by 40, Trips

Qatar and Morocco Trip Recap

Qatar and Morocco Trip Recap

These two countries may not often be considered a likely combo for a trip, but while looking at airfare options it quickly became a winning combo for us. On the airfare front, we redeemed points to fly QSuites on Qatar Airways meaning we had to fly through Doha. I had never visited the middle east and a short stop over in Doha seemed like a great first experience.

We spent about 2 days in Doha then flew back to Marrakech via Casablanca. From there, we explored the country in a counter-clockwise direction, first spending a few days in Marrakech, followed by Ouarzazate (with stops in between), Middle Atlas region, Dades Valley, Todga Gorge, High Atlas, Sahara desert, Fez, Volubilis, Chefchaouen (i.e. the Blue City), and finally Casablanca.

While we explored Marrakech and Casablanca on our own, we hired a guide through Desert Majesty for the rest of our adventure. Ali, our guide, was great and he certainly showed us more than we would have seen on our own. And having someone else drive and navigate allowed for more time to stare out the windows, not to mention less time getting lost. The whole experience with Desert Majesty was great and we wouldn’t hesitate to use them again.

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Dec 29

2019

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Portfolio

2019 Year in Review

2019 Year in Review

Another year, another 10,000 photos. Here are 20 of my favorite from 2019.

It’s always fun and a challenge to try and narrow down a year’s worth of photos into one set of twenty. Fun because it’s great to look back, see where I’ve been, and relive moments that seem so long ago but really were not. And a challenge because, well, see the note above about 10,000* images.

More than that, however, it’s a challenge to select 20 images that are not only eye-catching and technically sound, but to narrow it down to 20 that are also personally meaningful. Because in the end, that’s why I photograph in the first place.

Without further ado, here are my 20 from 2019.

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Jun 22

2019

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Articles & How-to, Uncategorized

How to have National Parks to Yourself

How to have National Parks to Yourself

It’s summer and all across America, people are heading to our National Parks. Marketing efforts to get people out to the parks, an increase in demand for experiences over things, and perhaps a desire for picturesque Instagram photos, among other factors, has driven record crowds at Parks across the country.

In fact, the past three years (2016-18) have been the busiest three on record, though 2018 was back down a little. My “home” park, Rocky Mountain National Park, is the third busiest in the system with visitation approaching 5 million.

(As a quick aside, I’m not complaining about the crowds. I’m glad people are out visiting our parks, because if people are having great experiences in our parks, then hopefully they’ll be supporters/defenders/stewards of them in the future.)

With so many people, how do you work around them, either for photography or just your own solitude?

Here are the top ways I commonly navigate (away from) the crowds:

1. Go early. While each park can be different, most visitors typically aren’t out at sunrise. During the peak season, I will still see some people, but seeing or passing a handful of visitors is a lot better than the dozens or more just a few hours later.

Sprague Lake at sunrise, nearly to myself
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