I’ve always been interested in photography - ever since helping my dad develop black and white film in his tiny darkroom. Now in retirement, it seems I am following in my dad’s footsteps, but without the need to develop film (thank God for this small miracle). Using a Nikon mirrorless camera set-up, I’m posting here what I consider my better shots.
I believe I’m improving my techniques and plan to continue to post my favorites. In a perfect world, we will continue to see improvements along this journey.
Grand Canyon & Bryce Canyon National Parks
Our plan was always to go to Zion National Park after the April 8th Solar Eclipse. We did make it to Zion and I am excited to share photographs from that trip. But along the way, we stopped for a day in Arizona at the south rim of the Grand Canyon, and we also spent a day exploring Bryce Canyon in Utah during our stay at Zion.
Below and linked are photos from both parks. Its easy to determine which is which - Bryce is full of red rock and hoodoos (and sprinkled white with new snow).
I’m still working on Zion National Park photos, and will post those when I get them properly edited. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy seeing these.
Solar Eclipse
Living in Texas made it relatively easy to find a location to observe totality during the eclipse on May 8, 2024. We chose Waco, which provided over 4 minutes of complete coverage of the sun - it was an amazing spectacle.
The weather cleared in perfect timing for totality. And all 16,000 people that made the trip to Eclipse Over Texas at Baylor University were treated to a wonderous sight of darkening skies, cooling temperatures, and a dusk-like atmosphere from 1:38 to 1:42 on a spring day in Texas.
Waterfront - Iquitos Peru
Iquitos is the gateway to the Amazon rainforest in Peru. It’s a doorway that opens into a grand adventure that may include a trip down the Amazon River, or a stay in a myriad of ecolodges along the waterway or the many tributaries. The waterfront in most places is sought after real estate. But a part of the waterfront in Iquitos is crowded with low income families, lacks basic sanitation service, struggles with consistent electrical supply, and at night tourists are told to stay away.
Nevertheless, the culture is proud of what they do have which can be seen in the beautiful colors of the architecture. The images taken below and in the full gallery were captured in early morning as the residents were starting their day.
Amazon River - Peru
The only way to travel from Lima to Iquitos is by air or water - there are no roads other then a single 2-lane blacktop connecting Iquitos to Nauta. And during the dry season, the only transport is typically by air; the river is too shallow for consistent travel.
Iquitos was our initial boarding point for the M/S River Aria, operated by Aqua Expeditions. We traveled on the Peru portion of the Amazon River for 7 days from Iquitos to Nauta and back. We spent time on skiffs exploring tributaries, photographing beautiful birds, monkeys and sloths. We hiked in the rainforest and were shown anaconda, poisonous frogs and tarantulas by local villagers. We fished for piranha, and were surrounded by gray and pink dolphin.
I couldn’t capture everything, but some fantastic images did come out.
Antarctica
Visiting the Antarctic Continent has been on my bucket list ever since I had the opportunity to visit Alaska, which kicked off my photography ‘with intent’ hobby. I wanted to capture worthy photos of the mountains, glaciers, and icebergs similar to those that are posted online in various forums. And once I added a focus on wildlife to my photography efforts, I knew this was a trip I could not pass up.
Nigel Danson, along with 7 other professional photographers organized a workshop on the Aurora Expedition ship Sylvia Earle - and what a fantastic adventure this turned out to be. I share below and in my Gallery some of the amazing photos I was able to capture with the guidance of these 8 fantastic photographers and the other 83 ‘amateurs’ that went along for the ride.
Thank you Mads Peter Iversen, James Popsys, Dani Connor, Nigel Danson, Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove, Rachel Bigsby, Adam Gibbs and Rick Bebbington for recommendations and presentations during this fantastic trip.
South Mountain Park, Phoenix Arizona & Joshua Tree National Park, 29 Palms California
I really love road trips. The primary reason for this one was to move my daughter and her fiance to California for her job - no longer able to work from home in Houston. We took the opportunity to make a few stops along the way to try some some desert photography. The Saguaro Cactus and Phoenix vistas are from Arizona. The others are from Joshua Tree NP in California.
It was fun - but I realize I still have a lot to learn to make me a better photographer.
My Favorite 2023 Photos
I created this website in September of 2023, and have truly enjoyed working on it and sharing my favorite photos. I thought I would end the year by posting my favorite landscape, mammal, and fowl photographs from this year. Some are repeated from earlier posts, but I thought it would be interesting to see how my photography and editing skills may have changed over the past 12 months - for better or worse.
I wish all y’all the best for 2024 : May you have a healthy, happy and prosperous year!
Christmas in Katy
We had a very special visit on Christmas day in Katy. Our man-made lake behind our house is filled with small fish including largemouth bass, bluegill, bullhead and catfish. We have a few resident birds on the lake, and these share the territory of all 4 lakes in the subdivision. These resident waterfowl include a small number of cormorants, great blue heron, great egret, snowy egret, black-belied whistling duck, American black duck, and ibis. Every couple years, migrating birds decide to come visit our residents and have a feast - basically decimating the fish population. This year, they came back in on Christmas Day! I’m not sure how they communicate across species, but on Monday, we were visited by more cormorants, egrets and had a big surprise visit from a pod of American white pelicans.
But don’t worry, the fish re-spawn and the lake is naturally restocked. Then we have to wait a few more years . . . . but the birds are amazing.
East Coast Road Trip - Autumn Colors & Coastal Beauty
Living in Texas has many benefits, one of which is year-round warm weather. But, the colors of autumn don’t quite shine as they do in other parts of America. And, the rugged shoreline along the New England coast provides a spectacular photographic opportunity. The photos below were taken all along the east coast in October; from Maine to the Carolinas. What a beautiful time of year for a road trip . . . .
Squamish and Tofino, British Columbia, Canada
The beauty of the Pacific Northwest (and a couple close friends made on our last trip) brought us back to British Columbia. Both Squamish, just north of Vancouver, and Tofino, on Vancouver Island, were amazing places to enjoy the beauty of nature and animals we just don’t see in Texas.
Great Bear Rainforest, British Columbia, Canada
Knights Inlet Lodge in Glendale Cove provides a fantastic base for grabbing photos of grizzly’s, black bears, eagles, deer and more.
Northwest Passage - Aurora Expeditions
From Western Greenland to the Canadian High Arctic, a fantastic expedition team leading the way to visit cold desert landscapes and arctic flora and fauna. A truly grand life experience.
Botswana to Zimbabwe
If you have a chance, going on a photo-safari in southern Africa will provide a new perspective to our beautiful world. There is nothing like being with large and small animals in thier habitat. What a wonderful experience and probably the top trip I would recommend on anyone’s bucket list.
Slovenia Cityscapes
There is nothing more surprising than flying into a city barely aware of who its people are or what makes its culture work, and finding a beautiful world that welcomes you with open arms, keeps a smile on your face, and feeds you so much great food when you get home, you contemplate a new wardrobe.
Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital, meets all these things and more.
Birds Birds Birds
Local parks, area ponds, playgrounds, city streets, your backyard; birds are everywhere.
Pick up a camera, play with settings. It’s amazing what a camera can capture with a little patience, planning, and maybe even a little luck.
Alaska
I decided on this trip that an expedition type adventure was something we needed to consider. We were able to see a lot of Alaska’s beauty in Denali National Park, as well as on the Holland America cruise liner. But, I wanted to get closer, more in touch with the overwhelming natural beauty around us.
This trip was great in every way, but it has led us to smaller boats, fewer people, a more intimate experience with mother nature and I will be forever grateful.
