In February of 2023, I did the Fountain Festival of Fine Art in Fountain Hills AZ.  While I was there, I stayed an extra week to explore and shoot some key areas of Arizona--Grand Canyon and Sedona. I was also able to spend an hour at White Sands National Monument on the way, and a day at Lost Dutchman State Park near Phoenix, which gives a great view of Superstition Mountain. My visit was plagued by snow, and with many days spent in a motel room, I only managed two days of shooting--a day and a half in Sedona, and an evening in Grand Canyon. Only the main road to the Visitor Center on the south...

In late March of 2022 I spent a few days in the Moab area of Utah, shooting at Canyonlands National Park, Arches National Park, and Dead Horse Point State Park. These places are amazing to behold, and a joy to explore.  I didn't have great luck with light, but I did get a couple nice mornings, and took advantage of them with iconic shots of Mesa Arch in Canyonlands at sunrise, and Dead Horse Point State Park at sunrise. With canyons, it's often when there is no direct sunlight that the views are the nicest, as there are no hard shadows concealing crevices and valleys, and the textures can really...

I spent some time in October of 2021 exploring the Ozarks, looking for waterfalls and Autumn colors.  I discovered that peak color doesn't occur until November, and the falls only have water right after a rain.  Fortunately, it did start raining on my second day there, so there was some water over most of the falls I found, and the color in the leaves really saturated nicely, making for some nice images. The Ozarks are a beautiful area covering southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas, completely blanketed with trees as far as the eye can see, with a variety of hiking trails to waterfalls and overlooks...

I finally made it to the Black Hills in the Winter, visiting in January of 2021. I had hoped to venture to new areas by snowmobile, but there wasn't enough snow for them, so had to just travel on the roads. I've always wanted to explore the Hills with snow on them, and while there wasn't much snow yet this year, the snow does give the area a very different feel.  Most of the snow I found was in the Deerfield Lake area, well up the road above Hill City.  I also went to see Mount Rushmore after dark, which I also hadn't done before--it is lit up and really glows.  There are some tunnels on the Iron...

In July of 2020, I spent a week exploring Wyoming. As I had been working on my South Dakota book for several years, I hadn't been out of state shooting in a very long time, and it was a blast! I started right on the Eastern edge, and explored Devil's Tower National Monument for a couple days. I hiked around it for a day, exploring different views and angles. I hadn't seen it before, and it really is a sight to behold. My favorite image from that area is my night shot with the Milky Way visible over a silhouette of Devil's Tower. I then spent a couple days exploring the Big Horn Mountains...

I spent a few days in late September of 2018 exploring West River in South Dakota (anywhere west of the Missouri, for those of you not from SD). I've been through countless times, but always on my way somewhere, so it was nice to have some time just to enjoy the vastness of the area.I was expecting the endless prairie, but I was surprised by the buttes that just pop up at random places throughout the region. It's really cool. Fall colors were as abundant as they ever are in the Dakotas, and I really enjoyed just driving random gravel roads for a few days. Roads are few and far between, but the beauty...

In October of 2017, I spent a few days exploring the Northeastern area of South Dakota.  I was hoping to catch Fall colors in and around the many lakes in the area, but as is usually the case with the Great Plains, the trees all change at different times, making it difficult to get images filled with Autumn splendor.  The weather didn't really cooperate either, as the wind was strong most of the time, and the clouds rarely cleared.   I did get an afternoon of nice light, and found a nice bay that was protected from the wind on Roy Lake.  Many of the trees were turning, although...

I spent a couple days in May 2017 in the Slim Buttes area of Northwestern South Dakota.  It's a unique area with huge clay spires jutting up out of the plains.  In areas, it looks like the Badlands of SD, but the spires are much more sparse.  There are a couple of formations in the region east of Buffalo SD called the Castles.  They have a walking path from a small parking area up to the top of a peak to view them from.  It's a pretty area, and I'd recommend a stop if you are ever in that region of South Dakota.

I spent a few days in Badlands National Park in south Dakota in mid-February.  It is an easily accessible area just south of I-90 in central South Dakota, and offers some truly unique and inspiring views of eroding land.  One does not need to venture on long hikes to see the beauty, as the highway through the park has parking areas, with overlooks.  As the peaks and valleys are too steep to climb, most of the viewing is very close to the road, with maybe a hike of 50 yards or so.  There are long hiking trails, but I did not have time to venture on those, so I do not know what they offer as far as scenery. The...

I often say photography is about tenacity--once one finds a scene, they must return over and over until they get the right light, with the right sky to create the image they want. Given that I live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, any evening that I think there is potential for unique light, I rush down to Falls Park.  There, evening light works the best in general, and the water reflects the colors of the sunset, maximizing the effects.  I have been set up for sunset countless times at Falls Park, and am usually disappointed...I never seem to be out on the nights when the color is really bold. One...