The Power of Diagonals
Half Dome at sunset from Tunnel View, Yosemite. The dramatic light might grab your attention here, but the interlocking diagonal lines create a cohesive design and a sense of energy. One of the keys...
View ArticleFinding Rhythm
Curious deer, YosemiteWe all know that music has rhythm. Speech has rhythm too: the cadence of words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs gives language its order and structure, and makes it easier to...
View ArticleWildlife Landscapes
Sandhill cranes, fog, and the setting moon, San Joaquin Valley, CAAlthough I specialize in photographing landscapes these days, I also enjoy photographing the masses of migrating birds that spend the...
View ArticleAnother Beautiful Moonrise
Moon rising above Half Dome from Tunnel View, Yosemite NP, CA, USADuring my workshop in Yosemite last week we photographed a spectacular moonrise on Monday evening from Tunnel View. A band of...
View ArticleSubject, Meet Light
Ross’s geese taking flight at sunset, San Joaquin Valley, CA, USAIt should come as no surprise to any photographer that the interaction between subject and light is important. In fact, I’d say that...
View ArticleWhen Should You Include a Foreground in a Landscape Photograph?
Clouds and reflections, Tenaya Lake, Yosemite Does every landscape photograph need a foreground? Not always. Some of the world’s most memorable landscape photographs lack any foreground – like Moon and...
View ArticleLenses and Perspective: The Long and the Short of It
Backcountry road in autumn with the San Miguel Range in the distance, Uncompahgre NF, CO, USA Varying the focal length of your lens allows you change a composition easily without moving your feet. This...
View ArticleKnowing Where to Stand
Blue oaks in fog 2, Sierra Nevada foothills Ansel Adams was quoted as saying, “A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” I’m sure he said this with tongue slightly in cheek – he knew full well that...
View ArticleNice Curves
Peaks and curvesClaudia and I just finished a night photography workshop in Death Valley and the Trona Pinnacles with our good friend and assistant Robert Eckhardt. It was so much fun, with a great...
View ArticleThe Lowly Normal Lens
Rainbow over Negit Island, Mono Lake, California. Although I made other compositions of this scene with longer lenses, I liked the slightly wider perspective created by a normal 50mm lens, because it...
View ArticleCloud Patterns
Half Dome from Glacier Point, late afternoon, Yosemite; for a brief moment the clouds formed a zigzag pattern above Half Dome. Last week I mentioned that the weather forecast called for monsoonal...
View ArticleWhen Does a Photograph Need a Focal Point?
Sunbeams in a redwood forest, northern California coast, USA When doing critiques I often encounter otherwise-wonderful images, with simple, strong compositions, great light, and nice color, but...
View ArticleA Snowy Morning
Reflections along the Merced River, winter, Yosemite. I tried several different versions of this photograph. I initially wanted to include a wider view, with more trees on the sides, but a distracting...
View ArticleMorning Light, Gates of the Valley
Morning light, Gates of the Valley, Yosemite NP, CA, USA After the big rainstorm last week I drove up to Yosemite Valley early Wednesday morning. I knew there wouldn’t be fresh snow, but I hoped for...
View ArticleGesture in Nature Photography
Tundra swans at sunrise in a San Joaquin Valley marsh Happy Valentine’s Day! This photograph of tundra swans seemed appropriate today. Swans mate for life, so you always see them in pairs, or in a...
View ArticleWhen Should You Include a Foreground in a Landscape Photograph?
Clouds and reflections, Tenaya Lake, Yosemite Does every landscape photograph need a foreground? Not always. Some of the world’s most memorable landscape photographs lack any foreground – like Moon and...
View ArticleLenses and Perspective: The Long and the Short of It
Backcountry road in autumn with the San Miguel Range in the distance, Uncompahgre NF, CO, USA Varying the focal length of your lens allows you change a composition easily without moving your feet. This...
View ArticleKnowing Where to Stand
Blue oaks in fog 2, Sierra Nevada foothills Ansel Adams was quoted as saying, “A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” I’m sure he said this with tongue slightly in cheek – he knew full well that...
View ArticleNice Curves
Peaks and curves Claudia and I just finished a night photography workshop in Death Valley and the Trona Pinnacles with our good friend and assistant Robert Eckhardt. It was so much fun, with a great...
View ArticleThe Lowly Normal Lens
Rainbow over Negit Island, Mono Lake, California. Although I made other compositions of this scene with longer lenses, I liked the slightly wider perspective created by a normal 50mm lens, because it...
View Article
More Pages to Explore .....