The Magic Sky - San Francisco de Asis Mission Church, Taos, New Mexico

Okay, I'll bet that if you read the title of the post before you saw the photo, you were expecting a beautiful sunrise or sunset sky, with beautiful clouds and color. Instead, you get this brick building with gaudy color. I found this building right next door to the San Francisco de Asis Mission Church in Taos. Being a fan of Ansel Adams, I knew of the Mission Church, as his photographs of it are wonderful. Of course, I visited the church at the wrong time of day and my shots of it were nothing special. I was intrigued by this abandoned Magic Sky building, as it offered such great contrast to the beautiful church next door.

I tried to find out more about the Magic Sky, but I couldn't come up with any history for it. I was surprised that my interest in it was shared by quite a number of other photographers. In looking at the dates the other photographers shot, it seems that the Magic Sky building has been for sale for quite awhile. Maybe a spot for a photography studio...

Speeding By - Maligne Lake, Jasper National Park, Alberta

I was talking with my buddy Bobby Strader last week about our upcoming June trip to Banff National Park. He had seen one of my posts a few weeks ago of Spirit Island in Jasper National Park and wanted to know whether he could fit in a day trip there from Banff. Spirit Island is one of the most iconic scenes in Canada and I could understand why Bobby wanted to get there. The bad news was that it is an awful lot of driving, and the actual face time in front of Spirit Island is only about 20 minutes unless you charter a private boat. If Spirit Island was the only attraction, driving at least 8 hours for a 20 minute view probably wouldn't be worth it. There is no question that Spirit Island is the highlight of Maligne Lake, but one has to take into account the surrounding scenery.

Let me explain. The main way to get to the island is to take a boat. Regularly scheduled boat tours are conducted in the summer months and last about 90 minutes. Excluding the 20 minutes at Spirit Island, that leaves roughly 35 minutes each way that allow the Canadian Rockies to show off their splendor. The lake has towering mountains on either side of the boat almost the whole way that are simply amazing. This photo was taken from the boat as we sped by on our way to Spirit Island. So is the driving worth it when you factor in the scenery on the lake? It might be, depending on how much time you have available.

 

Siesta Chilling - Siesta Key, Florida

Nothing beats heading to the Florida beaches to escape the cold Northeast winters. Before I retired early, I didn't think that I would be one of those "snowbirds" that flew south for the winter. We haven't yet made the commitment to go there for the full winter yet, but an extended stay there is always in the plans. When faced with the choice between piles and piles of snow with frigid temperatures and walking along the beach seeing a sailboat just passing by, the decision is quite easy. This photo was taken from Siesta Key. I wanted to choose a minimalist feel to how I felt, and thought that the birds anchored the sailboat quite well. 

Slowly Melting - Icefields Parkway, Banff National Park, Alberta

Crowfoot Glacier, Icefields Parkway, Banff National Park, Alberta

There is no question on how the Icefields Parkway got its name. Along the 140 miles that connects Banff and Jasper National Parks, there are no fewer than 100 glaciers along the road that traverses the Continental Divide in the Canadian Rockies. Some of the glaciers can be seen from the many parkway pullouts, while others require some serious hiking. The two most popular ones are the Athabasca Glacier, where you can actually be driven onto the glacier, and this one, Crowfoot Glacier.

The Crowfoot Glacier's runoff is the main source of water for Bow Lake, which can be seen between the parkway and the glacier, and it also feeds the Bow River. The glacier has retreated and has lost an entire "foot", so it no longer resembles the shape for which it was originally named. Even with its missing part, it is still magnificent and provides a breathtaking view, especially when seen in the glow of sunrise.

Bridal Veil Falls - Telluride, Colorado

I have traveled throughout the US and have seen quite a few waterfalls. Each one is unique in its own way, whether it is how far the water falls, how fast it flows, or how wide it is. The one thing that always seems the same about them wherever I travel is the name Bridal Veil Falls. It seems like every state in the country has a waterfall named Bridal Veil Falls. I wouldn't be surprised if some states had multiple Bridal Veil Falls. I did a search to see if every state did indeed have one but the results were inconclusive. While my curiosity is there, searching each state seemed to tedious, so I can't say for sure. Maybe someone else has the answer.

In any case, this is Colorado's contribution to the Bridal Veil Falls family name. Located in Telluride (in doing research on these falls, I discovered that Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado has one too) it is the tallest free falling falls in Colorado at 365 feet. There is a hike that takes you to the falls but we were expertly driven on the jeep road by Rick Louie.

Carriage Bridge - Bubble Pond, Acadia National Park, Maine

In just a few short days, I will be co-hosting Jeff Clow's Maine Lighthouse and Lobster Tour. No matter how many times I have been to the stops that we have planned, I still get excited. I thought I would post a shot from my last visit to Maine today. You might have expected to see a shot of the rugged Maine coast, but I decided to feature a lesser known attraction in Acadia National Park, namely carriage roads.

Acadia National Park came into being through generous donations from landowners on both a Federal and State level. Its first incarnation was as a National Monument named Sieur de Monts National Monument in 1916. In 1919, it became a National Park named Lafayette National Park. The park's name was officially changed to Acadia in 1929. The origin of the carriage roads actually started in 1915 before it became a National Monument. John D Rockefeller Jr. was the primary sponsor of the carriage roads. Rockefeller was one of the donators of the land for the park's creation. He wanted to be able to ride horses (he was an experienced horseman) or be drawn in a carriage when he was visiting the park without encountering cars. He led a project that resulted in 45 miles of carriage roads and the construction of 17 bridges throughout the park. Today, the roads are a great attraction for hikers, horses, bicyclists and snowmobilers who visit the park. They are also great subjects for photographers.

The Canyon - Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

One of the things I like about social media is that you see a lot of other people's posts and photos. Many times a particular photo will remind you that you still have plenty of unedited photos that are just waiting for you to take a look at them. That is what happened with this photo of the Grand Canyon. I saw someone's terrific photo (I can remember whose it was) and realized that I still had plenty of photos that haven't seen the light of day from my trip there in 2012.

Sure enough, I had quite a few that warranted some more attention. The Grand Canyon is a difficult place to shoot. It is so immense that trying to get in as much of the landscape as you can in the composition does not give the place merit. There are exceptions to that, such as a dramatic storm with lightning strikes. The other challenge is that for most of the day, shooting into the canyon can result in very hazy photos. In my opinion, sunrise and sunset are the best times to shoot, as the sun is lower in the sky and the angle of light minimizes the haziness. That results in some great shadows that give definition to the landscape.

This shot was taken near sunset near Yavapai Point. I tried not to compose the full canyon in my field of vision, but rather pick a portion of the view in an effort to emphasize the details of the rocks and, at the same time, give the viewer a sense of scale. Hopefully I succeeded.

Glass Sails - The Boat Building, Hartford, Connecticut

You might wonder what the title Glass Sails is referring to. This is the "Boat Building" that I shot in downtown Hartford on a photowalk a few years ago. The reason that it has that name is that, from a certain distance and vantage point, it looks like a sailboat in the middle of the city. Its claim to fame is that it is the first two-sided building ever constructed. If viewed from above, it has the shape of a skinny football. 

The building has a personal meaning to me, as I moved from the Philadelphia area to Hartford to work for the company that owned the building. That was 25 years ago and it sometimes seems like yesterday. I had offices in this building, as well as two other satellite locations in New England. It was a fun and exciting time in my career and I worked there for 10 years before moving on for greener pastures. In any case, when I came upon this photo, I was filled with some nostalgia and decided to post it.

Independence - Colorado National Monument, Colorado

Independence Monument, Colorado National Monument, Fruita, Colorado

On my trip to Moab last month, I tried to hit as many places as I could, but there are just way too many things to see and shoot. On my last day, we shot until 3:00 PM and then had to drive to Grand Junction for our flights the next day. I wanted to see if we could fit in a visit to Colorado National Monument, a little gem just outside Grand Junction. I have been there many times, but I wanted to show my traveling companion, Jaki Good Miller, the location for her first time.

We started out on River Road and the light was so absolutely beautiful that we must have stopped fifty times to take advantage of it. Once past Fisher Towers, we hightailed it to see if we could make it to the monument before sunset, which was scheduled for 6:00 PM. When we got to the entrance, it was still light out, but we knew that the mountains would probably be blocking the light. Jaki wanted to try anyway,  so off we went and she took a few shots, even though it was almost totally dark. Maybe next time, Jaki.

I decided to post this photo of Independence Monument to show her what she missed and promise that we will get there on our next visit to Moab.

Making Lemonade - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Not every trip or day works out for the landscape photographer. For every great day that the light, subject and weather work out, there are several that do not. This can be extremely frustrating, as getting to an iconic location can be expensive in terms of both cost and time. Months and months of planning can be turned upside down by conditions that simply don't allow for a "wall hanger" to be taken. Early in my photography trips I would lament such times with complaints and no shots. Over time, I have learned to look for other things to shoot and turn lemons into lemonade. 

This photo is an example of this. Our crew was up well before dawn, and we headed out on a 45 minute drive to be in position to take a sunrise photo at one of America's most iconic locations, Oxbow Bend. It was clear the second we got there that it was going to be one of those mornings. The Tetons were socked in and the majestic Mount Moran was nowhere in sight, even though we knew it was there. Rather than lament about it, I started working the scene and, looking eastward, noticed the fog rising from the Snake River. Just for a moment, the sun peeked through the dense clouds, giving the scene some light and accentuating the fog.

Windy Day - Scituate Light, Scituate, Massachusetts

Back in 2011, my son and I took a trip through New England scouting lighthouses that might be a location for a screenplay he was writing. We spent a week scouring lighthouses from Maine to Connecticut during the trip. I came across this photo recently in my Lightroom catalog. It is Scituate Light, which is located south of Boston. There are two things that I remember about visiting there. First the Boston traffic (we were coming from Maine) can be brutal. On this trip it was brutal squared. The other thing was how darn windy it was, as you can see with the American flag flying straight. The trip was a terrific experience that I shared with my son and it brings back some fun memories.

#1,000: Simple Beauty - Banff National Park, Alberta

Herbert Lake, Icefields Parkway, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

Many you may wonder why the title of this post has the #1,000 in it. It is a significant post for me, as this is the 1,000th photo that I have posted on my blog. Back in May 2011, I embarked on this journey to start a blog that would document my travels and experiences after my early retirement. At that time, I had a number of family and friends that encouraged me to post my photos so others might see them. I wasn't sure that anyone would be interested, but decided to give it a go. I made a commitment to post five days a week, and I have stayed pretty much true to that commitment (except during any trips and vacations in the early three years).

I must say that the rewards that I have experienced have been well beyond my expectations. The most valuable rewards are the people that I have met online, and then later in person. The first group that embraced me were other photographers and bloggers that liked my work and often commented on my blog. Later, non-photographers somehow discovered my blog and followed it. Before this started, I didn't have much of a network of fellow bloggers and photographers, but now I can safely say that it is quite robust. I don't say this because of any ego but rather in amazement.

Over the past few years, many of the bloggers have stopped their blogs and are now posting on their social media of choice. I too have chosen my main social media outlet, Facebook. I started dual posting on my blog and Facebook in August 2014 so that many of you have actually been reading my blog since then if you follow me on Facebook. I still post five days a week on the blog and seven days a week on Facebook (my friend Jeff Clow convinced me to post some of my pre-August 2014 blog posts on the weekend, which turned out to be great advice, as usual). 

In closing, the reason I have written this post is not for any congratulations. I am writing this post to thank all of you who have liked, commented, followed me, helped me along the way and supported my efforts. Writing 1,000 blog posts is a lot of work, but the rewards of your support and encouragement has been so well worth it. My gratitude for it is heart felt. Thanks and on to 2,000...

Curves - Lightner Museum, St Augustine, Florida

There are times that photographers come across a scene that sets off alarm bells in their heads to shoot it. I know that this is not a typical subject that I normally shoot, but when I saw this piece of art in the Lightner Museum, the bells started going off. So why did this invoke my reaction? I guess experienced photographers just have a practiced eye for these scenes while in the moment, and it is only afterward when we analyze it that it becomes apparent why we were drawn to it. So, here is my analysis. The first thing that struck me was the curve of the window and the absence of other art pieces nearby that might have distracted the eye. The next thing was the mixture of light. Ambient light from the indoor lighting seemed to match well with the afternoon light coming through the windows. I think the color of the roof help transition and blend the two different types of light. The reflection of the windows in the polished floor also added to the overall feel. Lastly, the art itself was beautifully made and seemed to come alive in the photo. I wish I could tell you all of these things were in my mind when I shot this, but they didn't. It was simply the alarm bells going off in my head.

Rock Silhouettes - Monument Valley, Navajo Nation

Over the past few weeks, I have posted a number of photos from my favorite spot in the American Southwest, Monument Valley. In these posts, I have mentioned that the sandstone rock formations have unique names and have named each one. I realize that some of you may have scratched your head saying to yourself that the formations don't look like their name. When I looked at this photo of some the formations that I shot in silhouette at sunrise, I thought it really illustrated how they got their names. So here they are, left to right: Stagecoach, followed by the Bear and the Rabbit, followed by the Castle, and finally, the King on His Throne. 

Glacier Skywalk - Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park, Alberta

Earlier this week, I posted a photo of the Icefields Parkway, and I mentioned my visits to the Glacier Columbia Icefield and walks onto the Athabasca Glacier. I didn't mention the newest attraction there, which is the Glacier Skywalk. The reason that I didn't is that I am not sure how I feel about it. 

The skywalk is almost a twin to the one that was built over the Grand Canyon by the Hualapai Indian tribe. While they are similar, they have a very different feel from one another. Previous to being built, the area of the Grand Canyon where it now located was seldom visited by tourists. It is quite a way from Grand Canyon National Park (about 4 hours) and, before it was built, there was no reason to go there. The Glacier Skywalk is a different story to me. Located right on the Icefields Parkway, the area the skywalk now takes up was once available to all who wanted to stop and take in the views. Now, you can't even stop there to enjoy the views. For that privilege, you need to park at the Glacier parking lot, pay $32 and be driven to the skywalk by a "free" shuttle (hard to believe they advertise this as free).  

In my opinion, taking something that was free with access to all and turning it into a money grabbing initiative is a shame. Granted, the skywalk does give you some different views but it is the principle to me. 

When we visited the spot a couple of years ago, the skywalk wasn't open and I took this photo from the northern end of the skywalk.

La Sal Curves - La Sal Mountain Loop, Moab, Utah

I guess I couldn't stay away from Moab the whole week. While many think of Moab as desert, there are some terrific mountains to explore near there, namely the La Sal Mountains. The best way to explore them is to take the La Sal Mountain Loop Road, which runs from River Road north of town and terminates just south of Moab. Along the way, you get a whole different perspective of the area around Moab. If you are lucky, there is a decent amount of snow in the early spring. One of the views that we were blessed with was this one showing the many curves in the road that will be encountered along the way.

Devil's Churn - Cape Perpetua, Yachats, Oregon

Just south of Yachats, Oregon are two great locations to capture in a photo, namely Thor's Well and Devil's Churn. Thor's Well is a much tougher and challenging photo to capture, as the conditions have to be just right for one to see the hole in the ocean and the water rushing into it. I have been there several times and have not been able to capture it. If you try to shoot it, just be careful, as it is extremely dangerous. 

If Thor's Well is not in the cards, try stopping at Devil's Churn, not too far from the well. It is a narrow inlet where the tide comes in and often throws spray several hundred feet into the air when the waves hit the back of the churn. Depending on how rough the waves are will determine the height of the spray. Devil's Churn was actually a cave that was formed by the waves, and through the constant pounding of the water over thousands of years, the cave's roof collapsed, thus forming the inlet.  Though not as dangerous as Thor's Well, it is still a place to be extremely careful around.

Alone in Town - Bar Harbor, Maine

In a little over three weeks, I will back in one of my favorite little towns in Maine, Bar Harbor (if you want to speak like a native born Maine resident, it is pronounced "Bah Habah). Of course, one of the reasons it is one of my favorites is that it is adjacent to the only National Park in the Northeast, Acadia National Park. I will be there co-hosting Jeff Clow's post Maine Lighthouse and Lobster Tour and taking the participants around the rugged and rocky coastline that makes up the park. Come here in the summer months and you will have a hard time finding a place to park. The town is overrun with tourists, and there seems to be no time when you can sit somewhere in town and enjoy it alone. That is one of the reasons I like visiting in the off-season. I took this photo in the early morning last April. As you can see, it looks like I own the town. Can't wait to be able to do so again in a few short weeks.

Jasper Bound - Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park, Alberta

After a few weeks of posting photos from the American Southwest, I thought it time to move on to another favorite place today, Alberta. Many visitors to Banff National Park head north to explore the Icefields Parkway and some of the most beautiful landscapes you will ever see. Most of them never get past the Columbia Icefield, where they can walk onto the Athabasca Glacier (it is something that you should do at least once). For those that don't continue, they are missing some prime sights on the parkway the rest of the way to Jasper. The Canadian Rockies are just as beautiful in Jasper National Park as their brethren in Banff. As you drive up this 140-mile road, you see vistas that make you pull over and photograph them, like I did in this photo. Without stopping, one could probably do the drive in about three hours. For photographers like me, it is an all-day affair with a stop seemingly every mile or so.  

Road to the Valley - Monument Valley, Navajo Nation

Every landscape photographer that I talk to about Monument Valley remembers the first time that they visited and took photos. I know I remember mine. As you approach from the north, you begin to see the unique rock formations in the distance. It is pretty cool looking, as the land is relatively flat and you see these things sticking in the air. Your first thought is to wonder if it is real or a mirage. The closer you get, you realize that these are huge formations. Then you hit Mile Marker 13 where I took this photo. The road dips down and then rises to the valley. It is quite the awesome experience to appreciate what Mother Nature has created.

This spot has been shot a million times and, after my visit,  a million and one (or fifty). Most photos show a wider field of vision and are shot from the middle of the road. I chose on this one to zoom a bit and take it from the side of the road. Regardless of the composition, it is quite the view.