12.30.21 - I've always wanted to take this photo, but I just didn't know how. Dozens of times I've framed this scene at the reservoir, but never did the image come together. Usually it was in the morning, occasionally the evening, and I was looking for that big, contrasty sunrise/sunset. Often I've composed this scene in the fall when the colors of the leaves are popping, or the spring when everything is new again. And yet, it never felt right

Well, with the heavy cloud-cover and fog yesterday, I went out to the reservoir mid-day to look for some wildlife to photograph. Although I was rather unsuccessful in that endeavor, I was surprised by the particular look this bank of trees was giving me. The fog had eerily vacated the water, leaving a clear view of the opposing bank, but continuing to keep the sky socked in. The contrast and the color of the trees and their reflections were just bursting off of the dark canvas. Where I had always imagined this scene with leaves and lots of colors, I now saw the beauty of the bare tree trunks against the darkness on the calm, windless water. I immediately knew this was going to be a massive panorama.

Eleven tightly framed images at 200mm stitched together created a huge file of around 15,000 by 6,000 pixels. I then tweaked the resolution slightly and ordered a 60"x30" canvas print of this big guy, making it by far the largest print I've ever created.

3.18.21 - It rained all day and threatened to persist through the evening. Halfway through our runners’ workout, the clouds started to break. Still, I thought, it would be too late to catch any light on the mountains. As we stretched, damp, cold, and tired from the run, I still didn’t think the light would make it. And yet, as I began my drive home, I knew there was a chance for something special; I deviated from my route and found this small pond to stick in the foreground. Ultimately, the clouds opened just enough to let through a bright glow after the sun had dipped below the mountains, highlighting the clouds. Before the light could get really red, the fog rolled back in, completely obscuring everything but the lake and trees in front of me. Still, I was pleased with the tranquility of this scene at the beautiful King Family Vineyards in Crozet.

6.13.17 - Last light kisses the rim of these massive dunes in a fiery glow for just a fleeting moment as the sun drops below the horizon. I love the way the cool blue tones complement the radiant warm tones of the rim of the dune. I don’t usually shoot many abstracts, probably because I don’t have that artistic gene that sees shapes and colors in nuanced ways, but when you go to the sand dunes, that’s what you’re forced to shoot. Despite my dislike of sand, I still look forward to my next time traversing some giant dunes with my camera.

10.3.20 - I spent hours photographing elk this past weekend, with a river crossing shot being the one I most coveted. I did manage do see a number of elk cross the river, though often after waiting hours upon hours for them to do so, and even then, not in the exact spot I would hope for or not in the best light. Of course, when my friends came to scope out the elk with me, within five minutes this huge bull started moving towards the river. Surely, my friends wouldn’t be lucky enough to have the magic timing, right? Well, instead of meandering back and forth, rounding up cows, and generally moving without a sense of purpose like they normally do, this guy obliged in exactly what I had hoped for; he went straight to the river. Upon entering, he drank casually and bugled loudly! This was certainly one crossing I’ll not soon forget.

6.28.20 - Not an hour before this sunset, I was sitting at dinner, complaining about the lackluster sunrises and sunsets we’d been having recently. While finishing the meal, I noticed a bit of color in the sky, but it didn’t seem promising. Then, on the drive home, the colors started to pop. I hightailed it to my local go-to spot for impromptu shoots and was able to capture the brilliant reds over Beaver Creek Reservoir. I haven’t done much research into the Saharan dust storms, but I suspect this colorful event was, at least in part, due to the extra particles in the atmosphere reflecting more light.

3.1.20 - The final morning of the trip, a day when I hadn't even planned to take photos, wound up having the best light. I woke up way too early after the wedding and stuck my head out the door to discover the first traces of warm light hitting the clouds in the sky. Grabbing my camera, I raced up to the square to get a clean photo of Agua Volcano dwarfing the city of Antigua.

2.9.20 - I decided to shoot Sunday night’s sunset on a whim, so I headed straight to one of my easy go-to spots as the colors popped. Fortunately the warm tones burned slowly in the sky, meaning I was able to get off a number of shots before the colors faded. I’ve photographed this scene dozens, if not hundreds of times, and it never seems to disappoint. I do always struggle figuring out if I should shoot a single vertical frame, or go for the wider panorama. This night I’d say the panorama worked out fairly well!

6.15.19 - The first time I saw a photo of this place, I knew I had to photograph it. Nearly two years later, I took an impromptu trip to the southwest. I stayed at this location for the better part of three days photographing this viewpoint and a number of other attractions.This was the first sunset I saw at this spot and by far the best light from the three days there, and I nearly missed it! I had everything set up and framed exactly the way I wanted, but the light just wasn't cooperating. The sun was going down behind me, though it was completely obscured by cloudcover. It didn't look like any light was going to break through to highlight this view. Fortunately, I had scouted another location about eight miles away that I knew would look good under cloudy, diffuse light, so I threw everything in the car and zipped off.This is all public land, though maintenance to the roads is few and far between. The windy, dusty, rugged gravel roads have no official speed limit, but most of my driving was done at 20 to 30 miles per hour. I had been meandering along to this other spot for about 10 minutes when I looked back and saw the faintest hint of pink on the rainclouds behind me. Sure enough, a small gap had cleared to the west where the last sunlight of the day was beaming through. I whipped the car around and raced back to the original site, topping 60 miles per hour at times, skidding around turns, kicking up gravel and dust the entire way. I’m sure the undercarriage of my car isn’t thanking me, but it was completely worth it to arrive right as the light completely lit up these rainclouds.Over the next few days, I did manage to catch some beautiful light on a number of features in the area. However, this was the one time the entire sky really lit up; I’m fortunate I caught it in the paramount location I had come to photograph. Even though I got this memorable light, I have no doubt I’ll be back to shoot this spot again, probably a number of times.

11.2.19