Nugget Falls – impressive falls through an impressive lens
Editor’s note: Since it will be a while before I finish editing photos from my recent bald eagle trip to the Chilkat River, I thought I would do a few more postings from my earlier trip to Alaska. I would venture a guess that thousands of tourists visit the Mendenhall Glacier located just outside Juneau, [...]
iPhone video & photos: Windy day on the Chilkat River
It was a really cold and incredibly windy day today at the office. With sustained gusts of over 55 miles per hour barreling down the Chilkat River causing dust storms making the river valley of the Alaska Chilkat River Eagle Preserve look like it was enveloped in fog. I apologize if the video is a [...]
iPhone photos – Chilkat River, Klehini River, Chilkoot Lake
While these iPhone photos do not show the main focus of my trip to Alaska — photographing bald eagles, the photos do show some of places near my bald eagle photography locations. As the photos show, the rivers are not yet frozen, which is very unusual and not good for my bald eagle photography. When [...]
iPhone video: Reflecting on Mendenhall Lake
This is the first time I have tried a video blog posting from the field using only my iPhone to shoot, edit, and post the video. Unfortunately in this report from the Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau, Alaska, there is virtually no movement in the video due to the unusual lack of wind. (oh well, at [...]
Off again to the valley of the eagles
The final rays of the sun at sunset baths mountain tops in light as an Alaska Marine Highway System ferry travels down the Chilkoot Inlet of the Lynn Canal in this photo taken just outside Haines, Alaska. To license image, click image. To see our collection of fine art prints, click here. By the time [...]
How does a grizzly bear scratch itself?
Ever wonder how a grizzly bear scratches itself? I would imagine carefully given that its long 3 1/2” fore claws can kill with one powerful swipe. In reality, most bear itches are resolved through rubbing up against an object. Grizzly bears are an itchy lot so it’s not unusual to see them scratching up against [...]
Denali clouds time-lapse experiment
this experiment of a time-lapse of clouds swirling about Mt. McKinley, North America’s tallest peak, is a failure. Not so much a failure on my part, but rather Mother Nature was an unwilling subject. My goal was to take a sequence of still photos showing a fully socked-in McKinley turning into a brilliant clear mountain [...]
Denali National Park has it all — incredible vistas, diverse wildlife, and challenging backcountry
This past summer I spent time in Alaska at Denali National Park and Preserve. Over the next several weeks I’ll be writing in greater detail about some of the photos in the slide show above. Here is some basic background about the park. Denali National Park and Preserve is one of the premiere parks in [...]
Pillow Rock Rapid on Gauley River – dramatic and deadly
Whitewater paddlers navigate the Pillow Rock Rapid on the Gauley River which drops 30 feet over the course of the rapid. The photos above were taken during the 2009 Gauley Fest weekend. Those who spilled made it back to their kayaks and rafts safely.To license an image, click image. To see our collection of fine [...]
Upper Gauley River shows no mercy
Rafters and kayakers who ended up “swimming” while navigating the whitewater of the upper Gauley River during the 2009 Gauley Fest. All made it back to their kayaks and rafts safely.To license an image, click image. To see our collection of fine art prints, click here. I was saddened to hear about two separate deaths [...]
Wide-open spaces of the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie
The tallgrass prairies of the American midwest are one of America’s classic landscapes — big skies and panoramas of never-ending seas of wave-like grass. Tallgrass prairies are also one of America’s endangered ecosystems. Before being plowed under for agriculture, tallgrass prairie once covered more than 140 million acres of the United States. Less than [...]
`Ama`u fern – a study in showcasing color in a photograph
This photograph is a great example of looking for opportunities to showcase color. The brilliant colors of a young `ama`u fern against colorless dead fronds of the same plant makes the color jump off the screen. The `ama`uma`u (Sadleria cyatheoides) or `ama`u for short, is a common fern found in the wet forests and open areas of [...]
The Chilkat River is a Mecca for bald eagles
I returned earlier this week from my trip to the Chilkat River in Alaska where I photographed bald eagles. The bald eagles were amazingly plentiful, and for the most part active, though I’m told the numbers were down along with the activity compared to previous years because the river had not been as frozen as [...]
Wild whitewater action on the Gauley River during Gauley Fest
For six consecutive weekends every fall in West Virginia, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releases an incredible volume of water out of the Summersville Dam on the Gauley River. These timed releases turn the Gauley River, located in the scenic Gauley River National Recreation Area, into one of the premier whitewater rivers in the [...]
Remembering Angus and Betty McDougall
Carol and I lost two very close friends this past year. First in early February we lost Betty McDougall, wife of Angus McDougall. Then, several weeks ago, Betty’s husband Angus “Mac” McDougall, an icon in the world of picture editors, photojournalists and photo educators, passed away. Days after his death David Rees, director of the [...]
The other Hawaii
I have always been fascinated by the natural beauty, environmental challenges and the history of the Hawaiian Islands. Because of this I’ve made close to a dozen trips to the islands including Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, Maui, Lanai, and the Big Island over the years. Most of those visits have not been at fancy resorts but [...]
Doing homework in West Virginia
Carol and I made a scouting trip to the New River Gorge National River and the Gauley River National Recreation Area for an upcoming trip in September when I will be photographing whitewater kayakers and rafters during the annual water release from the Summersville Dam on the Gauley. My mission was to get a feel [...]
Thunderbirds spotted in Ozarks skies
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds sounded like a bird species that I’ve never photographed so I headed to this past weekend’s air show to celebrate the grand opening of the new privately developed and operated commercial airport in Branson, Missouri. My photography career has intersected with aviation many times. For stories, I’ve been in hot [...]
Florida wild wading bird rookery offers easy access
I recently took advantage of Allegiant Airlines cheap fares from Springfield to Orlando to work on my bird photography techniques, get some shooting hours under my belt with my new 600mm f4 lens and conduct a real world test of traveling with new equipment in anticipation of more extensive and demanding travel scheduled for later [...]
Missouri Whitewater Championships – 2009
When I think of the perfect spring day, I think of the day I covered the Missouri Whitewater Championships back when I was a staff photojournalist with the St. Louis Globe-Democrat in the 1970‘s and 80‘s. That particular race day was a glorious, warm t-shirt kind of a day with all the trappings of spring [...]
My new life adventure
Today was my last day at the Springfield News-Leader. Like many in the newspaper industry, I decided to take the opportunity of a voluntary “buyout” to start a new career. Major cuts to staff were being called for and I figured it was a good opportunity to move on. After 13 years as a staff [...]
International Harvester photojournalism book on press
It’s hard to believe that after what has seemed like an eternity, the book that Angus McDougall and I have been working on the past several years has finally gone to press. “Pacesetters in Corporate Journalism: International Harvester magazines–reaching readers through photojournalism” is a 294 page book that gives insight to the editorial philosophy of [...]
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