Category Archives: The Grand Landscape

The overview of the natural landscape.

Grand Tetons

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“Sunset Over the Tetons and Jackson Lake”
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

After a long day of driving and photo scouting around Grand Teton National Park, I was ready for a nice quiet dinner and a good nights rest. Then this gift was given to me. The heavy clouds of the afternoon sky broke open to present this view of the Tetons and sky reflecting off Jackson Lake. I spent a couple of hours just enjoying the beauty in front of me and waiting for the sunset. I wasn’t disappointed, but did miss dinner. It was well worth it!

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Where Are the Sheep … I Mean, Where is My Telephoto?

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Joshua Tree Grove
Joshua Tree National Park, California

We saw a majestic big horn sheep wandering around the hills in the park. However, I chose this image as a better representative of the park.

Now here’s the story behind the title of this post. One of my close friends (Mr. G.H. Ferguson) is a wildlife photographer. On this outing, he decided to travel light and carry only a 35mm wide angle lens. About 10 minutes into our hike, out popped a majestic big horn sheep on a ridge right in front of us. He looked down at his 35mm lens, looked up at me, and said aw Xyx?//. The good news was that I had my 200mm telephoto and was able to get a few good shots. Ferg, this image is for you!

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Yellowstone Falls

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Yellowstone Lower Falls
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

There are so many things to see in Yellowstone. How do I choose what would be a good representative image? During this trip, my focus was on wildlife photography. The best light was in the early morning or late afternoon/early evening. These were also the best times for photographing wildlife. Thus, my landscape images took second priority in the middle of the day. It didn’t stop me though, as I did do a little exploring around the park. Yellowstone Falls was one of the highlights.

We were planning on going to Yellowstone again this year and made all the reservations. The Covid-19 pandemic put a stop to the trip. Maybe next year?

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The Reef

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“The Reef”
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

Capitol Reef National Park encompasses the Waterpocket Fold. This fold runs about 100 miles north and south. It was formed 50 -70 million years ago along a fault during a mountain building period in the Western states. Movement along the fault created these monoclines rising as much as 7000 feet. More recent activity 15- 20 million years ago of the Colorado Plateau uplift and resulting erosion exposed the surface of the monoclines. As much as 10,000 feet of strata representing 270 million years of geological history has been exposed in some areas.

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The Badlands

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The Badlands National Park, South Dakota

The Badlands were formed by a series of depositions and then erosion. Seventy-five million years ago, the area what is now the Badlands was a part of an inland sea extending from the Gulf of Mexico to the North Pole. The lowest levels are sea bed depositions. From 75 to 45million years ago, plate movement gradually forced up the Rocky Mountains and created a depression which is now the Badlands. During this period, erosion from the raising mountains and volcanic action deposited various layers of material in the depression. Starting about 500,000 years ago the Cheyenne and White Rivers carved out the deep valleys through the area. Torrential rain storms and wind have been eroding the area at a rate of one inch per year.

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Deep Blue

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Crater Lake & Wizzard Island
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

If you you want to see the deepest blue, just gaze into Crater Lake. It is the deepest lake in the United States at nearly 2000 ft. depth. The crater was created around 7,000 years ago when Mt. Mazama exploded in a violent eruption. Local Native American tribes witnessed the eruption and have passed down many legends of how it was created.

Crater Lake National Park was established in 1902 by Teddy Roosevelt as our sixth National Park.

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Mt. St. Helens

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“Looking Up the Throat”
Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Washington

What an amazing sight from the Johnson Observation Center! The open throat of the mountain takes my breath away and draws me in. I stand in awe looking at the quiet scene, with my imagination going wild thinking of what the observers at this site must have thought and felt when the mountain erupted over forty years ago.

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Majestic Mt. Rainer

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“Mt. Rainer Afternoon Sun Break”
Mt. Rainer National Park, Washington

This image was taken driving back down the hill from the “Sunrise” visitors center on the east side of Mt. Rainer. I had just finished a little hike up the side of the mountain to the tree line. Driving back down in the early evening, I looked back in my rear view mirror and saw a little sun break. I found the nearest turnout to enjoy a few fleeting moments before the shadows fully engulfed the mountain.

Every time I drive up to the Mountain it has a different feeling about it. Each facet looks different depending on the time of day and the amount of sunlight or shadows present. It may be covered with clouds or protruding into the clear sky above the tree-covered slopes below. It is a pleasure to just stop and gaze at its majestic presence.

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Sunrise in Acadia

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“Early Morning Sunrise on Otter Cliff”
Acadia National Park, Maine

Acadia National Park … where do you start? Everywhere I turned was a photo opportunity. I was overwhelmed and had difficulty sorting out where I should focus. On this morning, I stumbled down to rocks overlooking the coast line with my tripod and camera. It was very dark and I had to use my tripod legs to feel my way to stepping places that were solid. Once I got to a spot, I did not want to move. Luckily, I had a 180 degree view from east to west. My initial focus was to the east waiting for the sun to rise over the horizon. At first it was not too exciting since there were no clouds on the horizon. I glanced over my shoulder to the west and saw the sun starting to light the distant Otter Cliffs. I quickly turned around and created this image. I used a blue and gold polarizer to help bring out the oranges in the sky and rocks as well as the deep blue in the water. It was a glorious morning!

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