This sunrise at Oconaluftee Overlook in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the most beautiful I have ever witnessed, though it certainly didn't start out that way.

I was travelling with a group of photographers, and, when we arrived at this overlook, the sky seemed quite densely 'fogged in'. It didn't appear likely that we would be able to make any interesting photographs from the location, but it was too late to move on and so we decided to 'stick it out' with hopes that perhaps the fog would at least partially lift as the sun came up.

What developed was unexpected and exhilarating. Over the next few minutes, the little sliver of clearing continued to open and we were treated to a truly moving experience. The cloud cover was such that there were a number of "God Rays" that emerged and, one by one, they swept and danced rhythmically along one side of the mountain, down into the valley, and back up the other side in a spectacle that was akin to a laser light show, only better!

Cape Arago Lighthouse is best seen from afar, from an overlook just beyond Sunset Bay, on the Oregon Coast. On this particular morning, at sunrise just after a storm, the view from the overlook looked like something from an old nautical painting and I sought to give the image that feel when I processed it. It was a morning to remember!

Zion National Park is a place of incomparable beauty that must be seen to be believed. This photograph seemed to encompass many of the classic features of Zion in one image, including the fall Cottonwood trees, the red rock, and the Virgin River. I was particularly intrigued by the diagonal lines in this composition.

Cuyahoga National Park

Cuyahoga is the closest national park to my home in Western Pennsylvania and the only national park in Ohio. It also happens to be the smallest and most urban of the national parks, but this does not diminish its beauty.

This particular photo journey was a weekend trip and, as luck would have it, the weather was terrible. However, on the last day of the trip, the rain stopped for a few hours and the sky remained overcast, creating perfect conditions for waterfall photography. In this situation, the cloud cover of the overcast sky reduces the contrast on the water and the rain saturates the fall colors. Blue Hen Falls, while not nearly the tallest falls in the park, is, in my opinion, the most beautiful.

Sunset in the Palouse, an agricultural region located in Eastern Idaho and Western Washington.

What a feeling it was to be out on the wide open plains with clouds like these and nothing but open sky as far as I could see. Sometimes the photograph is all about the sky!

Bandon Beach, with its scattered sea stacks, is perhaps one of the most surreal landscapes I have visited. After sunset, on a clear night, the landscape can turn a wonderful blue color as the water reflects the color of the sky.

That is so called “Face Rock” on the right. One can imagine the left side of the rock as the top of a head and the right side a face in profile looking up and out of the frame.

Appalachian Trail, New Hampshire

A waterfall on the Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire is framed by yellow autumn leaves. It was this framing that attracted me to the scene. The wind was blowing quite a bit and, for me, the subtle motion of the leaves at the top of the photo really transmits that feeling.

New Hampshire

A cacophony of fall colors brightens the shoreline of the Swift River in New Hampshire.

McConnell's Mill State Park, Pennsylvania

This is the view looking out from the old grist mill in McConnell's Mill State Park. There was ice along the banks of Slippery Rock Creek, but the center of the water was not yet frozen and an unusual curved shape seemed cut out from its center. A short distance from here the water from Alpha Falls pours into the creek.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Smokies are an amazing place to watch the trees turn color in the fall. This view encompassed both the trees and the foggy 'smoky' mountains in the distance.

Ohiopyle State Park, Pennsylvania

Autumn colors in Western Pennsylvania's Ohiopyle State Park. This water is just upstream from the whitewater of 'The Flumes'

Haceta Beach, Oregon

The sun sets behind sea stacks at Heceta Beach in Oregon. I wanted to catch the sun right in the middle of the shape between the two stacks.

Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Where exactly is Gerlach's Point? I couldn't tell you, because I honestly don't know! Don't bother looking on a map either, because you won't find it. In reality, it is an unnamed location which I simply call Gerlach's Point because I was brought there by nature photographer John Gerlach. Getting there required a 30 minute hike through muddy hillsides and I could never find it again on my own, but it was well worth it for this view of Lake Superior.

I am frequently asked about the unusual color of the cliffs in this photo. This is caused by mineral deposits in the rocks and, when the sun is low in the sky, the cliff's yellow and deep red striations seem to glow. That is one of the reasons why this area has been named "Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore".

This photograph was made at the Lindy Point Overlook in West Virginia’s Blackwater Falls State Park, as the leaves were changing color in autumn. The overlook gives a spectacular view from 3000 feet above the floor of Blackwater Canyon. I’m very glad there was a safe overlook with a handrail as I am quite afraid of heights, though there were many people who climbed out to the ledges surrounding the overlook platform. That’s not for me!

Pete's Lake, Michigan's Upper Peninsula

The interplay between the warm sunlight and dense fog during sunrise made the tones and color, particularly on the water, vary from minute to minute. To demonstrate just how quickly the light was changing, my photograph "Autumn Mist" was made only a few minutes later at the same location. However, in that short period of time the deep yellow coloration of the light had passed. What remained was just as beautiful, only different.

This particular image was used on a greeting card published by Cardthartic.

Pete's Lake, Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Taken only a few minutes after "Yellow Morning", and from a position only a few yards away, the light had now become brighter and more neutral in color. Still, it was diffused and softened by the fog, which allowed it to beautifully highlight the surrounding fall colors.

Moraine State Park, Pennsylvania

What does 528 have to do with anything? 528 is what a few friends and I have named a small boat ramp on Lake Arthur in Western Pennsylvania's Moraine State Park. In reality it is unnamed and tucked away with little signage marking where it is. But it is right off of Route 528......if you know where to turn.

On the vast majority of days the view from the shore is quite bland. But on some days magic just happens. It takes many, many trips to find those days. But if you are there for even just one, it all becomes worth it.

To save you the trips, I have put a few of those magical days on this site for you to enjoy! This particular image was taken from the same location as 528 Sunrise II, 528 Sunrise III, and 528 Sunrise IV. All that was necessary was to point the camera in a different direction.

Moraine State Park, Pennsylvania

What does 528 have to do with anything? 528 is what a few friends and I have named a small boat ramp on Lake Arthur in Western Pennsylvania's Moraine State Park. In reality it is unnamed and tucked away with little signage marking where it is. But it is right off of Route 528......if you know where to turn.

On the vast majority of days the view from the shore is quite bland. But on some days magic just happens. It takes many, many trips to find those days. But if you are there for even just one, it all becomes worth it.

To save you the trips, I have put a few of those magical days on this site for you to enjoy! This particular image was taken from the same location as 528 Sunrise I, 528 Sunrise III, and 528 Sunrise IV. All that was necessary was to point the camera in a different direction.

Moraine State Park, Pennsylvania

What does 528 have to do with anything? 528 is what a few friends and I have named a small boat ramp on Lake Arthur in Western Pennsylvania's Moraine State Park. In reality it is unnamed and tucked away with little signage marking where it is. But it is right off of Route 528......if you know where to turn.

On the vast majority of days the view from the shore is quite bland. But on some days magic just happens. It takes many, many trips to find those days. But if you are there for even just one, it all becomes worth it.

To save you the trips, I have put a few of those magical days on this site for you to enjoy! This particular image was taken from the same location as 528 Sunrise I, 528 Sunrise II, and 528 Sunrise IV. All that was necessary was to point the camera in a different direction.

Moraine State Park, Pennsylvania

What does 528 have to do with anything? 528 is what a few friends and I have named a small boat ramp on Lake Arthur in Western Pennsylvania's Moraine State Park. In reality it is unnamed and tucked away with little signage marking where it is. But it is right off of Route 528......if you know where to turn.

On the vast majority of days the view from the shore is quite bland. But on some days magic just happens. It takes many, many trips to find those days. But if you are there for even just one, it all becomes worth it.

To save you the trips, I have put a few of those magical days on this site for you to enjoy! This particular image was taken from the same location as 528 Sunrise I, 528 Sunrise II, and 528 Sunrise III. All that was necessary was to point the camera in a different direction.

It was well worth getting up early on this particular day. All the necessary elements were present. The water, the islands, the fog and the sun all came together to make an unforgettable morning. The light was changing rapidly and this photo was taken only minutes after the photograph "Purple Morning", which can also be seen in this portfolio.

McConnell's Mill State Park, Pennsylvania

Most of the time, when I am photographing from the mill in McConnell's Mill State Park, I work from the mill's overlook (seen here). On this particular day, I decided to cross the river and climb down a hill to capture the view looking at the overlook instead of from it.

McConnell's Mill State Park, Pennsylvania

The red covered bridge at McConnell's Mill State Park is well known to anyone who has visited the area.

The formations in the water are seen because I utilized a very slow shutter speed in order to make visible what we don't normally see with the naked eye. It's one of the things I love about photography.

Moraine State Park, Pennsylvania

You never really know what you are going to see when you go out to photograph sunrise. It was well worth getting up early for the foggy start of a new day at Lake Arthur.

Death Valley Rivulets

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to photograph in Death Valley shortly after a brief rainfall. The blue sky was reflected in the water while the rising sun lit the mountains in the background with a warm glow. The white material on the earth is salt precipitate that 'crunched' underfoot as I walked. Most of these rivulets of water on the salt flats were small enough to step over. Two days later the water was gone.

The autumn trees added color and depth to this view down the Youghiogheny River in Pennsylvania's Ohiopyle State Park. This photograph is a one-minute exposure, collecting all the motion of the river during that minute into a single frame, which is what gives the water its smooth, milky appearance.

Bandon Beach, Oregon

Bandon Beach is one of the most surreal looking locations that I have ever been to. The sea stacks give the landscape an appearance that can only be called unearthly. At low tide, channels of water wind their way through the rippled sand, and the sun setting over the Pacific often paints the sky with deep, saturated colors. Of all the places that I have visited to photograph, this is the one I most want to return to.

This particular image was used in Spokane International Airport as part of a Pacific Northwest travel ad.

What a morning! The fog was starting to float away, the horizon was turning pink and the air itself seemed purple! The light was changing fast and the photograph "Island In The Mist", in this potfolio, was made just a few minutes after this.

Valley Of Fire State Park in Nevada's Mojave desert is a stark but beautiful place. In the right light, predominantly at sunrise and sunset, the red rock glows....and sometimes the sky does too!

Bandon Beach, on the Oregon Coast, is a surreal and somewhat unearthly looking place. Being there at sunset can be a spiritual experience, and that is the feeling I was hoping to capture when I made this photograph.

I entitled this image "Siren's Song" because it felt as though one could be gently lulled into walking out to those sea stacks!

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Morton's Overlook is one of the most popular locations from which to photograph sunset in Smoky Mountains National Park. This panoramic image was made just after my arrival in the park for a week long photo trip. It's a good thing I decided to photograph sunset instead of eating dinner, as the colors were spectacular and the evening skies were heavily overcast for the entire rest of the week.

Upon arriving at the overlook, I was immediately drawn to the overlapping shapes that were made by the receding mountain ridges as well as to the cool blue colors the mountains took on in contrast to the pink sky.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Morton's Overlook is one of the most popular locations from which to photograph sunset in Smoky Mountains National Park. This image was made just after my arrival in the park for a week long photo trip. It's a good thing I decided to photograph sunset instead of eating dinner, as the colors were spectacular and the evening skies were heavily overcast for the entire rest of the week.

Upon arriving at the overlook, I was immediately drawn to the overlapping shapes that were made by the receding mountains as well as the cool blue colors the mountains took on in contrast to the pink sky.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

As the sun rises at Clingman's Dome, the fog in the valleys demonstrates the 'smoke' by which the park got it's name.

Every sunrise over Pete’s Lake in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is a surprise. You don’t know whats going to happen, but on this morning everything came together to put on a fabulous display of light and color!

This image is a photograph combined with an underlying texture which imparts a feel of great depth.

When I arrived at Moraine State Park one fall morning I noticed that the clouds seemed to line up, making multiple rows in the sky. They had to be photographed! So I zipped down to the shore of Lake Arthur so that I could include some interesting foreground in the picture and this is what emerged. It was a beautiful morning to make photographs!

One autumn, having arrived at Blackwater Falls State Park in West Virginia to photograph the park for the first time, I was wondering where I should go first. Well, it is called Blackwater Falls State Park…..so off to the falls I went. With my first view of the falls I knew this was going to be a very productive trip.

Interestingly, I was told that things look quite different in the spring following the winter melt. At that time the amount of water flowing over the falls is much greater. I doubt one season is better than the other for photography; just different. But it does give me a good reason to return for another photo trip.