The three great images of America that you see below, were created during Natural Connections Photo Workshops. For those who may be at the stage of your photography where you are workshop shopping (try to say the fast three times), maybe the link I have provided will be helpful.

Natural Connections Photo Workshops.

Now for a few of my own humble (and old) images.

There are some birds that are iconic for putting on a show, and especially for singing a song. All of it in search of a pretty lady. Certainly the male Red-winged Blackbird fits that description, and so does the male Eastern or Western Meadowlark. This “Easterner” was singing like Caruso when I came upon him. He cared very little about my presence, and he sang his heart out.

Recording behavior, which  in this case is courtship songs, is part of being a wildlife photographer. This bird proves that the line between behavior and art is slim.

Photographing iconic landscape subjects can become disappointing when the light does not meet up with our expectations. In the case of The Grand Tetons, I intentionally made this predawn image partly because the evolving sunrise did not look promising, but also because I have never seen an image of this locale in this subdued, predawn light before. 

Later in the day I was moderately happy to see  clouds gather around the peaks. While I was disappointed that those Aspens in the foreground were not gold, as this was early autumn, ultimately we take what we are given and do the best we can.

I love Arches N.P. in Utah The golden arches (not McDonalds) that you find there are glorious in various sorts of light. Wilson’s Arch is some distance from the park and is on a state highway. Many people see this arch so theretofore many people photograph it. This was my second time here and this time I wanted to capture the arch in the context of its environment. I wanted to use as much vegetation, fallen natural debris, and the earth itself as I could, to flatter the setting. The trick then becomes how do I re-simplify or bring order to such a busy scene? 

The landscape photographer is always looking for ways to change a place, while actually not changing anything at all.

I love capturing drama in my photos. Not creating drama in the digital darkroom, but “seeing” it in the field, and figuring out how to record it and share it. All from within my personal viewpoint.

I love using high contrast winter light to turn the simple into the dramatic.

Bellow we have the morning after the snow. The way the sun spotlights some places while others remain in shade, was perfect for my sensibilities. The more in tune we are with our subject, the easier the capture is.

This foggy sunrise scene like the previous one, is a matter of contrast. It is sort of subdued but it is hard to deny, that the fairly bright red light, and featureless dark shapes (contrast), compliment each other in this photo.

You have to be ready to react, to see the colors, shapes and contrasts, and know how to accomplish what you are doing. This sort of image could be  “bumped up” by adding contrast in the editing process but it was not necessary here.

Dragonflies almost seem mystical with their delicate designs. Yet they are a very hardy bunch. My goal with this image was to show the delicate web like patterns in the dragon’s wings. Its perch with a sky in the background allowed me to create an almost silhouetted design. 

Although I do not remember, I likely made my images and left my model exactly where it is. It did not always work that way but it did so the majority of the time.

There is just no more fun to be had than photographing fox families. Baby foxes, whether alone or with a parent, mom in this case, light up the screen with delight. I have always felt myself to be privileged to even witness what you see below, much less to create images of it.

God Bless,
Wayne