Bali Starling – My Wildlife Wonders No. 1
A hush falls over the misty forest of Nusa Penida. Light rain weaves silver threads through the canopy. From the hush of the foliage, a flash of white breaks the green—a bird glides in, landing with effortless precision on a spiny trunk. It's a striking bird with brilliant white feathers, a deep blue leathery patch...
Experience Wonders of Wildlife and the Ancient Maya in Yucatán, Mexico
Home » Witnessing Chichén Itzá, Wonder of the World The iconic El Castillo, also known as the Temple of Kukulcan, at Chichén Itzá, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in Yucatan, Mexico. The massive step pyramid towers before a cloudy sky, illuminating the grandeur and texture ancient Mayan architecture. A series of ancient...
Capturing Conservation: Animal portraits to inspire the next generation
The year my dad made us “Friends of the Zoo” at our local Kansas City Zoo was one of the most memorable of my childhood. I recall frequent visits to see nature programs on the giant IMAX screen. Eleven-year-old me was delighted to meet the Kratt brothers, of “Kratts’ Creatures” fame, against the backdrop of one of their children’s educational...
Photography from O’ahu, Hawaii in September
Family and work travel can be unproductive for many photographers. Fast-paced itineraries and going with the flow of a group make it tougher to spend time crafting the ideal image with perfect light and composition. So we take on a different kind of challenge - making something beautiful with a speedy snap. Managed expectations and...
Morning views in Gulf Shores, Alabama
Admittedly, I underestimated coastal Alabama as an outdoor travel destination. But when the Outdoor Writers Association of America hosted our annual conference at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, Alabama, I experienced a small taste of its natural beauty first-hand. Allow me to humble myself and say I stand corrected. The images below were my...
River reconnection: backpacking the North Fork Skokomish River Trail in Olympic National Park
Why would any sane, rational human being leave the comfort of their home with air conditioning and plumbing, strap 40 pounds of gear onto their back, and haul it 10 miles into the wilderness on foot to sleep on the ground, and eat dehydrated food for days? Under threat of bear activity and a “mountain...
Skåne, Sweden is for the birds.
Tap photos to view full-size. Photos best viewed full-size on desktop computers. I recently traveled to Sweden for a speaking engagement in Stockholm, and added 5 days in Skåne County, about a half-hour outside the major city of Malmö. Home base was a guest home in Höllviken in the backyard of a local family, perfect...
Barbados: A Tale of Two Coasts
A fan pushes warm, humid air around the room. The first hint of hazy morning light seeps through slatted wooden blinds, the bright blue curtains puffing in and out in the morning breeze. I hear palms rustling and waves crashing and rolling onto a beach. I get out of bed and shuffle to the window....
Voyageurs National Park in Northern Minnesota
It appears that 2022 is the year I visit national parks experiencing extraordinary flooding events. In the spring, massive flooding washed out vast parts of Yellowstone National Park just after I visited during record snow. And recently, I visited Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota just after historic flooding caused by heavy rains and snowmelt in...
Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge
I have been setting my sights on day trip destinations near Kansas City. I'm seeking places to branch out and shoot landscape and wildlife photography. I visited Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge in northwest Missouri, about 90 minutes drive north of the city. Loess Bluffs is a birdwatchers' favorite thanks to its terrain of wetlands...
Sunrise at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland
I recently had the opportunity to return to Annapolis, Maryland to visit family, and we awoke early to visit the United States Naval Academy yard before sunrise. The Plebe Summer training program is in full swing on the Naval Academy base, and incoming freshmen Midshipmen gathered en masse on Farragut Field for morning PT. Meanwhile,...
The Sonoran Desert & Saguaro National Park, Arizona
The types of cactus and landscape change as we approach Arizona from New Mexico. The saguaros sparse at first, appearing only occasionally among other cactus varieties in a giant pasture. Then suddenly, seemingly just as we cross the Arizona state line, they are overwhelmingly abundant everywhere we look. From the highway into the area, I...