My guess is that few travelers have not heard of The Road to Hana. It is consistently rated one of the most wondrous drives in the world, and with good reason. This 40 mile, curvy, narrow road snakes along Maui, Hawaii’s northeast shore, blessing motorists with one eye-candy scene after another. Look toward the Pacific and you see craggy coastlines being pounded by 30-foot waves. Look inland and you see spectacular waterfalls every few miles.
The bamboo forests afford tons of opportunities for macro photography.
This is a drive that forces you …

It’s probably an impossibility for a photographer to come all the way to Kauai and not hike the Kalalau Trail along the famed Na Pali coast. And with good reason. The coast is one of the most spectacular scenics on Earth. I imagine that every adult in North America has seen at least one image of Na Pali.
There are three ways to see the Na Pali coast; helicopter, boat and hiking. Each has its advantages and disadvantages for photographers. Helicopters, for example, are expensive, last a short time and you …

I’m excited to announce the winners of our First Annual Bird Photography Contest. We instituted this contest for two reasons; first to tip our hats to the dedicated birders of the Annual Christmas Bird Count who help us gauge the health of our natural environment, and second to give credit to bird photographers everywhere. I acknowledge their skills and perseverance precisely because I am so damned bad at it!
There were supposed to be First, Second and Third place awards, but we had a hard time choosing the Second place winner, …

It was late in the day when I decided to check out the Waimea Canyon drive. I was actually on my way to a beach to photograph sunset, but I did a quick detour because I hadn’t been up the mountain in 5 years. Waimea Canyon is known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, and while the moniker is worthy, the visual comparison is not. Imagine the Grand Canyon with lush green accents and sheer cliffs leading to the Pacific Ocean. Within the Waimea Canyon State Park is Mount …

I recall cruising on board a small ship in the Galapagos on one of my trips there. Each morning our wonderful tour guide, a local, would waken the 16 passengers with the following announcement: “Good morning everyone. Welcome to another beautiful day in paradise.” And to an ecologist like myself, the Galapagos islands are truly a paradise.
But, make no mistake about it. The Galapagos islands are hardly tropical paradises. For that, you have to go to the Hawaiian Islands and, more specifically, Kauai, the Garden Island. Next to the Arctic …

Before I left for Yellowstone a couple of weeks ago, I was anxious about only one photographic issue. How would my Hasselblad H4D batteries perform in the cold weather?
Of course Hasselblad is a superb camera system, second to none and I love its luscious, film-like images and incredible dynamic range. Those of you who follow my blog know that I shoot Nikon and Hasselblad. But ever since I started using Hassy, I have been disappointed in its battery capacity. My Nikon D200, D300, D700 and now the D800 keep going and going, …

I just returned from a rejuvenating trip to Yellowstone, a winter paradise if there ever was one. The temps ranged from -13F to +25F, far warmer than I had hoped, since I wanted to get the frosty breath of bison as they grazed. Still, just being out in our glorious natural world was reward enough. I did manage to see bison, coyotes, eagles (bald and golden), elk, mule deer, pronghorn antelope and three wolf packs, although the latter were too far away to photograph.
One of the most frequently asked questions …

If there is one iconic species in Yellowstone, it would have to be the Bison. These immense creatures are the largest land mammals in America, with the bulls weighing around 2,000 pounds! Yellowstone bison were nearly eradicated by 1900, but in one of the most visible successes in the wildlife movement, Yellowstone now is home to between 3,000 and 4,000 of these magnificent creatures.
In winter one has to share the road with bison, as you can see here in my 20-second little iPhone video clip. (NOTE: Please turn down your …

The frigid weather in Yellowstone cleared by mid-morning and by mid afternoon the temp hit a balmy 24 degrees. No more pain when taking off gloves to adjust something on the camera.
I did a two hour snowshoe trek to take photos of a tree-rock grouping, but when all was said and done I’m not liking the results on my laptop. I’ll hold off final judgment until I get home to a normal desktop screen.
On the way out of the park towards dusk, my colleague spotted a bighorn sheep ram on …

My first full day in Yellowstone dawned gray, misty and freezing cold. Actually, it was way below freezing, namely -7 when I awoke, warming to 9 degrees F at 3:00 PM. The first day on site anywhere I travel is always an adjustment day, including deciding what lenses to bring, how to arrange everything in the car for quick access, debugging equipment that is resistant in below zero temps, and how best to dress while still being able to manipulate those teeny camera controls.
In winter there is only one road …