If you’re photo travel plans include Sicily, you will not want to miss the small, medieval town of Erice. Situated on a mountaintop near Trapani, on the southern coast, Erice is reached by car, private and public bus, or cable car.

This little town in a jewel for photographers. Every street, every corner you turn, offers exciting opportunities for photography, from architectural to travel to people.

The town shelters myriad churches and monasteries, but there is also a castle, stone-paved streets, houses and small boutique hotels.

 
One of my favorite things about …

Off the coast of Trapani, Sicily, right at the point of the boot, sit the three tiny Egadi Islands. The largest is Favignana and I’m here right now photographing. I thought I’d share with you today’s adventure as an illustration of creative choice in photography.
Atop the highest point of the island there is an old fortress, which some locals prefer to call a castle.  My guess is that those who call it a castle have never done the strenuous hike up there.
 
The fortress sits about 1,000 feet above the historic …

This was my first visit to Pompei and every preconception I had of the site was dashed within minutes. I had a schedule to keep and I alloted two hours to visiting Pompei. Instead, we ended up spending five very active hours and when the park closed we were one of the last to leave. I could easily have spent another day or two exploring these ancient ruins- and in fact I expect I will because my photography was rushed and I was not allowed to bring in my tripod …

Well, we arrived in Rome in the rain, got in a rental car and hightailed it out of town to a marvelous B&B (more on that in a minute). We had taken a red-eye from Baltimore to London and I could not get more than a hour of very disturbed sleep (how can anyone sleep in Economy Plus, let alone Economy!?). Then our next flight to Rome was delayed, so by the time I arrived I was bleary-eyed and bushed. Knowing this would be a possibility, I had booked our …

My next post will be from Italy, as I’m frantically cleaning equipment and going through my pre-assignment checklist of things to bring. I haven’t been to Italy in more than a decade, and even then it was only for a short stop in Rome. This trip I’ll be driving at the height of spring between Florence and Sicily, then flying the historic Ionian Sea to Malta, and then back to Italy for a few solid days photographing in Rome itself. Can’t wait!

On the drive down south from Florence, I’m hoping to capture …

Most people know the route as the Road to Hana. But what about the return trip, what I call the Road From Hana? Sure, many people simply turn around at Hana and drive back as they came, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The views are magnificent as I described in yesterday’s blog.
But there is another way to return from a visit to glorious Hana. Just keep driving clockwise, following the shore road. At first your journey is familiar, passing through deep foliage and waterfalls. But then the vistas open …

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 …

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 …

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 …