Logistics of Visiting Death Valley

Death Valley

While our last two postings dealt with two of Death Valley’s most famous photo ops – Zabriskie Point and the wildflower bloom – that’s only the beginning of the possibilities. The largest national park in the USA outside Alaska, Death Valley is a series of mountain ranges, valleys, canyons, badlands, and sand dunes. Most impressive are the vibrant multi-coloured rock formations, such as the aptly… Read moreLogistics of Visiting Death Valley

Photographing Death Valley’s Zabriskie Point

Zabriskie Point, Death Valley

  Death Valley abounds in awesome sights to photograph, but the single most famous spot is Zabriskie Point at sunrise. It’s so popular for a lot of good reasons. You stand on a high ledge overlooking a vast area of badlands. Beyond is the bold, triangular-shaped point known as Manly Beacon, and to the right stands the colourful Red Cathedral formation. Farther in the background… Read morePhotographing Death Valley’s Zabriskie Point

Death Valley Wildflowers Super Bloom

Death Valley wildflowers

We just got back from Death Valley National Park in the USA where a rare wildflower “super bloom” was underway. This extremely dry desert area averages only two inches of rain per year, but this is an El Nino year so there’s nothing average about it. Torrential rain and floods last fall, combined with timely winter rains, made the dormant wildflower seeds spring to life…. Read moreDeath Valley Wildflowers Super Bloom

Planning a Bear Photography Trip to Katmai, Alaska

  On the last posting we talked about the incredible opportunity to photograph brown bears fishing for salmon, and getting into some wild scuffles, at Alaska’s Brooks River Falls. The falls are located in remote Katmai National Park, accessible only by air. Remoteness, combined with a short season, limited visitor capacity, and high demand, suggests that this is either a difficult place to get to,… Read morePlanning a Bear Photography Trip to Katmai, Alaska

Photographing the Bears of Katmai, Alaska

Katmai bears

  Our wildlife photography highlight this past summer was undoubtedly our close encounters with brown bears (larger cousins of the grizzly) in Alaska’s Katmai National Park. We’ve been fortunate to have visited many of the world’s wildlife hotspots, and we would rank Katmai as among the best of the best for photography. Despite being fairly remote (there’s no road access to Katmai, for example), it… Read morePhotographing the Bears of Katmai, Alaska