Best Of 2023 Part I: America The Beautiful

Another year has come to a close, and how fast it has gone. It seems like it was just yesterday when I was immersed in these incredible landscapes. In a world where AI images are becoming the “norm” on the web, I find solace in knowing that I can still create these works of art in the field, in nature, not behind a computer using software to artificially generate a scene. That is not true art. At least not as far as I am concerned.

What’s next for me in 2024? I’ve made some big plans already. If there is one thing I’m good at, it’s not letting a moment go by without enjoying everything this life has to offer. I hope that you will enjoy the artworks I’ve created in 2023. If you see something that catches your eye, consider bringing one of these fine art pieces into your home. The power of nature can be so healing!

“ANCIENT MONOLITHS” | PURCHASE ARTWORK

You are looking at some of the tallest freestanding towers in North America. After several days of hiking around on foot in this incredible area, I found this withered dead tree. The early morning light coaxed out the textures and character in the old tree and really brought it back to life.

“AWAY FROM IT ALL” | PURCHASE ARTWORK

An old, abandoned cabin overlooking the San Juan Mountains in Colorado on an autumn evening in Colorado. Upon arriving here that evening, the skies were mostly clear. Several other photographers were set up when I arrived, but as soon as the sun set, they all packed up and left for the evening. As I made my way back to my vehicle, I stopped one last time to make a few panoramic images of the cabin as the day gave way to night. As it grew darker, I could see some clouds slowly filtering in from the northeast. I quickly made my way back to this overlook and got set up once again. Twilight is one of my favorite times to photograph landscapes. The glow that you get before dawn and about a half hour after sunset can be magical. It was almost completely dark when I took the image you see here. A long exposure helped to reveal the last bit of alpenglow on the massive peaks that rose above the old cabin, and the clouds added the finishing touch to perfectly balance out the scene.

“DOWNSTREAM” | PURCHASE ARTWORK

Warm sunlight filtering into a hidden waterfall chamber in Colorado. This is one of my favorite locations to visit during autumn trips to Colorado. It is such a peaceful, relaxing spot to sit and take it all in. Having visited this area multiple times over the years, I knew before I even arrived the type of image I had in mind here.

“TRIUMPH” | PURCHASE ARTWORK

The best views come to those willing to work hard for them, and we certainly worked very hard to reach this incredible destination. There are no trails that lead here. This is a location I’ve been wanting to visit for the past two years.

For my 40th birthday this year, my wife and our two fur kids embarked on an epic backpacking trip into the Western Rocky Mountains. Our destination was a remote and seldom-visited high alpine lake. For the past year, I have been studying maps and scouting possible routes on Google Earth for what would inevitably be an arduous journey. The lake receives very few, if any, visitors each year. Without a doubt, far more people climb Everest or K2 each year than visit this hidden gem.

The lake is incredibly easy to get to. Just kidding! This hike begins on trail, but eventually one must navigate off trail, and this is where the adventure (or torture, depending on who you ask!) begins. Once venturing off the established path, a bushwhack/climb/scramble up impossibly steep, rugged terrain awaits the adventurous explorer. Various obstacles stand between you and the lake. First, a long hike, followed by a long bushwhack through a jungle of thick brush, creek crossings, rock hopping over boulder fields, as well as numerous slippery, grassy slopes, interspersed with scree and talus. Oh, and let's not forget that steep, scrambly section of loose rocky chutes we affectionately referred to later as the "Devil's nutsack!". It was hairy, pun intended. In this devilishly steep section, we gained nearly 1,000ft of elevation in just three tenths of a mile! We were each carrying at least 40lbs worth of gear and supplies on our backs, and our huskies each carried their own packs. Negotiating this steep terrain with full backpacks and our leashed pups took well over three hours (and easily the same on the way down!). Talk about exhausting! Our reward was this indescribably beautiful cirque, ringed with jagged granite spires. For the next four days we would see not one other human. In fact, the only sounds we would hear would be the serenading calls of dozens and dozens of pikas.

Other than a few passing thunderstorms, one of which forced us to take shelter beneath the overhang of a house-sized boulder, the weather cooperated nicely. I was fortunate to come away with many unique images from this spectacular alpine paradise. Photographs alone will never do this place justice, but I tried my best to capture it in a way that hopefully translates into just how beautiful it was. All in all, it was a great way to celebrate my 40th!

“SYMPHONY IN STONE” | PURCHASE ARTWORK

An early spring trip to the desert southwest yielded many opportunities to explore badlands, sandstone arches, and remote slot canyons like the one pictured above. After driving for hours on a long, rough, and occasionally tortuous 4x4 road, we made it to the “trailhead”. Actually, there was no trailhead, it was just the end of the road. We set up camp for the night and cooked a nice meal while watching the sun set over the deep canyon that was before us.

The next day we would depart early for our hike to the entrance of this “slot”, in an effort to beat the heat of the day. The day was starting to heat up when we finally made it to the entrance of this incredible sandstone slot canyon, which I likened to the famous Antelope Canyon, except without the crowds! Once we entered the canyon, the temperature became much more tolerable. We ended up spending the entire day wandering around in this beautiful canyon without seeing a single soul. This photograph turned out to be my favorite from the many images I captured that day. It is made up of 9 horizontal exposures captured with a 14mm lens and then carefully stitched together into the vertical orientation that you see here. The result was this massive field of view, which was impossible to capture with just a single image alone.

“HEAVEN’S THRONE” | PURCHASE ARTWORK

The Milky Way Galaxy stretching high into the night sky above an otherworldly landscape of sandstone formations in a remote region of Arizona. This was my first visit to this remote and spectacular place, and having a 4x4 is a must. Having heard rumors of deep sand on the route to these bizarre natural formations, the rumors became reality as we soon found ourselves traveling for miles through some of the deepest sand I’ve ever driven through. We spent several days camping and exploring everything the “pocket” had to offer. I even discovered a set cougar tracks out here near one of the dried-up water holes!

One evening while I was out scouting, I came across this composition. Because of the south facing view, I decided to check with an app on my phone to see what time the Milky Way would align with my comp. To my surprise, the galaxy would line up perfectly above the formations around 3:30-4:00 in the morning. I retired to bed around 10:30 that evening and set my alarm for 3am. As I hiked through the dark to reach this spot, I couldn’t help but think about all the creepy crawly critters that call this area home. Tarantulas, spiders, scorpions, and who knows what else! I’m used to hiking in the dark in grizzly country, but this area had me a little on edge. I know this sounds silly but coming from the mountains, the desert is a very unfamiliar place to me. Luckily, I didn’t spot any crawlies, but I was serenaded by a pack of coyotes while I was out photographing one night. I’ll never forget how clear the skies were way out here, once my eyes became adjusted to the darkness, and how the light from the stars and the galaxy almost seemed to illuminate the path forward.

“UTOPIA” | PURCHASE ARTWORK

An idyllic morning in a spectacular alpine cirque high in the Rocky Mountains at sunrise. This is another image from the incredible backpacking trip that my wife and our fur kids embarked on for my 40th this past summer. On this particular morning, I was photographing near the outlet of the lake when conditions went from mediocre to absolutely insane! Just before sunrise, a few clouds began building over the mountains. It was a welcome sight because just moments earlier, I was staring up at nothing but bluebird skies. That’s when the light began to slowly paint the jagged mountaintops. All of a sudden, I felt a burst of cold air. I turned around to see a thick fog creeping up the valley below. It wasn’t long before the both the mountains and I were completely enveloped in the fog. For the next several minutes the conditions evolved at a rapid pace. The mountains would appear and disappear in seconds. Finally, the fog lifted enough for me to capture the image that you see above. Talk about a surreal morning in the mountains!

“KINDLE THE FLAME” | PURCHASE ARTWORK

A sliver of light shining down into a narrow and claustrophobic slot canyon in the desert southwest. Timing was critical to capture the light in this scene, which lasted less than a minute. When I look at this image, I see a lit matchstick. What do you see?

“RHYTHM OF THE NIGHT” | PURCHASE ARTWORK

Fog settling in over the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho on a chilly summer evening. Less than a half hour earlier, I was photographing this scene at sunset. There was not a hint of fog anywhere! After the sun went down, the fog started forming right before my eyes. It was incredible to witness. Before long, the fog was everywhere. It was almost dark when I composed and captured this long exposure, revealing the soft colors of twilight and the fog drifting over, under, and throughout the mountains. Another magical evening in nature!

“FOR A MOMENT” | PURCHASE ARTWORK

Sunset light adorns the rugged mountain peaks of Glacier Park as winter descends upon the high country. A rare combination of conditions lined up perfectly, and this allowed me to capture this unique image. I’ve had an image like this in my mind for the past few years now, I just needed the conditions to align. First, a measurable snowfall, followed by no wind (a rarity for this area!), and the road through the valley had to be drivable still. Check, check, and check!

The next morning, I made the 6-hour drive to the east side of the park, arriving at the trailhead a little after 3pm and began the solo 5-mile trek up to the glacier. The plan was to shoot sunset up there, which at this time of the year was a little after 6pm, so I hiked at a relatively fast pace. When I arrived, I found the Upper Grinnell Lake to be already frozen solid. With some time left before sunset, I made the decision to descend to this lower vantage overlooking Grinnell Lake instead. Not quite the shot I had in mind, but having photographed here before, I knew the view was in no way less impressive. I managed to find this composition just as the sun was setting. In fact, while searching for compositions I was paid a surprise visit by a couple of friendly “locals”. I’ll share one of those images in Part II of my favorite images of 2023!

Once the sunset was over, I began the long trek back to the trailhead in the dark. I stopped several times to photograph at a few other locations on the way down, making my way through the night by headlamp until a full moon graced me with its presence. Hiking in grizzly country always comes with a heightened sense of awareness, and when you are hiking in the dark solo, one must be hyper vigilant and aware of their surroundings. While I did not end up encountering any bears that night, just a lot of footprints, I did see one on the road driving out of the park. A fitting way to end the day, and a reminder that I’m not the only one out there wandering through the wild.