Nature In Focus Photography Workshops

Nature In Focus Photography Workshops Photography Workshops and Education

Blue.I shared an image yesterday of some detail inside an ice cave, so today I thought I would share an image of probabl...
09/02/2026

Blue.

I shared an image yesterday of some detail inside an ice cave, so today I thought I would share an image of probably one of, if not the bluest cave we ever visited. We have been lucky that we have been able to access the caves very early, often hiking out in the dark. This gives you the opportunity to beat the crowds and spend a little more time not waiting for folks to move on. This was a cave we visited in 2025. My favorite thing about this cave was the area in front of the rocks to the left was water and made for an incredible reflection. The longer exposure of 15 seconds really helped to pull out details in the shadows. The obvious composition here was to have the cave lead you to the opening at the end. Exploring the ice caves is very exhilarating and I could spend hours checking out the details of the walls. I still remember the first time we visited an ice cave our guide suggested filling our water bottles with melting glacier. It was incredible! Seeing, photographing, and even tasting an ice cave is an awesome experience. You can still join me in March 2027 for this experience! For this image I used my Tamron 17-50mm Di III VXD lens on a Sony a1 at 17mm, Manual Exposure mode, f11, shutter speed of 15 seconds, ISO 800, Leofoto tripod, f-stop Gear Guru 4 AIR backpack.

Bably Blue.I have been creating new images but haven't had a lot of time to process as life has been dominating my time....
09/01/2026

Bably Blue.

I have been creating new images but haven't had a lot of time to process as life has been dominating my time. I have been going through images from Iceland over the years and got into some of the ice caves. The most fascinating part is often the detail in the ice itself. The overall beauty of a cave is incredible on its own, but when you slow down and study the details, that is where you find the true beauty. Light working its way through the glacier and then the textures in the ice creates incredible image opportunities. We still have a few spots left for our March 2027 Iceland Workshop, very limited in number, only 6 participants with Thor and myself. Register between now and the end of September to receive $500 off. For this image I used my Tamron 28-75mm G2 lens on a Sony a1, Manual Mode, f11, shutter speed of 1/8th of a second, at 75mm, ISO 100, Leofoto tripod, fStop Gear Kashmir backpack.

Zero Gravity.Most of you know we do some dog sitting. I enjoy it as it is my way to have a dog, but not have a dog. I wi...
08/31/2026

Zero Gravity.

Most of you know we do some dog sitting. I enjoy it as it is my way to have a dog, but not have a dog. I will eventually get a dog, or should I say welcome a dog into my life full time when it finds me. When we got Lily it wasn't really planned and there were tons of options, but I knew from the minute I saw her, she and I would spend the rest of our days together. Sadly those days rarely match up and one of us leaves before the other. I'm convinced when dogs come to stay with us Lily has a hand or paw in it. There is almost always one that claims me as their person as Lily did. I think it is her asking when I will be ready to let one come and choose me again. I think the right dog finds you, or you find each other when it is meant to be. You can have a lot of joy, and a lot of hardships, but when the right dog enters your life you know it. It was meant to be. I love doing images of the dogs when they come to stay with us, and capturing them happy and playing allows us to put at ease their families that their little furry ones are safe and happy. The white faced chestnut colored dog is Carrie, and she claims me as her person when she is here. If I am sitting still she is at my feet or by my side and of course demanding a chest or belly rub. It is then that I believe Lily is visiting me, because that is where Lily always was and what she was doing. When you share your life with a dog, you learn about unconditional love, not validation, and you learn about forgiveness and understanding, and never being judged, except when you break the treat in half, then you deserve to be judged. You learn about acceptance. Be careful though looking into those eyes, you will learn about how deeply one can love and be loved. For this image I used my Tamron 35-150mm lens at 150mm on a Nikon Z8, Manual mode, f2.8, shutter speed of 1/1000th of a second, ISO 1600, handheld.

Patience.I have been really busy lately and haven't been able to photograph much recently, even though I still get the c...
08/30/2026

Patience.

I have been really busy lately and haven't been able to photograph much recently, even though I still get the camera out every day and do an image to stay sharp. It just means that the images I'm doing aren't what I wanted to post. I wanted to post an image from this past March during our workshop in Iceland, and by the way we still have a few spots left for March 2027, currently $500 off if you register before the end of September. Any how, let's talk about this image and what would seem like a simple point and capture image, it actually took a lot of work. I was using my Insta360 Ace Pro 2 for some still images and we stopped for a rainbow initially but the horses added a new opportunity. There were more horses but I isolated these 5 as the odd numbers tend to work better in composition as it breaks up the symmetry and helps with the visual flow. So I could adjust my position left and right, but I was standing at a fence so couldn't get closer. Patience played a part when I had to wait until that perfect horse that was different and it stands out walked from behind the darker horse on the left. So often in photography being patient and keeping a goal in mind helps to capture the image you envision. For this image I used the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 with the Explorer grip, in RAW format, and processed in Lightroom. They are actually very handy camera to have with you as the quality is really good!

Technology advancements.I was looking at these images I captured of the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds the other day and the...
08/29/2026

Technology advancements.

I was looking at these images I captured of the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds the other day and the realization hit me once again as to how incredible today's cameras are vs when I started my career as a nature photographer in the early 90s. I remember struggling all the time to capture a sharp image of bird in flight, much less a hummingbird in flight. I would have been happy to have captured a single image that was sharp. During this session I literally had almost 100% sharp, composition or bird position made some better than others, but it really blew me away as to the accuracy of the autofocus capabilities of mirrorless cameras. I wouldn't consider anything else for wildlife if I were buying a system today. Landscapes aren't moving, ideally, so it isn't as critical, but definitely for wildlife. It is amazing to me as the bird began to explore for nectar and then feed, the camera stayed focused on the beak, and even the feet are sharp. For this image I used the Tamron 150-500mm Di III Z mount lens. My settings for the image were at 500mm (750mm using the Dx setting) on a Nikon Z8 Manual Mode, f8, shutter speed of 1/500th of a second, ISO 8000, Leofoto tripod, f-stop Gear GURU AIR backpack.

Only a few more weeks!Soon I will be headed back to Wyoming for a couple of workshops. The first is my regular Fall in t...
08/28/2026

Only a few more weeks!

Soon I will be headed back to Wyoming for a couple of workshops. The first is my regular Fall in the Tetons Workshop based at Triangle X Ranch, and we do annually, so keep an eye out for next year's announcement as it fills up really fast. Then the next week is with Out of Chicago and the Out of Grand Teton Photography Conference. It won't be easy to be in Wyoming in the peak of Fall, but I am doing so you won't have to, yes, I'm taking one for the team. I hope that we hit the fall colors at peak again as we have the past 2 years, and this scene shows its usual magic. I will be joined the first week by a very long time friend, Christy Berry of BerryVine Image Photography, and the group will enjoy Christy's unique perspective on so many scenes. Doing 2 in a row, I asked if Christy would be willing to help and happily she accepted. Maybe this will mean I can get a horseback ride or 2 in with the old hip before they replace it in November. The Tetons are so special to me and the memories each visit brings back to me are always wonderful. I have met some lifelong friends here that I feel are with me each time I stand in front of the incredible range of mountains, and I can't help but smile. For this image I used the Tamron 35-150mm Di III Z mount lens. My settings for the image were at 72mm on a Nikon Z8, Manual Mode, f8, shutter speed of 1/320th of a second, ISO 100, Leofoto tripod and panoramic head, f-stop Gear GURU AIR backpack.

The Waltz of the Hummingbird.When I watch hummingbirds I am amazed at the smooth fluid movement of the bird. The head re...
08/27/2026

The Waltz of the Hummingbird.

When I watch hummingbirds I am amazed at the smooth fluid movement of the bird. The head remains still while the body maneuvers ever so slightly positioning the bird for the next flower. It reminds me of watching dancers performing a waltz. The moves are subtle, but so smooth and fluid, all while looking like there is total control. Smooth dancing is something I never possessed the ability of having in my life, I'm more of an animal eluding capture on the dance floor, but I find the beauty of the subtleness of hummingbirds to be so cool to watch. Even though their movement is so fast, I find it so relaxing to watch, and so elegant. For this image I used the Tamron 150-500mm Di III Z mount lens. My settings for the image were at 500mm (750mm using the Dx setting) on a Nikon Z8 Manual Mode, f8, shutter speed of 1/500th of a second, ISO 9000, Leofoto tripod, f-stop Gear GURU AIR backpack.

Dolly Parton's influence on a region.I never met Dolly Parton, I did hear some of her music, I did see her in some movie...
08/26/2026

Dolly Parton's influence on a region.

I never met Dolly Parton, I did hear some of her music, I did see her in some movies, but it is undeniable the influence she had on the area around the Great Smoky Mountains. I avoided Pigeon Forge with every chance I got because of the crowds that Dollywood attracted to the area, but it was great for an area that would have normally suffered economically as it provided so many jobs to so many people. And honestly, the world can never have too many pancake restaurants. She was also known for helping the people of the area after the fires that swept through Sevier County in 2016 by establishing the My People Fund that gave the locals up to $10,000 per household for assistance. But most of all you can't think of Dolly without thinking of the Imagination Library. Since its inception she has given almost 3.2 million kids books to kids from birth to age 5 so they can form an appreciation for reading. The total number of books so far is over 332 million, and the organization is active in 5 countries.It is incredible to me her gift of giving. Why did she do it? Here are her own words:
“When I was growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, I knew my dreams would come true. I know there are children in your community with their own dreams. They dream of becoming a doctor or an inventor or a minister. Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer.

The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.”

Dolly you will be missed but you have some great people that will carry on your dreams.
For this image I used my new Tamron 12-20mm lens on a Sony a7RIVa, Manual Mode, f16, shutter speed of 2/5ths of a second, at 17mm, ISO 50, Leofoto tripod, fStop Gear Kashmir AIR backpack.

Vestrahorn in winter.I've stated on previous occasions how I love Vestrahorn, an area on the southeast of Iceland. It so...
08/25/2026

Vestrahorn in winter.

I've stated on previous occasions how I love Vestrahorn, an area on the southeast of Iceland. It so much resembles the Teton Range to me due to how it shoots up from the level area and stands out against the landscape. The black sand dunes in the foreground help to set it apart for me and I really enjoyed seeing and photographing them this summer with the lupine in the foreground, and the green grass clinging on to the dunes. However for me I actually prefer the grass when it is brown I think. It helps me visually to tie in the foreground dunes and the mountain peaks. I would prefer beautiful fluffy clouds above the mountains, but the blue sky serves as a nice color combination with the browns and golds. The crowds tend to be less in the winter and it allows you to visit and explore the landscape. I love seeing the ripples in the sand between the dunes and how the rocks will settle in the gaps. To me they all aid in leading the viewer to those incredible peaks. We still have a few spots left for our March 2027 workshop, and between now and September 30, you can save $500 off of the normal pricing. For this image I used my Tamron 16-30mm Di III VXD G2 lens on a Sony a7RIVa, Manual Mode, f16, 1/60th of a second, at 19mm, Handheld, ISO 100, fStop Gear Kashmir AIR backpack.

Can a Puffin be a spirit animal?So beyond the physical similarities, short, stocky, knees that will never meet each othe...
08/24/2026

Can a Puffin be a spirit animal?

So beyond the physical similarities, short, stocky, knees that will never meet each other up close, enlarged beak, can you have a Puffin as a spirit animal. Puffins are sort of introverts, they spend most of their time out at sea, but come ashore for mating season, but even then spend a little time chatting with his friends, and more time bitching at the others that invade his space. They live in burrows only long enough to raise a puffling, then pack up and head back to sea. Sort of the ultimate introvert of the bird world. I have been thinking of starting a club for introverts, we won't ever meet. Anyway, Puffins are just awesome, they are super cute and I could literally watch them all day for days on end. Iceland is such a special place to me, there is so much to see and do, but at the same time, you can get lost in nature so very easy. Whether you decide to go in winter, spring, summer or fall, go, it is a magical place. We still have a few spots for our Winter 2027 South Coast Workshop, March 2-9, 2027. Between now and September 30 get $500 off as well. For this image I used the Tamron 50-400mm Di III E mount lens. My settings for the image were at 400mm on a Sony a1, Manual Mode, f8, shutter speed of 1/1000th of a second, ISO 1250, Handheld, f-stop Gear GURU AIR backpack.

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