Jane Yost Photography

04/30/2026

I'm not a bird photographer, but when I see a bird that wants to pose, and stays put while he's at it, I'm on it! Here's the Anhinga waterbird, spied recently in Huntington Beach State Park, South Carolina. He spears the fish with his long beak and often swims with only his head and neck out of the water, gaining the nickname, snakebird. It was incredibly entertaining watching him dry his wings out before settling into a comfy position on his perch. If you're in love with him already, I have more photos of that process to come!

03/13/2026

One Year Ago cont. Day 7: Antarctica Day1, AM. We awaken to find ourselves floating amongst giant white landscapes so immense it's hard to fathom. Not tall like typical mountains, but hills and low mountains covered with the thickest layers of snow and ice I've ever seen, rising straight out of the water. We were in the Melchior Islands, near one of Argentina's 13 bases in Antarctica, specifically the Melchior Base. This is where the excitement began, as our morning activity was venturing out on the zodiacs for the first time, group by group, only ever allowing 10 zodiacs in the area at one time, and there were 20 each with 10 passengers, (200 in all on the ship), so this was a well-oiled operation. We only cruised around the base, with the seals being the main attraction, for now. Then a nice surprise in the waters around the ship at lunchtime ... 🐳

03/11/2026

One Year Ago: Days 4-6. Ushuaia, Argentina. Embarking on our ship for the two day voyage across the open waters of the often treacherous Drake, before seeing anything icy. The voyage was jam packed with lectures about arctic life, the fragility of it, the history of exploration down there, and the ice itself. Leaving Ushuaia and sailing down the Beagle Channel we could hardly concentrate on lifeboat drills as the low sun peeked through the clouds illuminating Ushuaia in the distance. Then a little surprise at bedtime, a blackout, accompanied by the engines dying. As we collectively lay in our beds wondering what our fate was to be, the captain's voice reassured us it was a minor problem, and we would be underway soon. Note: he had previously welcomed us over the PA, and let us know that this was the Ocean Endeavour's last voyage ever, so as we all closed our eyes, we did so with the utmost hope for our safety! Sure enough we awoke the next morning deep into the Drake Passage.

03/07/2026

One Year Ago: Days 2 & 3 Ushuaia, with day trip to the Fin del Mundo inside Tierra del Fuego National Park. A visit that was illustrated with many stories about the convicts who helped log it for building in Ushuaia. Today’s “convicts” are actors who absolutely give all of themselves to this little day trip to bring the old convicts to life, for the pleasure of the visiting tourists.
Ushuaia was a fascinating little city, with many buildings and other structures built from the old corrugated tin that was used as ballast in ships rounding the notorious Cape Horn, discarded when they no longer needed it. It appears all over town, painted in many bright colors, which gives warmth to this otherwise very chilly city.

03/05/2026

One Year Ago today I was embarking on a trip of a lifetime, a posthumous gift from my grandfather, who would have loved this trip himself, to Argentina and Antarctica. It was a family-oriented trip in another way too as my photographer sibs were actually employed to lead groups on behalf of Sony, on the ship that Fred and I went on. And my grandfather loved photography too. These expeditions are getting a lot of flack today, for contaminating life and waters down there, I now know, so I feel lucky to have experienced it. There were lectures twice daily and strict protocols to prevent disease transmission, or lessen it at best. But the future of these trips is in jeopardy for good reason. In the next couple of weeks I will post my entire experience, including in Argentina.
Day 1: Getting to Ushuaia (via Dallas & Buenos Aries)

02/07/2026

When it's too cold to go outside, there's always some delicious indoor delights to see, and one of them is the Library of Congress, long held as my favorite building in Washington DC, most notably, the Great Hall. I start this collection with the walk-through from the Capitol Building. Enjoy! All photos iPhone only - phones have come a long way with indoor light!

01/28/2026

Here's a series of photos I took a few years ago over India, Pakistan, and Iran, showing the power of simple edits. The air was thick with smog, especially in Delhi, and indeed even over Pakistan. Over the Straits of Hormuz between the UAE and Iran was a different kind of haze, the plane window itself. Back then the de-haze feature in Adobe Lightroom did not exist, but it is THE BEST adjustment for those window seat shots, then maybe bring up the whites a little. Some of these I used the mask feature to separate the different areas I wanted to work on, and others I just did a global adjustment. Take a look at the comparisons - there is NO comparison! Adobe LR is a simpler more intuitive version of Adobe PhotoShop, btw, less oriented to the professional, but a great way for any amateur or enthusiast to edit and organize.

12/28/2025

Took a walk in the woods after some freezing east coast rain and stumbled upon these gorgeous gems - turkey tail mushrooms dressed in ice. They grow year-round out of dead tree trunks when they have enough shade and moisture, and play a vital role in decomposition. How beautiful are they all decked out in this thin layer of ice?!

10/18/2025

I didn’t see him last week, but I’d like to … he’s evidently wandering the waters between Australia, New Zealand, and Tonga. What a beautiful creature!🤍

A Ghost Humpback Whale of the Deep: Rare White Whale Stuns New Zealand!

In a breathtaking moment off the Kaikōura coast, a majestic white humpback whale has been spotted gliding through New Zealand waters — an event so rare it has the nation buzzing! Whale watchers were left in awe as the gleaming giant surfaced beside another humpback, its pale skin glowing beneath the waves like a ghost of the ocean. Some believe it could be Migaloo, the world-famous albino humpback first seen off Australia, long thought to have disappeared.

While experts are yet to confirm the whale’s identity, the sighting has rekindled hope and wonder about the mysteries of our marine world. White whales are so rare that only a handful have ever been recorded globally. Whether it’s Migaloo or a new ocean legend, this incredible encounter reminds us of the magic and mystery that thrive in New Zealand’s deep blue seas.

10/15/2025

I'm in Newcastle, NSW, Australia right now, which as it happens has a spectacular coastline, so I of course put the drone up to take a quick look. Here's a small representation. Newcastle Beach.