“The sky is the ultimate art gallery just above us.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson-

On my drives across the corn belt, I’ve always been enamored with the lone trees among the endless fields.

Some say they are for markers for property boundaries, others that they were once a primary source of shade for farmers from a bygone era. Whatever the case, their air of mystery sits majestic among the expansive cornfields of the Midwest.

Everglades National Park is a park that doesn’t present itself as grandly as the others, it requires those with patience to see its true beauty.

Known colloquially at the “River of Grass”, the Everglades is one of the only ecosystems to house both alligators and crocodiles. It also contains one of the largest mangrove forests in the world and, due to the diverse ecosystem, all manner of birds make it their home.

I happened to be the lone passenger on as sunset Everglades boat tour and the captain was kind enough to veer off the usual course and tailor it to my photography. At the end of the tour, when he brought me to one of the mangrove rookeries these birds call home, an egret flew into frame and began its landing as I snapped the photo. It was a sunset I’ll never forget.

Opened in 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge is a marvel of modern engineering. Designed by one Joseph Strauss, the bridge was painted orange to help visibility through the common San Francisco fog. The bridge runs 1.7 miles in length and extends to a height of 746 feet.

Seagulls are a familiar presence around the Golden Gate Bridge. These large, intelligent birds are often seen soaring in the updrafts, perched on railings, or scavenging along the nearby shorelines

This shot was another case of being in the right place at the right time. Arriving at my hotel an hour before sunset completely spent from a full day drive along Big Sur, I dropped my bag in my hotel and immediately started walking towards the bridge. Miscalculating the distance it would take to reach the vantage point I had planned, this shot came as a result of randomly being in the right place at the right time.

In the Midwest, nuclear power plants are a vital part of the energy infrastructure, and many of them are surrounded by sprawling cornfields. This unusual pairing is more practical than it might seem. Nuclear plants require large safety buffer zones, which makes rural farmland an ideal setting.

At the same time, the actual footprint of a nuclear facility is relatively small, allowing the surrounding land to continue being used for agriculture. Illinois, in particular, stands out as the top nuclear-generating state in the country, with 11 reactors at six sites, most of them nestled in farming regions.

Having just finished photographing these monoliths from the other side, I was stunned by the scene developing in my rear view mirror as I sped down the country road. With someone tailgating me, I signaled at the next service road, parked in front of a farm, and quickly set up my tripod to grab this shot.

Everglades National Park is a park that reveals itself slowly, it requires those with patience and keen observation to see its true beauty.

Known colloquially at the “River of Grass”, the Everglades is one of the largest wetland ecosystems in the world. One of the only places in the world in which both alligators and crocodiles coexist, it also contains one of the largest mangrove forests systems in the world. But it’s true beauty is the sanctuary it provides for all manner of birds make it their home or migratory stopping point.

This photo was taken sitting around a fire at my campsite following a long day of kayaking through a mangrove forest strewn with alligators. Requiring the stitching of two photos, this is one of the few images I offer that was not captured in camera due to the nature of how depth of field works in a camera versus our eye, but the light and view was too good to not attempt to emulate what I saw.

Cumberland Island National Seashore is a pristine 18 mile stretch of undeveloped wilderness unique to the East Coast.

The island has a long history, and was once owned by the Carnegie Family who then dedicated the island to the National Park Service in 1972. The island has faced various threats to its wilderness status and has been defended through the continued efforts of Carol Ruckdeschel, one of the few persons allowed to live on the island.

This was the view at my backcountry campsite at the north end of the island where the bay sat still as birds and the rare dolphin would pass by. This was the beautiful end to a long 10 mile hike.

Cumberland Island National Seashore is a pristine 18 mile stretch of undeveloped wilderness unique to the East Coast.

The island has a long history, and was once owned by the Carnegie Family who then dedicated the island to the National Park Service in 1972. The island has faced various threats to its wilderness status and has been defended through the efforts of Carol Ruckdeschel, one of the few persons allowed to live on the island.

While wandering back to my campsite coming from the deserted airstrip strewn with feral horses, I found this scarlet sunset right across from my campsite, the clouds accentuated by the pointing fingers of the tall Loblolly Pines prevalent on the island.

Yellowstone is home to the largest free-ranging bison population in the U.S., offering a rare glimpse into their natural behavior in the wild.

They live in majestic matriarchal family herds where the experienced older cows provide protection, social structure, and learning opportunities for younger bison while the bulls often live alone or in bachelor groups, joining the family herds during the summer mating season.

Wild bison in the US once ran into the millions but were almost hunted to extinction in the 1800s. Yellowstone now serves as a sanctuary for these creatures, but their protection must constantly be guarded, for while humans have the ability to eradicate nature, they also have the ability to preserve it.

Hidden Beach is a small beach nestled off US Route 101 on the border of California and Oregon. Technically part of Redwood National and State Parks, this beach is securely hidden by a tree-covered hillside hiding its secrets from passerby’s.

The mile long trail leads to bluffs overlooking the sea stacks off the coast and eventually leads to a hidden beach with a stunning rock formation and a rocky alcove that many beach goers pick as the spot to host their fire.

This was taken late in the evening walking back from photographing the rock formations on the hidden beach, but this bluff shot made me stop my trek back in the dark and set up my tripod as the light faded.

Early morning in Yellowstone National Park, located in northwest Wyoming, often comes with thick fog.

This fog is caused by the area’s geothermal activity where the warm moisture arising from the hot springs, geysers, and fumaroles meets the cool air of the early morning.

While heading to Artist’s Point early in the morning, I noticed the weird quality of light occurring and stopped off at a turnout to capture this eerie orange coloring.

Cumberland Island National Seashore is a pristine 18 mile stretch of undeveloped wilderness unique to the East Coast.

The island has a long history, and was once owned by the Carnegie Family who then dedicated the island to the National Park Service in 1972. The island has faced various threats to its wilderness status and has been defended through the continued efforts of Carol Ruckdeschel, one of the few persons allowed to live on the island.

I had visited the wild protected beaches of both the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean in the same calendar year when I took this photo, and I cannot divide my love for both. The sunrise peaked through the clouds this particular morning, while I photographed on an empty beach. It is a peaceful memory I recall often.