This was one of the last photos I took at this location, and it involved setting up my tripod on the side of a somewhat steep hill and waiting for the sun to catch the trees just right. It is one of those moments where I’m very proud that I was able to find a unique angle of a very popular place and create something new.

This was one of the most rewarding early morning hikes I’ve ever experienced. We left camp at 5am. Took a few astrophotography shots from the trail, and finally made it to the South Rim of Big Bend National Park right as the light was beginning to hit the horizon. I searched around for a composition for a little while and was delighted to find this twisted tree right on the edge of the cliff with such an epic and soft background, that I just had to shoot it all morning!

It’s a rather challenging hike to reach the Northeast Rim campsites of Big Bend National Park with a fully loaded pack with all the camera gear and camping gear necessary for a couple of nights in the backcountry, but it’s definitely worth it for views like this. The sunrise lighting up the peaks, and the panoramic views of the rugged Texas mountains is quite the sight to behold.

Dream lake is the perfect location to photograph at sunrise. It’s a crowded and well used trail to reach the lake, but if you arrive about an hour before dawn you can take a short hike as the light is just beginning to filter through the trees, and arrive at the lake just in time to see the peaks begin to glow as the sun starts to rise. It’s a great way to enjoy one of the more popular attractions in Rocky Mountain National Park without the pressure or chaos of hundreds of other park visitors.

An unusual winter snowstorm in Texas left the world quiet and beautiful for a few short days.

I captured this image in New Mexico on a day when I wasn’t sure if I was even going to be able to get a single decent landscape photo. There were random crowds of people, and conditions weren’t that exciting. Then the sun peeked through, and everything was better.

A Texas sunset behind a whitetail deer shed antler and a piece of old barbed wire.