“Desert Peak, Clearing Storm” — Clearing clouds swirl around the summit of a desert mountain following overnight snowfall. If you are unfamiliar with the place, you may be surprised that this scene is in Death Valley National Park. That desert park is famous for recording the hottest recorded temperature on planet, known for its arid playas and immense sand dunes. But there are mountains, too, some of which reach as much as 11,000′ above that dry valley. During the winter they are cold places and snow is common. In mid-March I arrived at the park at the tail end of a series of stormy days. It ..read more

“Flooded Playa” — The flooded landscape of the playa near Manly Lake, Death Valley. This is another in a series of photographs of the floor of Death Valley near Badwater, photographed from high in the Black Mountains early one morning. Following a historic storm in August of 2023, this part of the valley flooded, partially reconstituting the historic Lake Manly. There is still a lot of water, and many areas of the playa are currently inaccessible. To make these photographs I used very long focal length lenses, which allowed me to isolate small areas in this vast terrain. The formations seen he ..read more

“Pre-Dawn Clouds, Lake Manly” — Pre-dawn clouds fill the sky above the Panamint Mountains reflected in Lake Manly, Death Valley. The brief interval between darkness and the arrival of the morning sun may be my favorite time of day in the desert. Everything is still and quiet, and I’m often the only person around. The temperature is comfortable, and sometimes as close to cool as it will get. The light changes perceptibly, transitioning from deep twilight blues toward the intensely warm colors of sunrise. And I have a full day ahead of me. This time I was not completely alone, but I was close to ..read more

“Gravel Road, Carrizo Plain” — A one-lane gravel road winds across the Carrizo Plain as spring vegetation comes to life. OK, I admit it. This is a bit of a “record shot,” considering how this place can look like the peak of the spring bloom in an exceptional year. However, it does give me a chance to write a bit about the location and how I came to be here on this day. I was doing the long drive from the SF Bay Area to Death Valley from the San Francisco Bay Area. Since I had decided to stop overnight in Ridgecrest before continuing to the valley, I had a bit of extra time on the first day’s ..read more

“Ristorante-Pizzeria, Venice” — A small pizzeria at the end of a dark alley, Venice at night. We spent time in Venice during our summer 2023 travels. We had been to Italy before but — it is almost embarrassing to admit — we had bypassed Venice. We had mixed feelings: On one hand, it is notorious for the throngs of tourists that pack the place during the summer months. On the other hand, it is Venice! So we went, and we’re very glad we did. We (and by “we” I refer to Patty, who is a master planner) managed to find a wonderful little place to stay that was in a quiet corner of the city. Even du ..read more

“Desert Mountain Ridges” — Layes of desert mountain ridges stretch to the east, Death Valley National Park. “Desert Mountain Ridges” — Layes of desert mountain ridges stretch to the east, Death Valley National Park. “Desert Mountain Ridges” — Layes of desert mountain ridges stretch to the east, Death Valley National Park. This is one of those “photograph the thing you did not go for” photographs, seen while mostly focusing on an entirely different subject. I was in Death Valley partly because I go there every year at about this time, and partly to photograph the rare reappearance of Lake ..read more

“Sunrise Clouds, Searles Valley” — Fascinating cloud shapes at sunrise, above Searles Valley and the distant Panamint Mountains. “Sunrise Clouds, Searles Valley” — Fascinating cloud shapes at sunrise, above Searles Valley and the distant Panamint Mountains. “Sunrise Clouds, Searles Valley” — Fascinating cloud shapes at sunrise, above Searles Valley and the distant Panamint Mountains. This photograph was a bit of an accident, an example of switching gears to take advantage of an unexpected opportunity. I had stayed in Ridgecrest, California the night before, with a plan to leave very early ..read more

“Tulip After Rain” — Rain drops on a spring tulip blossom. “Tulip After Rain” — Rain drops on a spring tulip blossom. “Tulip After Rain” — Rain drops on a spring tulip blossom. Patty and I had a plan to visit a Bay Area garden where she often photographs spring flowers. According to the calendar, it was time for the tulips and other flowers to be at peak bloom. But as the day approached, it was clear that there was a chance of rain which, to say the least, can make this sort of photography challenging. We headed there early in the morning anyway, and it rained on us during the drive. The ..read more

“Bar Ristorantino” — A couple of people sit at outside tables behind a bicycle rack, Bologna. “Bar Ristorantino” — A couple of people sit at outside tables behind a bicycle rack, Bologna. “Bar Ristorantino” — A couple of people sit at outside tables behind a bicycle rack, Bologna. This photograph captures the comfortable yet ssometimes-cruffy character that we saw in Bologna. A couple of people sit at outside tables located under on of the ubiquitous porticos, between old, weathered columns. Racks hold bicycles, also common here, and an impromptu string of lights is ready for the evening ..read more

“Morning Clouds, Lake Manly” — Morning clouds drift over Lake Manly and the distant Panamint Mountains, Death Valley. “Morning Clouds, Lake Manly” — Morning clouds drift over Lake Manly and the distant Panamint Mountains, Death Valley. “Morning Clouds, Lake Manly” — Morning clouds drift over Lake Manly and the distant Panamint Mountains, Death Valley. I made my annual visit to Death Valley this past week. While there I realized that it has been 25 years since my first encounter with the place, and that I have been photographing there every year for about two decades. In addition to the us ..read more