Category Archives: Nature Photography

From Dreary to Dreamy

From Dreary to Dreamy Just in case you’re unaware, all of my images are available as big, beautiful photographic prints. More than just pretty, they tell elaborate stories that celebrate Chicago’s wondrous habitats and inhabitants. Click here for more information. … Continue reading

Posted in Chicago Nature, Digital Photography, Illinois Nature Photography, Lake County Illinois Nature, Landscape Photography, Nature, Nature Photography, Photography Lessons | Leave a comment

Sometimes You Just Need A Little Distance

Sometimes You Just Need A Little Distance The great blue heron is one of Chicago’s most recognizable and elusive birds. Pass by any wetland, and you’ll probably see one off in the distance, hunting motionless, like a statue in the … Continue reading

Posted in Bird Photography, Chicago Nature, Digital Photography, Illinois Nature Photography, Landscape Photography, Nature, Nature Photography, Photography Lessons, Wildlife Photography | Leave a comment

The Extraordinary in the “Ordinary”

The Extraordinary in the “Ordinary” I am both haunted and fascinated by a phrase that’s often used to praise and describe my work. It all came to a head one day after I performed my one-man show about Chicago nature. … Continue reading

Posted in Chicago Nature, Cook County Nature, Digital Photography, Humor, Illinois Nature Photography, Landscape Photography, Nature, Nature Photography, Photography Lessons | Leave a comment

The Boy and the Waterfall: A Photographer’s Story and Message of Hope

The Boy and the Waterfall: A Photographer’s Story and Message of Hope  I’d like to end the year with a message of hope by sharing this inspirational story from my experience in nature as a photographer. There once was a … Continue reading

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Light in Landscape Photography: A Matter of Life & Depth

Good light can bring shape and depth to a photograph. In particular, low side-lighting or “glancing light” can be used to transform your landscape photographs and make them come to life. In Photo A (below), the feathery June grass, yellow flowers of hoary … Continue reading

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Landscape Photography: Use Your Mind’s Eye

A photograph is a facsimile of reality and our experience. Sometimes it represents the moment quite accurately; at other times, quite poorly. Landscape photography can be more like the latter. This article is about how to photographically communicate the drama and the … Continue reading

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Landscape Photography: Sometimes It Just Takes Two

Landscape photography sometimes requires two shots to capture the drama of a single scene. Here in the woodlands of Will County, this afternoon landscape of bluebells along the stream would have been impossible to convey with just one photograph. Those who … Continue reading

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The Digital Darkroom: Image Capture is Only the Beginning

Like it or not, capturing the image with your camera is only the beginning. Digital darkroom work is needed to best convey the truth of your experience. That’s because, straight out of your camera, digital images are inherently flat, lacking the … Continue reading

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Stop and Look Up: A Winter Daydream

Stop and Look Up Sun and snow on the trail, slip-sliding with ease, Stop and look up, see the lace in the trees. Take your mind off the cold, as your fingers they freeze, Stop and look up, see the … Continue reading

Posted in Chicago Nature, Cook County Nature, Illinois Nature Photography, Nature, Nature Photography, Poetry | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Searching for Spring (and Skunk Cabbage)

Today, March 10, 2013, spring officially began in the Chicago area. For me, the beginning of spring does not arrive in a fanfare of color. Rather, it begins subtly, when sometime in March, speckled maroon and yellow spathes of skunk cabbage … Continue reading

Posted in Biodiversity, Chicago Nature, Cook County Nature, Illinois Nature Photography, Macro Photography, Nature, Nature Photography, Poetry, Will County Nature | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments