Thirty years ago, my family was at Yellowstone. The boys were really small and geysers were the hit of the park as far as they were concerned. We went to them all, multiple times looking for the magic of the eruption. Firehole Lake Drive was open and back then saw very few visitors so we visited it many times. White Dome Geyser went off many times in glorious fashion. For at least the past fifteen years, Firehold Lake Drive has been closed, why I don’t know, so we couldn’t go back and enjoy it. Much to our delight it was open this week permitting us to see all the sights and make some fun clicks. Our timing seemed to be spot on as everything performed just as we arrived to it. The last on the loop is White Dome, our favorite. We had it all to ourselves, not a soul around. The wind was perfect so we could photograph it as you see in the top frame. We had made all sorts of clicks when the roar started, and then the spitting and soon, an eruption. I know it’s silly but it seemed to remember us, putting on a great show. Darn, it was great seein an old friend!

Drove over 1k miles in Maine a few weeks back in search of fall and other than a couple of leaves, we found only a forest of green. Predicting a year in advance when the fall color might be great has always been a challenge, current wx patterns are making it downright bonkers! Finding I had missed it meant going into the old book of tricks. That’s when I decided to have some fun with myself and create my own fall. It was a simple yet fleeting shot across the pond (literally) in ME with a long lens to the lone “cabin” across the way. Since I was in ACR already to remove the blue tarp, I decided to go all in. Grabbed the little-known Nix Color Efex filter Indian Summer and made the hillside a blaze. Now I can see the fall that wasn’t present cause I’m here, where’s the color?

Sharon & I had a marvelous summers, trust you did as well. We got lots done with the long days of light both on The Ranch and behind the camera. So it’s with some regret I embrace the shorter days of light that have hit. I love the quality of light now more than summer for sure, but in telling the story, this clear afternoon at Moosehead Lake (where else would I spend time?) was spot on. So where the chairs are set is just where you see them. There was a post on the left that magically disappeared and a home or two on the other shore, all to help tell the story, summer and the people have past. This has become an instant favorite of mine, and while I shot it in B&W and thought at the time I would prefer it, I love the color better as it reminds me of the fun of summer. It was a great summer and its sad to say goodbye.

On the back loop of the Monument Valley, the Totem has been a special assignment I gave myself the first time I saw it. I have photographed it from every angle except on top, I’ll leave that to Clint. While I treasure all those views, they weren’t what I had in mind. Totem is Totem to me not because of the detail of all the rock but rather, the simple outline as you see here. If you’ve enjoyed Navajo artwork, you know how they incorporate the simple yet gorgeous sky. It’s a palette of colors without anything other than the dust in the air and the sun. That simplicity had long eluded my camera all these years until this trip. Then, there it was and to be honest, I was dumbstruck, in awe to the point I almost did what I typically do, just stare! The earth was spinning, the light was changing fast with the bald skies. I had to walk to get the shot I desired, the one you see, all in a daze. Then the moment came and the haze still seemed to fog my mind. Luckily I went on autopilot, the Z 8 doing its job so darn well when I went click. And with that click in the camera, a calm came over me and I put the camera down. For the next minutes, I just soaked it up. The print is not made, the wall space cleared, and after a long-awaited wait, the moment arrived.