Heading Down

Aug 13, 2026 | Landscape Photography

Ft Benton, MT captured by Z 8 / Z70-200f2.8II

It’s heading down! The pedal was to the metal as we headed down the highway. A dirt road to the north gave us access to the vast landscape. It was a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. It was so remote, a local, who saw us pull over came out to make sure we were OK (I love Montanans!). The Z 8 w/Z70-200f2.8II were quickly pulled out. WB set to 10k, exp comp to -1/3. Grid screen turned on, and the sun placed dead center. I watched as the sun set, and just before I thought it would kiss the horizon, I started to fire and continued until it was no longer a full circle. It was only then that I saw the God beams. It was a great evening enjoying the day and celebrating it with the sun heading down.

Time Machine

Aug 11, 2026 | Landscape Photography, Wildlife Photography

The Great Falls, MT 3 image pano captured by Z 8 / Z70-200f2.8II

In 1805, Lewis & Clark came upon the Great Falls and its surrounding 450′ bluffs and knew the going was going to be tough. What they thought would be a one-day portage turned out to be three weeks. The volume of water was monstrous, so much so that Lewis named the first of the five falls, Great Falls.

Went to Ryan Island to see what Lewis saw. While the rocks haven’t changed much, the falls have had a dramatic change. You can see what I saw in the second pano. I wanted to see what Lewis saw so I grabbed the time machine and rolled the dice.

The Great Falls, MT 3 image pano captured by Z 8 / Z70-200f2.8II

While I was standing there seeing the water come over the spillway, I was mesmerized. The B&W is in the camera, Z 8 magic. The trip back in time, that’s Photoshop AI. This was my first venture into using AI, so I wasn’t really sure what was going to happen. Ya, I’ve used AI for Masking in ACR, but going back in time, this was a first. In Ps, I selected the spillway, clicked on Generative fill, and typed in, “historically accurate Great Falls 1805.” Dang, on the first click, you see the results. Then I tried it on a single image, not a pano of the whole falls, and while it’s darn close, it’s not the same as the pano. That got me to thinking. It’s no replacement for standing there in 1805, but the camera and computer did put me there, and I can visit it anytime I want now, like when I read Undaunted Courage. It’s my own, personal, time machine.

The Great Falls, MT captured by Z 8 / Z70-200f2.8II

Looking for Lewis, Finding Moran

Aug 6, 2026 | Landscape Photography

Tower Rock, MT captured by Z 8 / Z24-20f2.8II

At our feet is the Missouri River as we stand on Tower Rock. This is the same spot Lewis & Clark were in 1805 on their momentous journey west. We’d been following their footsteps, using their journey as our photographic inspiration. The country is quite gorgeous, and all around us are formations that Lewis wrote about in his journal. Then this afternoon at Tower Rock, the light and, sadly, wildfire smoke, brought to life another famous old adventurer of the west, Thomas Moran. His paintings have long been an inspiration with their “heavenly light” and great visual depth. The only thing missing from the photo above is the snow-covered peak in the background. Even if there were one, it wouldn’t have been visible through the smoke. But it was great fun, looking for Lewis, finding Moran.

The Kids Hit the River

Aug 4, 2026 | Wildlife Photography

Cedar Waxwing captured by Z 9 / Z180-600

If you haunt the banks of Montana’s riverbanks this time of year, you will more than likely find young waxwings foraging. Both Cedar and Bohemian kids take advantage of the summer bug hatch to feast now that mom & dad are no longer providing for them. While they are missing their spots on their wings, being young, they don’t know to be shy around people, so they come right in. Now they don’t hold still for long as they are foraging and the hatching bugs, but they land constantly to refocus their efforts. Finding those perches, be it a twig, a rock or the ground, and working your way up to those perches when they are out foraging, you can have a lot of fun while getting some nice images. It’s a way to take advantage of when the kids hit the river.

Cedar Waxwing captured by Z 9 / Z180-600

Crossed Wires

Jul 30, 2026 | B&W Photography, Random Thoughts

Power Poles Rainbow Point, MT captured by Z 8 / Z180-600

Communication is so important! When having a conversation with someone, if you get your wires crossed, too often, confusion is the end result. It often starts with faith in ourselves that gets shaken, and in the process of getting hold of our confidence, choices are made that cause us to take a step back rather than forward. When it comes to having a conversation with our camera bodies, I see too often the same thing happen. Normally, the photograph isn’t what was hoped for when we go click. More often than not, a deep dive into settings is the next step. As if the camera has a mind of its own and is changing settings to make up for the photographer’s weakness. Not only are photos missed as the settings game is played, that smart camera that changed your settings when you weren’t looking must think you’re nuts! That’s can’t be a good result. Start looking inside yourself and not some phantom camera setting to improve your photography. You’ll avoid crossed wires!

Reflecting Back

Jul 28, 2026 | Landscape Photography

Rainbow Falls, Great Falls MT captured by Z 8 / Z70-200f2.8II

This wall of rock, one of five on the Missouri River in 1805, brought the Lewis & Clark expedition to a halt as they figured out how they were going to get passed them. After a couple of weeks and countless man-hours of struggle, they portage their dugouts around the mighty Great Falls. Four of the five falls remain today, all damned to produce electricity. I used the Remove Tool in ACR to take out a sliver of cement in the top left corner of the frame to go back in time to Lewis & Clark’s travels. I was reflecting back.

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