Locations

Canyon Wilderness

Jon Ortner isn’t like most Western landscape photographers.

America's Natural Treasures

American historian, writer and conservationist Wallace Stegner once called the national parks “the best idea we ever had.” While that description may be debatable, there’s something to the notion that these beautiful natural landscapes are to the Unite...

Turning Point

Just four years ago, a group of nature photographers assembled in Anchorage, Alaska, during the Eighth World Wilderness Congress to talk about how they could play a more pivotal role in the conservation movement.

Dreamscapes

Photographer Ian Plant challenges many of the conventional notions that define landscape photography.

Chasing Dolphins Down The Amazon

Let me be clear: I’m not a scuba diver. Although I’ve happily snorkeled all my life, I’ve always shied away from “serious” diving. This begs the question: How does a nondiver end up shooting an underwater story for National Geographic?

Sierra Light

In describing the Sierra Nevada Mountains, famed naturalist John Muir once wrote: “Along the [Central Valley’s] eastern margin rises the mighty Sierra, miles in height, reposing like a smooth, cumulous cloud in the sunny sky, and so gloriously col...

Two Shots, One Place

Stephen Matera is the quintessential outdoor photographer. He shoots action sports—like kayaking, skiing and mountain biking—and he’s also an accomplished landscape photographer, capturing both big, beautiful scenic vistas and intimate views of the land...

On The Border

As she watched a herd of bison jumping over a barbed-wire fence to cross between its habitat in the United States and Mexico, Krista Schlyer’s plan for a photo expedition began to take shape.

A Journey To India

Traveling to foreign locations is cause for great excitement for most photographers, as it is for me each time I visit the colorful country of India.

Capturing Southwest Light

Sedona, Arizona, is a special place. Outdoor enthusiasts know it for its ubiquitous red sandstone rock formations, which have drawn photographers for decades who juxtapose the almost glowing red rocks with deep blue skies for dramatic landscape...

The Faces Of Peru

I’m perched precariously on a ledge looking over stone ruins 30 feet below when the winds and the rains suddenly let up, sun shafts penetrating the clearing clouds, and somebody gives me a strong shove from behind.

Postmodern

For more than five decades, photographer Richard Garrod has been producing a strikingly unique fine-art approach to landscape and nature photography.

Getting Connected

For decades, conventional wisdom said that national parks, wilderness areas and refuges were the answer to preserving natural lands and providing sustainable wildlife habitats. But for some time, these large protected areas have been losing the native...

Colorado National Monument, Colorado

This image of a dead juniper tree, “Sunset Sentinel,” was captured during a warm summer afternoon, cliffside, at Coke Ovens Overlook inside Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction, Colo.

The Art Of Astrophotography

Astrophotography is a word that we seldom hear or read; however, this photography technique was used soon after the first image was recorded. In fact, astronomer Sir John Herschel was the first to use the term “photography,” and the first to apply...

Time For Elephants

Time always has been the most overlooked or underexposed factor in wildlife photography. So much is made out of capturing the peak action or the decisive moment that little lip service is given to the all-important hours of planning, waiting and...

In The Valley Of Kashmir

In 2008, photographer John Isaac published a book, The Vale of Kashmir. Its 160 images are the product of five years of dedicated photography, encompassing 11 trips to the troubled region—a valley straddling the border of India and Pakistan.

The Quest For Tigers

Their deep, rumbling roars echo through the verdant jungles where they hunt. Massive predatory machines that stalk silently and strike ferociously, they sit at the top of the complex food chain as dominant apex predators keeping the ecosystem in...

The Great American Midwest

I’m spoiled. I’ve had the fortune to photograph the pristine and spectacular—from the canyons of Zion National Park to the mountains of Glacier National Park to the fall color of New England, as well as the winter landscape in the nation’s crown jewel,...

Between The Ocean & The Bay

If only one word could be used to describe the Eastern Shore, “magic” would be the one I would choose. Flanked by the Chesapeake Bay on the west and the Atlantic Ocean on the east, the Eastern Shore formed through the forces of wind, water and sand. Thi...

Landscape Icons From Above

As a nature photographer, you’re always trying to find a way to make images that will capture the attention of editors, clients and your audience. We’ve all shot many of the same subjects over and over, so how do we see the world differently? For me, it...

Dalls Of Turnagain

It’s really not a secret; I’ve seen plenty of soccer moms stop to take sheep photos on the way back from Girdwood. The secret is the time of year and time of day you head to the spot. Driving south out of Anchorage, Alaska, you’ll come to the Turna...

Landscape Masters Through Time

The history of landscape photography is closely tied to the history of exploration in the American West. Photographers since the birth of the medium have explored wild lands for art as well as science. Much has changed in a century and a half, yet...

Landscapes Exposed!

How often do you have your camera standing by for that elusive shot, only to realize it may take you a few extra moments to get that exposure properly recorded? This is one of the key reasons why it’s imperative to know your camera as well as...

Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge, Fort Calhoun, Nebraska

Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge offers visitors a quiet habitat with a variety of wildlife and scenery. Located in Fort Calhoun on the eastern edge of Nebraska, a short 15-mile drive from Omaha on U.S. Highway 75, the area was once a collection...

Rocky Mountain High

Okay, I admit it: I get tears in my eyes when I hear John Denver’s song “Rocky Mountain High.” My incurable romanticism, however, is balanced by my analytical approach to every image I photograph. The former urges me out of bed at 1 a.m. and up a...

Favorite Places: From Readers & Pros

This photo was taken of Mt. Rainier at dusk. Mt. Rainier National Park is located in the Cascade Mountain Range in Washington, about 50 miles southeast of Seattle. Mt. Rainier can be accessed from numerous entrances, including U.S. Highway 410, which...

Caught In The Act

On glaciers across the northern hemisphere, a couple dozen solar-powered cameras are shooting once an hour for every daylight hour, capturing the ice as it melts in real time. This is a phenomenon often discussed but rarely seen, and perhaps never...

Traversing The Catskills

The Catskills are a hidden gem that offers a combination of geographic, seasonal and lighting diversity. The proximity of the Catskills to the major metropolitan areas of Boston and New York City make this mountain range a perfect day trip for the...

NANPA Turns 15

It has been 15 years since a group of nature-photography devotees gathered at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, N.Y., and decided to form the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA). This coming February...