In the heart of Umpqua National Forest hides the beautiful Tokete Falls. Here the North Umpqua river has carved out a gorge providing an abstract mosaic of columnar basalt rock. 

The enormousness of the height and width of the cavern is reduced by my wide angle lens, the falls are over 85 feet tall. 

While here I was able to be full present in the moment, mesmerized by the warmth of the sun and the sound of the falls. 

  This is by far my favorite mountain to shoot in the PNW. Mt Saint Helens has such character and the terrain is desolate like the surface of Mars. 

On this morning I woke up at 4:45am to catch that early morning light hitting the rim of the volcano. 

You can see this adventure on my Youtube channel - > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_ey370URJw&t=60s

After the sunsets, the earths shadow moves across the sky. This anti-twilight arch is known as the Belt of Venus. It produces the pinkish orange color you see here. 

  Umtanum Ridge

When I got my new camera, I was excited to get out and shoot with it. So I loaded up my backpacking gear and headed to Spray Park, on the slopes of Mt Rainier. I spent the night there, having the entire back country to myself. It was a warm spring night with a full moon and clear skies. It was an incredibly humbling experience being completely present. I had no fear or expectations. I was 100% in the moment. 

The next morning I arose early for sunrise and was greeted by this vista. 

Little Beehives - Sunrise Banff Canada

I explored many a aspen grove to find a pleasing seen like this one. Colorado

This image is reminiscent of Chinese Ink paintings where only a single element is the focus of the piece. Like Zhao Ji or Yang Wujiu’s Four Branches of Plum Blossoms. I photographed this Aspen tree outside of Ouray, CO, where the movie True Grit was filmed.

This is probably my favorite valley to photograph in the San Juan mountains. Four of the images in this Colorado series are from right here.

Head out to Owl Creek Pass and you’ll see an amazing ridge of rocks jutting out of the mountain side. Colorado. San Juan Mountains. 3:1 Aspect Ratio.

Dallas Divide is an Iconic sight seeing location. But this is a view that is a bit different than what you normally see. Colorado. San Juan Mountains. Dallas Divide. 2:1 Aspect Ratio.