Tag Archives: valley

Highland Stream

Highland Stream
“Highland Stream” — A wild stream rushes through a valley between highland mountains.

I am definitely not a fisherman. I’ve tried, both in the mountains and along the Pacific coast. But I’ve had few successes and many failures. (Eventually I decided that I did not need to carry fishing gear as an excuse to wander along waterways. A camera is a fine substitute!) But evenI have heard of the historic reputation of the fishing in Scotland’s highland streams and rivers. In my mind, a scene like this is central to that reputation — even I can imagine myself spending a day out in the beautiful landscape, wading in these waters.

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Precipice and Valley Below Applecross Pass

Precipice and Valley Below Applecross Pass
“Precipice and Valley Below Applecross Pass” — A stream meanders beneath a towering cliff at Applecross Pass.

This day was a bit of a venture into the unknown. Since we had two nights in Ullapool, we decided to drive a big loop out to Applecross, a place that is fairly isolated, even by Scotland standards. It is on the far west cost, looking out over the waters toward Skye and other islands. When we arrived we took a quick drive through the village and then headed up the hill toward Applecross Pass to begin our return to Ullapool.

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Egret On The Hunt

Egret On The Hunt
“Egret On The Hunt” — A great egret hunting in a California Central Valley field.

I photographed this great egret back in late February during one of my last seasonal visits to a place where I photograph migratory birds every winter. This bird, like so many egrets I see out there, was hunting on its own, moving methodically and slowly toward its prey. If you did not realize what the bird was doing you might not understand its behavior, but once you do the purpose of its focused attention becomes clear.

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Autumn Black Oak Leaves

Autumn Black Oak Leaves
“Autumn Black Oak Leaves” — Autumn black oak leaves in Yosemite Valley.

Is it ever too early to start thinking about autumn? I don’t think so! Every fall I revisit familiar places to photograph the signs of the changing seasons. One of these is Yosemite Valley, where the most interesting colors often peak right around Halloween. At a minimum I make a long day trip up and back from the San Francisco Bay Area. But my preference is to visit for at least a coupe of days.

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