Memories and testaments to the September 11th attacks permeate many aspects of life in New York City. One of the most profound of these is the "Tribute in Light," an installation of 88 powerful spotlights projecting 616,000 watts of light from lower Manhattan into the night sky every year on the anniversary of the attacks. This creates two heavenly columns that ascend, seemingly forever - a stunningly beautiful and iconic testament to bravery, sacrifice, and resilience.
On the 15th anniversary of the attacks, nature put on its most impressive display to complement the memorial. I was set up on the Jersey City waterfront with all of my gear for producing the highest resolution photo of the memorial ever created. The sky was filled with wispy hints of clouds pleasantly drifting high overhead. As the sun descended under the horizon, the illumination on those clouds rapidly disappeared and the sky darkened much faster than usual thanks to the unusually dry atmosphere of the late summer day. This quickly shifted the hue of the sky to a beautifully muted deep blue, unveiling the memorial light beams... read more
Yosemite National Park might be my favorite place on planet Earth. Both for taking landscape photos, and for standing in awe of nature, traveling through the expansive wilderness of Yosemite is simply incredible. Living within close proximity to this natural wonder has made me very fortunate, and I have been able to travel here to take photographs on average around two times a year. I have been to Yosemite in every season, and have explored the major accessible attractions, as well as the deeper wilderness that you can only get to via multi-day hike.
The view of Half-Dome and the surrounding Yosemite Valley from the Glacier Point lookout is one that many visitors will be familiar with. Very few people however, have experienced it in the dramatic setting that I was fortunate enough to be in when I took this VAST photo. As sundown approached, most travelers have left and a thunderstorm was quickly approaching. I climbed down below the path to find the optimal place where no trees were in the way, and I waited for the moment when the clouds had perfectly crept into half of the frame... read more