I woke up really early this morning and drove to the Columbia Gorge for sunrise. My destination was Tom McCall Preserve, a plateau that is protected by the Nature Conservancy. At this time of year it’s covered with native wildflowers…primarily balsamroot and lupine. The weather was cloudy when I arrived, but I set off up the trail anyways. Luckily the sun broke through as I was climbing the ridge, and I was treated to one of the most beautiful natural displays I’ve ever seen.

My friend Paul Shirkey has his new website online. He shoots black and white architectural and landscape images in large format. You can check out his site at Photography by Paul Shirkey.

I recently joined the Nature Photographers Network, and today I got my first weekly editor’s pick from their critique forums! They chose my image of a bugling elk.

I had a friend visiting from out of town last weekend, so we went out to the coast again on Sunday evening. It was a nice sunset, with just enough clouds to make the sky interesting.