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HARMONIOUS<br />
LIGHT<br />
As a conservation photographer, I consider it<br />
imperative that I work in harmony with the<br />
land I’m exploring. The only traces I leave<br />
behind are the footprints I make in the snow<br />
and the photographs I share with the world.<br />
The National Park Service has much the<br />
same mission, but their version is a bit more<br />
complicated. While they’ve been tasked to make<br />
our national treasures accessible to as many<br />
people as possible, they also have to make sure<br />
the hoards of visitors to our national parks don’t<br />
trample the pristine nature of these magical<br />
places. And that’s a tall order, for sure.<br />
ABOVE SOL DUC FALLS, OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK, WA
2 Harmonious Light<br />
Consider Sol Duc Falls in Olympic National Park, a mesmerizing triple waterfall in the middle of the<br />
Hoh Rain Forest. With sheer cliffs on either side of the canyon, the only way for visitors to view the<br />
spectacle is from a vantage directly above the falls. So how do you bring the eager American public to<br />
Sol Duc? The National Park Service fashioned a bridge from a pair of giant fir trees that lie across the<br />
gully. The simple structure fits so serenely within the environment that it becomes nearly invisible to<br />
the eye as you approach it. The logs look like they might have been placed there by nature...a perfect<br />
way to cross the span without spoiling the harmony of the scene.<br />
I rarely photograph man-made objects but this place strikes such a perfect balance of man and nature,<br />
I couldn’t resist. I considered my options and climbed to the top of the falls…choosing to focus on the<br />
scene from the “wrong direction.” What I didn’t expect was a little bit of magic when I climbed to my<br />
vantage point. As soon as I set up my tripod, the sun shone through the rising mist illuminating my<br />
subject beautifully. When I speak of the “magic” of photographing the national parks, this is the kind<br />
of thing that makes me feel like the universe is somehow guiding me on this journey.<br />
ABOVE SOARING OVER EL CAP, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CA
4 Harmonious Light Harmonious Light 5<br />
ABOVE SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK, AZ<br />
ABOVE CINDER CAVE, CRATERS OF THE MOON NATIONAL MONUMENT, ID
6 Harmonious Light<br />
Harmonious Light 7<br />
ABOVE FIRST LIGHT AT ALSTROM POINT, LAKE POWELL NATIONAL RECREATION AREA<br />
ABOVE GLASSY MERCED RIVER, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CA<br />
NEXT ASPEN TREES, NORTH RIM GRAND CANYON, AZ
10 Harmonious Light Harmonious Light 11<br />
ABOVE FALLEN TREE, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CA<br />
ABOVE GUNSIGHT BUTTE, LAKE POWELL NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, AZ
Harmonious Light 13<br />
LEFT MORMON ROW, GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK, WY<br />
ABOVE RACETRACK PLAYA, DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, CA
14 Harmonious Light<br />
Harmonious Light 15<br />
ABOVE WILD GOOSE ISLAND, GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, MT<br />
ABOVE MORMON BARN, GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK, WY
Harmonious Light 17<br />
LEFT CINDER MOUND, CRATERS OF THE MOON NATIONAL MONUMENT, ID<br />
ABOVE PU`UHONUA O HÔNAUNAU NATIONAL MONUMENT, HI
18 Harmonious Light Harmonious Light 19<br />
ABOVE HUBBLE TRADING POST<br />
ABOVE MESA VERDE NATIONAL MONUMENT, CO
Harmonious Light 21<br />
LEFT HARPERS FERRY NATIONAL MONUMENT, WV<br />
ABOVE MONUMENT COVE, ACADIA NATIONAL PARK, ME
22 Harmonious Light Harmonious Light 23<br />
ABOVE MUIR WOODS NATIONAL MONUMENT, CA<br />
ABOVE PIPE SPRING NATIONAL MONUMENT, AZ
24 Harmonious Light Harmonious Light 25<br />
ABOVE ASPENS, ROCKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK, CO<br />
ABOVE MERMAID PERCH OF THE POTOMAC RIVER, GREAT FALLS PARK, VA
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