In the Moment:
Michael Frye's Landscape Photography Blog
by Michael Frye | Sep 15, 2024 | Travels and Stories, Vision and Creativity
Sand clouds, White Sands NP, New Mexico
Back in April, on our way to view the solar eclipse in Arkansas, Claudia and I stopped to photograph sand dunes in southern California and New Mexico.
The difference between those two locations was striking. The California dunes were in a remote corner of the Mojave Desert, and we saw only a few other people there. Footprints were scarce. White Sands National Park in New Mexico was teeming with visitors, including many people sliding down steep-sided dunes with snow-sliding devices. While it was nice to see people enjoying the dunes, you had to hike quite a distance to photograph footprint-free sand.
(more…)
by Michael Frye | Sep 5, 2024 | Announcements
Tomorrow, September 6th, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time, 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, I’ll be one of the presenters in a free webinar hosted by the Out of Chicago team called Waterfalls, Wildflowers, and Wildlife. I’ll be joining several other instructors from next year’s Out of Great Smoky Mountains conference for this webinar, including Chrissy Donadi, Michele Sons, Dusty Doddridge, Stephanie Johnson, Kurt Budliger, and John Putnam, and we’ll each be sharing ideas and tips about photographing waterfalls, wildflowers, or wildlife.
The webinar is free, but you’ll need to register in advance to attend live:
Click here to register for the webinar.
(more…)
by Michael Frye | Sep 1, 2024 | Night Photography
Aurora, Perseid meteors, and lodgepole pine, August 11-12, Yosemite NP, California. This image shows the Aurora Borealis, plus Perseid meteors captured over the course of about two hours.
The night of August 11th was the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. Claudia and I marked this date on our mental calendars, thinking it might be nice to head up to the Yosemite high country and look at some meteors.
As the date approached, solar activity increased, bringing a heightened chance of viewing the aurora – possibly even at our southerly location in central California. The combination of meteors and aurora certainly seemed intriguing. And forecasts indicated that the night of the 11th and 12th was the most likely night to see the aurora.
(more…)
by Michael Frye | Aug 29, 2024 | Announcements, Night Photography
1927 Dodge Graham with gas pumps at night, Bodie State Historic Park, California. In my presentation Complex Lighting With One Flashlight I’ll show how to create rich, complex, sophisticated lighting with just one flashlight – as I did in this photo, lighting the old truck and gas pumps from multiple angles with just one light.
August 31st is the last day to get the early-bird discount on the Nightscaper Photo Conference!
This conference, focused on night photography, takes place September 26-29 in Kanab, Utah. I’ll be making two presentations at this event: Complex Lighting With One Flashlight, and Nighttime Sequences. And I’ll be teaching alongside a stellar lineup of other presenters, including Lance Keimig, Royce Bair, Jess Santos, Matt Hill, Tim Cooper, Rafael Pons, Katrina Brown, and a bunch more. Topics include star trails, auroras, printing, panoramas, deep-space astrophotography, Photoshop selections and masks, planning with PhotoPills – too many more to list them all here, but you can see all the details on the Nightscaper website:
(more…)
by Michael Frye | Aug 23, 2024 | Announcements
I’m excited to be joining the Out of Chicago team for another photo conference – this time in the Great Smokies!
I love photographing the kind of intimate landscapes this park abounds in during the spring – creeks, cascades, forests, blooming dogwoods, and misty ridges. I’m looking forward to photographing these scenes, and to helping participants find their own visions of this beautiful area.
(more…)
by Michael Frye | Aug 11, 2024 | Light and Weather
Sunset clouds, Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite NP, California. Light from the setting sun caught some virga (rain that doesn’t reach the ground) falling from a passing thunderstorm.
I’ve been lucky to live in or near Yosemite for the last 40 years. It’s such a wonderful place. And for about five months of the year, when the Tioga Road is open, I can easily get up to the cool, uncrowded, beautiful high country. It’s always a treat to breathe the thin, pine-scented air while hiking to a secluded alpine lake, or a field of wildflowers.
Last year the Tioga Road didn’t open until July 22nd, its latest opening date ever, which limited the time we got to spend in the high country. But this year Claudia and I got to hang out up there for extended periods before, during, and after our Starry Skies and Range of Light workshops. While not at the record levels like 2023, we did have a good snowpack this year, keeping the water levels high in the creeks and rivers, and creating some nice wildflower displays. We also saw monsoonal moisture sometimes pushing up into the mountains, creating clouds, showers, and thunderstorms, which makes things exciting – and makes for interesting photographs. In other words, it was really beautiful.
(more…)
by Michael Frye | Jul 28, 2024 | Light and Weather
Sunbeams over Negit Island, Mono Lake, California. 91mm, 1/500 sec. at f/16, ISO 100.
Claudia and I recently returned from our annual workshop in the Yosemite high country. It was super fun, as usual, with a great group, and lots of interesting weather and clouds.
Before and during the workshop I photographed several sunrises and sunsets at Mono Lake. One of the things I love about Mono Lake is that it’s a great setting for light shows created by passing weather – clouds, virga, sunbeams, rainbows, and even lightning. The lake’s expanse allows you to include lots of sky, and capture some of that sky reflected in the water.
(more…)
by Michael Frye | Jul 14, 2024 | Travels and Stories
Bison calf kicking up its heels, Yellowstone NP, Wyoming
After our visit to the Tetons, Claudia and I spent a couple of days in Yellowstone before heading home. Since we were only there for two days, we didn’t see the variety of animals we saw in the Tetons, but did get to watch a large bison herd with numerous young calves.
These calves (often called “red dogs” because of their reddish fur) were endlessly entertaining – chasing each other, butting heads, kicking up their heels, or zooming around and around in circles to expend excess energy. Here are some photos of those adorable calves, along with one image of a Canada goose family. And I’ve also included a video Claudia made of the frolicking bison.
(more…)
by Michael Frye | Jul 7, 2024 | Travels and Stories
Grizzly 399 and her 18-month-old cub, Grand Teton NP, Wyoming
As I mentioned in my last post, Claudia and I had a great time watching and photographing the wildlife in the Tetons, and during a brief visit to Yellowstone. There’s so much wildlife in these parks, and the animals are relatively easy to see.
For us, the highlight was seeing the famous Grizzly 399 with her yearling cub, and Grizzly 1063 with her triplet cubs of the year – experiences we shared with our friends Charlotte Gibb and Chrissy Donadi, which made it even more fun.
(more…)
by Michael Frye | Jun 29, 2024 | Travels and Stories
The Teton Range from Jackson Lake at sunrise, Grand Teton NP, Wyoming
Claudia and I had such a great time in the Tetons, before and during the Out of Grand Teton photo conference. The conference went smoothly, as we’ve come to expect from the Out of Chicago folks. We had a great group of participants and fellow instructors, and it was fun hanging out with everyone – teaching, learning, and photographing this beautiful area. Special thanks to my wonderful teaching partner for the conference, Charlotte Gibb, and to Chris Smith, Jennifer Renwick, and all of the Out of Chicago team for making this such a great event!
I actually climbed in the Tetons in the late ’70s, and had been back a few times for photography. But that was awhile ago; in fact it had been more than 20 years since I’d photographed this area. Why did it take me so long to return? I’m not sure, but it was great to be back, and I am sure it won’t take me so long to return again.
(more…)
