Principia Media

07/13/2024

From a year and a half ago, during my most recent visit to Mount Rainier National Park.

A view of Tipsoo Lake from the overlook. Viewable is the Naches Peak Loop Trail, a 3.5 mile easy trek around the lake. It's landscape dominated by its subalpine forest and fir trees.

One of the best views of Mount Rainier, an excellent national park for photography.

07/11/2024

I've been to Sunrise the highest point in Mount Rainier National Park multiple times. The most recent was just over a year and a half ago, which I captured this photo. Each time I've been to Sunrise it's been in late afternoon, which kinda misses the point since the light from behind is in its name.

This particular photo was taken on the road to the Sunrise Visitor Center which has a convenient turnout, where I parked my car and walked down into the meadow several hundred feet where I could see the subalpine fir trees that huddle together for protection from the elements.

I have so much to learn from our national parks, but as naturalist John Muir said, "How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains!"

And it does, no matter what time of day.

07/10/2024

07/10/2024

This is one of my favorite photos. I captured it a year and a half ago. A taxidermy shop near the edge of Carthage, Maine—a small town on US-2 not far from Dixfield and an hours drive from the New Hampshire border.

There is a lot to see in this photo. I would have gone inside had the shop not been closed that Sunday morning. Though most of my photos are landscapes, there are times when I can't resist something quite different. Different being the key word.

Still today I wish I'd had a chance to stop in and talk with the owner. I doubt if I would have left with some sort of stuffed animal or a head to hang on my wall.

I don't believe I've ever met a taxidermist but I understand it is truly an art. One very noticeable collectable I see in the photo is the small shed from Oxford Paper Company which is now ND Paper with its factory just to the west in Rumford, Maine.

What interesting relics or antiquities do you see in the photo?

07/08/2024

On October 9, 2022 I was in the vicinity of Wilton, Maine. My camera data said I made this photo at 5:46pm and according to the National Weather Service the sunset that night was 6:07pm.

I know I stayed in Wilton that night, but I also remember heading over to Farmington to pick up something to eat. Looking at the photo I believe it was over the Sandy River where I captured the sun setting that night. I do remember stopping at a coffeehouse in the downtown area of Farmington and that they closed fairly early.

At any rate, it was a beautiful sunset even thought I don't remember many of the details.

07/07/2024

A fun shot from yesterday morning, that looks like The Thing that's about to swallow our town. In reality it's the 767 foot Kaye E. Barker a lake freighter that was built in Toledo in 1952, was sold many times and carried several names over the years.

It's actually not entering the harbor, it's exiting by backing up. There is a turning basin but most ships back up possibly due to the depth of the basin or simply a preference of the captain.

I captured the image from a special place near the government basin with a long lens mounted on my new camera body that I've appropriately named The Beast. Still experimenting as time allows. I shot a lot of photos of this freighter but decided to post this one because of the optics of a ship that looked like it was about to devour our town but was instead leaving.

It is now in Port Inland south of Blaney Park in the Upper Peninsula and has already taken on yet another cargo of limestone mined near Gulliver which is about to shipped back in this direction.

And so it goes...

07/06/2024

I love spectacular clouds especially during sunsets and sunrises.

Lately I've been loading images on yet another new hard drive, this one is 16TB. I have a wall of them here. Literally.

As I was in the process of loading images, this once caught my eye. I had to look in my calendar to see where I was on August 31, 2020 and it was during a week when I stayed in my favorite motel in Watford City, North Dakota.

That means that I made this photo in Theodore Roosevelt National Park since I like to spend my evenings when I'm in Watford City at the North Unit there.

What I like about that particular national park is that at night there are very few people there. It is a great place to reflect and often its beauty reflects back on me.

Funny how life works out that way when we reflect what we see back to others and they reflect back.

07/05/2024

Last night on my way home from an event in Holland, I stopped along a backroad where the sun was literally in my eyes.

I decided it was finally time to use the "beast" a new camera I purchased last month on my way back from my trip west. Prior to leaving on the trip I decided it was time for an upgrade. Having converted from Nikon DSLR to Nikon Z Mirrorless over the past few years, I had made my decision but wanted to wait until I got home to order it, knowing using a camera I had no experience with on a trip was not a good idea.

So with a "gulp" I dialed B&H and order the "beast" a Nikon Z8.

Getting back to last night, I had earlier mounted my 400mm Z Nikon long lens and headed out to the blueberry fields, a few miles from my home. I decided to experiment by shooting straight into the sun to see how the camera would do under what are normally difficult conditions to get a decent shot.

Here are the results. The sun was casting golden hour light. I knew I would not get any of the foreground so I instead focused on the setting sun. The "beast" is an incredible camera as is the 400mm lens.

07/01/2024

Many Glacier Hotel on Swiftcurrent Lake in Glacier National Park.

Built by the Great Northern Railway in 1914-15, Many Glacier Hotel was closed for the season when I arrived. The story is in my book.

I decided to hike along Swiftcurrent Trail that circles the lake. I was nearly halfway around when I shot this photo. A few moments later I saw bear skat and a second after that I encountered a grizzly. It didn't notice me, the wind was in the right direction. I had bear spray at the ready as I quietly slipped away and retraced my way back to the beginning of the trail.

It was the closest call I've ever had. I thought because the trail was well traveled there would not be grizzlies around. I was wrong and found out when I walked to the edge of the lake to shoot that photo. There were a lot a bushes and thickets. The grizzly was hiding there. No cubs luckily. More details in the book. Hopefully releasing it to my editor soon, once the early readers have given me their input.

It's all a process. I've guided well over two hundred books through the publishing process. Now it's me, and I'm "escared" as is said by toddlers. I'm much older, but my early toddler is coming through.

06/30/2024

As I've traveled these past many years, one thing I notice about North Dakota is its pride in its past as can be seen by the many homestead homes, churches and schools that have either been preserved or are sadly left to wither.

Unlike many other states that were homesteaded, because the vast number of homesteaders came to North Dakota later than the onset of settlers who traveled to other states.

Quoting from the ND Historical Society: "North Dakota homesteaders came beginning in the 1870s. People who wanted a family farm could claim a homestead of 160 acres. They could also purchase land in any amount they could afford. Family farms, much smaller than bonanza farms, had an average of 277 acres in 1890. Federal law also allowed a farmer to claim an extra 160 acres by planting trees on part of the land. Farmers took advantage of all these opportunities, and by 1920 the average farm had grown to 466 acres. Farmers usually arrived in Dakota Territory by train. If they arrived early in the spring, they plowed a field right away. Part of the field was usually planted to potatoes for the family’s food supply. The rest of the land was planted to wheat or flax. Farmers were surprised and happy with the good crops they got from the first plowing—something called breaking."

This is a church near the Canadian border north of Rugby in an area of family farms. My assumption is it was a Lutheran Church which is common in that area. Though when I took the photo it didn't appear any rehabbing had begun, it does look to be in fairly good condition.

I imagine some who follow my posts will know the church's history.

06/30/2024

Manifest Destiny

A term used by John O’Sullivan in 1845 that spread like wildfire and led to the belief that America was destined by the Creator to inhabit all the land in what is now known as The West (pretty much all of the territory west of the Mississippi River). In Kevin Costner’s new movie Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, Manifest Destiny is the jumping off point for what is to become a four-part movie that launched over the weekend.

We attended that movie last night. And I must say, though the critics have not been kind, I get it. Keven Costner first began writing the script in 1988 which he could not get a single studio to produce. So he put up somewhere near fifty million dollars of his own money along with that of a handful of other investors in order to get the initial film produced.

The result is an historical bio-pic that attempts to tell the story of how the concept of Manifest Destiny played out through the lives of various people over a timespan of fifteen years from 1859 to 1874. The sweeping landscape of the American west is the stage for the movie—the cinematography is gorgeous. The storyline is difficult to follow. But as one of those who have studied that history I was able to follow along. There are a lot of terrible scenes that replicate the history of that era. It starts where two rivers cross in a town named Horizon. All throughout the film a printed flyer with an image of an idealic town spurs the settlers on, even though they are without seemingly to care about invading someone else’s territory. And when a small settlement is built where the two rivers converge, which also happens to be the hunting ground of indigenous people, two cultures collide. It is not pretty what happens.

Trying to tell the story of the American West over four three hour episodes is pretty much impossible. But the essences of the true story of the American West during that era is told accurately according to my own understanding of its history. I recommend the film highly but do recommend that viewers first read about the concept of Manifest Destiny (that rabbit hole is easily followed through Wikipedia).

I sympathize with Kevin Costner because when I took up writing about a 10,000 mile rural trek across our country and back, I had no idea what I was getting into. With my now elongated nearly 200,000 word manuscript in the hands of early readers and me knowing it has to be cut down to be published, I am as Nervous as a Nellie—a term that came about in 1925 which is used to define a constantly nervous worried person.

When I travel across the rural route I laid out, I do it alone without any outside stimulation, no music or radio. I simply take it all in. The massiveness, the vastness and the people. I just hope when the book is released it will get others to explore what makes our country special. Special because while we fought (still do) like cats and dogs we do figure out ways to get along in a personal manner. People have been so kind to me, sitting down to talk on tape about their lives. In total I’m hoping their combined stories tell us who we are as a country. We’re good people. We (mostly) believe in democracy and the legitimacy of good and reliable governance by its people. We, all of us, are its people. Nobody should ever be excluded even if some don’t agree or want to define it while excluding others.

That is in part what I got out of the first installment of Horizon: An American Saga. (Warning, you might want to look away during some of the scenes).

06/29/2024

There is something about clouds, dramatic clouds, that capture ones imagination.

But photographing clouds can often be a challenge when trying to find a background to frame them. Best choices often involve something vast; a large body of water, mountains or, the plains as in this photo I shot while driving along a gravel road near the Canadian-American border in North Dakota.

Chasing clouds is another matter. I have had my share of adventures while traveling "out there" possibly because the car I drive is built for economy and, as a result, has virtually no traction or ground clearance for that matter. I've often said my car could get stuck on a piece of wax paper.

I've been towed, pulled, pushed, rocked and slid. There is a file folder around here somewhere that is filled with towing service receipts to prove it. And every time I get in trouble I swear I won't do it again.

But then...
..I see another amazing group, veil, puff, billow, rack or pother of clouds and I can't resist them.

06/28/2024

Today was what I'd call a perfect day because we were welcomed by Wally and Jane Ewing to their place where they sat for an interview for the Jon McDonald documentary we've been filming.

Wally is a noted historian who specializes in local Grand Haven history. He recently released the fabulous book, Visions: A Remembrance of Grand Haven Artists. His biography notes that he earned his bachelor and master degrees from Michigan State University and his doctoral degree from the University of Illinois. Wally was appointed to a Fulbright Lectureship at the University of Tehran in Iran, taught Peace Corps volunteers in West Africa, and trained master degree candidates in Puerto Rico to teach English in the public schools. After serving as Provost of Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire, he returned to his hometown of Grand Haven, Michigan, where he was named Director of the local Red Cross Chapter.

Jane herself is a well known calligrapher whose works have been recognized by the Smithsonian. Her biography mentions Singapore, Wales, and Belgium, that she practiced brush lettering in China, where she taught Western calligraphy to university students. Her letters are based on historic script adapted for contemporary art. Her biography also notes that she takes direction in Zen aesthetics. Grounded in traditional calligraphy, gestural expression interests her most.

To local beachgoers they are known for jumping in Lake Michigan year round (and that means winter as well).

What an incredible time we had today.

06/26/2024

Selfie anyone?

That's what he looks like he's daring someone to do.

A photograph I made in May at Theodore Roosevelt National Park - North Unit near Watford City, North Dakota.

06/25/2024

Among my favorite places on the Lake Michigan shoreline is Manistique.

A few years ago I was staying at a motel there and captured this image of the Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse at sunset from Lakeview Park.

It was one of those evenings when the sky turned shades of yellow and red.

As the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in a blog post. "Shorter wavelengths of light (blue) are scattered quickly, leaving only the yellow-orange-red end of the spectrum."

Better than I could say it.

06/24/2024

After traveling for umpteen years and having driven through all of the lower forty eight states plus half the provinces of Canada, I amassed quite large library of photos from the various projects I've been involved in.

So lately I've been going through several of my hard drives and finding a lot of photos I have never processed.

Here is one I discovered today.

It was while I was in the Upper Peninsula and had just interviewed a farmer who farms near Rudyard, Michigan. As I was packing up my gear out of the corner of my eye I spotted a couple barn cats looking at me. Because I had a camera handy I was able to capture this image.

The joys of life on the road.

06/20/2024

I guess because I do much of my work while traveling in the early dawn hours, that I am fortunate to see some amazing occurrences.

This is a photo that I captured of fog hovering beneath the mountain peaks in the far distance along US-20 east of Arco, Idaho. The colors that day were incredible as the sun was in the process of burning away the fog. Notice that there is a car coming in my direction from far away. I love the golden hues, the fog partially obscuring the mountains and the flaws in the road's pavement.

06/20/2024

Just less than a month ago I visited the Tetons for the first time. I had been to Yellowstone to its north many times, but had never gone to Grand Teton National Park.

During my visit I skirted the edges of the park but didn't have the time to explore it very deeply.

Here is a photo I shot that day that shows the springtime colors of the sagebrush and other varieties of plants that I framed with the snow covered Tetons in the distance. With the sun and the snow the Tetons take on a look that is almost surreal while the sagebrush and rabbitbrush along Leigh Lake add a multitude of colors.

It was an incredible day. I can't wait to return.

06/19/2024

For the past year we've been filming a documentary of the artist Jon McDonald. Today we, cinematographer David Darling and I, interviewed the talented artist Charles Allen LaRue in his studio which is located in a former furniture factory in the downtown area of Grand Rapids.

We had a fabulous time getting to know Charles, hearing more about him, learned about his technique, his use of color plus a few stories about Jon.

Here are a few photos that I shot just after the taping. A photo of Charles, his mixing table and one of the walls of his studio that displays a few of his paintings.

If you follow Charles Allen LaRue's page, he posts photos of his paintings frequently.

06/17/2024

Yesterday I wrote about driving from Salt Lake City to Powell, Wyoming and that it was a grueling day of driving.

So it would not be surprising to hear that the photo I'm posting today was taken that day and that I have no idea what town it is, nor which mountain or even the state. Still don't.

Best I can tell is that I captured this image somewhere along US-189 between Kemmerer and Jackson, Wyoming.

My take is that it is a mountain town that looks a bit like Montpelier, Vermont if not for the rockies in the background. But certainly the church steeple could evoke the feelings of a quiet town with nice homes one that is well cared for with views to die for. That is undoubtedly why I captured this image. It is almost as if Norman Rockwell could have painted it.

Photo from May 24, 2024

06/17/2024

My first day at Yellowstone was delayed for a day after I had to redo an interview in Salt Lake City for the documentary I am currently shooting.

In order to make up for lost time, instead of driving to the north entrance of Yellowstone like I'd planned I decided to avoid Salt Lake City traffic and take I-80 to US-189 then north to Jackson, Wyoming. Then I entered Grand Teton National Park which leads to Yellowstone's Grand Loop Road.

It had been a long day so by the time I got to the switchbacks prior to Top Notch Peak I was getting tired. With seventy miles left to drive and road closures due to recent rock slides making stops hard to make, I was only able to capture a few images prior to the sun going down.

Here is a photo of one of the switchbacks I traveled that day.

Photo captured on May 24, 2024.

06/16/2024

Had I been wise after college, I would have moved to be near Yellowstone National Park. In my opinion it is the greatest of our national parks in part because of its diversity of terrain and wildlife. It's also easy to access.

I love everything about Yellowstone. If I had a hundred years I would not be able to see everything in the park.

This is a photo I made a few miles from the east entrance where the road switchbacks its way up in elevation passing between Avalanche Peak and Top Notch Peak where you get the first look at Yellowstone Lake, which at over 7700 feet in elevation is the highest major lake in the country.

I shot directly into the sun to reveal a dramatic blue sky while putting the mostly dead stick trees in silhouette revealing their interesting shapes. You can see the snow within the forest and out in the distance Yellowstone Lake. I love the color and the contrast in this photo. It almost seems surreal.

Photo taken on May 24, 2024 during my most recent trip.

06/14/2024

So...

Two weeks ago I was north of Ellsworth in the Sandhills of Nebraska when I spotted this Turkey Vulture sitting on a barbed wire fence.

I stared at it, it stared back. We stared at each other several times.

In my opinion it was looking at me like I was lunch if I were to have become a carrion (carcass).

I did not become a carrion that day for which I'm thankful. Hopefully the Turkey Vulture found lunch. I didn't check back later on, instead I eventually ended up in Valentine where I stayed the night.

06/13/2024

Here is another photo that I shot when I drove through central Wisconsin to Ironwood a couple weeks ago.

I captured this scene from an overlook.

What I like about this photo is that it tells a story. At least to me it does. A dairy farm with Holsteins (push in, they are in front of the barn and conical silos), a church with a cemetery and a home that can be seen peeking out from what looks like a wood lot with a manicured lawn with tall non-native trees that seem to have been planted some years before.

It is a peaceful setting, the classic TV show Lassie comes to mind. You can see it is in a valley with the woods in the background.

I love the fresh spring colors. Another reminder of the Americana many in rural places grew up experiencing.

It's always interesting to hear the stories people see in photos and paintings. That is what art is all about, what the viewer sees in comparison to what the artist saw or intended.

06/13/2024

I don't know why I'm so attracted to this shot.

It is a dairy farm in central Wisconsin that I captured on May 31st as I was making my way to Ironwood. As I was driving along a back road—where I'm not sure—I stopped to just watch as things were happening on this farm. The farmer was returning from either applying something to a field or seeding it. Not sure. There is a bale of hay in the foreground, sprinklers in the mid ground and the farm in the distance with firewood in the shed to the left.

There was something Americana about what I was seeing so I watched and watched. Maybe I was looking for something familiar or the scene was reminding me of something pleasant. There is something Grant Wood about it.

06/12/2024

Prior to returning home, while staying in Ironwood earlier this month, I took a quick spin to one of my happy places; the Powers Road area of the Gogebic County Forest which is just south of Little Girls Point.

It is an area of forest that this time of year that its hardwoods have a striking luminance from their freshly grown leaves. The road through the forest also has an incredible canopy and given early light there is a brilliance to the color.

Established in 1931 with the passage of the Municipal Forest Act it allowed the State of Michigan to transfer surplus land to counties and other municipalities. That prompted Gogebic County to acquire 50,000-acres of forest in 1941 and led to the establishment of the Gogebic County Forest and Parks Commission on July 22, 1943.

In 1985 Gogebic County joined the American Tree Farm System to ensure and document that the forest is being managed in a sound and sustainable manner. To maintain their membership, the county forests are inspected at least once every five years by a certified Tree Farm Forester. The Gogebic County Forest is the largest forest in Michigan to be certified by the American Tree Farm System.

It is part of the reason why I’m drawn to the Ironwood area and go there anytime I can.

06/12/2024

One of the hardest things to do is to admit you were wrong.

That’s exactly what happened when I first interviewed an artist in Eagle Mountain, Utah on May 21st for the Jon McDonald documentary we’ve been filming over the past several months.

The problem was I didn’t discover my error until early the next morning after I’d made the drive to Idaho Falls.

Rather than not admit it was not my fault and double down, I called the artist and begged forgiveness.

Though to get back to Utah would take much of the day and the artist had school to teach, I asked if he would allow me to return after school ended that day.

He agreed.

And guess what, the second taping was excellent and the artist even gave a better interview.

This is a photo I shot in Eagle Mountain that day.

Never be afraid to admit you are wrong and to ask for forgiveness.

06/09/2024

Sometimes the joy of photography involves the shots you failed to get. That was the case nearly a month ago when I stopped in Copper City in the Upper Peninsula’s Keweenaw Peninsula to see my good friend Carol Rose. She had heard that there was a fairly good chance the Aurora Borealis would make an appearance that night. So we jumped in her car and headed up the coast toward Copper Harbor.

When we arrived in Eagle Harbor which is nearly to Copper Harbor, we decided the lighthouse there would offer a good vantage point to see the northern lghts.

So we wait, and waited. But did not see anything much happening.

Then we headed a little further south and noticed a crowd of people at a park along the Lake Superior shoreline. We stopped because we wondered if they were seeing any indication of the Aurora Borealis.

Again we waited. I set up a tripod in anticipation but, after a while, we realized we had in fact stumbled on a beach party not a group waiting to see the northern lights. I did take this shot more because of the dramatic sky and the bounce of light from the sunset. Headlights put a little light onto the beach.

This photo is less about the shot itself and more about the experience. We hadn’t found what we were looking for but had a fun time exploring.

And isn’t that what life is all about?

Experiences especially with good friends. I am so thankful for the friends I've made while traveling and the experiences that have come from my various adventures.

Thank you to everyone who is following along. We have made and will continue to make good trouble together.

06/08/2024

Our town, Grand Haven, Michigan, has a long history of being a welcoming community. Way back 150 years ago, as the lumber from our area became depleted, community leaders looked for a way to breath new life into our community. Names that now appear on signposts such as Cutler, Savidge and Sheldon, were lumber barons who wanted to find the next thing and decided on tourism.

Starting with the discovery of the mineral spring in the downtown they expanded their boundaries to include cottage developments and camping sites on banks overlooking Lake Michigan that eventually became what we now know as Highland Park.

Many in our very conservative county don't "get" Grand Haven and never have. While much of the rest of the county now concentrates on agriculture and manufacturing, Grand Haven remains a beach town with a welcoming spirit.

Today is our second annual Pride Festival and we will welcome all who join in.

I am so proud to call Grand Haven my home.

06/08/2024

Last month, on the second day of my trip west, I took Lakeshore Drive from Bay Mills to Brimley's Dollar Settlement then headed south on Forest Service Road 3154 toward M-28. The road rises for nearly a mile and a half revealing a view of Lake Superior's Whitefish Bay that can be spectacular. On this particular day the clouds over the lake made a big difference.

There are a few places along the shoreline of Lake Superior where taking a little extra time to climb a bluff can yield a special view. This is one of them.

Ten years of having a place in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan taught me a lot about finding places to explore.