Slot canyons are a very tactile experience and I wanted to capture the kids running their hands along the walls.  This composition from above shows both of their hands, movement, and the texture of the space.

The wind was whipping at White Sands National Park. I got close to the subject and her makeshift protective gear.  The boys had hiking gators over their entire faces so I intentionally incuded that funny part of the story.

Fern Canyon in Oregon is all about the amazing green canyon walls, rushing clear water and the fun of moving through all of that without getting wet.  I got low to fill the frame with all of the important elements.

Traveling during the pandemic was both nerve-wracking and, at times, rediculous.  I took a lot of images documenting that unique experience.  History is my why for that collection.

Capturing the kids perspective while on family adventures gives a nod to their unique experience.  She crawled through this cave next to our RV constantly for 3 days.  I crawled in after her to see what had her so enthralled.

Playing on the buttes in Sedona, the subject was getting lost when framed against the busy textures of the red rock.  I got below them to frame them against the sky.

I waited until the subject had space between her limbs (even fingers!) and the foot creates space between the subject and tree.  Those spaces give the form interest and move your eye to the subject.

I wanted to capture how large and peaceful this space felt.  But the tiny subject got lost.  Waiting for them to walk through the negative space (snow) created room, and contrast, for the viewers eye to find them.

Here I got up high to create negative space then fill it with my subjects.  I waited for them to create a shape that mirrored the shape of the rock.

This moment between father and daughter got lost in the huge waves behind them, so I got low to eliminate the waves.  The seafoam adds interest to the foreground and tells the viewer we are at a beach.

The distraction in this image was the crooked horizon.  I see a lot of images that would greatly benefit from straightened horizons, walls, doorframes, etc.

The dog in this image distracted from the clean diagonal line of the kids.  I cropped her out, being careful to keep a clean edge on the bottom of the image by not cropping into the shoes or shadow.

I used this downed redwood stump to shoot through and get one still, quiet moment that represented our day.

At Devil’s Golf Course in Death Valley NP, you climb over these craggy sharp salt structures.  This image gives weight to the salt but moreso to the focused balancing it takes to move around on them.

At this state park in Austin Texas, I found the mysterious murky water caves more interesting than anything else around it, so thats all that was included in the frame.

This is harsh light.  Dramatic and eye-catching, this kind of light is is fun to create images in but is not great for portraits.  Play with shadows, silhouettes or reflections instead.

This is soft, or diffused light.  Great for portraits and often flattering, soft light is easy to shoot in and the even tones are easy to edit.

Pay attention to where your light is coming from.  Highlights shape an image. Unflattering shadows can ruin a portrait. If you can’t move the light, move yourself and experiment. 

Intensity of light changes the mood of an image dramatically, and often the contrast as well.  It changes throughout the day, with the weather, and with artificial light sources so experimenting will have you prepared when traveling.

I love shooting with warm (artificial) light during blue hour (after sunset) to get dramatic colorful contrasts.  Experiment with lighting your subjects with different sources.

I thought it was so cute that he was watching the birds eat snails.  Little did I know his kidbrain was going to twist upside down and create an image with a comical edge.

Because there is no way to accurately predict this toes-pointed, fingers-spread leap perfecty.  High-speed shutter is your friend in these situation.  Keep shooting through the moment!

Take time to compose and get your settings, then keep shooting if multiple subjects are moveing through your frame.  I love how everyoe has their own space here.

The light here is amazing.  I was photographing these two and he tossed the sand, creating an unpredictablly wonderful moment.

Anyone with teens knows you cannot fake a smile.  I had this shot framed with the blue, yellow, & red and the kids happened to share a laugh.  Shoot through these moments!

Who can touch the cactus?  And if they play this game why wouldnt I get it on film?!?  
Just keep photographing.

I love that you can tell just by their faces the rain started falling again.  The image before this is a boring look at the camera one.  This is so much better!  Always be ready!