A grove of pine trees found their home in the most unexpected of places in the barren volcanic wastelands of Lassen Volcano National Park. 

Using a very dark neutral density filter, a long exposure of direct sunlight on a large waterfall in the Oregon wilderness makes for an abstract image.

A gentle stream arcs through the dense Queets Rain Forest of Olympic National Park.

A stream cuts through a valley in Vanoise National Park in the French Alps.

High winds blow sand violently from the tips of the Mesquite Sand Dunes in Death Valley.

Poisonous Monk's Hood adorns a cliffside meadow in front of some impressive spires of the Italian Dolomites.

Colorful badlands of Zabriskie point in Death Valley. A morning hiker provides scale for this impressive landscape.

The sun sets behind Mt. Tom, Basin Mountain, and the Four Gables one winter afternoon in the Eastern Sierra as a lone pine tree, branches outstretched, as if in worship, seemingly engages in a dialogue with it’s provider.

Lago Coldai and it's mountain breaking through passing clouds one summer afternoon last July. Beautiful spot that was a pleasure to explore.

This is a very long focal length shot of the Mesquite Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park. During a workshop Erin Babnik and I led this past March to the Eastern Sierra, we always made it a point to get out on the dunes during high winds. This place just comes alive in late afternoon with the blowing sands which catch the light in a beautiful way. While this was one of the more calm moments of the day, the light sheets of sand blowing off the tops of the dunes make all the difference for highlighting and accentuating the subtle shapes and forms the dunes make, and it’s one of my most favorite places to be and shoot. I loved the presence of a few people perched on the summits of the distant grand dunes, showing the scale of how vast and grand this place is. This is a single shot that just has some color tweaking and dodge/burning.

Maybe the most foreboding peaks I’ve yet to lay my eyes upon, the Vajolet Towers of the Italian dolomites are stunning to see. They tower above you from this vantage point, with a menacing pose, and if I could ever say a mountain looked evil, it would be these. During our travels in the area, Erin Babnik and I stayed at the hut right at the base, which you juuuuust see in the fog here, a refugio that had remarkable charm and character relative to the norm. The walls were adorned with relics of the past. Old boots, stretchers with 75 year old blood stains, pictures from the world war I era. Going to fantastically impressive natural areas such as this, mixed with such a unique taste of European culture is one of my favorite experiences ever. On this day, the passing blustery summer weather had just enough of a break to allow for a quick moment of dramatic light. Perfect for complimenting the mood of this place. I named this shot after the spikey metal crown that sits on the heads of the villains of the Lord Of The Ring series, The Nazgûl, as that’s what I think of every time I look at this image.

An Andean Condor floats through the sky above Cuerno Principal during a moody day in Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile. 

A clearing storm and early morning light make for a dramatic moment around the peaks of Cuerno Principal and Este in Torre Del Paine National Park, Chile, Argentina.

A beautiful meadow dotted with larch trees and summer wildflowers in the mountains of the Italian Dolomites. 

The dramatic spire of Cerro Torre dodges the passing clouds being kicked up by the icefields to the west, giving a great isolated view of the famous peak. The murky glacial waters flow out of the lake at the base of the range.

My friend TJ Thorne stands in observance of the powerful Spirit Falls on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge. The waters here flow swift and cold with a blue color that looks amazing against the back drop of lush green forest and warm light from above. If only each individuals spirit on this planet could be as beautiful.

Autumn colors, a colorful glacial lake, tumbling and pulverized glacial chunks, Mt. Fitz Roy, and dramatic morning light all come together to create one of the most beautiful scenes I've ever laid my eyes upon in the Patagonia region of Argentina. 

A passing afternoon summer storm releases an onslought of lightning on the land below in the area of the sweetheart of the Italian Dolomites, Tre Cime peak. 

The morning sun peaks through the cracks between the dramatic rock formations of Cinque Torri in the Italian Dolomites. 

Late morning light streams in on a glacial lake high in the Italian Dolomites as a clearing storm swirls above, revealing a commanding peak eagerly awaiting the suns rays. 

An impressively colorful display of autumn color carpets the ground, complementing the beautiful Mt. Fitz Roy in Argentina. 

Late morning light just begins to shine into the canyon in which Elowah falls pours into on a lush spring day. Columbia River Gorge, Oregon. 

Powerful, hurricane force winds whip up the water off the surface of Lago Nordenskjöld in Torres Del Paine National park, Chile.

An overnight flash freeze created fantastic lines in the icy surface of lago Torre, Cerro Torre towering above in the distance. Patagonia, Argentina. 

An impressive show of lenticular clouds commands the skies above Mt. Fitz Roy and it's siblings in the Patagonia region of Argentina. 

With the camera mere inches from the surface of the water, an intimate reflection bends through an eddy flow on the surface of the stream in Oneonta Gorge, Oregon.