Gatlinburg Space Needle (not the Seattle one) lit up at twilight. 407 feet of views over town and mountains since 1969. Small towns creating their own landmarks. #Gatlinburg #SmokyMountains

The gentle Little River becomes not so gentle at The Sinks. Calm water upstream, raging waterfall here. No cell reception, just the sound of water. Surprisingly peaceful despite the turbulence. #SmokyMountains #NaturePhotography

The sun keeps rising and the Grand Canyon keeps transforming. Same spot, but every few minutes the light changes everything. Great locations deserve more than one shot. Patience pays off. #GrandCanyon #ArizonaPhotography #LandscapePhotography

Gatlinburg at sunset - the town nestled at the foot of the Smokies, bathed in golden light. Busy tourist town during the day. Magic at sunset. Mountains are beautiful in any light, but sunset makes everything better. #SmokyMountains #SunsetPhotography #TravelPhotography

Sandia Peak Tramway - second longest in the world. Takes you 3,819 feet up in 15 minutes. Desert floor to 10,000+ feet, 20-30 degree temperature drop. Sunset rides are spectacular. #SandiaPeak #NewMexicoPhotography

Worth the hike: Laurel Falls 💧 1.4 miles each way through the Smokies. Paved but still an effort. And then... this. Not the biggest waterfall, but peaceful and beautiful. Have you hiked to any waterfalls lately? #LaurelFalls #SmokyMountains #NaturePhotography

D&RGW No. 683 - the LAST surviving standard gauge steam engine from the Denver & Rio Grande Western. Built 1890, retired 1955. One survivor out of an entire fleet. That's why railroad preservation matters. #Railroads #Trains #Photography

Fern Lake in the Appalachians - now protected thanks to The Nature Conservancy and Conservation Fund purchasing 712 acres in 2023. This fall scene will be here for generations. Photography meets conservation. #AppalachianMountains #NaturePhotography #FallColors #KentuckyPhotography

Morning over Gatlinburg from the Bypass overlook. The town below, mountains all around, fall colors peeking through in the morning light. Even busy tourist towns have quiet moments if you know when to look. #gatlinburg  #TravelPhotography #GreatSmokeyMountains

If you love railroad history, the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden is a must-visit. Get up close with steam engines, diesel locomotives, and rolling stock from Colorado's railroad past. Railroad museums preserve how trains built communities. #Railroads #Trains #Photography

Sometimes you need to slow down and listen. The Little River flowing through Great Smoky Mountains - just the sound of water over rocks. Not every photo needs to be dramatic. Sometimes the quiet moments are worth capturing. #GreatSmokyMountains #photography

Here comes the sun! After waiting in the cold darkness, the sunrise at the Grand Canyon delivers blue, yellow, and orange colors while the canyon depths reveal themselves. This is why we wake up early. For moments like this. #GrandCanyon #photography

Starting February with a "worth getting up early" moment. Just before dawn at the Grand Canyon - completely quiet, purple haze over the canyon, waiting for sunrise. Sometimes the best photos require the earliest alarms.

Ending January 2026 with this painted road at Cadillac Ranch. The spray paint doesn't stay on the cars - it spreads everywhere. A month of stories, trains, mountains, and unexpected moments. Thanks for following along. What should I photograph in February? #cadillacranch #amarillotexas

Local freight train heading down the tracks to Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham, Texas. This short section of track is all that remains of a line that once connected to Austin. Railroad infrastructure comes and goes. Documenting what's left while it's still here. #texasrailroad #railroadhistory

Northbound BNSF train passing the old Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway depot in Brenham, Texas. The depot was built for one railroad company, survived through several mergers, and now watches modern trains from a different railroad roll past. #brenhamtexas #texasrailroad #railroadhistory

Cadillac Ranch outside Amarillo - spray painted Cadillacs sticking out of the ground. You can spray paint them yourself. This sign warns you not to spray paint property... but the sign itself has been spray painted. The irony is perfect. #cadillacranch #amarillotexas #texasphotography

Wind turbines dominating the Texas landscape between Fort Worth and Midland. These massive wind farms are converting afternoon breezes into electricity. Even in this oil and gas state, renewables are taking hold. The scale of these turbines is incredible. #windturbines #texaslandscape

Empty coal train heading north on the BNSF Galveston Subdivision. These cars will head back to coal fields in West Virginia or Wyoming to load up again. Industrial photography has its own beauty. #coaltrain #bnsftrains #railroadphotography

Union Pacific train crossing the alkali flats west of Lordsburg, New Mexico. This dried-out desert lake bed has concentrated salts, creating this unique white landscape. Desert railroading has its own special look. #unionpacific #desertphotography #railroadphotography

Albuquerque is famous for its hot air balloon festival - over 500 balloons take flight for nine days every fall. We visited in summer, so no real balloons. But we found these decorations in Old Town. Close enough! #balloonfiesta #newmexico #photography

Steep cliff, blue sky, broken clouds. Natural Tunnel State Park. Sometimes simple compositions are the best. Just rock, sky, trees. No need to overcomplicate it. #naturaltunnel #landscapephotography

Waiting for fireworks on the Fourth of July in Texas. Kid spinning a light-up toy to pass the time. Sometimes the moments between the main event are more interesting than the main event itself. #photography

Water tanks like this were essential infrastructure for steam railroads. Locomotives need to refill their water supply regularly. This one at Cumbres & Toltec is still operational, still serving the same purpose it did 140 years ago. #cumbrestoltec #railroadphotography

On top of the Smokies. 🌲⛰️ The view from Kuwohi (formerly Clingmans Dome) never gets old. Standing at the highest point in the park, looking out over those endless hazy blue layers, you really understand why this place is so special. #Kuwohi #GreatSmokyMountains

Fire and ice in the Smokies. ❄️🔥 Caught this incredible moment above Gatlinburg where the sunset hit the fresh dusting of snow just right. The contrast between that golden glow and the moody blue shadows is unreal. #Gatlinburg #GreatSmokyMountains #GoldenHour

The water flume at Cades Cove Mill. Diverts water from Mill Creek, channels it down to the mill wheel for power. Simple engineering, but effective. Been doing the same job since 1868 (with restoration help from the WPA). #cadescove #smokymountains #greatsmokeymountains

Desert rain always leaves behind the best colors. 🌧️🌵 Caught this reflection in the parking lot just as the sun was dipping behind the mountains. There's something really cinematic about motel nights in Tucson. #Tucson #Sunset #RoadTrip #Photography

Views for days (literally). 🏔️ Looking out from Pikes Peak all the way to the Collegiate Peaks on the horizon. It’s wild how you can see layers of the Sawatch Range and beyond from one spot. The depth in this view is just magic. #PikesPeak #Colorado #NaturePhotography

Best shots don't always come from famous locations. This is sunset from a hotel parking lot in Tucson after a long day of driving. Food truck, palm tree, A Mountain in the background, spectacular colors. Sometimes beauty shows up in parking lots. #arizonaphotography #sunsetphotography

Cumbres & Toltec train crossing the Los Pinos River in Colorado. This is why narrow gauge railroads were built in the mountains - they can handle tighter curves and steeper grades. Beautiful engineering in a beautiful location. #railroadphotography

Red rocks, green trees, and the bluest sky you’ve ever seen. Garden of the Gods always puts on a show, especially with those clouds lining up perfectly. #GardenOfTheGods #Colorado #RedRocks #NaturePhotography

Cumbres Pass: 10,015 feet above sea level. Highest railroad pass in North America. Even in July, there's snow up here. Thin air. Amazing views. Standing at 10,000 feet changes how you photograph everything. #coloradophotography #newmexicophotography #railroadphotography

This grist mill in Cades Cove was built in 1868. Fell into disrepair, then restored by the WPA during the Great Depression. Park Service still maintains it today. Water-powered and still operational. Living history. #cadescove #greatsmokeymountains

The Schnebly Hill Formation around Sedona is unique - this specific color of red sandstone only exists here. Nowhere else. Stopped for lunch with this view. If it looks this good at noon, imagine sunset. Need to go back.  #redrocks #arizonaphotography #landscapephotography

Pikes Peak - "America's Mountain" at 14,115 feet. You can drive to the summit on a paved road that gains over 7,000 feet of elevation. The views are incredible, but man, those hairpin turns will get your attention. #pikespeak #coloradophotography #mountainphotography

Chasing the light at the end of the tunnel. 🚂✨ There is something so peaceful about old rail lines covered in fall leaves. It feels like the entrance to a secret world. #RailroadPhotography #FallColors #Nature #ScenicRoute

Ending the first week of 2026 with this peaceful scene from Cades Cove in the Smokies. Large field, mountains in the distance, perfect fall day. No cell signal here. Just nature and quiet. Sometimes that's exactly what you need. #cadescove #greatsmokeymountains #peacefulplaces

This is a Galloping Goose - Rio Grande Southern's solution to losing money on passenger trains. They mounted a bus body on a truck frame, put it on rail wheels, and hauled mail/passengers at 1/3 the cost of a train. Desperate times, creative solutions. #coloradophotography #railroadphotography

Standing at 6,644 feet, Kuwohi is the highest point in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Cherokee name meaning "mulberry place." Worth the drive up for views like this. The fall colors were absolutely perfect. Ever hiked to the top? #greatsmokeymountains #kuwohi #smokymountains

Love catching trains at historic stations like this one in Flagstaff. The station's been here since 1926, serving passengers and freight ever since. Almost 100 years of trains rolling through. Still an active station today! #photography #railroadphotography #arizonaphotography

Steam locomotive No. 489 on the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad, still running after all these years. Built in 1925, still hauling passengers through the Rockies. That's 100 years of service. There's something special about photographing working history. #photography #railroadphotography

Most people photograph sunrise at the Grand Canyon looking east. I went west instead and caught the alpenglow lighting up the canyon walls. Sometimes the best shot is behind you. What's your favorite "look the other direction" moment? #photography

Starting 2026 with a reminder that after the storm comes the rainbow. Shot this in Tucson after monsoon season storms rolled through. Here's to finding the beauty in whatever this year brings. Happy New Year! 🌈

Starting 2026 with a reminder that after the storm comes the rainbow. Shot this in Tucson after monsoon season storms rolled through. Here's to finding the beauty in whatever this year brings. Happy New Year! 🌈

Cades Cove is a very secluded area within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. When you get here, you have nearly no cellphone reception. Instead, you get a view like this, with the mountains in their fall glory, horses grazing on grass and pure bliss in this peaceful scene. #photography

Today is Thanksgiving in the U.S. What are some things you're thankful for this year? I'm thankful for being able to take photos of these amazing landscapes. #photography

Temperatures are starting to cool across Texas. Here's hoping we get a lot of rain and snow this winter so that we can see bluebonnet scenes like these in the spring! #photography

The view you get here at Pinnacle overlook is simply unmatched. You get amazing sights of the Appalachian mountains in Tennessee and Virginia, and on a clear day you can see mountains over 15 miles away. And on this fall day, we get a great view of the fall colors in Appalachia. #photography

Pikes Peak has been named America’s favorite mountain, and it’s easy to see why. Accessible both by car and cog wheel railway, its easy for even flatlanders to get up to the top of the 14,000-plus foot mountain and enjoy the views in every direction. #photography