These are my favorite kind of photographs to find. Ambiguous scale, texture, abstract yet familiar. Just a simple find on a recent trip out to Outer Banks. Hope you like it =)

Here are four black and white infrared images I captured in Outer Banks recently while co-leading a workshop with my buddy Richard Bernabe. Always fun to explore these areas in black and white infrared when I can!

Here's four more images I captured last month while co-leading a workshop in Death Valley with David Thompson for Muench Workshops. Always a joy to revisit Death Valley! This year it was quite different with the super bloom which brought with it lots of caterpillars and bugs!

I really loved photographing these backlit grasses at sunset from Saratoga Springs in Death Valley last month. Backlight is the best!

This is the kind of image that does really badly on social media, but would look awesome printed huge on the wall. The texture and color in this wave is really something worth checking out!

Join us this week on F-Stop Collaborate and Listen with Greg Boratyn! Explore how nature's beauty and subtle post-processing shape art. Tune in to learn about Greg's journey and reflect on your own craft! #Photography #Art #FStopCollaborate #Listen

A couple of weeks ago, I co-led a workshop with my buddy Richard Bernabe out at Outer Banks. On our last morning, I was showing our clients how to use their telephoto lens to get scenes like this. I was really pumped to get this capture. I noticed the potential and just waited for the perfect time.

What happens when knowledge shapes your outdoor time? Meet this week's podcast guest, David Shaw: wildlife biologist, photographer, and guide. Discover how natural history deepens your experience and sparks creativity! Save for inspiration! #Wildlife #Photography davidwshawphoto.bsky.social

232 pages. Years in the field. Now it's a real thing people are holding. 💖 The Colorado Way documents my time on the Colorado Trail and Colorado's 100 highest peaks. Seeing it come to life and land in people's hands has been genuinely satisfying.

Stockfish racks, Lofoten. Same process since the 12th century: hang the cod, let the Arctic air do the work. Most of it still ends up in Italy. A thousand years of the same solution to the same problem. Still works.

This week on F-Stop: An engaging chat with Ohio photographer Jeffrey Tadlock We explore: ✨ Imposter syndrome for photographers ✨ Building a creative ecosystem ✨ The power of local insights Hit play and tell us: What keeps YOU inspired in your photography journey? #Photography #Creativity #FStop

Hard frost plus low tide plus sunrise. A mountain possibly lit from the inside. A wave at 350mm. Telephoto alpenglow at blue hour. Four frames, one trip, Lofoten Islands. Norway doesn't mess around.

Kline, de Kooning, and centuries of Ebru artists worked hard to produce what a Norway harbor does on its own. Straight photography, no manipulation, same destination. The water doesn't know it's making art.

"Lord of the Fjord" A majestic sea eagle takes flight above a sun-kissed fjord in Norway. #wildlifephotography

This week on F-Stop Collaborate and Listen, Colleen Parker joins Matt Payne to explore playful photography! ✨ Embrace your spark ✨ Navigate social media ✨ Find YOUR "why" What keeps YOUR photography fresh? #PhotographyPodcast #FStopCollaborateListen #StayInspired

Four frames from Yellowstone this winter. Cold, heat, silence, and biology colliding in one place. The park has a way of making you feel like a very small, very lucky witness.

When an alpine lake decides to redecorate for winter and goes full abstract. Just freeze, crack, refreeze… and a little alpine drama. Dream Lake, Colorado

Here are four scenes from Yellowstone: calm forests, steaming ground, and resilient lodgepole pines thriving in winter with fire's help.

New photographs from my recent Yellowstone workshop are now available! I had a blast co-leading this workshop with Kathy Lichtendahl for Muench Workshops - we explored so many amazing locations and really got lucky with frosty and foggy conditions. It was a real treat to say the least!

A black and white infrared photograph of Lake Manly in Death Valley before dawn, showcasing alpenglow and its reflection.

I had the pleasure of talking to @mattpaynephoto.bsky.social on his show. We had an interesting conversation about photography how it can go beyond the artistic and become a lifestyle. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=e44w...

Pretty hard to beat winter arctic light... the soft glow makes minimalistic compositions so enjoyable to pursue. #landscapephotography

Having a blast leading this workshop in Norway this week... great light so far!

A few aspen scenes made during blue hour. Late light softens contrast, drains color, and lets the white bark stand out naturally. One of my favorite times to photograph aspens, right after the obvious moment passes.

Four black and white moments from Death Valley. Without color, form and texture take over. Light defines shape, shadows add weight, and the landscape feels stripped down to essentials. A place that doesn’t need embellishment.

Four different scenes, all shot vertical. Vertical frames make it easier to align elements and emphasize layers. Less wandering side to side, more intentional structure top to bottom. Funny how often a scene clicks once you rotate the frame.

Four very different moments from the Cirque of the Unclimbables. Named by early climbers who thought the peaks were impossible, the Cirque still feels like a place that resists being rushed or simplified. Calm and chaos live very close together here.

Four frames from the exact same spot during one sunset. I didn’t move. Light and clouds did all the work. A good reminder that sometimes staying put is the most productive thing you can do with a camera.

A few moments from Scotland where autumn leaves and water kept crossing paths. Leaves floating, collecting, reflecting. Water slowing the season down just enough to make the color feel intentional. Quiet scenes that were easy to linger with.

A few aspen scenes from Colorado, shot with a telephoto lens and good light. Compression turns a busy forest into pattern, and light does most of the editing. Aspen groves really shine when you let rhythm and contrast take over.

Four scenes, one approach: black and white infrared. Removing color strips away just enough information to pull you in. Shape, light, and texture take over, and the eye has to work a little harder.

A quiet moment with a lynx at Whitehorse Yukon Wildlife Preserve, framed by autumn color. Those blue eyes caught the light just long enough to stop me cold. Alert, curious, completely present. A reminder that some of the most powerful wildlife moments come not from action, but from attention.

Four photos tied together by repetition. Repeating shapes create rhythm and help the eye relax before noticing the differences. One of my favorite ways to bring order to busy scenes without forcing the composition.

Four scenes tied together by edge light. That brief moment when the sun just grazes a surface, isolating lines, texture, and form. It doesn’t last long, but it has a way of simplifying a scene and making details stand out.

Four different scenes, one shared idea: zig zags. Zig zag lines keep the eye moving and slow down how a photo is read. Less direct than straight leading lines, but often more interesting. Funny how often nature offers them once you start looking.

A few abstract frames where water is the main subject. I keep coming back to it because it never behaves the same way twice. Light, motion, and timing do most of the work. It’s one of my favorite ways to slow down and really look.

Four dune images, all shot within about 50 yards of each other just before sunset. Same sand, same light, different perspectives. Black and white infrared helped turn small shifts in angle into entirely different compositions. A good case for slowing down and staying put.

Four scenes with one thing in common: a square frame. Square compositions change the rules. Less movement, more balance, and nowhere to hide distractions. I like how they force simpler, more intentional decisions.

A few examples of using a longer lens to simplify a scene. Compression and bokeh help separate subject from background, turning clutter into texture. It’s often less about blur and more about giving the eye somewhere clear to land.

Two versions of the same pre-sunrise moment on Mount Whitney. One in color, one in infrared. Same alpenglow, different emphasis. I like how changing the translation changes the conversation without changing the place.

Four scenes from southeastern Utah where geology speaks! Layered sandstone, eroded fins, and textures shaped by nature. This region rewards those who slow down and appreciate its beauty. #Utah #Geology #Photography

Along the coast of Spain, where layered rock forms what appear to be flysch formations. Alternating sediments, tilted and exposed over time, turning geology into pattern. Photographing places like this makes it easier to see landscapes as processes, not just scenery.

Moments from Redwood National Park. Coast redwoods are the tallest trees on Earth, but their roots stay shallow and spread wide, interlocking with nearby trees for support. Fog provides much of their summer water. A forest built on cooperation.

Hell yeah. Wonderful imagery here from my man @iangaston.bsky.social - did you know I did a podcast episode with him? =)

A few encounters with polar bears. Their fur is transparent, their skin is black, and their sense of smell is powerful enough to find seals beneath thick ice. Mostly solitary, incredibly adapted, and endlessly fascinating once you look past the surface.

Scenes from Chilean Patagonia's lenga forests: twisted trunks, tangled branches, and vibrant colors that defy symmetry. These moments made me slow down and appreciate the beauty of chaos. #Patagonia #NaturePhotography

These four images capture abstraction: just enough detail to hint at reality. Fascinating research shows abstract art triggers dopamine, inviting interpretation. How abstract is too abstract for you? #AbstractArt #Photography

A few moments from the Smoky Mountains. Fog moving through the trees, light coming and going, scenes changing just enough to make stopping worthwhile. I wasn’t chasing anything specific, just paying attention and letting the forest do its thing.

A small collection from the Cirque of the Unclimbables in early summer. The scale is obvious, but it was the stillness that stayed with me. Long light, slow weather, granite walls holding everything in place. A landscape that rewards patience more than urgency.

Autumn walks in Scotland. I was less interested in peak color and more drawn to the transitions. Lichen on branches, thinning leaves, fog moving through the trees. The forest felt like it was preparing for winter, not rushing toward it.