For me, 2024 was a particularly busy year in terms of park units visited for photo ops: Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area in Washington State, Badlands and Wind Cave national parks in South Dakota, Jewel Cave National Monument in South Dakota, Minuteman Missile National Historic Site in South Dakota, Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State, and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming/Montana/Idaho. This plethora of parks provided plenty of imagery and I consider the year a success.
Since 2024 is rapidly coming to an end, the time is nigh for a year-end recap of park photography articles published in the Traveler. How many of these have you read?
My 10 Favorite Shots From 2023
Continuing a tradition started back in 2015, I list my 10 favorite images captured during 2023, why I like them, and how I got the shots.
Abstracts In Nature
Nature in a national park (or anyplace, actually) is replete with orderly mathematics, but it also has a share of abstracts.
Great Sand Dunes In Winter
An off-season visit to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado is a chance for solitude, no crowds, and awesome winter light over amazing landscapes.
What's In My Camera Bag Redux
How many of you national park camera toters have changed your mindset about one or more aspects of photography, cameras, lenses, camera packs, or travel over the years? I've certainly changed my mind (and camera brands) over the years.
Badlands In April
In April 2024, I embarked on a road trip to South Dakota to visit several units of the National Park System, including Badlands National Park.
Two Cave Parks Above And Below
During my road trip to South Dakota, I visited both Wind Cave National Park and Jewel Cave National Monument, writing about the above-ground landscape and below-ground cave tours in this article.
Photographing History At Fort Spokane
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area encompasses the grounds of historic Fort Spokane, home to a fort, federal Indian school, and hospital over various times. I used this historic location to demonstrate how to capture history with your camera.
To Tripod, Or Not To Tripod
While it is always a good idea to bring along and use a tripod for your photography, I don't believe it's always necessary, and there are times when it is more prudent to simply handhold your camera for a national park photo.
Cave Photography
How many of you have taken a cave tour in one of the cave-centric units of the National Park System? What camera did you use? An SLR? A point-and-shoot? A smartphone camera?
Capturing Sunrise At Glacier National Park
Whether you are new to national park photography, trying to improve your photography skills, or simply curious as to my own favorite places for national park shots, for this article, I'm trying to take some of the work out of looking for, getting to, and setting up for great sunrise shots at Glacier National Park in Montana.
Sunset, Alpenglow, and Blue Hour At Glacier National Park
Continuing with photography in Glacier National Park, I show you some great spots for capturing sunset, blue hour, and alpenglow imagery, while providint tips and techniques for getting those great shots.
Mount Rainier Photography
In this article, I offer up tips and techniques for capturing awesome images at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State, using my own shots as examples of what you can see and photograph with your own camera.
That's a wrap for 2024. Who knows what 2025 will bring - hopefully more visits to both new and old haunts in the national parks. What plans do you have for photographing units of the National Park System?
