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Photography In The National Parks: My Favorite Photos Of 2016

The new year is a time to reflect on events and photos from the previous year. How did you fare photographically for 2016? Do you have any particular favorite images? Why are they your favorites? After reviewing 2016, photographer Rebecca Latson presents her favorite images captured during that year with an explanation of why she likes each one, including camera settings, accessories used, and reasons for photographing the image.

Three Days In Big Bend National Park

Quiet spreads across Big Bend National Park during the winter months, both in the lack of visitors to this grand rumpled slice of parkland in southwestern Texas as well as audibly. Silence pervades the Chihuahuan Desert, both day and night. The wind blows, but it’s felt more than heard. The Chisos Mountains are quiet as well. The cactus and Ocotillo plants look drab and thornier than usual without their brilliant spring blooms to grace and hide the sharp spikes. Cooler temperatures prevail, and occasional snow- or hail-storms punctuate the season.

Photography In The National Parks: The Great Rewards Of Lowered Expectations

When you and your camera visit a national park known for its vista or wildlife, you tend to carry with you some pretty high expectations of framing in your viewfinder that perfect shot of a bear or wolf. Sometimes, though, you might not see what you hoped to see. What then? Photographer Rebecca Latson urges you to lower those expectations just a little bit and focus on other things within that national park, and ultimately you will come away with some great imagery despite those dashed expectations.

The Hour Of Land: A Personal Topography Of America’s National Parks

Anyone who has heard Terry Tempest Williams speak or who has read her writing knows how personal her approach is to her subject, thus the “personal topography” of the subtitle of this book. Visits to 12 units of the National Park System, including seven national parks, two national monuments, a national military park, national seashore, and national recreation area, provide grist for her exploration of this topography and a sampling of different elements of the system.

Photography In The National Parks: Don’t Forget To Pack Your Flash Or Reflector For Some Fill Light

What if you want to clearly capture a plant or tree or person in the foreground of some shaded or backlit vista within a national park? What if you spy a gorgeous flower or unusual plant, and the inside of the flower or the plant’s stems or leaves are deeply shaded? Photographer Rebecca Latson describes a couple of techniques used to lighten up your subject within a less-than-well-lit venue.

Photography In The National Parks: Prime Time In The National Parks

If you have limited luggage space when traveling to a national park, you are more than likely going to pack along a zoom lens or two. But, wait. Leave one of those zooms home and bring along a prime lens instead. Photographer Rebecca Latson demonstrates the advantage of bring along a fixed-focus lens or two in her most recent Photography In The National Parks article.

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