For several years now, I have reviewed all my photos taken during the year and selected my favorite top ten images. I always enjoy reliving our family events, the places I have been, and the people I have met. This exercise also gives me some great ideas for photography goals in the new year. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys photography. Many of my top ten photos this year reflect travels to a couple of places that have been on my wife’s and my bucket list for a long time. We were excited to be able to travel more often in 2022. So here they are. . . my top ten favorite images of 2022 and the stories behind them.
Continue readingChuck Palmer
Exploring Alaska’s Inside Passage
. . . aboard the National Geographic Venture
It was one of those rare white-knuckle experiences as our plane suddenly pulled up from what felt like a normal landing. It was our final approach into Sitka, Alaska where we were to embark on a “bucket list” adventure. Fog and cloud cover prevented a line-of-sight landing on our Captain’s first attempt, but he informed us he had fuel enough for a couple more tries. I can’t say that comforted my wife and me any or increased the blood flow in our knuckles as we held tight to our armrests. . . We also wondered if fog and cloud cover would follow us during our Alaska adventure over the course of next week.
Continue readingDeath Valley National Park. . .
. . . A remarkably diverse landscape to explore
Driving into Death Valley National Park along California Highway 190, you certainly understand how Death Valley got its name. The brown barren desert landscape is all you can see for miles around. We were headed for “The Ranch at Death Valley”, a self-described casual hotel that would be our home base for the next 6 days. The Ranch turned out to be a convenient centrally located lodge to access the Valley’s most remarkable places to visit. We were excited to finally explore one of the few major National Parks we have never experienced, but we were not at all prepared for the landscape vistas and diversity we were about to encounter.
Continue readingMy Favorite 2021 Images and the Stories behind them. . .
It is my tradition to pick my favorite images of the year and tell the stories behind them. Reviewing all my photos from the year is always fun. The exercise provides insight on where I have been, the people I have met, and gives me some ideas for resolutions in the new year. I get to relive the experiences and special moments all over again, and I learn a lot. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys photography. You will find the difficult part is selecting only 10 favorites. I spent almost another full year socially distanced at home but managed to enjoy some travel to National Parks at year end. Several of my favorite photos came from these travels, and a few from right around my hometown.
So once again, here are my top ten favorite images of 2021 and the stories behind them.
Continue readingExploring Rocky Mountain National Park
It was just before sunrise when we drove up to the Fall River Entrance Station of Rocky Mountain National Park. It was one of those crisp Colorado mornings, the dry cool air was so refreshing that we decided to leave the car window open as we headed to Bear Lake Road for our first hike since we arrived in nearby Estes Park, CO.
Continue readingIt’s the worst of times. . . it’s the best of times
2:20 Underwater
It has been awhile since I posted to this blog. The whole year seems to have flown by while I am stuck at home. Like most people. . . travels were canceled, plans destroyed, and few family gatherings have been our norm for 2020. The good news, my family has remained healthy. As this strange year comes close to an end, I can’t help but think that time stood still in 2020. No remarkable images of far-away places or events to share.
Continue readingExploring the Cyclades Islands aboard the Sea Cloud
The Sea Cloud – Piraeus, Greece
As my wife and I stepped off the shuttle bus dockside at the historic port of Piraeus, Greece, we were amazed to see her rich mahogany woodwork, and gleaming brass. We had read about the legendary Sea Cloud sailing ship but after seeing her for the first time we felt we were about to step back into history. Our early September 7-day sailing adventure was about to begin. . . Exploring the Greek Cyclades Islands aboard the historic square-rigger. As we boarded this magnificent ship, we were greeted by our expedition director and his staff from National Geographic and the ship’s capable crew.
A Day in the Life of the Space Coast
United Launch Alliance Atlas V – Port Canaveral, FL
Inspired by A Day in the Life series of books co-created by Rick Smolan, a former Time, LIFE, and National Geographic photographer, and publisher David Elliot Cohen, I set out to capture little snippets of life here on the Space Coast of Florida. How do you capture the essence of the lifestyle where we live and work in just a few photographs? I didn’t know exactly where to start, but I set a goal to capture the essence the Space Coast in just 30 days. Continue reading
Exploring Arches National Park
Broken Arch – Arches National Park
Our family has made a real effort to see all of our major US National Parks but there are still a few more on our bucket list. Although we have seen many of the parks in Utah and Colorado, we never quite made it to Arches National Park near Moab, Utah until recently.
“A red rock wonderland” as the National Park Service likes to call it Continue reading
Choosing your subject for a remarkable photograph.
Who is it? – Eguisheim, France
Why do we shoot what we shoot? Our personal preferences and interests most likely defines what images we capture. We probably saw something that caught our eye and our interest. But do our viewers have the same interest? Maybe, maybe not. We can’t please everyone, but our goal for remarkable photographs is for a majority of our viewers to find our images interesting to look at. So how do we pick a subject that pleases most of our viewers? Continue reading
Chuck Palmer 