The Big Dipper over Dorgan House
The Big Dipper (Ursa Major) above Dorgan House was photographed in Big Bend National park during the spring of 2023.
Nature & Landscapes
Nature and landscapes.
The Milky Way over Balanced Rock
The Milky Way over Balanced Rock along the Grapevine Hills Trail in Big Bend National Park, photographed in the spring of 2023.
Balanced Rock Sunrise Panorama
This Balanced rock Sunrise Panorama was taken in Big Bend National Park during a recent visit to the area.
Milky Way Over Dorgan House
I photographed the Milky Way Over Dorgan House during my visit to Big Bend National Park in the spring of 2023.
Chihuahuan Desert Sunrise
A Chihuahuan Desert Sunrise as seen from the Dorgan House in Big Bend National Park during the Spring of 2023.
Foggy Chisos Mountains
I photographed this foggy Chisos mountains during my first morning in Big Bend National Park during the spring of 2023.
The Saddle at Lost Mine Trail
A panorama of The Saddle at Lost Mine Trail in Big Bend National Park, photographed in the Spring of 2023.
Snowy Chisos Mountains
I captured this panorama of the Snowy Chisos Mountains upon arrival in Big Bend National Park in the spring of 2023.
Santa Elena Canyon
Santa Elena Canyon is one of my favorite locations within the Big Bend National Park. The Canyon is one of BBNP’s geological marvels.
The Road to The Chisos
The Road to the Chisos Basin is one of the most scenic roads in the Big Bend National Park. Changes in elevation are accompanied by changes in vegetation.
Hot Springs Trail Overlook
The Hot Springs Trail Overlook is located near the Rio Grande Village in Big Bend National Park. A great hike with awesome vistas.
Chihuahuan Desert Sunset
A Chihuahuan Desert Sunset taken along the main road on the western end of Big Bend National Park during my recent trip to the area.
Balanced Rock Panorama
A panorama of Balanced Rock along the Grapevine Hills Trail in Big Bend National Park. Photographed in the spring of 2019.
Sunrise on Balanced Rock
A sunrise on Balanced Rock in Big Bend NP. The sunrise during that moring was great and the light illuminating the rocks was awesome!
Sunrise on Ernst Tinaja
I really enjoy the trip up Old Ore Road, leading to Ernst Tinaja in Big Bend National Park. The road is rough but the hike to the Tinaja is easy.
Clouds over Balanced Rock
Balanced Rock is located at the end of the Grapevine Hills Trail in Big Bend National Park. I captured this photo during a cloudy fall day.
Sunrise at Dorgan House
Sunrise at Dorgan House was very special during my recent trip to Big Bend National Park. The colors provided by the sun and the clouds were spectacular. One of the best I have seen in this area.
Balanced Rock Panorama
It is time for my spring trip to Big Bend National Park in west Texas. One of the first events was the hike up Grapevine Hills Trail to photograph a Balanced Rock Panorama.
Dorgan House Sunset
Another Dorgan House Sunset photo from my trip to Big Bend National Park last December. I can only imagine what the Dorgan family’s day was like, especially with their 360-degree views of the wonderful area.
View of Castellon
I photographed this view of Castellon Mountain at sunset from the Dorgan house which is located at the end of the Dorgan-Sublett Trail in Big Bend National Park.
Another Juniper Canyon Sunrise
Another Juniper Canyon Sunrise. The location can be found about 0.8 miles up the Lost Mine Trail in Big Bend National Park.
Moon over Chisos
This Moon over Chisos photograph is one of my favorite photographs from my fall trip to the Big Bend National Park area.
Dorgan House Sunrise
The Dorgan House along the Dorgan-Sublett Trail in Big Bend National Park taken at sunrise. I posted a few photos of the Dorgan house at sunset but the Dorgan House at Sunrise is special.
A View of Santa Elena
A sunset view of Santa Elena Canyon from the Dorgan house along the Dorgan-Sublett Trail in Big Bend National Park.
Prickly Pear Sunset
A prickly pear sunrise during my trip to Big Bend NP in the fall of 2017. The skies were filled with clouds which made for a great sunset.
A Window to Castellon
A window to Castellon Mountain as seen from the Dorgan House property in the Dorgan-Sublett in Big Bend National Park.
View of Castellon Mountain
This view of Castellon Mountain is from the Dorgan house in Big Bend National Park. This vantage point is a great place to see the park.
Sunset Sky
Another great sunset sky in Big Bend NP. Photographing into the sun is very tricky and one must find a balance to capture the image details.
Colorful Desert
The Big Bend NP desert floor in the spring of 2015 was one of the most colorful desert floors I have ever seen. I hope to see it once again.
Flowering Ocotillo
The flowering Ocotillo is one of the brightest flowers on the desert floor. I enjoy photographing them, however, you need calm winds.
Castellan Sunrise
A Cerro Castellan sunrise in Big Bend NP. High clouds blocked the sun that morning giving us this wonderful pink color on the clouds.
Juniper Canyon Sunrise
A panorma of the right side of Juniper Canyon at the end of the Lost Mine Trail in Big Bend National Park in the summer of 2017.
Lost Mine Sunrise
Sunrise along the Lost Mine Trail in Big Bend National Park. I captured this photo after a 2.4 mile hike up the popular trail.
Agaves and the Chisos Mountains
A pair of American Agaves (aka Sentry Plants or Century Plants) against the Chisos Mountains in the Big Bend National Park.
Balanced Rock Sunrise
The Balanced Rock formation along the Grapevine Hills trail in Big Bend National Park. I captured this panorama in the summer of 2017.
Rio Grande Sunset
A Rio Grande sunset photographed from the Nature Trail near the Rio Grande Village within the Big Bend National Park.
Lechuguilla Sunset
A pair of Lechuguilla plants, with stalks near the end of their cycle, posing at sunset in the Big Bend National Park.
Grapevine Hills Sunrise
Sunrise along Grapevine Hills in Big Bend National Park showing Balanced Rock on the left side of the image.
Nature’s Kaleidoscope
I have always been a big fan of kaleidoscopes so when I encountered Nature’s Kaleidoscope in the Cattail Falls area I had to photograph it.
Chisos Moonset
I photographed this moonset over the Chisos mountain last December during my fall trip to Big Bend NP. The sunrise light was perfect.
Moonset Over Terlingua
I captured this photograph of the moonset over Terlingua during my last trip to Big Bend NP. We hiked up a small hill to this vantage point.
Glen Springs Sunrise and Moonset
I photographed Nugent Mountain and the Chisos Mountain Range from the Glen Springs area of Big Bend NP during a unique moonset and sunrise.
Badlands of Big Bend
Another sunset photograph of the Badlands of Big Bend NP. This location is now a regular stop during my photography trips to the park.
South Rim Panorama
I decided to post this South Rim Panorama so you could get a feel for what a sunrise at the top of the South Rim at Big Bend NP looks like.
South Rim View
One of the most beautiful views in the entire Big Bend NP has to be the South Rim View. This vantage point showcases the Santa Elena Canyon.
Balanced Rock Sunrise
A favorite hike in Big Bend NP is up the Grapevine Hills Trail to Balanced Rock. It was there where I captured another Balanced Rock Sunrise.
South Rim Sunrise
The most memorable activity from my last trip to Big Bend NP was the 12-mile hike to the South Rim where I captured this South Rim Sunrise.
Moonrise over Castellan
I photographed the moonrise over Castellan Mountain at Big Bend National Park during a very rare event. The moon was larger than normal.
Chimneys Trail
Chimneys Trail in Big Bend National Park is a fairly easy hike that leads to a nice geological formation called the Chimneys.
Dry Riverbed
I captured this photograph of the Dry Riverbed along the Santa Elena Canyon last spring during my last visit to Big Bend National Park.
Santa Elena Canyon Sunrise
I captured this photograph of the Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend last April. I have been to the canyon multiple times and I have yet to get a good photograph with nice clouds.
Desert Flora Sunset
I photographed this desert flora sunset during my trip to Big Bend NP last year. The clouds were sparse but the desert flowers were amazing.
Sunrise on Big Bend
This image taken last December of another sunrise on Big Bend is from the Lost Mine Trail, another one of my favorite hikes in the park.
Balanced Rock Night Sky
One of my favorite Big Bend hikes is the hike to Balanced Rock. I hiked up early to capture this Balanced Rock night sky image.
Santa Elena Sunrise
One of my favorite spots, and one of the most geologically dramatic areas in Big Bend National Park is the Santa Elena Canyon area.
Centuries and Millennia
This photograph of the Chisos Mountain Range and the two Century Plants was taken at sunset on the western side of the Big Bend National Park.
Chisos Sunrise
We normally stop along Glen Springs Road to photograph the sunrise onto Nugent Mountain and the Chisos Mountain Range on our way out of Big Bend National Park.
Desert Plants
Desert plants like this Tree Cholla are not only beautiful but they have adapted to the environment and have been surviving and thriving for millennia.
Cerro Castellan
Cerro Castellan (Castellan Mountain) is located near the Castolon Visitors Center (note the different spelling) on the scenic Ross Maxwell Drive in the Big Bend National Park.
Santa Elena
One of our favorite photography locations in the Big Bend National Park is Santa Elena Canyon. We usually photograph the canyon at sunrise and we decided to try a sunset shot as well.
Chihuahuan Desert
The Big Bend National Park is located in the Chihuahuan Desert. This desert is the second largest in North America, covering about 140,000 square miles.
Prickly Pear Starburst
It is a tradition during our annual trips to the Big Bend National Park to stop along the Glen Springs Road for a sunrise photo. This year was no exception.
Chimneys
One of the things that I enjoy about my visits to the Big Bend National Park is exploring new locations. One of the new trails we explored was the Chimneys trail.
Big Bend #1
One of my favorite hikes in the Big Bend NP is the hike up the Grapevine Hills Trail. T’s an easy 2.2-mile hike that leads to the Balanced Rock formation
Big Bend #2
My favorite hike in all of the park is the Lost Mine Trail hike. There are may Texas Wildflowers and geological formations along the route.
Big Bend #3
The Rio Grande serves as a border between the US and Mexico. You can access it throughout the park, however, this photograph was taken outside the park.
Big Bend #4
We usually stop at the “Ocotillo Fields” near the park entrance to photograph the sunset on our first day at the Park. The official road is Texas Highway 118 and it’s named “Panther Junction Road”.
Best of Big Bend
I’m off to my annual spring trip to Big Bend and I thought I would share my top five landscape photos from my 2015 trips. This one merited an Honorable Mention.
Lost Mine Trail Sunrise
This photo of Juniper Canyon was taken last year during my first group photography trip to Big Bend NP. It was taken from the Lost Mine Trail overlook.
Balanced Panorama
This photograph was captured in Big Bend NP at the end of Grapevine Hills Trail, where the Balanced Rock formation resides. I posted a similar photograph titled “Balanced Sunrise” last December.
Boquillas
We had a chance to visit Boquillas Canyon during my trip to Big Bend NP. The Canyon is the easternmost of the 3 main narrows sections along the Rio Grande.
Silhouette
I like shooting silhouettes, so, when I was shooting the sunrise at the Lost Mine Trail in BBNP, I decided this was a perfect opportunity for a silhouette.
Juniper
I posted a few images taken at the Lost Mine Trail during my recent trip to BBNP. The image below of Juniper Canyon was taken at sunrise from the same spot.
Common
Common Ravens are observed throughout the Big Bend area. Of the birds classified as perching birds, the Common Raven is the largest, the size of a hawk.
Balanced Sunrise
I titled this one “Balanced Sunrise” because I was trying to make sure I got the rock formation and a good sunrise all at the same time. This is one of my favorite photos from my trip.
Badlands
During a rip to the Big Bend National Park, I noticed this very interesting area near the park’s western entrance. We labeled it “The Badlands”.
Ocotillo Sunset
This Ocotillo Sunset was taken in an “ocotillo field” that is located near the main entrance to the park on Highway 118 close to mile marker #21.
Sotol
The Sotol plant is very prominent throughout the Big Bend NP. It was during a trip to the park that I photographed the now dead and empty stalk.
Fall Colors
We normally associate fall colors with Maple, Oak, Cottonwood and Aspen trees but, we seldom associate desert plants with fall colors.
Spheroidal
The BBNP is an amazing geological wonderland. There are many interesting rock formations impacted by Spheroidal Weathering along the Grapevine Hills Trail.
On The Border
This image was taken with my tripod in the water and set to about 18-inches off the surface. I guess you could say that I was literally standing on the border.