My photo features a Reddish Egret splashing down on the shore at Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary on the Texas Gulf Coast.  I took this photo in mid-February on one of several trips to the area over the winter and early spring.  Although the skies were overcast that day,  I was fortunate to get a little sun breaking through on this shot to light the subject bird.

Galveston Feather Fest is one of the larger birding festivals on the Gulf Coast, drawing hundreds of birders and photographers to the area each spring at the conference which has a on-site workshop focus.   I plan to participate in some of the workshops in mid-April.

The winning photos area featured on galveston.com and the Feather Fest contest website, and are worth a look for all the stunning photos.  It's very exciting to be featured in these galleries.

Thanks for stopping by to take a look at this blog post!

Scott

This winter, I've spent most of my photography time focusing on bird photography, ranging from the songbirds at my backyard feeder, to the shorebirds at the Bolivar Flats Audubon Shorebird Sanctuary located on the Gulf Coast a couple of hours away from my home.  In late February and early March, I made several trips to Bolivar Flats, and captured the images shown in this post. 

Reddish Egret Splashdown

American Avocet Surfside

Ring-Billed Gull

American Avocet Triumvirate

Yellowlegs Sandpiper

Sanderling Sandpiper

Willet B&W

Dowitcher Sandpipers

Laughing Gull

Reddish Egret Sushi Breakfast

The perspective of these shorebird shots is enhanced by getting down at eye level with the birds.  This approach was shared at a recent  Kingwood Photo Club meeting by Tim Timmis, a noted Houston-area wildlife photographer.  At a recent club outing to Bolivar Flats,  club president Chris Summers photographed me in action taking some of these photos.  Thanks very much for capturing and sharing this, Chris!

Thanks for stopping by to read this blog post and take a look at these photos. Follow me on Instagram or Vero, where  I post a new photo most weekdays featuring my current photographic activities. 

Scott

My favorite images are shown below in this blog post, and the galleries on my website have been updated with these selections, and the 2025 updates should be featured at the top of each category page.

Thanks for stopping by to read this blog post and take a look at these photos. Follow me on Instagram or Vero, where  I post a new photo most weekdays featuring my current photographic activities. 

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The rain fueled a dramatic display at North Clear Creek Falls below, where the falls cascaded through the canyon, framed by brush in fall colors and sheer rock faces.

Early monring light illuminated the group of cottonwoods below along the Rio Grande banks north of South Fork.

Near Slumgullion Pass, the rain was turning to snow, so I turned back and stopped as the storm cleared to capture this image of the mountain range with fresh snow on the peaks, framed by the golden aspens and evergreens on the slopes.

Near Pagosa Springs,  the aspens showed various shades of green and gold, as the early morning sun rose and illuminated the peaks in this shot.

On my way back to Texas,  I stopped in the Taos, New Mexico area, and enjoyed a photo tour with my friend Geraint Smith.  We found beautiful color in the Valle Vidal, just south of the Colorado state line,  and captured these images of the aspen canopy,  and an ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) abstract image of the aspen trunks and fall colors.

Trips to the Rockies for fall color always recharge my batteries and get me excited about my photography.  These are a few of my favorites from the trip, but I have many more that I'll be featuring on my social media feeds for the next month or so.

Thanks for stopping by to take a look at this post! Follow me on Instagram or Vero, where  I post a new photo most weekdays featuring my current photographic activities. 

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The photo above of Emerald Bay was captured from the roadside on the west side of the Lake.  The calm waters in the bay and mountains silhouetted across the water gave me an image I was pleased with,  representing one of the iconic photos of Lake Tahoe.  Fanette Island in the bay is the tallest island in the Lake, rising 150 feet above the waterline.  The photo below of the island from a different vantage point features the incedible clarity of the Lake waters and the rugged beauty of the mountainous topography.

An afternoon drive around the lake led to the photo below of an afternoon storm moving in taken from the Logan Shoals Vista Point on eastern Nevada side of the Lake.  I was a bit surprised that there were not more scenic viewpoints like this on the drive, but many areas are private land and heavily developed, while roads through state parks and national forests often were far enough away from the Lake to not have unobstructed views. This spot offerred a terrific view of the Lake and distant mountains.

On July Fourth, we drove into Truckee, California some distance away, and enjoyed the holiday activities there.  Later in the afternoono,  we drove up to Donner Pass, and captured this photo of the lenticular clouds above Donner Lake, which was bustling with holiday activity.  Crowds were gathing already on the Pass for the sunset fireworks show that night.

A morning return later in the week gave this image of the Donner Summit Bridge, which wwas constructed in 1926 on the historic Lincoln Highway.  Before the construction of Interstate 80,  this was the route you took when travelling to Sacramento and San Francisco from points east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It remains a remarkable engineering and architectural achievement.Thanks for stopping by to take a look at this post! Follow me on Instagram or Vero, where  I post a new photo most weekdays featuring my current photographic activities. 

Scott

The quality of the submitted images by club members was very high, and the faculty found making the final selections quite difficult. Two of my submitted images were chosen for display from the 48 images chosen overall.  This prompted additional activity to print the photos, which I did myself,  and have them mounted and matted to the consistent format for display at the show. 

The image below was taken last year in the late afternoon at Caprock Canyons State Park  east of Amarillo, Texas.  The beautiful light and afternoon skies contibuted to one of my favorite images in my entire portfolio.  

I submitted several wildflower scenes for consideration.  In good years,  various regions of Texas are world-class in their displays of spring wildflower beauty.  The photo below of a thriving roadside display of Indian Paintbrush along a one-lane country road was taken northwest of Brenham, Texas in 2023.   

The Community Art Exhibition at Lone Star - Kingwood continues through September 4, and is open on Monday - Thursday from 11 AM to 3 PM.  If you're in the north Houston area,  it is well worth your time to stop by and take a look at all the terrific photos from our talented club members.  

Thanks for stopping by to take a look at this post! Follow me on Instagram or Vero, where  I post a new photo most weekdays featuring my current photographic activities. 

Scott

In the photo above, a bison wandering through a patchwork of wildflowers evokes the quiet resilience of native wildlife, a reminder that these animals once shaped the rhythm of the prairie.  I captured this image at Caprock Canyons State Park in West Texas, where the wildflowers were in full bloom and the bison hanging out in more photogenic locations than in my visit there last year. The park hosts the Texas State Bison Herd, descendents of the bison saved by legendary rancher Charles Goodnight.

Nearby, a vacant building, perhaps once a schoolhouse, stands on the high plains, the skeletal trees around it echoing a story of abandonment and harsh seasons. Those who have traveled from Texas to Colorado along US 287 may recognize this roadside site just outside of Memphis, Texas.

Entering New Mexico along the highway, we stopped at Capulin Volcano National Monument, where the road to the rim of the extinct volcano provided this vista of a rainy cold front moving into the foothills o the eastern plains. 

After an overnight stay in Raton,  we continued south toward Santa Fe with a stop at Fort Union National Monument.  In the photo below, adobe walls and wagon remnants speak to a time when commerce and conflict met on the high plains. Fort Union was a supply hub for all of the other southwestern forts, until eventuallly closing after railroads connected tthe area. 

Several nights in Santa Fe gave us the opportunity to enjoy the arts, culture, and food of Santa Fe, and we enjoyed perfect weather with temperatures in the mid to high 70s during out stay. A morning visit to Bandelier National Monument provided this image of a cliff dwelling built directly into the canyon wall, standing firm among sage and shadow, holding stories that stretch back centuries.

An enormous volcanic eruption created the 14 mile wide Valle Grande  pictured here at Valles Caldera National Preserve.  Jara Creek runs through the center of the valley in this panorama photo, with the ring of mountains and cloudy New Mexico skies forming the backdrop. 

Thanks for stopping by to take a look at this post! Follow me on Instagram or Vero, where  I post a new photo most weekdays featuring my current photographic activities. 

Scott

We spent our first day together primarily in the Abiquiu area southwest of Taos, our first trip back to the area since my initial visit.  We explored some new areas and returned to some previous favorites, which always offer something different depending on the season, time of day, and ever-changing New Mexico skies.  The photo above shows a view of Orphan Mesa at Ghost Ranch, a familiar scene to movie buffs as it has been the site of many westerns over the years. We caught it with foreground shadows and some beautiful skies in the background in a scene that is the essence of New Mexico.  A little further away, we took a dirt road through national forest service lands for photos of the beautiful cliffs shown below, which offerred numerous compositions during our stop.

On the second day, we traveled north and east of Taos, through Red River and Eagles Nest, for photos at higher mountain elevations, and through the canyon out to the Cimarron area.  There was still plenty of snow on the mountain tops, and I'll be featuring a number of these photos on my social media feeds in upcoming days.  Some of our most notable shots of the day featured wildlife that we encountered.  In the photo below,  a group of elk were "all ears" save one, as they paused to check us out just before departing in a cloud of dust. 

On the way back, we found a group of mountain sheep just west of Red River, and this ram thoughtfully posed for a head shot.

On my drive back from Taos,  I stopped by Palo Duro Canyon State Park near Amarillo, Texas.  Heavy rains and floods earlier in May had caused erosion in low-lying areas, but the saturation had produced beautiful wildflowers in several locations that I photographed in the afternoon before an overnight stay at the campground.  

The following morning, I was up for sunrise photos from the observation overlook before departing, and took the photos shown below, the first a few minutes before sunrise, and the second as the rising sun lit the canyon valley.

Thanks for stopping by to take a look at this post! Follow me on Instagram or Vero, where  I post a new photo most weekdays featuring my current photographic activities. 

Scott

My top social media post for the month, featured above,  was not a wildflower post but rather a bird photo that I captured in my own backyard during the month.  I've mentioned before that I really have not done much bird photography, but I was inspired by a presentation to our Kingwood Photo Club by noted bird photographer Alan Murphy.  I spent some time upgrading firmware in my Nikon Z8 camera and learning to use the various autofocus modes.  This photo of a goldfinch taking off from a perch was somewhat serendipitous, as it decided to leave just as I had focussed and snapped a single frame.  

The photo below was captured in 2024 at the Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historical Area, and features brightly colored Indian paintbrush against a blurred background of purple verbena.  I love taking photos at this park,  as the walking trails let you get in among the fields of wildflowers,  in contrast to often shooting over or through a fence on the mostly private property in the area.  

My third most popular social media posting of the month was actually a rainy-day Photoshop exercise early in the month while I was waiting for this years wildflowers to being their bloom.  It is a composite of three photos I took in 2024 in the Brenham, Texas area.  The row of trees along the ridge was captured on a rainy day, but there were no wildflowers at this location.  A more scenic foreground was added to bring some bluebonnets and paintbrush into the image.  The original photo of the trees had a flat rainy sky, so I replaced it with one from another image I took of a storm breaking up in the area.  This was a fun exercise and I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Thanks for stopping by to take a look at this post! Follow me on Instagram or Vero, where  I post a new photo most weekdays featuring my current photographic activities. 

Scott

The image above features a Snowy Egret, displaying breeding plumage, with an intense gaze into the shallow waters of the surrounding marsh. Below,  a Roseate Spoonbill dips from its perch to look for food.  The orange tail feathers and bright red shoulders are part of its breeding plumage. 

A great egret guards recently-hatched chicks in the next.  The young birds will fly in about 3 weeks, and be fully independent in just over 2 months.

The roseate spoonbills seemed to be a little behind the egrets in breeding and hatching their young.  I captured these two engaging in a courting ritual.  Perhaps this is where the term "spooning" comes from.

I caught this female grackle taking off from a limb on my side of the marsh.  While a much smaller bird, its proximity to the camera allowed me to capture a frame-filling image in incredible detail. 
I heartily recommend a visit to the sanctuary to those along the Texas Gulf Coast and beyond who are interested in bird watching or photography.  It was an incredible experience,  and I'll be going back for sure!

Thanks for reading my blog post and your interest in my photography.

Scott

My first stop was at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historical Area, which usually has fields full of bluebonnets and wildflowers.  The photo above shows one such location early in the morning with the sun casting long shadows across the field. This area looks to have received enough rain, but the grasses are growing faster than the bluebonnets and already choking them out.  Still, a tranquil early morning wildflower scene, with bluebonnets highlighted with purple verbena.

In the same park,  some more mature bluebonnets pictured below were found in an area near the visitor center building.  Perhaps these flowers benefited from some sun reflecting off the building and creating higher temperatures to help them bloom earlier.

Nearby,  a fresh Indian Blanket bloom also appears to have benefitted, as these wildflowers don't normally appear until mid-April in the area as the bluebonnets wane.

A short drive away in Independence, Texas,  I found bluebonnets at the Old Baylor historical area.  These blooms were less mature and some areas looked like they needed rain,  which they received over the last few days.  The photo below features the historical ruins with a bluebonnet-covered hillside in fhe foreground.

The Indian Paintbrush appeared to be lagging behind the bluebonnets in emerging, and in most locations I only saw a scattered bunch here and there.  As I was driving down a county road early one morning,  I found the cluster below on the shoulder of the road lit up by early morning sun shining through a gap in the trees lining the roadway.

The major roads in the Brenham area had some of the best displays.  There were plenty of flowers along US 290 from Houston to Brenham, and State Highway 36 northwest of Brenham had some nice areas.  This photo was taken just off Highway 36 and had a nice mixed hillside of bluebonnets and paintbrush with trees just beginning to wake up in the background.

Texas received lots of rain this week,  which should have benefitted existing blooms.  I am hearing there are some good displays in the Navasota area, not too far from where some of these photos were taken.  I hope to make it out again in a couple of weeks to see how the season is progressing.

I'll be featuring photos from my trip on my social media feeds for the next couple of weeks. Follow me on Instagram or Vero, where  I post a new photo most weekdays featuring my current photographic activities. 

Thanks for stopping by and reading this blog post!

Scott

I considered three photos from 2024 to be worthy of including in my Portfolio collection, displacing three older photos that I still like, but did not consider to be as good as this year's additions.  These photos were all featured in my last blog post on My Favorite Photos of 2024, so please refer to that blog post for a description of each.  I'll add here that the photos were taken in three different states, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming, and feature the progression of afternoon light from Golden Hour through Sunset and into Blue Hour.

I'm very pleased to add these to my Portfolio collection.  I'd love to hear from you as to which is your favorite.  Please leave a comment  on this blog post and let me know.  From top to bottom, the photos are:

Caprock Canyons Golden Hour

Snow Canyon Twilight

Bluegrass Creek Sunset

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look. My entire portfolio can be viewed at photosbyscottpurdy.com/portfolio.  In addition to these portfolio additions, I've updated many of the Landscape folders on my website with other favorite images from 2024.

Scott

I'll open with a couple of Black and White images from my trip to New Mexico last October.  The first photo was taken on a workshop with Geraint Smith, featuring a group of aspens against a shady slope southeast of Taos.  As I was editing this photo, I was reminded of the famous Ansel Adams photo Aspens, Northern New Mexico, likely taken not too far away from this location.  

While in New Mexico, my wife and I took a drive on the High Road to Taos,  and stopped for this photo at the San Lorenzo de Picuris Mission.  A single cloud in the deep blue New Mexico skies and the placement of the ladder enhanced the scene featuring the shadows and textures on the adobe structure.

On the first day of my workshop with Geraint,  we took a drive along U.S. 64 through the Carson National Forest.  We stopped at this location for a good bit of time to take various scenes, as the aspens here were showing various stages of the fall transiiton.  I got lots of good shots at this location,  but my favorite was the shot below, which I spotted as we were about to pull back on the highway after stopping.  The Lone Tree in the Square Composition is a favorite subject of mine,  and this example really caught my eye with only a few remaining golden leaves on the tree, and framed by other colorful aspens along the roadside.

A little further down the road,  we stopped at Hopewell Lake, where this hillside of golden aspens was beautifully reflected in the lake.  This shot took some patience, as it was getting quite cloudy, and we had to wait for a large cloudbank to blow by before the aspens were sunlit.  The light was fleeting, lasting only a few seconds, but I was ready and captured this photo during that time.

My wife and I made a June trip to Utah, where we encountered record heat, but an early morning start and a drive up to the higher elevations at Zion National Park provided some good photographic opportunities.  This photo of a stand of evergreens growing high up on the sheer rock faces was taken in the Kolob Canyon area of the park.

A July trip to West Texas and New Mexico included an overnight stop at Caprock Canyons State Park, home to the Texas State Bison herd.  As you drive along the high plains of West Texas, you suddenly come upon these canyons which have been eroded by the forks of the Red River.  A colorful blue skie added to this golden hour scene of the vibrant red hillsides and high desert foliage.

In June, I visited my brother's ranch in the Laramie foothills area of Southeastern Wyoming.  While not an area that is often seen in landscape photography, I found much to photograph in the 3+ days we spent out taking photos (and looking for cows).  This sunset scene of Bluegrass Creek flowing past a stand of Cottonwoods was my favorite.

On our last night in Utah in June,  we drove up to the Snow Canyon overlook, located just outside of Snow Canyon State Park, where a view from the cliffs into the Park was quite dramatic as the light faded into dusk.  This park is a lesser-visited gem located in Ivins, Utah near the city of St. George.  

Our visit to the Kolob Canyon area of Zion National Park also provided this photo opportunity of the rising sun lighting the canyon wall through a gap in the adjacent rock face.  In contrast to the enormous crowds at the main part of Zion regardless of the time of day,  I was the only car in the parking lot when I took this early morning shot.

The Texas wildflower season in March and early Aptil was a bit uneven this year.  I spent a good many days out, but found that the blooms were a bit later than previous years in some locations, and some loations were noticably less prolific than I had observed on previous trips.  In early April, I travelled to Fredericksburg, TX which was in the path of totality for the solar eclipse.  The eclipse was mostly obscured by clouds at that location (still an awesome experience), but I ventured out the next couple of days looking for remaining wildflowers.  I round this scene on a Ranch to Market Road east of Fredericksburg, featuring mixed Paintbrushes and Bluebonnets,  and all the ingredients of a lovely Texas Hill Country scene.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post, and for your support of my website and social media feeds in 2024! 

Scott

This photo was taken at Hopewell Lake, just off US 64 between Tres Piedras and Terra Amarilla, NM.  A dense stand of aspens highlighted by sunlight through the cloudy skies is mirrored in the calm waters of the lake.  My patience as a photographer was tested for this shot,  as we had to wait for the sun to break through a dense cloud bank.  This light was fleeting when it finally broke through, lasting only a few seconds but enough time to capture the image.

A bit earlier in the morning, we stopped at another location along the same route, and spent time capturing the fallen aspen leaves and still-vibrant trees.  As we were returning back to the highway, I noticed this picturesque aspen with the remaining leaves backlit by the morning sun against a dramatic New Mexico sky.  I hopped out and captured one of my favorite compositions - The Lone Tree in the Square Composition.  Colorfull aspens across the highway and a stand with thinning leaves nearby framed the tree nicely.

Earlier in the trip, my wife and I took a drive along the High Road to Taos, stopping at several of the adobe churches along the route.  Fall colors in this area were more muted as it was at lower elevations and just beginning to change, so I focused on the architecture.  A stop at the San Lorenzo do Picuris Mission provided this image, where I composed the shot with the "Stairway to Heaven" ladder on the side wall reaching upward to a lone cloud in the sky.  A black and white edit emphasized the texture of the adobe building and the contrast with the sky.
Thanks for stopping by to take a look at this post! Follow me on Instagram or Vero, where  I post a new photo most weekdays featuring my current photographic activities. 

Scott Purdy

My posts on Instagram and Vero during September featured photos made in late July on a trip to State Parks and National Monuments in Texas and western New Mexico.  The most popular photo of the month was this shot of Enchanted Mesa, taken on the tribal road on the way to Acoma Sky City west of Albuquerque. A black and white edit really brought out the brightness of the morning sun on the rock faces, and rendered an otherwise unattractive clear blue sky to more pleasing tones.

We stopped at Caprock Canyons State Park southeast of Amarillo, TX, where the high plains have been eroded by forks of the Little Red River.  We caught some nice afternoon light while driving through the park,  capturing the two photos below of the desert vegetation and sandy red cliffs in the canyon valleys, framed by beautiful cloudy blue skies.

October posts will feature more photos from this trip,  and some from my trip in early October to the Taos, NM area where I captured fall colors in addition to the traditiional southwestern scenery in the Taos area.

Follow me on Instagram or Vero, where  I post a new photo most weekdays featuring my current photographic activities. for taking the time ro read this blog and enjoy my photos!

Scott

The highlight of my trip was a two-day photo workshop with my friend Geraint Smith, an outstanding photographer and photo workshop instructor based in the Taos area.  This was my third trip to Taos for a workshop with Geraint, and the first during the fall season.  The photo of me above at the Brazos Cliffs was taken by Geraint, and thanks to him for giving me permission to post it on my blog.  For more info on Geraint's photography and workshops, visit his website at geraintsmith.com. 

Our first day began with a drive along U.S. 64 west from Taos to Chama.  The apens along  in this area were showing beautiful gold colors, with some trees  transitioning to orange.  Winds were removing the leaves from many trees quickly, emphasizing the fleeting nature of the season.  The road shot above captures the highway winding through the fall beauty on a clear blue-sky morning.

Further down the road, we stopped at Hopewell Lake to capture a stand of golden aspens reflecting in the lake's waters.  Clouds were moving in from the west by this time, and patience paid off in waiting for the sun to break through the clouds and briefly illuminate the subject aspens.
The overview of the Brazos Cliffs along the highway offerred one of the more dramatic mountain scenes in the area.  Aspens at this location displayed the full range of fall colors, from still-green to yellow, to orange.  Some trees had already completed the transition to "stick season" as the wind swept their leaves away.  This photo is my shot that I was working on when Geraint took the photo of me at the top of this post.

I'll be editing and posting photos from this trip for several weeks on my social media accounts. Follow me on Instagram or Vero, where  I post a new photo most weekdays featuring my current photographic activities. Thanks for taking the time to read this blog post!

Scott

My top social media post during August was this view below of Bluegrass Creek in the late afternoon, as thunderstorms encroached over the foothills.  The lush vegetation along the creek stands in contrast with the dry desert background, and the thunderstorms add a moodiness to the scene.

Two black-and-white compositions of granite outcrops on the rolling hills were my second and third most popular posts.  I've been trying to feature a new black and white photo each Monday on my posts.  The monochrome photos have been particularly popular on Vero.  These photos were taken about two hours after sunrise, in that time period where the light is  starting to go flat but still offers some nice directional light and deep shadows.  I find the black and white treatment in this light to be very favorable to the clear skies,  which would render as a relatively uninteresting blue shade if edited in color.

These photos were actually taken less than 5 minutes apart, and the photo below is the same rock formation as the one above,  on the opposite side and lit from a different direction. 

Thanks for your interest in my photography and for taking the time to read this blog post!

Scott

Over the last several weeks, I've had 3 photos selected on 3 Snap Community categories.  These represent my 22nd overall featured photos in 13 different categories.  I'm very excited to be a member of the Snap Community and to have my photos featured.  It's like entering a photo contest with hundreds hundreds of entries every day.  The category moderators do a tremendous job viewing and selecting submissions, many thanks to them for all their hard work!

The minimalist photo below of a petrified sand dune at Snow Canyon State Park in Utah was taken on my June trip to Utah.  It was one of my favorite images from the trip, and I was intially disappointed that it didn't seem to get much attention when posted on my social media feeds.  It was selected by the @snap_landscape moderators for feature in August, along with 2 other minimalist landscape photos.  It was very exciting to recieve this recognition and validation of my initial thoughts about the photo!

Another photo from my Utah trip,  also taken at Snow Canyon State Park, was featured in July on @snap_usa.  I was really struck by the way this tree angled across the frame toward the light in the mouth of a slot canyon at the park.

I don't often take photos specifically with black and white in mind,  but have been focusing more lately on choosing photos for black and white conversion during the editing process. Some of the black and white photos from my recent Utah and Wyoming trips have been especially popular on Vero lately.  This photo of granite rock formations in the Laramie Mountains of Wyoming was featured last week on @snap_community_member, which is a page reserved for all photographers who have achieved community member status after 5 features on the community sites.  There was great light falling on this morning scene, leading to many different levels on tonality in the photo.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look at these recent features and reading my blog post!

Scott

The most popular image was that of a tree growing atop a rocky hillside.  The great range in tonality is one of the things that set this one apart, with shades ranging from black to almost white in the late morning light. It is amazing how these trees can thrive in such a rocky landscape and on so little annual precipitation.

The image below was the second most popular image for the month, featuring "waves" of petrified sand dunes cascading down the canyon.  The shapes that these sandstone formations take on, scuplted by wind erosion, can be quite amazing and this one was no exception.

This black and white image of the Sentinel area at Zion is notable for the sheer magnitude of the mountains and the range of tones in the sandstone itself, from bright whites to dark streaks.  
While I have taken the more iconic photos of the places I've travelled,  I really enjoy just getting out and exploring on my travels, and pointing my lens at whatever strikes me.  My goal is to take great pictures of what I see,  not ordinary photos of the places everyone has been to. You probably won't find these shots of this area of Zion in any of the guidebooks or online albums of the park, which makes them special to me.  I hope you enjoy them as well and thanks for taking the time to stop by.

Scott

The photo below of the winding park road at Snow Canyon State Park was in the top 3 on both platforms.  I posted a photo from the same location on my feeds in 2023, but in that photo,  the composition was a bit tight and zoomed in further.  I returned to the spot this year and gave it a little more breathing room, and was very pleased with this result.

On Vero,  the photo below of the morning sun on the canyon wall at the Kolob Canyon area of Zion National Park received the most favorable response rate.  In addition,  this photo was featured on the #snap_landscape gallery as one their daily picks during June, and was one of my favorites from the trip as well.

My Instagram followers responded most favorably  to the photo below of trees on the rocky hilltops at Zion National Park.  This one was a bit of a surprise, as while I liked the photo,  I don't know that I would have considered it to be one of the top 3.  It can be a bit tricky to figure out which photos your followers like best on Instagram, given the wide variability in the followers reached with any given post.  The like count is relatively useless when the reach varies so much,  so I typically look at the percent of followers that actually saw the photo and liked or commented on it.  This particular shot had limited reach, but a high percentage of followers who saw the photo liked it. I have noticed my recent posts on Instagram have been seeing lower reach but higher response rates.  I suppose this means the algorithm is doing a good job of predicting which of my followers will like a photo,  but I'd be happier if they just showed it to all the folks who've followed me.

I've continued to post photos from my June trip to Utah throughout the month of July,  and  am continuing to edit and post photos from that trip, as well as those from a trip to the Wyoming front range.  Last week,  I was in west Texas and northwestern New Mexico and I'll be featuring those photos in upcoming posts as well.  Thanks for following me and for your interest in my work, and for reading this blog post!

Scott

We had good sunsets on three of the four nights that I was at the ranch, with late afternoon thunderstorms (but little rain) blowing through with clouds lingering for the evening color.  The photo above shows Bluegrass Creek, with strong currents from the spring runoff at higher elevations on the Continental Divide further west in Wyoming. This photo captures the sun just before it drops below the horizon in the distance, with the Laramie River in the foreground.  The small lake is formed from a water impoundment project along the river, part of what is the largest private water district in the country with water rights that date to the 1870s. 

Spectacular clouds were lit by the setting sun in this photo looking to the north from a viewpoint offerring spectacular views across the Laramie Peaks Wildlife Management Area. We observed deer, elk, pronghorn, and many varieties of birds on our trip as well (though my photo captures of these were a bit limited).

My photography has to date been primarily focussed on Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah, so it was great to expand my portfolio into another state.  And for those driving up I25 on the way to more crowded parks,  I recommend spending some time exploring this beautiful area. There are state parks and public lands that provide good access.

Thanks!

Scott

On our first full day there, we returned to Zion National Park.  Rather than ride the crowded shuttle busses through the densely packed areas of the canyon again,  we chose a tour of the eastern portion of the park with some short hikes.  I took a similar photo last year of the Towers of the Virgin pictured above, but didn't get a great exposure with the bright morning sunlight and dark shadows.  This year,  I captured an exposure bracked which let me bring out some of the shadow detail in the foreground.  On Day 2,  we drove up to the Kolob Canyons area of Zion.  This was another less crowded experience with numerous places to stop and photograph, along with as much hiking as you wanted to take on.  We stuck to some short treks, and captured the sun lighting up the face of the canyon and reflecting on the opposite wall in this photo.
On Friday,  we returned to Snow Canyon State Park,  a real gem located just north of Ivins, Utah.  This minimalist photo is of the petrified sand dunes that emerge from the valley floor, which was the site of a massive lava flow.

Our last evening in Utah had just the slightest clouds, so we went up to the Snow Canyon overlook north east of the park for this sunset photo.  Sunset hues on the horizon complement the spectacular geology of the park.

I'll be featuring more of my photos from Utah on my social media feeds in the coming days.Follow me on Instagram or Vero, where  I post a new photo most weekdays featuring my current photographic activities.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog page!

Scott

This year I am entering the 6 photos shown here in the contest.  The deadline this year came ahead of some week-long photo outings planned for the summer, so my entries are fewer than the 12 photos I entered last year.

In the photo at the top of the page, I captured a fall sunset at Lake Daingerfield State Park in northeast Texas last November. Below, this view of a trail through tree roots on the forest floor was taken in the Big Thicket National Preserve in February 2023.  

A summertime scene of praire grasses and wildflowers with a lone pine and the Taos mountain range in the background was taken in July 2023 on a photo workshop with Geraint Smith, an outstanding photographer and workshop provider in the Taos area.

The image below was taken right outside my hotel room at sunset in Ivins, Utah in June, 2023.  I had photos from this vantage point at sunrise also,  but these turned out to be overly contrasty.  It wasn't until I got around to editing this photo in December that I found the beauty in the soft sunset colors in the sky and on the red rocks at this location.

I made several wildflower trips to various places in Texas this spring starting in mid-March.  I have several of these photos that I thought turned out great, but this one has the advantage of not having a distracting fence or road in the foreground.  This lone oak tree sits atop a field of Indian paintbrushes on a cloudy morning in the Brenham, Texas area.

A stop at the Great Sand Dunes National Park last September yielded this photo of the "Wall of China" sand dunes winding toward the mountains in the distance.  This national park must be seen to be believed, and I'm grateful for the experience.

The NLPA provides specific feedback for each photo submitted, including the ratings by individual judges in additon to how far the photo progressed.  This sets the contest apart from many,  and provides objective feedback on how your photos are received.  I'm excited to participate again with this set of images!

Thanks for visiting my website and reading this blog entry!

Scott

I was out shooting wildflower photos on 7 days from mid-March to mid-April, but had only 1 day of sunshine.  While this can limit the brilliant wildflower scenes lit by the sun,  the overcast skies did provide for even light throughout the day.  Additionally, the photos featured here were all either during or just after rain showers,  providing rich, saturated wildflower colors.

It was a good wildflower season in 2024 for most of the traditional wildflower locations in Texas.  Reportedly, portions of the Hill Country experienced a Superbloom in late March, but I did not get over there untili early April just following the solar eclipse, and most areas were fading by then.  The Brenham area is another traditional hot spot,  and I found pockets of great blooms in the area, but overall I thought it was down from the last 2 years.  While the bluebonnets and paintbrushes are now gone, May offers other bloom opportunities and I'll be exploring more in the days to come.

Follow me on Instagram or Vero, where  I post a new photo most weekdays featuring my current photographic activities.

Scott

Paintbrush and bluebonnet background scene in the Brenham area

A bluebonnet-only roadside scene during a morning rain shower

Also featured in last week's blog, this hillside of mixed paintbrushes and bluebonnets was captured in the Fredericksburg area, and was featured on the #snap_flowers gallery on Vero.

The photo above was taken in April and  was featured on #snap_flowers, my first feature on this gallery.  This feature was an exciting conclusion to the Texas Bluebonnet and Paintbrush season which has now wound down, and where I spent most of my photography time during March and early April.

The photo below was featured on #snap_skies, showing a sunrise scene at Mustang Island State Park in Texas which I captured in early March.  Likewise, this was my first feature on the gallery, and was my 15th feature overall on Snap Kingdom galleries, earning me the recognition as VIP Member. 

Last week, the photo below was featured on #snap_country, and again my first feature on the gallery.  It is actually a scene from my wildflower photo excursions last year that I didn't get around to posting until the beginning of the season this year while I was out taking pictures. This photo was taken in Washington County, Texas near Brenham.

I highly recommend following the Snap Kingdom galleries on VERO for the excellent curated photography.  Featured photos in these galleries typically get hundreds of likes, probably thousands of views and are typically of very high quality.  Similar communities exist on Instagram, but seem to be more difficult to access due to the difficulty the Instagram algorithm causes for both the submitters, the moderators, and depending on how you view the feeds you follow,  the viewer.  Having served as a guest moderator on #snap_bnw for black and white photos,  I can tell you the moderators do a lot of work reviewing daily submissions,  selecting themes,  and presenting and recognizing the photographers.  My thanks to all the hard work they do to create a great product!

Scott

View the Panoramas gallery at the link below:

https://photosbyscottpurdy.com/panoramas

A lunchtime visit to LBJ State Park found most of the wildflowers there about played out, and an afternoon drive along Ranch Roads 1623 and 1888 turned up no standout wildflower displays, though still a pleasant spring drive.

Wednesday morning,  I began a circular route back to the Houston area by heading north on State Highway 16 to Llano.   There was early morning sun and beautiful reoadside stretches of wildflowers from the Willow City loop area onward. The bluebonnets and paintbrushes were giving way to Indian blankets and sunflowers as shown in these photos.

East of Llano, there were still plenty of bluebonets on State Highway 71,  but it is a busy road and you best look for a turnout rather than stopping on the shoulder.  I didn't find the turnouts and wildflowers in the same location.  A detour on Ranch Road 962 into the Austin area didn't turn up many wildflowers, but it is an interesting drive with a one lane bridge across the Pedernales River.  The road also goes by the Hamilton Pool, which requires reservations but is worthy of a future trip.

The second week in April is a little late for bluebonnets in the Fredericksburg area,  but it was worth exploring the area further since I was there for the eclipse already. I'll be posting these and other photos of the area on my social media accounts over the next week or two. Follow me on Instagram or Vero, where  I post a new photo most weekdays featuring my current photographic activities.

Best, Scott

Weather forecasts starting about a week out did not look favorable, as the area was predicted to be under cloud cover on the day of the eclipse.  I decided to go ahead with the trip anyway and hope for a break in the clouds.  Expensive, non-refundable reservations had something to  do with that decision.

I travelled to the Firefly RV Resort just outside of Fredericksburg, Texas,  which was located only 3 miles from the center of the zone of totality, ensuring a long viewing period.  The site proved to be perfect in all regards except weather, as I was able to setup on the back of the RV pad to photograph the eclipse, with all my gear and RV amenities a few steps away. A Sunday afternoon arrival ensured that I avoided heavy traffic into the area, which reportedly was of epic proportions on Monday despite the cloudy weather.

Monday morning dawned completely overcast with zero sun visibility.  About mid-morning, the clouds started to clear a bit, offerring hope for an unobstructed view.  This view of clearing blue skies about an hour before totality, in the exact location for viewing the sun, got me excited.

As we reached first contact,  I began my photo captures, using pre-planned and rehearsed exposure settings with my solar filter on my 100-400mm zoom lens.  This partial image was shot at 300mm, and cropped a bit for this photo.

Shortly after first contact, heavy clouds rolled in,  obscuring the sun and offering just brief glimpses of the partial eclipse as clouds moved by.  I found that there was not enough light to find the sun through my solar filter,  and photos taken without the filter were still blown out with any cloud clearing during partial eclipse.  Also, given the difficulty in locating the sun when recomposing,  I finally gave up and took remaining photos at 100mm to ensure capture as the sun moved thorough the frame.

I finally hit the right combo of cloud cover and light intensity with this photo, which shows the eclipse just before totality.

The image above is the last time I saw the eclilpse with my eyes or through my lens until well after totality.  Just as totality began,  huge, dense clouds moved in front of the sun, obsuring everything.  I had my camera set to capture a 5 shot exposure bracket every 10 seconds throughout totality, so I just sat back and enjoyed the event.

After returning home,  I discovered one of my exposures during totality had a barely-visible image of the corona, so I was not completly shut out. While this one won't win any awards, I am very happy to have it.

Witnessing the eclipse from the zone of totality was an awesome experience, and unexpectedly emotional.  I'll turn 65 next month, and while I hope to be around for the next total eclipse in the US in 2044, it remains to be seen if I will be and able to witness it at that time.  I'm thrilled to have seen and photographed this one.  And I'm actually pretty pleased with the cloudy partial eclipse image above (just before totality), as it captures my eclipse experience, which is one of my primary objectives in my landscape photography.

Follow me on Instagram or Vero, where  I post a new photo most weekdays featuring my current photographic activities.

Bluebonnets in peak bloom on a ranch west of Independence, Texas.

A bluebonnet field in front of the historic cabin at Old Baylor Park

A lone tree on a hilltop in a field of Indian paintbrushes

My website portfolio and galleries will continue to evolve as I continue my photographic journey.  You'll see my best new photos added, and some may drop off over time as they are replaced with better work.  

I will use this blog to post my latest activity, website updates, and highlights from my social media activity. Blog updates will be posted as I have information to share, but not more than 1-2 times per week.  Visit my About page and subscribe to the website for email notifications of the latest blog postings.

Thanks again and enjoy my images!

Scott