Divine Light
April 08, 2025
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I would venture to guess that every landscape photographer hopes for stunning light every time they venture out to capture images. In reality, stellar lighting conditions are less common - but I guess that is part of what makes it so special. I've heard the light beams that peek through the clouds described as divine light or God's light. During a...
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Species Highlight: Coyotes
April 03, 2025
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Species Highlight: Coyote
Text and photos by Heather Cline
This species highlight is going to differ from my usual format. I will be highlighting coyotes, but instead of providing information on their lifespan, physical attributes and social behaviors, I wanted to spend some time focusing on why this animal is one of the most hated animals in Ame...
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World's worst sand trap
April 01, 2025
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Welcome to Mesquite Dunes in Death Valley National Park. Out of all the sand dunes in the park, these are the easiest to reach, making them a crowd favorite. Spanning an impressive 14 square miles, they offer adventurers the ultimate “choose-your-own-path” experience—because there is no official trail. The dunes morph like living sculptures, their...
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Its Mushroom Season
March 27, 2025
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Holy Fungi: It's Mushroom Season!
Text and photos by Heather Cline
I don't know what the weather is like in your neck of the woods, but the weather has been finicky in Northern California. Some days are gray, cold and drizzly while others are warm and sunny. One thing I have noticed despite these weather shifts is an abundant number of mushroom...
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Silver Creek Preserve
March 25, 2025
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Silver Creek Preserve is located in Idaho, roughly 2 hours east of Boise and is managed by the Nature Conservancy. The preserve is a 40-year effort between local landowners and the conservancy to restore this high-desert creek. The primary uses include hiking, birding, fishing, photography, canoeing, and snowshoeing in winter. I spent an evening an...
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Yellowstone Magic
March 20, 2025
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This is West Thumb Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone has the world's largest concentration of geothermal features as a result of being on top of the Yellowstone Caldera, a massive volcanic system, which fuels the park's geothermal activity. If you watched the documentary Yellowstone Supervolcano, you might be a bit nervous to v...
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Glorious Green
March 17, 2025
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Glorious Green: The Most Abundant Color In Nature
Text and photos by Heather Cline
In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I thought I'd highlight the color most commonly found in nature: green. From deserts to forests and plant life to wildlife - you can enjoy this color nearly everywhere.
Forest Wood Sorrel
Have you ever found a four-leaf clover? I...
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Revisiting past images
March 06, 2025
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Look Back: Revisiting Past Images
Text and photos by Heather Cline
Arch Rock
I was recently comparing notes with some fellow photographers on photo editing workflows and noticed how different we all are about managing our files. Some show no mercy, keeping only their best images while others hang on to every 'maybe'. Despite each photographer'...
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Cruising the Plains
March 04, 2025
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This is an American Bison, cruising the plains of Yellowstone National Park. Bison ancestors existed in Asia roughly 2.6 million years ago, crossing the Bering Land Bridge from Asia to North America. The bison we know today have been recorded back 5,000 years. Before Europeans settled North America, there were tens of millions of bison roaming the...
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The secret lives of frogs
February 27, 2025
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The Secret Lives Of Frogs
Text and photos by Heather Cline
A frog peaks through a duckweed covered pond
Dinosaurs were reptiles that evolved from amphibians, and amphibians evolved after the dinosaurs went extinct, contributing to the wide diversity of those that exist today. Frogs represent 90% of amphibians and they make excellent photograph...
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Toadstool Hoo Doos
February 25, 2025
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These are the toadstool hoodoos near Kanab Utah, accessed via a short easy trail within the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. A toadstool is a rock formation which has a boulder perched on a rock of a smaller diameter like a mushroom or a “toadstool”. The environment around this trail is the perfect condition for toadstool formations whi...
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5 Tips for Low Key Nature & Wildlife Photography
February 20, 2025
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5 Tips for Low Key Nature & Wildlife Photography Text and photos by Heather Cline
There's something magical about a low-key image - but what is it exactly?
The term "low-key" refers to the lighting used to create striking contrast between the subject and the background. It results in moody, dramatic images where the emphasis is on the subject, of...
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Early bird gets the fish
February 18, 2025
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This Hooded Merganser was out with his mate hunting for breakfast on a cold morning, and I was fortunate to be able to watch them for a bit. He is in his breeding plumage, which is quite striking compared to other ducks I commonly see in this area. His hood (or crest) can be raised or lowered, changing the shape of his head, which is how they got t...
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Bird pairs for Valentines Day
February 13, 2025
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Love Is in the Air: Bird pairs for Valentines Day
Text and photos by Heather Cline
In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share 10 photos and quick facts on bird pairs.
#1 Killdeer
This is a courting pair of killdeers, which is a type of plover. Killdeer pair up for mating season through a courtship ritual called a scrape ceremony where the...
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Hole In One?
February 11, 2025
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I'm pretty sure this gull didn't catch a golf ball mid-air, but that would be something, wouldn't it? The truth is, gulls and other wildlife 'steal' golf balls because they think they are eggs, one of their preferred foods. This one happened to be flying overhead one foggy morning, and I took several shots without knowing exactly what he had until...
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