Kevin Palmer

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  • At the end of September week an early season snowstorm swept through northern Wyoming, dropping up to 6 inches in the mountains and valleys. I spent a few hours in the Bighorn Mountains trying to capture the clash of seasons. The snowstorm coincided with the peak of fall colors, although some trees were already bare. Aspen trees are not as widespread in the Bighorns as they are in other parts of the Rockies, growing only in a few areas. Circle Park is one spot I knew I could find them. The trees in an aspen stand are actually clones of one another, all connected by an extensive underground root system. While an individual tree may only live 100 years, aspen groves as a whole are some of the oldest and largest living organisms on Earth. Aspens can survive wildfires much better than conifers, but they require more sunlight to grow.
    September Snow
  • Dark storm clouds move over hills on the north side of Grand Teton National Park. The Snake River valley was filled with bright yellow cottonwood trees in mid-September.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: September 22, 2013
    Teton Storm
  • Near the center of town in Presque Isle, Wisconsin, lies a small park on Little Horsehead Lake. I loved the variety of colors in the trees surrounding the lake.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: September 30 2014
    Little Horsehead Lake
  • At the end of September an early season snowstorm swept through northern Wyoming, dropping up to 6 inches in the mountains and valleys. I spent a few hours in the Bighorn Mountains trying to capture the clash of seasons. The snowstorm coincided with the peak of fall colors, although some trees were already bare. Aspen trees are not as widespread in the Bighorns as they are in other parts of the Rockies, growing only in a few areas. Circle Park is one spot I knew I could find them. The trees in an aspen stand are actually clones of one another, all connected by an extensive underground root system. While an individual tree may only live 100 years, aspen groves as a whole are some of the oldest and largest living organisms on Earth. Aspens can survive wildfires much better than conifers, but they require more sunlight to grow.
    White Fall Foliage
  • This bison was grazing on a September evening in the north unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
    Mud On Your Face
  • Grand Teton looms above Cascade Canyon along the shore of Jenny Lake on a September afternoon.
    Jenny Lake Northshore
  • Old Faithful Geyser erupts on a September morning.
    Late Morning Eruption
  • September is always a really good month to shoot wildflowers around here. After finding this thick clump of black-eyed-susans, I placed my tripod underneath them with a backdrop of the milky way. I didn't really like the color temperature of the light from my headlamp. So I actually just found a yellow image on my phone, made the screen bright, and light painted with that. This is a focus stack of 2 images.
    Milky Way Bouquet
  • The trees at Welch Ranch Recreation Area were very colorful on this September afternoon.
    Welch Ranch Fall
  • The Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River thunders over a cliff as seen from almost a mile away. At 309 feet high, this waterfall is nearly twice the height of Niagara Falls. It is the largest waterfall in the Rocky Mountains by volume, although the flow rate was a lot less in September when this was taken. The 24-mile long Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone starts here and in some places is over 1,000 feet deep. The canyon walls consist of a volcanic rock called rhyolite, and display a wide variety of colors. Hot springs and other geothermal features are scattered throughout the canyon along the river. If you look closely you can see a viewing platform just above the falls to the right.
    Falls of the Yellowstone
  • On a September morning the Bighorn Mountains were shrouded in clouds. But this was the view from the top of Black Mountain.
    Waves of Clouds
  • The milky way glows above the Little Missouri River, lined with golden cottonwood trees. Looking south, the skies were very dark here in the north unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. But there was a lot of light pollution present to the north from natural gas flaring in the Bakken oil field. This was taken on the last day of September.
    Theodore Roosevelt Milky Way
  • In late September a high speed solar wind stream reached earth, causing a G1 geomagnetic storm. The aurora borealis became visible in the northern part of the United States. Around here the weather was completely clear and there was no moon making conditions perfect for viewing the northern lights. I went to the grasslands outside of Lodge Grass, Montana, where there was very little light pollution. The aurora was at it's best shortly before midnight. While the pillars danced from right to left, nearby cows mooed and coyotes howled. Quite a few meteors and satellites lit up the sky as well. The geomagnetic storm is ongoing and the aurora may be visible again tonight.
    Lodge Grass Aurora
  • In the middle of September, Yellowstone received its first snowfall of the season. The next morning, this herd of buffalo was found grazing in the Hayden Valley. This valley, which is located in between Yellowstone Lake and the falls, is a popular place to view wildlife.
    Hayden Valley
  • In early September I spent some time exploring central Montana. One of my stops was Lost Lake, which I only discovered by accident. As it's name implies, the lake is hard to find and information about it is scarce. Among the rolling hills north of the Highwood Mountains you would never guess there's a lake hidden away here. It's not until you walk right up to the edge of the cliffs that you can see the water. According to geologists, this lake formed during the last ice age. An ice sheet dammed up an ancient channel of the Missouri River. When the water eventually broke through the blockage, the floodwaters formed massive waterfalls over these cliffs. I was standing on top of Dry Falls, where the flow would have once exceeded that of Niagara Falls. Now the flow is only a trickle, and the water hundreds of feet below is mostly stagnant with algae at the edges. Lost Lake is located on a private ranch, but the landowner allows access if you can find it.
    Pillar of Lost Lake
  • In mid-September I went backpacking at Crystal Lake. This small lake is located at the edge of treeline at nearly 10,000 feet in the Bighorn Mountains. It was a chilly night with frost forming on my tent immediately after sunset. But soon after that the full moon began to rise out of sight to the east, illuminating the peaks to the west. Across the lake a waterfall tumbled down the cliffs and an early snow lingered above a rockfall of massive boulders. I left my wider lens behind, so I had to shoot a panorama to capture everything.
    Crystal Clear
  • A buckfence in Grand Teton National Park lights up from a moment of sunlight on a cloudy morning. Most of the aspen trees near the Snake River were a golden yellow on this mid-September day.
    Teton Buckfence
  • Fall foliage is reflected in Long Lake in the Cloud Peak Wilderness. Up above, snow was falling on the higher peaks.
    Long Lake Reflection
  • This was the only time I was able to see the Snæfellsjökull volcano in it's entirety. The clouds on the left would soon move in and block the view of the glacier.
    Snæfellsjökull Barn
  • This halo stayed in the sky for most of the evening over the Icelandic village of Arnarstapi. The pyramid-shaped mountain is Stapafell, which is a lower peak of the glacier-capped Snæfellsjökull volcano behind it.
    The Halo of Arnarstapi
  • The last light of the day shines on the granite wall which is part of Spear Peak in the Bighorn Mountains.
    Spear Peak
  • Cathedral Rock is locatred halfway up Bunsen Peak in Yellowstone National Park. Mammoth Hot Springs can be seen in the distance.
    Cathedral Rock
  • A storm begins to block the sun as it gets closer near Emden, Illinois
    Sunshine and Storm
  • The colors of sunset linger behind Bearhat Mountain in Glacier National Park. The beautiful Hidden Lake wraps around the base of the mountain, before the creek drops to the valley below. Normally there is more snow in this view, but most of it had melted after a hot summer. The distant Gunsight Mountain and Sperry Glacier can be seen on the left.
    Hidden Lake View
  • The Grand Teton mountain range in Wyoming glows from the first light of the day. Scattered fog was moving in between the colorful fall foliage along the Snake River. This same viewpoint is where Ansel Adams took his iconic image, "The Tetons and Snake River". Although 61 years of tree growth means the view of the river is not quite the same.
    Foggy Snake
  • It was another beautiful Montana sunset near Square Butte. Roadside wildflowers provided extra color.
    Square Butte Sunset
  • I nearly had this lake (Deadman's Basin Reservoir) all to myself on this evening. The few trees on the beach were showing their fall foliage.
    Sunset at Deadman's Basin
  • As I drove towards the Frenchman Valley campground, this herd of bison crossed the road in front of me.
    Saskatchewan Traffic Jam
  • During the most intense part of the geomagnetic storm, I looked straight up and this is what I saw. It's known as a corona, and it looks like the aurora is radiating outward from a single point in the sky. This was the first time I've seen a corona and it didn't last long.
    Aurora Corona
  • The sun sets over the hills and prairie of Grasslands National Park. This was taken from the Rock Creek trail in the East Block.
    East Block Sunset
  • Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted in March of 2010, with the giant ash cloud causing the biggest disruption to air travel since WWII.
    Eyjafjallajökull
  • Skógafoss is a 60 meter high waterfall in southern Iceland. In the evening it is positioned perfectly for vivid rainbows to appear in the mist. I got here at the perfect time, once I made it to the top and back the rainbow was already gone.
    Rainbow of Skógafoss
  • Iceland has no shortage of scenic waterfalls. This one is called Hraunfossar (meaning Lava Falls) and it's located near Húsafell in the western interior. The water splits into numerous cascades as it trickles through the mossy lava field and flows into the Hvítá River. Volcanic activity still heats the many hot springs found in this valley, which includes the most powerful one in Europe. The river is fed by the Langjökull Glacier, the 2nd largest in Iceland. Glacial silt suspended in the water gives it the beautiful turquoise color. A forest of short but colorful birch trees grew around the river, an unusual sight in this mostly treeless country.
    Hraunfossar
  • This is the lower view of Kirkjufellsfoss. The light had already gone flat by the time I made it down here.
    Cloudy Kirkjufellsfoss
  • On my 4th night in Iceland I stayed at a small campground in Setburg outside of Grundarfjörður. This was the view at sunset. The mountain on the left is Kirkjufell, but this is a much different perspective than most people see.
    Setburg Sunset
  • The F570 road which heads up the east side of Snæfellsjökull volcano is quite steep and rough. I couldn't drive it with my rental car so I walked it instead.
    Road to Snæfellsjökull
  • Moonlight illuminates the badlands and grassland in South Dakota.
    Diverging Trail
  • The Open Door towers above Granite Creek shortly after sunrise in the Gros Ventre Mountains.
    Granite Creek Morning
  • The Teton Mountains tower in the distance while rafters make their way down the Snake River.
    Snake River Rafters
  • This is one of the caves in Wildcat Den State Park. It was a bit tricky getting my tripod and camera up here to take a picture.
    Wildcat Den Cave
  • On a dark night in Sand Ridge State Forest I found these Black Eyed Susans blooming in a small prairie. The air was so calm that the flowers didn't even move.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 9/16/2014
    Prairie Night
  • Waves lap the shoreline in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness as the sun sets over Lake Superior. By surface area, Lake Superior is the largest lake in the world. 10% of the earth's fresh water is contained in this lake, enough to cover both North and South America with 1 foot of water. The shoreline extends 1,826 miles which is more than the distance from LA to Chicago. 40 degrees is the average water temperature.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 9/30/14
    Lake Superior Sunset
  • Vivid fall colors fill the valley of the Porcupine Mountains in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. This state park preserves one of the largest areas of wilderness left in the Midwest The steep cliffs known as The Escarpment rises 500 feet above the Lake of the Clouds. It is a fitting name since I never did see this lake without a cloudy sky above it. On the other side of the cliffs is Lake Superior. It can just barely be seen in between two hills at the top of the picture. This picture was taken at the beginning of a 28 mile backpacking trip into the wilderness.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 9/30/14
    Escarpment View
  • The colors of sunset linger behind Bearhat Mountain in Glacier National Park. The beautiful Hidden Lake wraps around the base of the mountain, before the creek drops to the valley below. Normally there is more snow in this view, but most of it had melted after a hot summer. The distant Gunsight Mountain and Sperry Glacier can be seen on the left.
    Bearhat Mountain
  • I loved the color of the water in Lake McDonald. Without a snowcapped peak in the picture, this scene almost looked tropical. Rocky Point is located on the southern end of the lake, near Fish Creek campground.
    Rocky Point
  • The waters were almost perfectly calm at Oxbow Bend on this fall morning. Then this lone duck came along, disturbing the reflection. The peak in the background is the 12,605 foot high Mount Moran
    Duck at Oxbow Bend
  • Three horses trot across a field in front of the Grand Teton Mountains on a clear day.
    Teton Horses
  • On an overcast day, the sun came out for a minute over the Abyss Pool in Yellowstone National Park. Located in the West Thumb Geyser Basin, the turquoise pool is 53 feet deep.
    Sunshine in the Abyss
  • Over Labor Day weekend the Earth's magnetic field was battered by a solar wind stream from a coronal hole on the sun, which reached speeds of up to 800km a second. This led to the aurora dipping down to lower latitudes and I was able to catch it 4 nights in a row. I'm always in search of new north-facing viewpoints for picture opportunities. This night I spent at the top of the Judith Mountains in central Montana. Montana always has a better shot at seeing the aurora and being at a high elevation helped even more. The views reached far and wide out over the plains with more mountain ranges than I could count. As it got dark flashes of lightning were visible 250 miles away in Saskatchewan which I didn't even know was possible. The aurora danced all night long, preceded by a fiery sunset and followed by a stormy sunrise. It couldn't have been a more colorful stay on this mountaintop.
    Pillars Rising Above
  • Ever since I saw this mountain engulfed by a storm earlier in the summer, I was hoping to have a chance to get some better pictures of it. There's something about a lone isolated mountain that's just begging to be photographed under the stars. There are at least 10 Square Buttes in Montana, and this one isn't even the most popular. That makes it hard to find information on it. In case you didn't know, a butte is a flat-topped mountain with steep sides. This particular Square Butte rises 2600 feet above a town with the same name and a population of 20. Finding the right spot to place my tripod isn't always easy. I needed to be NNE of the butte, not too close and not too far with no hills or anything else in my way. There was no time to waste since the milky way and Jupiter were in position as soon as it got dark. The milky way won't be visible for too much longer before it passes behind the sun for the winter. To get a sharper picture I took a 12-minute exposure of the mountain and combined it with a shorter exposure of the sky.
    Galactic Butte
  • I was surprised to find this large grove of aspen trees on the 70 Mile Butte trail. There are very few trees in Grasslands National Park. The late evening sunlight intensified the color of the leaves.
    Prairie Aspen
  • It was nearly 11pm in southern Saskatchewan. I had just watched a bright auroral substorm send colorful arcs high into the northern sky, but it was starting to fade. Then I turned around, looking south, and this is what I saw. A bright pinkish strip of light stretched from east to west, while the crescent moon hung low on the horizon. It's one of the most unusual things I've ever seen in the night sky. This strange type of aurora is called Steve. The name started as a joke, but it stuck.  Steve was first captured last year by a group of aurora photographers in Alberta. After ESA flew a satellite through it earlier this year, it was discovered that it's comprised of very hot (10,800°F) ionized gases moving along at 4 miles per second. This ribbon of light is 16 miles wide and thousands of miles long. I watched as Steve started overhead nearly paralleling the US-Canada border, before slowly moving south. It turned into a green "picket fence" pattern before fading away. It was awesome to see such a mysterious phenomena which is still being studied by scientists.
    An Aurora Named Steve
  • On my way back from Canada, I stopped at James Kipp Recreaton Area in northern Montana. The cottonwood trees around the Missouri River were at peak color.
    James Kipp Road
  • After seeing only about 1 hour of clear skies over 5 nights, I was determined to catch a good aurora display on my last night in Iceland. The southern coast was showing the best weather forecast. So that is where I went, camping in the shadow of the glacier-capped Eyjafjallajökull volcano which was lit up by the moonlight. This is the same volcano that erupted 7 years ago with the giant ash cloud causing the biggest disruption to air travel since WWII. As soon as it got dark the northern lights came out and stayed the entire night. Compared to lower latitudes, the aurora up here is brighter and moves and changes so much faster. It will often appear anywhere in the sky, not just limited to the north.
    Aurora Gap
  • After seeing only about 1 hour of clear skies over 5 nights, I was determined to catch a good aurora display on my last night in Iceland. The southern coast was showing the best weather forecast. So that is where I went, camping in the shadow of the glacier-capped Eyjafjallajökull volcano which was lit up by the moonlight. This is the same volcano that erupted 7 years ago with the giant ash cloud causing the biggest disruption to air travel since WWII. As soon as it got dark the northern lights came out and stayed the entire night. Compared to lower latitudes, the aurora up here is brighter and moves and changes so much faster. It will often appear anywhere in the sky, not just limited to the north.
    Volcanic Green
  • The 60 meter tall Seljalandsfoss tumbles over a cliff in the evening sunlight.
    Mist in the Air
  • I found these horses on the side of a random road in Iceland. The mother was very friendly, walking up to the fence so I could pet her. But the young foal was more shy.
    Friendly Icelandic Horse
  • After waiting hours for thick clouds to clear over Grundarfjörður, I gave up and headed back to my campsite. But to my surprise the clouds parted briefly as I got close to Olafsvik. I stopped at this perfectly calm lagoon, which was lit up by the moonlight. The aurora wasn't as active as before, but it was still visible.
    Inverted S
  • The northern lights shine through evening twilight over the Atlantic Ocean near Ólafsvík, Iceland.
    Overpowering Green
  • Just as I had hoped, the sun began to break through the clouds while I climbed Kirkjufell.
    Breaking Through
  • After a very cloudy day, the clouds broke just enough to allow for a colorful sunset over Lake Geneva near Veytaux.
    Lake Geneva Sunset
  • This ladder/stairway is part of the Notch Trail in Badlands National Park.
    The Notch Trail
  • This rainbow appeared above Yellowstone Falls seen from the brink.
    Rainbow at the Brink
  • I'm not sure what this farm implement is called, but I liked the way it looked with the milky way behind it.
    Wheels in the Sky
  • This is the classic view of Lake of the Clouds that most people see. I got here just in time to shoot a few pictures before it got dark.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 9/30/14
    Lake of the Clouds
  • Early in the morning a very active lightning storm passed by north of Peoria. An overlook on Grandview Drive was the perfect place to watch it approach. The overlook sits on a bluff 300 feet above the Illinois River. This is the part of the river where it widens and forms Peoria Lake. It was raining heavily with plenty of lightning bolts striking on the opposite side of the river. But from where I was it stayed dry enough to take over 400 pictures.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 9/3/2014
    Strike Three
  • A turbulent sky moves above a soybean field near Tremont, Illinois. The gust front brought very strong winds that made it hard to take a steady picture. Seconds after this shot, it started raining heavily.
    Tremont Turbulence
  • An impressive looking shelf cloud approaches north of Peoria. I was in the perfect location to watch this storm. Heavy rain fell on the other side of the Illinois River but it stayed dry where I was.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 9/9/2014
    Grandview Drive
  • Yellowstone Falls
  • Reynolds Mountain glows from the last light of the day in Glacier National Park, Montana. This small pond can be found above Logan Pass, along the Hidden Lake trail. There was not much snow remaining on the peaks after a long hot summer.
    Reynolds Mountain
  • Even though visibility was poor and much of the ice was hidden under a fresh layer of snow, it was still pretty cool to visit the Greenland Ice Sheet. Covering 80% of the world's largest island, it is 2nd in size only to the Antarctic Ice Sheet. At a thickness of up to 1,600 meters, 8% of the world's freshwater is contained in the Greenland Ice Sheet.
    Greenland Ice Sheet
  • It was a very colorful sunset seen from my campsite east of Judith Peak. The colors lasted so long it felt like every time I put down my camera I had to pick it back up again.
    Enduring Colors
  • After watching the northern lights for hours, I finally went to sleep at 3AM. Just 3 hours later I awoke to this view. It doesn’t get much better. I knew this was a risky spot to camp near the top of the Judith Mountains in Central Montana. If a storm popped up it was very exposed to wind, rain, and lightning. There was only a 20% chance of storms, but this was the lucky day out of 5. Rainbows are always biggest (84° wide) when the sun is at the horizon. The rainbow and amazing sunrise only lasted about 10 minutes. After this I hastily packed up my tent and took shelter in my car as a 2nd thunderstorm threatened behind this one. There’s a reason the Air Force built an early warning radar station on this mountaintop during the Cold War. The views out over the plains seem to go on forever, no matter which direction you look. This small but scenic mountain range north of Lewistown also contains gold deposits and two ghost towns. Even though I was still tired, I couldn’t complain. Rarely are the most memorable days the ones in which I get plenty of sleep.
    Sunrise Rainbow
  • After shooting the milky way over Square Butte, I drove back south to shoot the aurora. It wasn't as active as the night before, but there was a short flare-up at 10:40PM.
    Short Substorm
  • Waves crashed around my feet as I steadied my tripod and counted down until 8:04PM. That's when the International Space Station (ISS) was going to appear. It was a perfect pass, rising straight up over the horizon, before moving overhead and outshining everything else in the sky. The ISS orbits the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of 250 miles with a speed of 17,000 mph. At a cost of over $150 billion, the ISS is the single most expensive item ever constructed. The space station has been continuously occupied for 19 years by astronauts, who get to experience 16 sunsets and sunrises a day. The ISS is easily visible from Earth when sunlight reflects off of it's massive solar panels. Finding a spot in Orange County, California, that's dark enough to see the milky way is not easy. But at this time of year it's possible to look southwest over the darkest part of the ocean, while the rest of the sky is filled with light pollution and few stars. It took the ISS about 5 minutes to pass through the sky. I combined the satellite trail from 9 images with a single image of the stars to make it clearer.
    Up From the Ocean
  • I came to central Montana because it had the best chance of clear skies this night. But the clouds didn't clear out until after dark, which was fine with me since it led to an amazing sunset. The Crazy Mountains can be seen in the distance.
    Road to the Crazies
  • Once the sky became dark enough, a small patch of green aurora appeared in the northern sky. It was all that's left of the strong geomagnetic storm from the night before. This was the only picture I was able to get of this abandoned homestead before the aurora faded away.
    All That's Left
  • Grasslands National Park is located in Southern Saskatchewan right next to the Montana border. They are known as Land of the Living Skies, and Big Sky Country respectively, and it's easy to see why. This was the view from the top of 70 Mile Butte outside of Val Marie.
    Big Living Sky Country
  • With both clear skies and a geomagnetic storm in the forecast, I headed north of the border to Saskatchewan. Grasslands National Park is a long ways from anywhere. During the day the landscape seems stark and desolate, especially after a very dry summer. But the real beauty of this park comes after sunset. It is one of the darkest places on the continent. With no sources of light pollution at all, the stars appear the same as they did to the Plains Indians hundreds of years ago. The aurora was already bright and colorful earlier in the evening. But at midnight after the moon set, the northern lights went insane. I've never seen such rapid motion before. If you could imagine a campfire with the flames rising upward and flickering on and off, that's what it looked like. Except instead of orange, it was green, and instead of it being confined to a fire ring, it filled the entire sky. I don't think any camera could fully capture it, it just has to be experienced.
    Two Tipis
  • The sun sets over the hills and prairie of Grasslands National Park. This was taken from the Rock Creek trail in the East Block.
    Butte Afterglow
  • On my way back from Canada, I stopped at James Kipp Recreaton Area in northern Montana. The cottonwood trees around the Missouri River were at peak color.
    Golden Riverbank
  • Since I was camping near Seljalandsfoss, I went over to get a few shots of the aurora above the falls. I wished I could have turned off the spotlights, since they were a bit too bright. The moon was positioned at the top of the falls.
    Seljalandsfoss Aurora
  • I walked the loop around Seljalandsfoss about 3 times, capturing the different angles as the light changed. I was glad I had my rain jacket with me.
    Seljalandsfoss Evening
  • There aren't very many waterfalls in the world that allow you to walk behind them and watch the sunset. But you can do just that at Seljalandsfoss on the southern coast of Iceland (foss is Icelandic for waterfall). This is only possible during the late summer and early fall, when the sun lines up and transform the curtain of water into liquid gold. A rain jacket or poncho is essential if you want to get behind the waterfall without getting soaked. The force of the water falling 200 feet and hitting the pool below almost seemed to create it's own wind, with the spray going everywhere. It only took a few seconds before my lens was covered with water droplets. To get this shot I huddled over my camera in a corner, waiting for just the right moment when the sun popped out and no one was walking in front of the falls. This is a popular tour bus stop along Iceland's Ring Road, so it can get very crowded at times.
    Liquid Gold
  • At the base of the 200' tall Skógafoss waterfall in Iceland I saw something I've never seen before: a 360° rainbow. Every rainbow is actually a full circle, but the lower part is almost always blocked by the horizon. There are only a few situations where a full 360° rainbow may become visible. One way is to have a very high vantage point, where you can clearly see below. A steep mountaintop or an airplane window would work under perfect weather conditions. But in this case, it was spray from the waterfall that caused the rare optical effect. The rainbow faded in and out depending on the wind and where I was standing. The amount of mist in the air had to be just right. The sun also needed to be low on the horizon, so that the light would be shining through the mist at just the right angle. The radius of a rainbow from the center (the antisolar point) to the outer edge is always 42°. Since my widest lens only had a field of view of 81°, I couldn't quite capture it in it's entirety.
    360° Rainbow
  • Iceland has no shortage of scenic waterfalls. This one is called Hraunfossar (meaning Lava Falls) and it's located near Húsafell in the western interior. The water splits into numerous cascades as it trickles through the mossy lava field and flows into the Hvítá River. Volcanic activity still heats the many hot springs found in this valley, which includes the most powerful one in Europe. The river is fed by the Langjökull Glacier, the 2nd largest in Iceland. Glacial silt suspended in the water gives it the beautiful turquoise color. A forest of short but colorful birch trees grew around the river, an unusual sight in this mostly treeless country.
    Lava Falls
  • Kirkjufellsfoss is one of the most iconic scenes in Iceland. Just Google "Iceland" and see how many times it shows up. The name translates to "church mountain waterfall" because of the peak's nearly perfect symmetrical shape. There is a trail (if it can be called that) leading to the top of Kirkjufell which is one of the steepest I've ever hiked. In the evening, tour buses stop here and this small spot is filled with hordes of tourists and photographers lined up tripod to tripod to capture the sunset. But I wanted to avoid that so I came back in the morning when it was much quieter. There was a storm moving in and the sunrise didn't look very promising. But the eastern sky took on an orange glow for a short time.
    Kirkjufellsfoss Sunrise
  • It was interesting seeing the contrasts of black lava, verdant moss, and glacial ice on Snæfellsjökull.
    Glacier and Moss
  • The northern lights shine through evening twilight over the Atlantic Ocean near Ólafsvík, Iceland.
    Ólafsvík Aurora
  • After reaching the top of Kirkjufell, the trail keeps going until that cliff at the end. This view is looking north out over the Atlantic Ocean.
    Where the Land Ends
  • The pyramid shaped Stapafell is reflected in a calm pond in Arnarstapi, Iceland.
    Stapafell Pond
  • Öxarárfoss is a small waterfall in Þingvellir National Park (pronounced Thingvellir). Morning is the perfect time to look for rainbows in the mist if it's sunny.
    Öxarárfoss Rainbow
  • The Rauðfeldsgjá Ravine is tucked away in a very narrow canyon below Snæfellsjökull. This was shot at the entrance, and you can't go any further without getting wet. I tried going up a little ways, but I found that the light and the moss looked better at the beginning.
    Rauðfeldsgjá Ravine
  • The Chillon Castle was built on the edge of Lake Geneva in the 11th century. I was beginning to doubt the sun would break through this evening. But it did at the last minute and lit up the Chablais Massif in the background.
    Chillon and Chablais
  • The village of Ormont-Dessus, Switzerland, sits in a valley 6,000 ft below the peak Scex Rouge. It was only visible for a short time before the clouds lowered.
    Ormont-Dessus
  • The Peak to Peak bridge on top of Scex Rouge isn't very long. But the other side became completely obscured by fog as the clouds lowered.
    Bridge to Nowhere
  • Grindelwald is a small village in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland. It's hard to take a bad picture here with towering snow-capped peaks, grassy pastures, and rustic barns everywhere.
    Grindelwald Barn
  • Eiger is one of the most recognized peaks in Switzerland. The 1,800 meter north face, called Eigerwand, is the biggest north face in the Alps and one of the most challenging climbs.
    Eiger Black and White
  • I spotted this bright sundog over a mountain near Grindelwald, Switzerland. It didn't last long.
    Alps Sundog
  • Clouds swirl around the peaks Mettenberg on the left and Eiger on the right.
    Eiger and Mettenberg
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