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The World Is Meant To Explore (Katmai National Park & Preserve) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A forested setting that I came across walking back from a hike up the side of Dumpling Mountain. This happened to have a number of trees starting to show those signs of autumn with yellow leaves. Given the mostly cloudy and overcast skies, this gave me a chance to bring the focus down to the trees and minimize the skies above. I could then better meter the image to capture the colors present and not worry about blowing any highlights in the clouds. I did some initial post-processing work making adjustments to contrast, brightness and saturation while playing around as I learned how to work with DxO PhotoLab 3.

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Nevada Grandeur by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the northwest while taking in views across a mountain desert landscape to sandstone peaks and other formations. This was at a roadside pullout in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. With this image, I decided to focus on one of the more prominent formations of Bridge Mountain with its quite distinct colors in the rock layers. Given the high ground I was located on, I was able to capture a more leveled-on look but still have a foreground to add interest to this Mojave Desert in Nevada. Kind of a balanced view between the flatter areas to my front with the ridges and peaks off in the distance. I later worked with control points in DxO PhotoLab 6 and then made some adjustments to bring out the contrast, saturation and brightness I wanted for the final image.

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High Adventure in Great Basin National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the southeast across a mountainside with forest all around. This is while walking the Baker Creek Loop in Great Basin National Park. My thought on composing this image was to angle my Nikon SLR camera to capture a sweeping view across this mountainside and have the blue skies above as a backdrop for the forest. I would use a layered approach by including some of the large rocks on this mountainside leading up to the forest and ridges off in the distance.

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Mesa Verde National Park, a Place to Come and Explore! by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the north while taking in views to nearby cliff dwellings of the Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park. This was while on the 700 Years Tour.

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Whispers of Wind Across a Meadow’s Embrace (Great Smoky Mountains National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: At a roadside parking area location along main loop road in the Cades Cove area with a view looking to the northeast taking in the setting of a grassy meadow with ridges and peaks in this part of the Western Great Smoky Mountains. This is in Great Smoky Mountains National Park at the John Oliver Place Parking (with the cabin area off in the distance in the image left of center).

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Forests of Canada in Jasper National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While at a roadside pullout along Alberta Highway 93A with a view looking to the southeast to a nearby hillside with evergreen trees. This is in Jasper National Park. My thought on composing this image was to align myself so that I could have the trees stretch from image edge to edge with a little bit of blue skies and clouds to be a backdrop for this setting.

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Treading Lightly While Observing Nature (Katmai National Park & Preserve) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: This was a view looking generally to the south while walking along the shoreline of Naknek Lake after finishing a hike to Dumpling Mountain. While I remembered this setting with the dried out trees and limbs along the shoreline, it wasn't until I started walking that afternoon where I decided to get down low and capture a sweeping view across. I felt by getting down low, I could capture a sense of letting this stretch out to a far off distance. Nearby things would be in focus and then slowly fade out.

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Snowcapped Peaks and Mountains on a Flight Out of Salt Lake City by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: An airplane window view looking to the southwest with snowcapped mountains and peaks to the east of Salt Lake City.

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Years Ago I Encountered an Image of You on the Internet I knew I wanted to visit, hiking and exploring your wonder The wind carried the scent of volcanic remnants as I ventured into your wonderland A sky devoid of any clouds, stretching endlessly above A distant mountain peak, once with fiery volcanic eruptions To me, it is a land of undiscovered enchantment Curiosity and reverence fill me as I step forward On a path that leads ahead

Another work of short poetry or prose to complement the image captured one morning in Lassen Volcanic National Park. This is while hiking along the Cinder Cone Trail with the namesake feature to my front and looking to the south-southwest. I’d come across a similar image several years prior from a blog post (https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks/article/Don-t-make-the-same-mistake-I-did-Go-to-Lassen-15620578.php) describing different things to hike and explore in this national park. This setting is one that I had promised myself that I would attempt to capture when I came across it. The view is looking to one of the paths leading to the summit area. I chose though to take the path that goes behind and follows a different direction with the return coming down the trail to the front on the image right.

The rest of the image was attempting to align myself with the peak and some of the evergreen pine trees as foreground interest. I later worked with control points in DxO PhotoLab 8 and then made some adjustments to bring out the contrast, saturation and brightness I wanted for the final image.

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Photographing Mountains with Ridges, Spurs, Draws and Valleys from Franklin Cliffs Overlook (Shenandoah National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the northwest while taking in views a Blue Ridge Mountain landscape at the Franklin Cliffs Overlook in Shenandoah Blue Ridge Great Smoky Mountains. The setting is looking to the northwest with Shenandoah Valley and Masanutten Mountain off in the distance.

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Enjoying Tree Time by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While at a roadside pullout along the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway (California State Route 89) in Lassen National Forest. The setting is with a view to the north-northeast to a nearby hillside with evergreens. Having only flown into Sacramento earlier that morning and made the drive after that, it was a delight to see these tall trees all around!

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Fresh Ideas for Travel in Death Valley National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the northeast while taking in views across dune ridges to more distant ridges and peaks of the Amargosa Range. This is in Death Valley National Park at the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. With this image, I decided to use the formations to my front and the way the dune ridge curved around with the creosote bushes on one side, and then sand on the other. I liked how the mountains were a contrast in both colors, as well as setting, to the sands around me.

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Go Out Anyway (Mesa Verde National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While at the Park Point Lookout with a view looking to the north across the ridges and high ground present with a more distant view to ridges and peaks of the La Plata Mountains. This is in Mesa Verde National Park.

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A Nevada Highway Leading Me to a Mountain Destination by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While on Loneliest Road in America (US 50) with a view looking into Nevada and some distant ridges and peaks of the Snake Range in Great Basin National Park. My thought on composing this image was to get down low and capture a look across the highway. I picked a point a little ways down in order to have more of the far away portions in focus. The rest of the image composition was merely lining up the highway and center stripe and exposing the image to capture the brighter portions caught in sunlight behind the mountains.

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Scenic Jasper National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While at an overlook along the shores as the Athabasca River flowed by in Jasper National Park. The setting is looking to the southeast with the ridges and peaks of Mount Kerkeslin as a backdrop. I pulled back a little on the focal length so that I could have more of a sweeping view as the river waters flowed by.

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A Connection to Our Wilder Selves (Katmai National Park & Preserve) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: I captured this image at the Falls Platform with a view looking to the northeast at Brooks Falls while observing a brown bear in Katmai National Park. The image is of a male brown bear on top of the Falls waiting for salmon to make the jump and attempt to catch it to eat. I pulled back on the focal length to capture more of the surrounding waterfall.

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Guest Listening Along the Blue Ridge Parkway by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the south while taking in views across ridges and peaks of the Northern Blue Ridge while at a roadside pullout along the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is located at the Pine Tree Overlook. I took advantage of the higher ground I was located on and angled my Nikon Z8 Mirrorless Camera slightly downward to create more of a sweeping view across this Virginia landscape. I liked how it brought the horizon higher into the image and seemed to created more of a sense of grandeur, looking down into the valley and with the ridges and peaks I'll send the distance.