From November into March, the fields on Fir Island in the Skagit Valley of Washington state are often white, but it's not the result of snow. It's the result of snow geese.
About 80,000 snow geese winter in Western Washington. The vast majority of them winter in the Skagit Valley.
In terms of the images I produced, 2013 was an unusual year for me. Over the course of most years, I shoot a wide variety of nature images. But 2013, like the title of the book I just completed, was for me the Year of the Eagle. Easily two-thirds of my images were about bald eagles as I worked hard to fill gaps in the story I wanted to tell.
But the year wasn't just about bald eagles. I made my third trip to Iceland. While there, I photographed the inside of an old volcano's magma chamber, the only known one in the world people can climb inside. I also got to capture an incredible northern lights display perfectly reflecting in a lake that is normally quite choppy. I also worked hard to capture beauty close to home.
In the end, I think my annual best-of collection is still quite varied. Here are a few of my favorite images of 2013:
There are about 1,500 volcanoes on land — and even more underwater — but only one that you can truly climb inside.
I’ve seen the northern lights a number of times in the North Cascades of Washington state, but when I was presented with an opportunity to see them near the Arctic Circle, I knew I had to take advantage of it.
It’s impossible for me to pick a favorite part of Iceland, so I’m not even going to try. I’ve probably been to Geysir, however, more than any other part.
After much thought, instead of scrapping this blog entirely, I’ve decided to change its focus.
From time to time, I’m going to post some of my favorite fine-art images and talk about what they mean to me. I'm going to try to post one a month, similar to my former schedule. I will start later today with an image from Iceland, which helped reignite my passion for photography.
Please let me know what you think of this new format.
