Exploring the Intersection of Photography, Nature, and Travel
I placed the Ricoh GRIIIx in my pocket and walked along a favorite birding route one evening. Here are 3 images to share from this autumn walk along a nearby lake.
the caption with the second photo was a nod to one of my favorite poets. Leave a comment below, if you know. Share what you think of this poet. Let us know of other poets that inspire you.
Want to know the poet? Click here.
Pipestone National Monument is located in southwest Minnesota, approximately 30 miles north of busy Interstate 90. I was fortunate to discover this fantastic little gem on a rural-focused route to Custer State Park in South Dakota.
Designated in 1937. Pipestone National Monument is a site of important cultural, historical, and geological significance. It consists of almost 300 acres. Its terrain includes rolling tallgrass prairie, glacial deposits, Sioux quartzite outcroppings, and the sacred pipestone (Catlinite) veins layered beneath the quartzite.
The tallgrass prairie on this property is one of the remaining fragments of an ecosystem that once covered the vast open lands of our country. There are segments of prairie here that are original and native, with little change since prehistoric times. Other areas were recovered from agricultural plowing and restored to prairie. It is amazing to stand in this park and look out over a tallgrass prairie and experience what it was like centuries ago.
Pipestone creek, a small tributary that runs through the monument, is responsible for eroding channels in the quartzite bedrock over thousands of years. The erosion eventually revealed a thin layer of metamorphosed red clay that lies between the quartzite. Pipestone creek is very picturesque and provides great opportunities for photography.
On the surface of the tallgrass prairie, glacial erratics are scattered about. Sioux quartzite (the second hardest rock on earth) shows itself in outcroppings and partially buried boulders. This is the bedrock of the area and is nearly 1.7 billions years old. Dozens of feet below the quartzite are the thin pipestone veins, sandwiched between massive quartzite beds.
What exactly is Pipestone?
Pipestone (also known as catlinite) is a reddish metamorphosed claystone found only in Pipestone National Monument. Its clay silt origin makes it relatively soft which means it can be worked with hand tools. The softness combined with great durability after being carved, makes it ideal for shaping into pipes and ceremonial objects.
For centuries, Native American tribes have quarried pipestone by hand to create ceremonial pipes. The smoke from these pipes is believed to carry offerings to the Creator. Because of this deep meaning, the stone is regarded as a sacred gift and not just a raw material by Native peoples.
Tribes from across North America journeyed to the area now in the National Monument, including the Dakota, Lakota, Ojibwa, and others. The quarrying grounds were considered neutral territory where fighting was forbidden. Warriors had to lay their weapons down before entering the sacred grounds.
This tradition continues today. The monument still allows quarrying by Native Americans who can trace their tribal affiliations. A permit is passed down through generations (much like Green Bay Packer tickets!) and families may spend their lives slowly working through layers of quartzite to reach a vein of pipestone below.
These wave-like patterns in a rock along the trail at Pipestone National Monument are ripple marks; evidence of a shallow sea covering the area nearly 1.6 billion years ago. Over time, its sands became hard Sioux quartzite, and its clays transformed into the soft red pipestone. A small detail in a rock along the walking path, but a big clue to the geological processes that are responsible for the origin of Pipestone.
To leave my house and go around the block is a 6.5-mile walk through quintessential post-glacial landscape. I woke up this morning to see beautiful rays of sunlight beaming diffusely through a light autumn fog. A perfect morning to take the camera for a walk. Welcome to our neighborhood!
“An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.”
— Henry David Thoreau
*Click on images to expand
Stretching for 42 miles along the southern shore of Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, is a landscape carved by time, water, and wind. Towering sandstone cliffs rise dramatically above the turquoise waters of Lake Superior. The cliffs, are painted in layers of red, orange, green, and gold by mineral-rich groundwater seeping through the rock. The result is a geological canvas of color and texture. It constantly shifts as light plays off the moody waters of Lake Superior. It’s a dream location for photographers! And for all visitors, alike.
Designated as America’s first National Lakeshore in 1966, Pictured Rocks offers an amazing array of options for exploration. Whether arriving by hiking trail, kayak, or boat, the park invites you to slow down. Breathe in the crisp northern air. Take in the wild beauty of one of the Midwest’s most unique landscapes.
Chapel Rock is a sandstone sea stack at Pictured Rocks. This iconic formation is adorned by a famous 250 years old white pine tree perched atop the stack. It continues to survive thanks to its remarkable roots. These roots reach back to the mainland even after the connecting arch collapsed in the 1940s!
To visit this beacon of strength and determination in person, you can take the Chapel Rock and Chapel Beach Trail. It offers a scenic hiking experience. It is about a 6.2-mile round trip. An easy way to admire the park is from the water by kayak or boat tours.
Take a deep dive into the geological origins of this location, by clicking HERE.
I never thought of this as the best image from the trip, but there is something special about it. Two kayakers share an unforgettable moment, dwarfed by the towering sandstone cliffs of Pictured Rocks. The vivid, vertical strokes of mineral-stained color flow behind them. It looks like nature’s abstract painting. The bright yellow kayak slices horizontally across the glowing water. It’s a bold contrast of motion against painted stone. I intentionally left out the skyline, causing the scene to feel immersive and timeless.
I had no expectations when submitting the image to the National Park Service’s monthly photo selection. However, within a day, I received a reply containing a single word: “Beautiful.”
To my surprise, the photo was ultimately chosen as one of the best images of the month, joining a group of just 11 images selected from tens of thousands of submissions. The top three photographers earned handsome prizes. I received a one-year pass to all federal lands as a nice consolation.
I wasn’t surprised or disappointed . The other winning images were extraordinary: high-quality, professional, National Geographic- looking. My photo wasn’t technically perfect, but it offered something unique. It showed a moment of two people sharing an unforgettable experience beneath one of America’s most striking landscapes, within an intriguing composition. For that reason, I think it punched above its weight class.
Take some time to immerse in yourself in this image.
Breathe. Relax. Dream. Go!
Did you enjoy this post? Do you appreciate what I’m striving to accomplish with the photo essays and stories? If yes, I encourage you to subscribe below. Subscriptions help my site gain traction with a broader audience.
Your information is encrypted and protected. I’ve declined all offers to advertise on this site.
Thank you very much!
Gary
A quick look at my Facebook page, Instagram feed, or the gallery on this website will show the vibrant colors in my photography. Most of my work lives in saturated color and strong contrasts. Often it feels like I see the world through a camera lens that has the image control set to vivid! Whether it’s the compliments on the color wheel or the soft golden glow of late-afternoon light, color influences how I interpret images. It shapes how I compose them.
Knowing this, I sometimes force myself to go color blind when looking at composition, which changes everything.
These six black and white photographs are selected from my travels. The stories are being told in form, light, shadows, and texture. Not bold, saturated colors. They offer a different, more contemplative way of seeing. We must process and interpret the delicate, subtle gradients of the in-between.
Forged in the wild, innocent years of childhood, some friendships endure, holding within them the memory of who we were and who we hoped to be. Others drift quietly away with the current of time.
The friendships that last a lifetime are rare, and they are special. This collaboration is from such a friendship.
This project began with a photograph. A single red oak leaf floats on still water. Simple, quiet, yet open to interpretation. I sent this photo to my friend, Tim Younce. He has always had a gift for words. I asked him to create a poem inspired by this image.
What follows is the result. One image and one poem. A moment where camera and pen come together. Two lifelong friends unite their individual creativity for a single experience. Let us know what you think in a comment below.
Circling our pond,
first time without you.
A red leaf floats,
never breaking surface tension.
Reminding me, the world moves on.
– By Tim Younce
Stepping onto the grounds of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, feels like opening the doors to a time machine and entering another world. Here, time melts away and history lingers in every stone, every garden path and thoughtfully designed mountain views.
Built by George Washington Vanderbilt II in the late 1800s, The Biltmore still remains the largest privately owned home in the United States. It spans 175,000 square feet and is surrounded by 8,000 acres of forest, rolling hills, gardens, and vineyards.
The house itself is awe-inspiring. The French Renaissance chateau, completed in 1895, consists of 250 rooms, including 35 bedrooms and 43 bathrooms. It has 65 fireplaces. Each one is uniquely designed to match the purpose and style of the place. The front facade – seen in the featured image above is one of the most iconic facades in the world.
The Banquet Hall was a highlight for me. It has a 70ft ceiling and an enormous triple fireplace. Towering chandeliers along with the family crest also define its grandeur.
The magnificent estate gardens are just a short stroll down a quiet path from the house. They were designed by the renowned landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted. Walking through these gardens is like stepping into a living painting. Jennifer and I wandered among the flowers under umbrellas, absorbing the saturated colors and fragrances, heightened by a summer rain shower.
The garden cottage and gate are like something out of a dream! – Or a painting.
Providing the backdrop to the beautiful gardens is the Conservatory. Walking through the doors of the Conservatory is an immersive experience. It’s like transitioning from the rolling hills of the Biltmore into a lush, vibrant jungle. Tropical palms stretch towards the skylights while flowering vines and plants from all imagination spill down from dew-soaked wooden beams. The spectrum of colors and textures seem almost surreal. The Ricoh handled the colors and dreamy, soft light beautifully.
From terraces on the estate, the views open up to rolling meadows where trees seem placed by a landscape painter. In the distance, the cloud draped Blue Ridge Mountains become a majestic frame. It’s here that you can get a sense of the scale of Vanderbilt’s vision. To blend nature, architecture, and art into one harmonious experience.
The final landscape photograph is a view from the Inn at Biltmore Estate. The Inn feels like a natural extension of the grounds. It’s elegant and quiet. There are places to rest and reflect. Places to sit still and appreciate the natural beauty that provides the foundation for this truly amazing place. An evening mist lifts from the verdant forests of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Mother Nature sighing a relief after a long day.
We concluded this magical day with an inviting dinner at The Dining Room, nestled within the Inn. The Dining Room at The Inn at Biltmore Estate has celebrated a Four-Star rating from Forbes Travel Guide for eight consecutive years through 2025. It consistently receives the Wine Spectator ‘award of Excellence. The menu reflects a “field-to-table” philosophy with much of the food coming from the estate itself. The dishes can be paired with wines from the Biltmore’s own vineyard.
Out of respect for the decorum of peacefulness and privacy at the Dining Room, I refrained from taking photos. I wanted to maintain the ambiance of our dining experience. However, the view from our table was the same as the above image.
The Ricoh GR cameras are often described as street photography cameras. However, they certainly shouldn’t be pigeonholed. For me, it has become a great travel companion. Its compact size makes it ideal for places like Biltmore where large cameras and bulky lenses are discouraged. The exceptional image quality and color rendering are impressive. Being able to shoot high quality images quickly and quietly without drawing attention made the experience more immersive for me. I could focus on seeing and instead of managing gear.
The Biltmore Estate is much more than its iconic facade and enormous size. It’s an invitation to wander and linger. Experience history and architecture. Enjoy art and nature in all their beauty in one extraordinary place.
For more information on The Biltmore Estate, Check out their excellent website HERE.
For more information on Ricoh Cameras, click HERE.
I would like to introduce you to my new camera – The Ricoh GR IIIx. A compact, premium camera known for It’s sharp 40mm fixed lens. Designed for street and travel photography, it delivers exceptional image quality in a pocket camera that actually fits into a pocket – or discretely in my dinner plate-size hands.
I’ve been putting it through its paces over the last week in situations where having a full-size camera is either too bulky for the situation or too conspicuous. This is my first step outside the Nikon family of cameras and I can report having a lot of fun with it. I’m impressed with the performance, so far.
This camera is highly customizable. The user is able to tailor the camera to individual shooting styles, from street photography and quick travel snapshots to deliberate, composed landscapes and portraits.
Multiple user modes allow instant recall of the pre-designed shooting settings, eliminating the frustration of fumbling through pages of settings while the subject has sauntered away from the scene.
Also, people react differently to a (seemingly) simple pocket camera than to the sophisticated, serious looking full-size camera.
The combination of discrete portability and shooting style personalization makes the RicohGR IIIx a great addition to my modest stable of cameras. I’ll keep you posted on how this new camera works out for my photography style.
The image of Purple Loosestrife on the Yellow River in the previous post, The River that Whispers, was also captured with the Ricoh GR IIIx.
And as I anticipated, some folks on a Facebook group couldn’t reconcile the fact that something so vile and hated as the highly invasive Purple Loosestrife could, at the same time, be so beautiful. Oh well, I understand.
There are times when light bends over the river like a whisper. These moments, experienced in stillness, share the river’s secrets.
For some, four hours in a canoe can feel like four minutes or four days. On the Yellow River this week, time became fluid like swaying leaves, detached from endless circling hands. I drifted silently, the river’s current as my guide. The beautiful wooden paddle lay across my lap – the sound of dripping water disappearing into the melodic notes of the river.
Along the way, I floated past clusters of white lilies standing just as proud as if they were the famous Lotus flower. Further ahead, tall spires of Purple Loosestrife arched high above the water from a small island of grasses. The river mirrored the bright purple. It extended the arc to a spectacular semicircle.
There was a moment, one I return to now as I write this essay, when my interaction with the river changed. The light softened. I gazed into the moving water. Submerged grasses swayed like slow dancers beneath the surface. Shoreline cattails cast their shadows across the river, a shimmering dance partner to the grasses. I eased out the anchor. I stopped drifting. Stopped thinking.
I idled there in the river, framed by tall grasses, cattails, and water lilies, desiring to soak in everything this moment held for me. I closed my eyes and opened myself to it.
I’ve come to understand these quiet moments as invitations. Nature has its own voice – often it is a whisper. One must be still to hear it. This little bend in the Yellow River felt like a chapel. The kind you stumble across in some strange land while traveling. Unsure if you can enter, only to discover you’ve been expected all along.
If you are quiet long enough, especially in nature, you can hear the world speak. And often, the most sacred places are just around the bend. Consider your own 5-mile radius project.
“The greatest journey is the one that leads us home—to the quiet rivers within.”
Gary Donaldson Photography +
Exploring the Intersection of Photography, Nature, and Travel.
“The Journey itself is my home.”
— Matsuo Bashō