Bleeding Hearts
Bellevue, WA

Waiting for the wind to die down was the biggest challange I was faced with when I composed this image. What makes this image so magical is that the bleeding hearts are being backlit, which gives them an extra glow.

35mm with 100mm Macro lens, Fujichrome Velvia

Ponderosa Pine Cones on Volcanic Pumice
Sunset Crater, AZ

When I was exploring a dusty back road near Sunset Crater in northern Arizona, I chanced upon this arrangement of ponderosa pine cones and needles on fine pumice in the vicinity of the Bonito Lava Flow.

35mm with 100mm Macro lens, Fujichrome Velvia

Deciduous Ivy
Bellevue, WA

I return to the location of this beautiful deciduous ivy vine each year, and with each time it is a new experience. The colors are always different and I am always taken by their beauty.

35mm with 28-105mm lens, Fujichrome Velvia

Blue Lake and Rock
North Cascade Mountains, WA

A two mile hike near Libery Bell Mountain on Washington Pass reveals a hidden jewel. A lake of crystal clear and icy water. This part of the lake was in the shade and a low camera angle revealed reflections of the blue sky and green vegetation from the opposite shore.

35mm with 28-105mm lens, Fujichrome Velvia

Mountain Maple and Sugar Maple Leaves
Bellevue, WA

These two trees grow right next to each other and I return to them each autumn to photograph the amazing colors and patterns they form.

35mm with 100mm Macro lens, Fujichrome Velvia

Douglas-fir Sapling with Dew
North Cascades Mountains, WA

As I was returning from a fall colors photography trip from north-eastern Washington, I stopped at a pullout in the North Cascades National Park and found the whole landscape covered in miniature jewels. I spent the next two hours photographing the beautiful dew-covered Douglas-fir saplings.

35mm with 100mm Macro lens, Fujichrome Velvia

Littleneck Shell on Pebbles
Vashon Island, WA

As I was walking along the water on a drizzly day, this common littleneck shell caught my eye. What I liked about it was the patterns on its surface and its position as well as how it stands out from the darker wet pebbles.

35mm with 100mm Macro lens, Fujichrome Velvia

Magnolia Leaves with Raindrops
Washington Park Arboretum, WA

The Washington Park Arboretum is one of my favorite places because of the diversity of plants that are represented, which ensures great photography throughout most of the year. This photo was taken during a rainy day which made the arrangement of leaves even more striking with the raindrops.

35mm with 100mm Macro lens, Fujichrome Velvia

Lichens on Basaltic Boulder
Columbia Gorge Region, WA

Lichens are some of the most amazing and interesting creatures within the natural world. Their colors are breathtaking and patterns they create on rocks are very complex and beautiful. Lichens are indicators of the health of our environment and our planet. Due to their incredible fragility and sensitivity to polutants, they only live in very unpoluted areas; this is why you will never find them in cities.

35mm with 100mm Macro lens, Fujichrome Velvia

Leaves with Frost
Bellevue, WA

During a rare frosty night in Bellevue the landscape turned white from the frost. I got up early and headed to a small city park before the sun would melt the jewels away on these leaves.

35mm with 100mm Macro lens, Fujichrome Velvia

Moss-draped Trees and Eagle Creek
Columbia Gorge, OR

On the way to Punchbowl Falls, the design of the moss-draped trees cought my eye. A slow shutter speed transformed the water to silk.

35mm with 28-105mm lens, Fujichrome Velvia

Cracked Mud
Capitol Reef NP, UT

Capitol Reef NP is one of the least visited national parks but perhaps one of the most spectacular. Filled with natural arches, canyons, and magnificent cathedrals of sandstone. But the landscape beneath one's feet is eaqually beautiful as this image of dried mud indicates. The design of the cracks attracted my attention as well as the shadows cast by the small pebbles as the sun was low on the horizon.

35mm with 100mm Macro lens, Fujichrome Velvia

Black Creek in Winter
Cascades Mountains, WA

The day after a snow storm I drove out into the Cascade Mountains to see a world transformed into whiteness. As I was driving on a secluded road, I passed by this creek and immediately skidded to a stop. I really liked the rocks covered with fresh snow and the moody blue light indicating winter.

35mm with 28-105mm lens, Fujichrome Velvia

Sugar Maple Leaves
Bellevue, WA

I found this perfect pattern out of the chaos of leaves under my favorite sugar maple tree.

35mm with 100mm Macro lens, Fujichrome Velvia

Poinsettia
Bellevue, WA

The poinsettia is a very interesting plant with its red and green leaves. I really enjoyed photographing this one because of the arrangement its leaves made and the texture visible on their surface.

35mm with 100mm Macro lens, Fujichrome Velvia

Silver Firs
Silver Lake, WA

Trees are among my favorite subjects to photograph. Their graceful beauty offers peaceful landscapes to the mind and the patterns their trunks make provide visual stimulation. It was a peaceful overcast day in spring when this images was made on the shore of Silver Lake.

35mm with 70-210 APO lens, Fujichrome Velvia

Devils Club Berry
Cascades Mountains, WA

Devils club is definitely a well named plant. It is heavily armed with needle-like spines on its entire stem system as well as on the underside of its one foot wide leaves. The plant creates impenetrable thickets. I really liked this composition because the plant's berry was impaled on its own spines.

35mm with 100mm Macro lens, Fujichrome Velvia

Sugar Maple Leaves with Raindrops
Bellevue, WA

This photograph was made right after a rain storm. The wet leaves glowed and the diamonds of rain transformed the leaf into magic.

35mm with 100mm Macro lens, Fujichrome Velvia

Frosty Leaves
Bellevue, WA

During a very cold night the crystals on the leaf and grass blades grew quite large. I ended up with numb fingers after this excursion, but the beauty seen and captured on film was definitely worth it.

35mm with 100mm Macro lens, Fujichrome Velvia

Paper-bark Cherry Tree
Washington Park Arboretum, WA

In my exploration of the arboretum I found this cherry tree, native to Japan, with beautiful smooth reddish bark and "eyes." I frequent the Washington Park Arboretum as it offers rare glimpses of plants from remote corners of the world.

35mm with 100mm Macro lens, Fujichrome Velvia