Framing the Sound

Tag: national parks

  • Between Light and Sound

    Photography and music are the two most important pursuits in my life—though calling them “hobbies” doesn’t quite do them justice. They both demand focus, creativity, and time. And while I’d love to do them simultaneously, that’s not exactly possible (though it would be pretty great if it were). Finding enough time for each is always a challenge.

    It’s been a little over a month since returning home from our Epic Journey West, and I still haven’t been out with my camera. My Martin D-28 has stayed in its case, untouched. Most of my time has gone into culling (and editing a few) photos from the four National Parks we visited. I took more than 1,700 images—many duplicates (I shot nearly 100 frames of the iconic Moulton Barn in Jackson Hole), a few out of focus, and some that just didn’t work.

    This winter, I’m hoping to finally finish the culling process and carve out some time to pick up my guitar again—maybe even do a little recording with my two sons.

    I’ve also been dedicating time to take part in Blake Rudis’s Vision Session video series. My session is the final one in a set of six and will be available for f.64 Elite members to view in December. The Vision Session series will continue into 2026, featuring more members and their creative journeys.

    I plan to share a detailed post soon about The Vision Sessions and why they matter. Consider subscribing so you won’t miss it!

    View from inside the Chapel of the Transfiguration, Teton County, Wyoming

  • National Parks We’ll Be Visiting Soon!


    It’s been a dream of ours for years to head west and finally experience some of our country’s most breathtaking national treasures. We had planned to make the trip back in 2020, but like so many others, our travel plans were put on hold when Covid-19 changed the world.


    This time, the adventure begins in Cleveland, where we’ll see Alison Krauss in concert. Her music feels like the perfect soundtrack to set the tone for wide skies, mountain air, and days on the road ahead.


    From there, we’ll drive west for a couple of days until reaching our first destination: Badlands National Park. I’ve always been fascinated by its otherworldly landscapes—jagged peaks, layered rock, and endless horizons that seem designed for a camera lens.


    Next, we’ll journey on to three more iconic parks: Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier National Parks. Each holds its own promise: the geothermal wonders and wildlife of Yellowstone, the sharp, rugged beauty of the Tetons, and Glacier’s towering peaks and pristine alpine lakes


    As a photographer, I couldn’t be more excited. I’m sure I’ll come home with plenty of photos—some that immediately carry vision and others that will need time to reveal their meaning. Those quieter images will wait with me through the long, cold Northeast winter, offering me the chance to reflect and discover the vision I might have missed in the moment.

    Somewhere in Tennessee

  • Unforgettable Road Trip: A Concert and National Parks

    My wife has completed the bookings of where we’ll be staying as we make our way west to visit 4 national parks come September. I hope it will be an epic journey with epic scenery. The trip, delayed for five years, was for a reason I’m sure you already know.

    The first stop on our journey will be in Cleveland, OH, for a concert. We will hear and see one of my favorite bluegrass stars – Alison Krauss. We saw her there several years ago with Robert Plant. But for this show, she’ll be with her new/old band and we’re really looking forward to it.

    After Alison’s show our drive continues west to Madison, WI. Then we head to Wall, South Dakota. We’ll be visiting the first of four national parks – Badlands National Park. Then it’s on to Rapid City for an overnight stay before heading to Cody, Wyoming. Mt. Rushmore, Devil’s Den, and the Black Hills are planned short stops in Cody.

    We’ll rest up at the Moose Creek Lodge in Cody. After that, we’ll drive to one of the oldest national parks. It’s one I’m really excited about – Yellowstone National Park. First established in 1872, Yellowstone might be the most well-known. Maureen has scheduled 2 days for us to get as much sight-seeing and photography in as possible at Yellowstone. I’m sure that’s not nearly long enough to see everything. I plan to choose my photography locales very carefully. Hopefully, I’ll find at least one or two areas for epic photos during the 2 days.

    From Yellowstone, our next stop is Grand Tetons National Park in Moose, Wyoming. “Mountains of the Imagination” is a coined phrase you might’ve heard in reference to Grand Teton. Jackson Lake will probably be framed up in my camera while there, Jenny Lake too!

    Our final national park visit before heading back east to Pennsylvania will be Glacier National Park. It is located in West Glacier, Montana. Glacier National Park is known as “Crown of the Continent.” It very well could be the crown jewel of the journey for us. It’s no mistaking that this national park is one of the most photographed of them all. I’ve heard that Going-to-the-Sun Road is a must do drive so that will be something we’ll motor on.

    A 2 night stay at the grand Glacier Lodge in East Glacier, Montana will finish our epic, and probably historic journey to see, feel, experience the marvel, and photograph four of our Nation’s most beautiful natural wonders.

    It’s said that some things come along only once in a lifetime. I hope that in this instance, it’ll be at least one or maybe two more times in a lifetime.

    A happy photographer