A setting looking to the southeast while taking in views up a hillside to volcanic leftovers and rock formations present while walking the Balconies Cave Loop near the trailhead. Was roomy end of the setting was the way the sun casted lights and shadows across this hillside from the different spurs, rock formations and nearby woodland forested areas. In my mind, that all added to the texture of the image and setting.

A setting looking to the east-northeast while taking in views across eroded volcanic formations along the hillside I was hiking. This was while walking the High Peaks Trail in Pinnacles National Park.

A setting looking to the northeast while taking in views across a forested landscape to more distant eroded volcanic formations present in this part of Pinnacles National Park. I captured this image while I was hiking the Jawbone Trail.

A black and white rendition of Giant's Causeway in County Antrim along the coast of Northern Ireland. I had a stopover in Dublin for a meeting on my way to Munich in October, and I've always had a fascination for this formation of Basaltic columns protruding in to the ocean, so I fought off the jet-lag and decided to take a bus to Belfast after landing in Dublin, and then found a guide to take me to the causeway for some sunset shooting.

As with many locations, I found it difficult to get a satisfactory composition my first time there. I fumbled my way around the columns and tried to get some angles that really showed off the column formations. There was some sunset color but it wasn't great and I struggled to get comps that both showed the columns and had some nice color. So here I went to the opposite extreme, an LE from higher up to isolate the columnar formations as best I could. I will definitely have to come back some day and give it another shot.

There is a fantastic folk tale that goes with the Giant's Causeway as told by my tour guide en route. There is a matching set of basaltic column steps on the Scottish island of Staffa (which are part of the same lava flow that formed the Thulean Plateau during the Paleocene era). The story goes that the Irish giant, Finn MacCool, and the Scottish Giant Benandonner decided to fight and so built the causeway so they could meet up for the battle. When Finn spots Benandonner he realizes the Scot is quite a bit bigger, so he hides and his wife dresses him as a baby and he lies in a makeshift cradle. Benandonner goes to the house and the wife tells him that Finn is away. Benandonner spots the baby and figures that if the baby is that large, his father must be an enormous giant, and runs away in fear, destroying the causeway behind him so that Finn could not follow.

While walking around the Chaparral Trailhead Parking area with a view looking to the east-southeast to the High Peaks with its eroded rock formations and volcanic leftovers. This is in Pinnacles National Park. With this image, I took advantage of some high ground I was located on and captured a look across some wild grasses and sage brushes. With that angled look, I brought the High Peaks up into the image and had only a little portion of blue skies above to be a backdrop for the setting.

While walking the Condor Gulch Trail with a view looking north and up a nearby hillside in Pinnacles National Park. My thought on composing this image was to angle my Nikon SLR camera up the hillside, but ensure that the horizon was more or less centered in the image. That would allow me to include more of the blue skies and clouds as a backdrop. I felt it helped to better bring out the trees along the ridge at the top.

While getting ready to head out to hike the Juniper Canyon Loop with a view looking to the northeast at eroded volcanic formations. This is looking to the Balconies and is in Pinnacles National Park.

Lava, ash, pumice — flowing down from the crater, they left traces of their passage, settling in silent layers carved by stillness.

Now, form holds time: each geometry is the memory of a movement that no longer exists.

This is Nisyros, Greece — a volcanic island where geology and mythology converge.

Beneath the caldera lies the legend of Polyvotis, the giant imprisoned by Poseidon.

The island still breathes: through sulfur vapors, seismic whispers, and the quiet persistence of time etched in stone.

Here, the land speaks in layers.

Each stratum is a silent witness to ancient eruptions, a sculpted archive of fire and silence.

To walk this terrain is to trace the memory of the earth itself.

While walking the High Peaks Trail with a view looking north to other pinnacle formations in this part of Pinnacles National Park. My thought on composing this image was to zoom in with the focal length and center this one prominent formation to my front. I also wanted though to include some nearby, small trees and plant-life, along with some blue skies to add to the setting. I felt those blue skies also helped to highlight that formation by being a color contrast.

While walking the Balconies Cave Loop with a view looking to the north-northeast to the eroded rock formations and volcanic leftovers present in this part of Pinnacles National Park. My thought on composing this image was to have the ridge with the volcanic rock formations fill most of the image. I would include some of the grassy meadow to my front as a foreground leading up to that ridge and use the blue skies with wisps of clouds as a backdrop to contrast the earth-tones and lower portion of the image.

While walking the Jawbone Trail with a view looking south to other pinnacle formations in this part of Pinnacles National Park. My thought on composing this image was to take advantage of what I felt was a layered look to this national park setting. Nearby would be some tall grasses, leading up to more distant trees and forest, and finally the ridges and peaks that included the namesake pinnacle, volcanic formations.

While walking the Prewett Point Trail with a view looking to the east to the eroded rock formations and volcanic leftovers present in this part of Pinnacles National Park. While my focus was on the portion of the High Peaks caught in the glow of late afternoon sunlight, I still wanted to be able to include some of the nearby portions that were caught in shadows. I felt that and the blue skies which were a backdrop added to the complete setting for this image.

A setting looking to the southwest while taking in views across still, reflective waters of Bear Gulch Reservoir. This was while walking the Moses Spring Trail in Pinnacles National Park.

While walking around the Bear Gulch Day Use Area with a view looking to the northwest at a hillside with pinnacle formations present. This is in Pinnacles National Park.

A setting looking to the northeast while taking in views across volcanic eroded formations and looking up a hillside. This was while walking the Condor Gulch Trail in Pinnacles National Park. For this image I liked the way the blue skies seemed to highlight the volcanic formations in the image center.

A setting looking to the southwest while taking in views across wild grasses, sage brush, and trees leading up to more distant ridges present in this part of Pinnacles National Park.

While hiking the Juniper Canyon Loop with a view looking to the south at the trail leading up to the High Peaks. This is in Pinnacles National Park.

While at the Bear Gulch Day Use Area with a view looking to the east-southeast at a lone contrail that was just above this nearby ridge. My thought on composing this image was to capture that contrail with some blue skies around it as it seemingly approach that ridge. The blue skies in someways would be that color contrast to complement the earth-tones present with the forested landscape along that ridge. This location is in Pinnacles National Park.

A setting looking to the west while taking in views along the hillside of the pinnacle formations present on the High Peaks. This was while walking the High Peaks Trail in Pinnacles National Park. My thought on composing this image was to take advantage of the hiking trail leading off into the image. I liked the way the trees on this portion of the hillside helped to create a layered look from near to far with the more distant pinnacle formations.

While walking the Juniper Canyon Loop with a view looking west to other pinnacle formations in this part of Pinnacles National Park. My thought on composing this image was to take advantage of the ridge crossing to my front and create a layered look. There would be some foreground nearby, as well as a view to more distant ridges. But the focus would be on the nearby ridge with its volcanic leftovers and forest of trees.

A setting looking to the southwest while taking in views across still, reflective waters of Bear Gulch Reservoir. This was while walking the Moses Spring Trail in Pinnacles National Park. My thought on composing this image was to take advantage of the way the hillsides came together in the image center, helping to create a balance with the waters and that of the hillsides and blue skies above. I felt the reflections in the waters also helped to bring out more of that balance.

While hiking the Jawbone Trail in Pinnacles National Park with a view looking to the northeast across a forest and trees present along the ridge I on. My thought in composing this image was to take advantage of a clearing I had along the trail with a more distant view to the Balconies and Machete Ridge. That clearing allowed me to look down and then across the forest and center the volcanic formation. The blue skies and clouds would be that color contrast to complement the earth-tones in the lower portion of the image.

A setting looking to the west while taking in views across eroded volcanic formations along the hillside I was hiking. This was while walking the High Peaks Trail in Pinnacles National Park. The parking area in the image center is a spot I’d been the day prior and would visit again to explore more of the national park.

A setting looking to the northeast while taking in views across and leading up to the hillside with volcanic leftovers and rock formations present. This is while walking the Prewett Point Trail in Pinnacles National Park.

A setting looking to the northeast while taking in views of cliff wall and ridges along the Moses Spring Trail. This is in Pinnacles National Park. My thought on composing this image was to take advantage of the leading line with the draw in between the two ridges to my front. It created a channelize setting or look beyond.

A setting looking to the southwest while taking in views across volcanic formations present along the High Peaks in this part of Pinnacles National Park. This is while walking the Juniper Canyon Loop. With this image, I decided to have most of the hillside fill the image with just a portion of the mostly cloudy skies in the upper portion of the image. There wasn't much detail in that area, so I considered it more of a negative space and something to minimize.

Of the many colourful volcanic formations in the walls surrounding Crater Lake, The Pumice Castle, on the east wall, attracts the attention of many visitors viewing the crater walls from the rim, particularly when the afternoon sunlight emphasises the strong pattern of orange colour on the east wall.

The Castle is part of an extensive lenticular bed of fragmental pumice outcropping on the crater wall about 400m feet above the level of the lake, or 122m below the crater rim just south of Cloudcap Bay (on the left of the image).

The bed of pumice has a maximum thickness of 58m. Below it much of the section of the crater wall is hidden by talus, except for a few thin layers of lava and beds of fragmental material. Immediately above the lenticular bed of pumice is a thick, massive bed of andesite. Above the andesite occurs the pumice which mantles the remnants of Ancient Mount Mazama and the region extending for many miles beyond.

Although the Castle looks orange in the above image, there is in fact a much more sublte range of colours in it, including layers of brownish-red, light buff to pink, grey, black, and brown rocks, mainly pumice. It is the interspersing of harder, resistant materials such as andesite and obsidian amidst the layers of pumice that explains why erosion has produced the feature.

In addition to the scenic value of The Pumice Castle, it is a significant scientific feature in that it is evidence of a pumice eruption which occurred earlier than the ejection of material represented by the great thickness of pumice exposed at the top of the crater wall, and which mantles the region for miles beyond the crater rim.

On the far horizon in the left of the image can be seen Mount Thielsen. Some 2,800m tall, it is an extinct shield volcano that stopped erupting some 250,000 years ago. Glaciers have heavily eroded the volcano, creating precipitous slopes and the distinctive peak. The peak attracts lightning strikes and fulgurite (lightning-fused soils) can be found on its slopes.

A setting looking to the northwest while taking in views down a hillside with nearby eroded volcanic formations present in this part of Pinnacles National Park. I captured this image as I was hiking the Juniper Canyon Loop. What I wanted to do in capturing an image of this location was to use some of the nearby high peak pinnacles to frame the setting, looking down and then across this hillside. That would bring the horizon a little higher into the image, but there would still be a little bit of blue skies to complement the earth-tones in the lower portion of the image. One can see a little bit of the Chaparral Trailhead Parking area where I had started the hike about an hour and a half prior.

On our last night aboard the yacht, we motored from Santa Cruz to San Cristóbal—our final stop before flying back to Guayaquil. But before docking, we reached Kicker Rock just in time for sunrise.

Kicker Rock, also known as León Dormido (or "Sleeping Lion"), is one of the Galápagos' most iconic landmarks. These towering volcanic formations rise steeply out of the ocean and are a magnet for marine life. The channel between the two rock walls is a hotspot for snorkelers and divers hoping to spot sharks, rays, and sea turtles. Above water, it's just as striking, especially when lit by the soft light of dawn.

A setting looking to the northeast while taking in views across eroded volcanic formations present in this part of Pinnacles National Park. I captured this image as I was heading out to hike the Juniper Canyon Loop. My thought on composing this image was to center the Balconies formation, more or less image center, including some foreground to add to the setting and blue skies to highlight it.

The Shiprock is an ancient volcanic cinder cone in Northern New Mexico. There is a primordial energy about the place, a kind of eternal upward thrust frozen in time.

While at the Bear Gulch Reservoir with a view looking to the south at a contrail seemingly coming over a nearby ridge in this part of Pinnacles National Park.

Captured while walking the Balconies Cave Loop with a view looking to the southeast in Pinnacles National Park.

I chose to work with Aurora HDR Pro to better bring that complete color setting in the image. I later exported a TIFF image to DxO PhotoLab 6 where I did some adjustments with contrast, saturation and brightness for the final image. I then exported that TIFF image to Silver Efex Pro 3 where I made some adjustments to color filters to bring out a much richer tonal contrast for the final image.

While walking the Prewett Point Trail with a view looking to the east to the eroded volcanic formations present in this part of Pinnacles National Park. My thought on composing this image was to have kind of a layered look with the rolling hillsides in the foreground and how it led up to the ridgeline with the High Peaks. Composing and lining up the image was a matter of finding that balance with the open area and that of the ridgeline. 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.

A setting looking to the east-northeast while taking in views down a hillside of the pinnacle formations present below. This was while walking the High Peaks Trail in Pinnacles National Park. The outline of the Condor Gulch Trail is located going across the image center.

While walking the Condor Gulch Trail with a view looking west and up a nearby hillsides in Pinnacles National Park. My thought on composing this image was to take advantage of the hillsides to my front, and the way they seemingly crisscrossed each other before coming to a more distant hillside with the pinnacles along the High Peaks. The blue skies and clouds would be that color contrast to complement the earth-tones in the lower portion of the image.

A view looking to the south-southwest across some hillsides of trees to my front in Pinnacles National Park. This was in the Bear Gulch Day Use parking area. I took advantage of the way the hillsides crossed the other to create more of a layered look and used the blue skies as a backdrop to highlight the view with the trees.

A setting looking to the east-northeast while taking in views across rolling hillside leading up to eroded formations and volcanic leftovers on the High Peaks and Balconies in this part of Pinnacles National Park. I decided to go wide angle and pull back on the focal length to capture the full breath of this national park landscape. Given the late afternoon sunlight and the way a portion of the area to my front was caught in shadows, I had to properly meter the image to not blow any of the highlights, while still being able to later, pull the more shadowed areas out and post-production with DxO PhotoLab 6.

A setting looking to the northeast while taking in views across eroded rock formations and volcanic leftovers in this part of Pinnacles National Park. The setting is along the Balconies Cave Loop in this part of the national park. With this image, I pulled back on the focal length to include more foreground and use the hiking trail to my front as a leading line into the image.

While walking the Moses Spring Trail and a view looking back from a short walk through the Bear Gulch Cave. This cave setting is looking to the north in Pinnacles National Park. My thought on composing this image was to take advantage of the light coming in from above, that helped highlight some of the boulders and cave walls, while others remained in shadows. It had a layered look almost of a path walked.

While walking around the Bear Gulch Day Use Area with a view looking to the northwest at a hillside with pinnacle formations present. This is in Pinnacles National Park. My thought on composing this image was to zoom in with the focal length to have most of that pinnacle formation and hillside, fill the image. The blue skies would then be that color contrast to complement the image with earth-tones present in the lower portion.

While walking the Balconies Cave Loop with a view looking to the east up Machete Ridge to rock formations and volcanic leftovers in Pinnacles National Park.

A setting looking to the southeast while taking in views across eroded volcanic formations present in this part of Pinnacles National Park. I captured this image as I was finishing up my hike along the Juniper Canyon Loop.

A setting looking to the north while taking in views across pinnacle rock formations while walking the High Peaks Trail in Pinnacles National Park. My thought on composing this image was really for two reasons. One, kind of a keepsake for a look back and how far I had hiked along the trail with it high climbs and share drop offs. Two, was to capture that #FindYourPark feel with people hiking along the trail and exploring the wonders of this national park in California.

While walking the High Peaks Trail with a view looking to the southwest and down the rock face and hiking trail. Railing was nearby to make the walked down the cut in foot notches. My thought on composing this image was to take advantage of the railing and the hiking path in how it created a leading line into the image. By including some nearby foreground, I felt it also added to the setting, as well as including some people for a perspective of scale.

A setting looking to the south while taking in views across wild grasses, sage brush and trees leading up to more distant ridges present in this part of Pinnacles National Park. I captured this image as I was heading out to hiking the Juniper Canyon Loop. My thought on composing this image was to angle my Nikon SLR camera slightly downward and bring out more of a sweeping view across this landscape. The angle that I was viewing happened to be facing a little away from the sun, so that brought out more shadows, cast and added to the shapes and textures present.

A setting looking to the west while taking in views across eroded volcanic formations going down the ridge I was hiking. This was while walking the High Peaks Trail in Pinnacles National Park.

(1 in a multiple picture album)

In some sense, the American Indians were given the worst ground for their reservations. However, the Navajo Nation in Arizona has some amazing scenery including Monument Valley.

The Navajos are very spiritual and connected to the land. Every feature and formation has a sacred meaning to them.