Category: nature photography

Foreword Book Award Silver Medals!

June 11, 2024
awardsBook AwardsBooksGreat Smoky Mountain National ParkGreat Smoky Mountains BookGreat Smoky Mountains NPnational parksNational Parksnaturenature photographyNature Photography AwardQuiet Light PublishingRichard MackRichard Mack PhotographyRichard Mack's BlogSmokiesSmoky Mountain National ParkSmoky MountainsSmoky Mountains Bookwaterfalls

Today we learned my book Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Fifty Years of American Landscapes has been named a winner in two categories in the 26th annual Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards. We won the Silver Award in both the Nature Book and Art Book categories!

I am humbled and proud to have won the Silver Awards with so many entries from around the world. You always hope people like your work, and it is gratifying to receive such recognition.

The Foreword INDIES recognize the best books published in 2023 from independent and university presses, as well as self-published authors.

With over 2,400 entries submitted across 55 categories, this year’s competition showcased the remarkable talent and diversity of the independent publishing industry. Foreword’s dedicated editors carefully selected approximately 12 finalists per genre, which were then presented to individual librarians and booksellers entrusted with the challenging task of determining the Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Honorable Mention winners.

#quietlightpublishing#richardmackphoto#mackphoto#forewordreview#ForewordINDIES#greatsmokymountainsnationalpark#smokieslife#NPS#nationalparks#smokymountains#smokymountainstennessee#smokymountainsnc#smokymountains

Why the Solar Eclipse is Cool

April 2, 2024
Canoneclipsenaturenature photographyRichard Mack Photography
Total Solar Eclipse, 2017

I have been asked the last few weeks if I will be going to watch the solar eclipse. My answer is of course!

People ask why? What makes it so special? Think of a natural phenomenon which only comes around here every so often, last time in 2017 and next in 2044. Now think about all the sun rises and sunsets you have enjoyed over the years. Even they bring people together even though they occur every single day. It is always an exciting time when a beautiful sunrise or sunset occurs, especially if you are with friends or family and experiencing it together. It is the start or end of another day. In the case of the solar eclipse, yes, they happen somewhere every few years, but usually in far away places or in the middle of the oceans. So, the excitement is understandable. If you haven’t seen one you can only wonder what it is like.

Most of us will be standing with a crowd of folks we do not know, and they don’t know us. Yet this event has brought us all together from a diverse background to watch a wonder of nature. We will all be talking and pointing as the eclipse starts. And then the moment will come when it gets to the totality and the temp starts dropping 15 degrees and the sky goes dark and everyone gasps and is silent. Very small white “beads” appear for only a second, caused by the sun coming through the valleys of the moon’s mountains before the edge lights up in one bright spot called the Diamond. The white corona around the sun appears. We hear the birds and nighttime bugs come out, the ground has a pattern of what looks like the shadows of leaves, but is the shadows formed by the mountains of the moon dancing on the ground here on earth. We see the diamond at the edge of the moon for the second time as the moon begins to move off the sun. As the sun’s crescent edge reappears a roar of applause and shouting goes up from the crowd as everyone is amazed at what we all just saw together. There is an unspoken bond we all know. Then the crowd begins to thin out, except for the photographers staying to capture the end of the eclipse as the moon leaves the sun entirely in an hour or so.

I started planning this trip last summer. Looking for some cool places to be which could make for an interesting image along with the sun. Eventually had four places in mind. Kaskaskia State Park in Illinois along the Mississippi, Niagara Falls even though I thought the weather was risky at best, Hot Springs Arkansas with the mountains, and the Dallas area with my daughter and her family. Now it is only the weather which will determine the final place to be, so far looks like I’ll be going back to Kaskaskia, which will also make it a historical shot as the eclipse does not happen in the same place on earth except every 375 years. If you’ve never seen a total eclipse I encourage you to make some last minute plans.

May mother nature give us a chance to see her wonderous natural events again this year. Enjoy, Richard

World River Day, 2023

September 24, 2023
Climate Changenature photographyRichard Mack PhotographyRivers

Today is World River Day a time to remember how we depend on fresh water for life itself. For me there is nothing like sitting by water, especially a river or stream of various sizes and watching the water consistently roll by and hearing the sound of the water’s movement. Evry river runs into the big lakes and ultimately the oceans around the world.

We must keep our waters clean and keep protecting them as we move forward. Many programs around the world are working to clean up our rivers from government programs to volunteer programs which you, yes, you can get involved with. Do a search for local river organizations working with the rivers in your area and get involved. In the meantime, enjoy some of the rivers I have photographed over my career.

The rivers included:

Missouri River, United States

Little River, United States

Columbia River, United States

East Fork Bitterroot River, United States

Middle Prong Little River, United States

Chicago River, United States

Dordogne River, France

Seine River, France

Rio Manso, Argentina

Arno River, Italy

Thames River, England

#richardmackphoto #mackphoto #freshwater #worldriversday #rivers #nature #streams #invironment #climatechange #invironmentalphotographer #naturephotographer #naturephotography #canonr5 #canon1ds #canonphotographer #canonexploreroflight #greatsmoymountainsnationalpark #nps #gsmnp #smokiesfriends #gsma #SWS #thesweetwaterseas #greatlakes

Wait a Day…

February 24, 2021
environmentGreat Lakes ProjectLake Michigannature photographyRichard Mack PhotographyThe Sweetwater SeaswinterWinter Landscape PhotographyWinter photography

If you know the Great Lakes, and many say any place, the weather can change on a moment’s notice. On February 13-14 this year here in Chicago we had a snowstorm that dropped 20” from the sky. Along with that we had winds coming out of the north and right down Lake Michigan which blew the ice into shore. I went down to the shoreline of Lake Michigan on the 17th to see the conditions of the lake, expecting ice up against the shoreline, yet it had already moved out about 2 miles offshore. Still we had the ice built up high along the shore and the open water behind it so I made both some still and video shots of the lake. The next day I went back to the same spots and because the winds had shifted yet again the ice had moved back into the shoreline right up to the pack ice. An interesting perspective on the changes which come within 24 hours along the Great Lakes. And below are some of the still images.

Enjoy,

Richard