Tag: Nature Photography

The Four Dances – Great Egrets in Wisconsin

June 20, 2024
New WorkPhotographyQuiet Light PublishingRichard MackRichard Mack PhotographyTourismtravel

I had a chance to look at some older images I’ve made and decided what at first have been individual images needed to be put together. I have hung the top left corner and bottom right corner next to each other in canvas prints. Going through the old images I realized two more could easily be added to make it a group of Four Dances. The great Egrets were found on an island in Whitewater Lake in Wisconsin and I’m told they are no longer nesting with the hundreds other egrets found there.

This image is now available in the shop at Quiet Light Publishing. Cheers, Richard

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

Great Smoky Mountains – Fog

June 8, 2022
CanoncloudsenvironmenteveningExpectationsGreat Smoky Mountains BookGreat Smoky Mountains NPLandscapesNational ParksRichard Mack PhotographySmoky Mountain National ParkSmoky MountainsSmoky Mountains Book

This year we need to do a third printing of my book on the park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park; Thirty Years of American Landscapes. I headed down in January for new snow images and went back last week to see about getting the synchronized fireflies and some star images. Sadly, not many synchronized fireflies had come out yet, a few but not many, and the weather was cloudy every night. What happens then? You change strategy and get images of the streams – which were running full because of the rain – and details of the mountains and the vistas with the fog lifting.

Foggy days in Great Smoky Mountains NP

Here is the first set of images of the rain and fog. I’ll do a second posting of the rivers and streams later.

It may not be what you envisioned as the images you wanted to capture but you must quickly decide that is simply fine, I can make images of other subjects. I shot video as well as we will probably have a eBook version with some of the video clips.

I have never had a bad trip to the smokies in my 40+ years of going to one of my favorite places. Always feels like a place I know even though there are parts of the park I have not been to as of yet. Hope you enjoy the images. Stay tuned for more!

Cheers, Richard