This natural arch was within a large section of land called "Canyonlands" in southeast Utah. Although there are many distant things to see in this vast territory, this photo opportunity was a brief hike from the road. Upon first finding this framed lookout onto the valley below, I just knew it would make a great image. For some time, I moved around, first left and right, then closer and farther, higher and lower, until I ultimately got the rock formations below to frame nicely inside the arch (and had enough space to setup a camera).

I had not seen a Bald Eagle before and certainly did not expect to see one in Indiana. I was driving along a stretch of highway with forest on both sides and where hawks are a common site. I usually scan the sky to see what might be flying around and one day I see an absolutely huge silhouette swooping down. It was far bigger than any hawk I've seen, so I pulled off the road and began to explore. Not far away, I learn that it was a Bald Eagle and it was now calmly sitting in a tree. I reposition my car to make full use of a hill, then stood on top with my tripod and longest lens to grab this shot.

a fresh and perfect bloom of a yellow, white, and pink variegated rose

Sunlight reflecting from the pond's surface, was shining up through a lily pad leaf that had grown to a few inches above the water. I loved the way it illuminated the structure of the leaf and it reminded me of modern fractal art (complex patterns generated by mathematical algorithms).

I'm hiking across the inside of a volcano crater and loving the diverse assortment of mineral colours. every few minutes it seems like i enter a new alien world with unique soil and rock types. The distant base of the clouds are over a mile in elevation, and they peak around 8,500 feet – the camera is just under 10,000 feet to capture this beautiful and unique land.

High in the Urubamba Mountains, lies the recently famous ruins of MachuPicchu. The peak off to the right is WaynaPicchu. After a lengthy steep climb up damp and slippery rocks, it provides a nice overlook of the ancient city. Many photographers stand on the hill on the left side of this photo and capture a portion of the ruins; I chose to climb to a neighboring peak and shoot down over the entire area. The stepped plateaus going down the side were farmland and between each level are stone steps protruding out from the wall.

tall Saguaro cactus towering over others in southern Arizona