Spring Point Ledge Light is fairly close to Portland Head Light. We had gone to Portland Head Light for sunrise on this morning. When we got there the light was nearly invisible through the heavy fog (a real pea-souper). So we decided to head over to Spring Point Ledge. The fog was no better there. Eventually, as the sun got higher in the sky, the fog started burning off and revealed this perfectly balanced scene with the single sailboat balancing the lighthouse. The curved foreground completes the balance, and the remaining fog adds to the mystery and...

Your challenge for this week is a bit easier I think — good...

This view is from Thorofare Overlook on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. This is the first of many sunrises that I photographed in Shenandoah. This was an incredible introduction to the beauty and serenity of a sunrise in this area. There were two layers of clouds, one acting as a dome, the other as a river running through the valley. I have been to this overlook many times, but I have never seen any morning quite like this...

Thank you South Carolina for your warm reception and hospitality. I enjoyed seeing many of my old friends again and making many new friends. I’m looking forward to a return visit this fall. Once more a few recommendations this week. First up, if you tried Sarah Jarosz and liked what you heard, give Gregory Alan Isakov a try. He has a number of albums available at the usual locations. Next for a bit of jazz and something pretty incredible try Duke Ellington’s Far East Suite. And for some unbelievable work on a piano, try Zhu Xiao-Mei playing Haydn Sonatas. As usual, if you want to audition...

Point Judith Light is located in Narragansett, RI. The first of several towers was built in 1810, the current tower was built in 1857. This photograph was done at night. There was a full moon on this night and the clouds were racing by. I had to use a longish exposure to capture the water and the rocks. With the long exposure, the water was smoothed out, and the clouds appear to be flowing. I was pleased to see that the beacon did not end up completely blown-out....

My wife and I had driven to Shenandoah National Park for the weekend, and spent a couple of days hiking some of the trails and visiting the overlooks. By the end of the weekend, I had not even taken my camera out of the bag one time. This was one of the few times that the lighting was so flat that nothing moved me at all. We were driving home late Sunday afternoon and saw an incredible sunset while we were near West Haven, CT. All I could say was “Get me to a park as fast as you can.” We ended up at Bradley Point Park, and, before the car had even completed stopped, I was out the door...