With time to walk back and forth on the trail as this Pileated Woodpecker worked a snag, I chose shooting through foliage. Along with the accompanying dark background, it adds mystery to the shaft of light that illuminated the bird. Visualization — and time in the field — are key. Bridle Trails State Park, Bellevue, […]
Getting the shot: Panoramas at Point of the Arches 2025_11
“Photographers seeking the ‘good light’, going where everybody goes, aiming for an ideal, miss everything else.” — Erin Babnik1 Shooting and processing panoramas was difficult in the early- and mid-00’s.2 Hardware tools were few. A process tool was introduced by Adobe in 2001, but merge failure was frequent, and computer power was a stumbling block. […]
Getting the Shot: Lituya Bay, Importance of Foreground 2025_10
In June, 2002, I was privileged to be aboard the charter yacht Ursa Major on her first sail to Lituya Bay, Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska. Our cruise started in Ketchikan. At the start I wasn’t aware of Lituya’s notorious reputation. Unlike much-travelled Glacier Bay—which opens to the Inside Passage—Lituya faces west toward the tempestuous […]
Watch That Horizon (For the Birds) 2024_04
Every list of bird photography tips invariably tells us to “shoot at the bird’s eye level”. A tip that’s often ignored, though not by prize-winning photographers. Of recent top 100 winners in the Audubon photo contest, 70% were clearly eye-level; most of the rest very close to it. But all rules have exceptions. The eyes […]
Waterproof Camera Bag: Sagebrush Dry 2024_01
Sagebrush Dry Cam-Dry (blue), Sure-dry Hip Pack (green), and big custom bag. Note: This is an update of a 2011 post. Gary Luhm has used Sagebrush Dry gear since 2001. Probably my most frequently asked question is “How do you keep your camera dry while kayaking”. In the 90’s I had no pat answer for […]
Australian Birdlife, September, 2020
In September, 2020, Australian Birdlife published a two-page article I wrote about photographing birds by kayak. Have a look at: https://en.calameo.com/read/0041078957045ff95451f If the link doesn’t take you directly to the article, use the menu to scroll down to Photo Lab, page 62.
2020 Favorite Images
With my farthest photo travel since March a 58 mile jaunt to Ice Caves State Park and 59 miles to Whidbey Island, this year was about staying home. My odometer clocked 2,500 miles. I didn’t backpack due to knee issues, but paddling locally, I found fresh photo ops. Bird nest searches returned engaging photos as […]
Whale Tales
In 1994, a group of us kayakers organized and executed a self-led kayak camping trip at Johnstone Strait, on the north coast of Vancouver Island, BC. It was almost pure bliss. Twenty-five years later, my wife and I joined Sea Kayak Adventures on a six-day kayak camping trip. I’m shocked at the changes. One thing […]
Seattle Visitor Guide, 2015
One of my photos made the cover of the 2015 Seattle Visitor Guide. Please check it out. Gary
Adventure Kayak magazine cover art
Adventure Kayak magazine published one of my photos on their 2015 Early Summer issue: http://www.rapidmedia.com/ak/adventurekayakmag_earlysummer15/. I was also interviewed for an inside piece, p. 26, Paddling Lensman Gary Luhm. Please have a look. Gary






