A cool-toned monochrome landscape of the entrance to Closed Canyon, with a flat-topped mesa and a rounded hill flanking a dark rocky cleft, surrounded by sparse desert scrub under a dramatic, streaked sky.

Stone Cold Serenity: Finding Your Calm at Closed Canyon

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Lens-Artists Challenge #389: Time to Relax For this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge, Anne wants to know what relaxes us. She writes: “What gets you away from the stresses of daily life. What’s your passion?” The short answer for me is nature. … Read More

A Pyrrhuloxia perched on an Ocotillo branch, bathed in warm golden hour sunlight. The bird displays its distinctive gray-brown plumage with red accents on its wings and tail, prominent red face mask, and curved yellow bill, set against a soft blue sky background.

The Desert Cardinal: A Hidden Gem of the Chihuahuan Desert

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There’s something magical about the Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus)—often called the “Desert Cardinal”—that makes encountering one feel like discovering a well-kept secret of the American Southwest. For me, this was the first time seeing one. With the right camera settings, I … Read More

A wide-angle landscape photograph of a black Jeep Wrangler driving on a winding dirt road in a vast, arid desert plain. The road leads towards several imposing, multi-layered brown mountains under a blue sky with light, wispy clouds. The foreground is filled with dry, low-lying brush.

Where Canyons Touch the Sky

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Lens-Artists Challenge #388: Your Journey in 5-10 Images Anne-Christine asked us to consider these questions for this week’s challenge about a trip we took: “What were the highlights, what are the memories that will stay with me forever? Maybe the big … Read More

A wide-angle view of a large cluster of green Trans-Pecos Hedgehog cacti with dozens of bright red flower buds emerging from the tops, set against a rocky desert background.

The Desert’s Crimson Crown: Spring Awakenings at Big Bend Ranch State Park

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There is a specific kind of magic that happens in the high desert of Big Bend Ranch State Park when winter’s grip begins to loosen. It’s a landscape defined by its “hardness”—rugged volcanic rock, heat-shimmering horizons, and plants that have … Read More

A male Green-winged Teal duck standing on a mossy rock in golden water, tucking its head into its feathers to preen.

Emerald Wings in Golden Water

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There’s a specific kind of magic that happens when the sun hits the water at just the right angle, turning a river into a basin of liquid gold. It’s in these quiet, shimmering moments that the Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) … Read More

A dramatic view of Cinco Tinajas canyon, showing a small pool of water at the bottom of steep, dark rock walls under a bright blue sky with wispy clouds.

Shadows and Silhouettes of Big Bend Ranch

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Lens-Artists Challenge #387: Shadowed Instead of diving into my archives for John’s creative Shadowed challenge, I am using photos I captured just last week while visiting Big Bend Ranch State Park (not to be confused with Big Bend National Park). … Read More

Seeing Differently

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Lens-Artists Challenge #385: Unusual Crop Photography rules can help create a balanced photo. However, the old saying that rules are written to be broken should be kept in mind if a photographer wants to blur the lines and show creativity. … Read More

The Falcon That Stands Still

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In mid-January 2025, I went hiking with a couple of friends at Williamson County’s largest park. River Ranch County Park opened to the public in July 2023. Its website says the park has “1,354 acres of meadowlands, woodlands, hills and … Read More

The Tiny Crowns of Spring

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Just ten days after our three-day freeze, I was walking along the Play for All Abilities Park in Round Rock when my eyes caught the beautiful sight of Henbit Deadnettle (Lamium amplexicaule) flowers. These tiny wonders did not seem affected … Read More

Mexican Hat

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I have lived in Austin for many years and have hiked the Bull Creek Preserve area several times. Bull Creek is a very popular area, but I had never explored two trails right by the busy Capital of Texas Highway … Read More

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