SparksLake2016_0008_V2Starry night over Sparks Lake, Oregon. I occasionally  suffer from a touch of insomnia. Sometimes, however, that can be a good thing – like when it gets me out of bed in the middle of the night to do some night photography. That's how I came to make this image of a Starry Night Over Sparks Lake in the Oregon Cascade Range outside of Bend, Oregon. Rather than toss and turn trying to get myself to sleep, I drove the 30 minutes to this alpine lake and then it was just me and about a quadrillion stars in the night sky. The solitude was breath-taking. The view humbling and inspiring. Contrary to what I expected, I felt invigorated and wide awake the rest of the day and excited to see on the computer screen the results of my efforts fumbling around in the dark at the lake with my camera. Of course, missing too much sleep is not a good thing. Fortunately, I usually sleep like a log the night after a bout of insomnia.

This is why I love photography – it motivates me to be in so many beautiful places at wonderful times of day. It's an incredible gift with so many rewards. I've lost count of how many incredible sunsets and sunrises I've seen as a result of following my photographic muse.

Autumn has arrived through much of the USA, and nature is getting ready to celebrate with a showy display of color. I'm happy to help the celebration along by slashing 15% off my usual prices when you purchase any print out of my featured Autumn Gallery & Collection – Autumn Potpourri, Eastern Sierra Nevada & Western Colorado Fall Color – which you will find on my home page. The offer is good through the month of October, so don't let the opportunity to add some vibrant fall color artwork to the walls of your home slip away! Just use the code "Autumn" at checkout.