Ray Urner Photography

Moody morning in Glacier National Park for this !

This is Grinnell Point, across from Swiftcurrent Lake.

I LOVE the drama of this scene!

Glacier National Park

- THIS is how I’m remembering the area at the bottom of the . A life changing hike a year and a half ago.

Pretty hard to look at the devastation right now and think of the hikers who didn’t make it out. 🙏

Stay safe out there!

GrandCanyonNPS

Finally had some time to sit down and do some damn writing!

What Makes a Portfolio-Worthy Landscape Photograph? — Ray Urner Photography Why some images earn a permanent place in your portfolio while thousands of others never make the cut. Every landscape photographer has experienced it. You wake up at 4 a.m., drive for hours, hike in the dark, survive an assault from mosquitoes, and arrive at a spectacular location just in time f

It’s , and the NPS is turning 110 this year!
Here’s one of my fave images from the last park I visited - this was a stellar morning at Artists Palette in Death Valley last January. Literally had the entire area to myself to enjoy!

National Park Service Death Valley National Park

Death Valley Sand Dunes at Sunrise

Most people look at this image and see a sand dune glowing at sunrise. I see the reward for getting up when the alarm feels unreasonable, driving through the darkness, and trusting that the light might do something special.

Photography gives me a reason to explore farther, hike higher, and experience places most people only see in pictures. Standing alone in Death Valley as the first sunlight spilled across the dune, I was reminded that the best moments are rarely accidental. They come from preparation, patience, and the willingness to show up before the rest of the world is awake. (And trust me, this was a HARD hike!)

The photograph is the souvenir, but it isn’t the reason. The reason is the experience of being there, watching a seemingly lifeless landscape transform into something extraordinary for just a few minutes. Capturing that moment allows me to bring home not just an image, but the feeling of witnessing it firsthand.

Death Valley National Park

Wait, falls on ?
Hell yeah.

1. Marymere Falls, Olympic National Park
2. Vernal Fall, Yosemite National Park
3. Multnomah Falls, Oregon
4. Damn, can’t remember, Mount Rainier National Park (anybody know?)

Ahhhhh, from Crater Lake a couple summers back.
Had this shot pre-visualized for years before that!

Crater Lake National Park

Well THIS was a sweet second hand find.

I feel like I’m learning from the GOAT Ansel Adams Photographer, Artist & Activist himself!
This is an unreal book, he explains his thought process behind 40 of his best photos. 📸

And no idea if the autograph is authentic or not, but I’m going to tell myself that it is. 😎

That time I backpacked to Mt Assiniboine in a Britney Spears shirt, and I got a sick calf pump. 💪💪

(Not sure how the two are actually related, but….)

📸: Mark Fuson

Horseshoe Bend.

Two visits within 12 hours.
Same place.
Different light.
Completely different experience.

I photographed Horseshoe Bend twice—once at sunset, and again at sunrise.

At sunset, the canyon settled into softer, moodier tones as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. It was beautiful—but it was also an absolute zoo, with crowds of people lining the overlook to watch the final light of the day.

By sunrise, the experience couldn’t have been more different.

The same landscape had completely transformed, with golden light spilling across the canyon walls and bringing the desert to life. And instead of the sunset crowds? Just a handful of people scattered around the overlook, quietly watching the canyon wake up.

That’s one of my favourite things about landscape photography. You can stand in exactly the same spot, point your camera at exactly the same scene, and come away with two photographs—and two experiences—that feel entirely different.

The landscape hasn’t changed.

The light has. The atmosphere has. The experience has.

And sometimes, that’s all it takes.

Which would you choose? The dramatic sunset with the crowds, or the softer sunrise with the solitude?