The Road to 63 · National Parks of America
One journey. Every park. A lifetime of light to chase.
There are currently 63 National Parks in America. One for every year I’ve been alive… give or take. The goal is simple: To visit all of them! But the mission is bigger than a checklist. It is to see each one of them slowly, deliberately, and with a fresh perspective.
I’ve already been to about 28 of these parks over the course of my life. But I was a different person then… moving fast, checking boxes, photographing on autopilot. This time I’m going back with slow travel eyes, a lighting professional’s obsession with when and where the light falls, and enough time to actually listen to what each place is trying to say.
The posts in this section are being built in advance of and alongside that journey. They’re part research, part planning, part love letter to landscapes I haven’t stood inside yet. Some parks I’ve visited before and am seeing again for the first time. Others I’m approaching completely fresh.
Every post is designed to be a free planning resource… for photographers, slow travelers, and anyone who wants to understand a park more deeply before they arrive. Think of it as a field guide in progress, built in public, one park at a time.
This collection grows with the journey — and the journey started long before I hit the road.
Parks In The Collection
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The Light at Kings Canyon National Park
Some landscapes become part of our imagination through the photographs we find at the end of a long search. Kings Canyon National Park arrived at…
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Storm Light in Mammoth Cave National Park
Every photographer eventually builds a list of subjects that require a specific piece of equipment rather than a specific piece of landscape. Mammoth Cave National…
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Finding Light in Kobuk Valley National Park
When planning a visit to America’s national parks, some destinations require a second look at the map to confirm what the photograph is showing. Kobuk…
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Inside Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
Every photographer eventually builds a list of places they cannot believe exist at the scale described. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is at the…
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Chasing Light in Haleakala National Park
Some landscapes exist in two completely separate registers and the transition between them is part of the experience. Haleakala National Park on Maui begins at…
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Storm Light in Lake Clark National Park
When planning a visit to America’s national parks, the Alaska parks occupy a category that the lower 48 cannot replicate. They are larger, more remote,…
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Finding Light in Pinnacles National Park
Some landscapes become part of our imagination through the surprise of their existence. Pinnacles National Park sits about 80 miles south of San Jose in…
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First Light at Voyageurs National Park
Every photographer eventually builds a list of parks they have confused with each other. Voyageurs National Park and Isle Royale National Park share enough surface…
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The Light at White Sands National Park
When planning a visit to America’s national parks, some destinations require no prior knowledge to understand immediately upon arrival. White Sands National Park in southern…
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Chasing Light in Great Sand Dunes National Park
Some landscapes become part of our imagination through sheer improbability. Great Sand Dunes National Park contains the tallest sand dunes in North America — rising…
This collection grows with the journey — and the journey started long before I hit the road.