Terra Galleria Photography

Archive for the ‘Locations’ Category

American Samoa Cultural Vignettes

https://www.terragalleria.com/blog/american-samoa-cultural-vignettes/ While this series has largely focused on natural experiences, the National Park of American Samoa was also established to preserve and celebrate Samoan culture. Its mission includes safeguarding cultural traditions and ensuring they remain vibrant and relevant. In that spirit, this piece showcases various aspects of Samoan culture through a collection of photos taken […]

The Ultimate Guide to Ofu Island, American Samoa

https://www.terragalleria.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-ofu-island-american-samoa As the crown jewel of the National Park of American Samoa, Ofu Island is the tropical beach paradise many travelers dream about. However, there is little information about Ofu, most of it incomplete, outdated, or wrong. Based on insider information I acquired during two visits to Ofu, I remedy this situation and provide tips […]

Coconut Crab Hunting

https://www.terragalleria.com/blog/coconut-crab-hunting Going for a walk in the forest at night and in the rain may sound like a strange activity. However, joining a coconut crab hunt turned out to be an unexpected highlight of my stay in Ofu. Throughout our second day on Ofu Island, the storm did not relent much. Between the episodes of […]

A Week on Ofu Island: Setbacks in Paradise

https://www.terragalleria.com/blog/a-week-on-ofu-island-setbacks-in-paradise Summary: a personal account of a week on Ofu Island in the National Park of American Samoa during which carefully-laid plans were thwarted by a combination of weather, equipment failures, and transportation issues threatening to leave us stranded in the South Pacific. My friend Tommy travels without plans or expectations. This approach, increasingly popular […]

Caddo Lake: A Quick Guide to the New Premier Photography Destination

The most emblematic landscape of the American South is the flooded forests growing out of the water. One of them have recently emerged as one of the premier destinations for nature landscape photography. Two telltale signs are the number of photo workshops that frequent them, and the busloads of Chinese photographers who descend in prime […]

Focus on the Solar Eclipse of April 8, 2024

Since the total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, would be the last in America until 2044, my main motivation was to witness the event as a family. This called for a different approach than the one I took for the eclipse of 2017. I had traveled with my younger in-laws to Grand Teton National […]

An elusive night photograph inside Wrangell-St Elias

Summary: Last fall, I made an unusual photograph at one of the most iconic locations in Wrangell-St Elias National Park. Read practical details about that location, the challenges of making that particular photograph, and how I processed my files to make the most out of the opportunity. Autumn is my favorite time to visit Alaska […]

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park’s spectacular Bonanza Mine Trail

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park combines spectacular glaciated mountain scenery with well-preserved remnants of mining history. A well-mapped, although strenuous way to experience this unique mix is to hike the Bonanza Mine trail, maybe the best trail in the national park with the most hiking trails in Alaska. Because of their low visitation and the National […]

Gates of the Arctic National Park via Anaktuvuk Pass

Gates of the Arctic National Park attracts two seldom-overlapping categories of visitors: some are on an express trip to tick off their bucket list of national parks, while others seek an extended wilderness adventure. As a result, visits lasting a few days are rare. Last September, my friend Tommy and I made such a visit […]

Photographing the Annular Solar Eclipse of Oct 14, 2023

The solar eclipse of October 14, 2023, was an “annular eclipse”, which happens when the moon passes entirely in front of the sun, but the lunar disk is too far from the earth to cover the entire sun, leaving a “ring of fire” around the moon. When I photographed such an eclipse in 2012, I […]