Posted on July 11, 2024, 5:44 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
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 However, there is little information about Ofu, most of it incomplete, outdated, or wrong.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 not […]
Posted on June 21, 2024, 10:54 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
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 with […]
Posted on April 25, 2024, 1:28 pm, by QT Luong, under
Books.
National Park Week is upon us. My past write-ups acknowledged the role government and citizen organizations played in protecting our national parks. One of the takeaways from Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan’s The National Parks: America’s Best Idea was that their establishment also owes much to the tireless efforts of individual dedicated conservationists. However, the […]
Posted on March 14, 2024, 3:04 pm, by QT Luong, under
Esthetics.
In 2015, the China Photographic Publishing House released the book Landscape Photography – American Master Photographers on Their Art, featuring the work of nine American photographers (in order of appearance): Art Wolfe, Charles Cramer, David Muench, Clyde Butcher, QT Luong, Tom Till, Tom Murphy, Elizabeth Carmel, and Ian Plant. Since it was about studying how […]
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 […]
Tags:
alaska,
autumn,
backpacking,
hiking,
mountains,
national parks,
nature,
night,
photography,
processing,
wrangell-st elias national park 1 Comment |
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Posted on November 30, 2023, 4:58 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
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 […]
Posted on November 16, 2023, 6:47 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
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 […]
Posted on October 9, 2023, 3:39 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
A single road penetrates Denali National Park. While it is 92 miles long, only the first 15 miles are paved and open to personal vehicles. If I was to hike only one trail along that section, the Alpine Savage Trail would be my clear choice. Until the summer of 2026, it is also the best […]
Posted on September 29, 2023, 3:01 pm, by QT Luong, under
Techniques.
Creating photographs of autumn colors in black and white may sound like an absurd idea. Besides the paradox, isn’t black and white photography best deployed in those instances where the subject lacks strong colors? And isn’t black and white’s ability to exaggerate drama – unfettered from the need to present a realistic rendition of a […]
Posted on August 25, 2023, 11:22 am, by QT Luong, under
Books.
On the 107th anniversary of the National Park Service (NPS) this article continues my examination of the official NPS visitor guides over the years, focussing this time on one particular element: the map. If you haven’t done so, reading the previous installments of this series will provide context. Part 3 of an on-going series: 1 […]
