Journal (Landscape photography)

My old journal/blog commenced in 2006 and was retired in early June 2021. Fifteen years worth of posts - articles, gear reviews, announcements, trip reports, photographs, environmental issues, and much more - can be found here. Please subscribe to my Journal to stay tuned (I recommend Feedly). Thank you for reading.

Categories:

Sentinel

June 30, 2026 | Death Valley, California

A lone raven (*Corvus corax*) watches guard over a volcanic ash-layered canyon and a lone Desert Holly (*Atriplex hymenletrya*) on a moody, stormy morning. Death Valley National Park, California.

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Strange Worlds

June 29, 2026

A monochromatic departure from reality - not merely in subject content but in the photographic concept itself - can allow a viewer to establish a deeper and more immediate connection with the essence of the image.

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Nature & Landscape Photographers Masterclass

June 16, 2026 | Idyllwild, California

Many THANKS to the Professional Photographers of California (PPC) for bringing me on board again to teach for the second year in a row at their 2026 West Coast School - their 70th! Many thanks as well to PPC administration, staff, and volunteers for making my Nature & Landscape Photographers Masterclass a resounding success...

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We Talk Photo with Michael Gordon & Guy Tal

November 30, 2025

It was a real pleasure to converse with my friends Jack Graham and John Pedersen of We Talk Photo, who invited me and our good friend, Guy Tal, to another discussion regarding creativity and the creative life, inspiration, and happiness in photography...

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Breaking it Down: Refining Photographic Composition

November 19, 2025 | Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona

“When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave until you have captured its essence...

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Rayleigh Scattering in Nature and Landscape Photography

November 13, 2025

Many photographers have likely never heard of Rayleigh Scattering or considered its impacts on their own photographs. In short, Rayleigh Scattering is the scattering or deflection of light by particles with a size much smaller than the wavelength of the radiation...

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For What Else It Is

May 5, 2025

Equivalents was a photographic concept and body of work developed by the godfather of modern photography, Alfred Stieglitz, around 1925, based on his series of abstract cloud photographs. New York Times art critic Andy Grundberg said that Equivalents offer an "existence of a reality behind and beyond that offered by the world of appearances...

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The Artful Black & White Landscape Photography Workshop

March 21, 2025 | Death Valley, California

Chuck Kimmerle and I completed yet another highly successful Artful Black & White Landscape Photography Workshop on March 14, 2025.

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Photographic Myths: #1

January 28, 2025

Photographic Myths #1: "the light isn't great, let's try black & white"

Good black and white photography is way of thinking and visualizing. It is not a casual afterthought, nor can it be effectively used as a rescue for poor quality of light or composition...

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Scouting, Vision, & Perseverance

June 5, 2024 | Death Valley, California

Location scouting is a vital element of filmmaking and commercial photography. Many landscape photographers also employ scouting in their strategies, although the strategies of most differ greatly from my own...

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Published: ELEMENTS #34, Special Black & White Double Issue

December 15, 2023

It's an honor to have my article Strange Worlds and thirteen of my images appear in the December special double issue of Elements Landscape Photography Magazine, dedicated exclusively to Black & White photography...

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Photograph: Storm Over Cochise Head

27 September 2022 | Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona

Although I hike a great many miles and climb a number of new mountains every year in the pursuit of my photographs and in the best life possible, I rarely talk about my exploits (certainly not online) and typically refrain from location specificity...

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You are visiting the Journal of fine art landscape photographer Michael E. Gordon. Please follow the navigation links at the top of this page for additional photographs and information. The old blog (2006-2020) has been retired but is archived and all articles remain available for reading. You can also find Michael on Facebook and Instagram.