Blog and Archives

With Just a week left… it’s time to make the final PCT gear selections. Given the limited space in a pack and clear need to balance light weight and high function, making the final selections for my Pacific Crest Trail through hike gear is tough. The internet is littered with photos of through hiker’s gear… Read more: Pacific Crest Trail 2018 Gear Cut

Solar wins a spot in my Pacific Crest Trail pack. I’ve been agonizing over the question of how to manage battery power on my upcoming Pacific Crest Trail hike. The thought of spending hours cooped up in a town charging my batteries at an electrical outlet is enough to make me ill. While I want… Read more: Pacific Crest Trail Solar Charger

Deciding to hike the PCT and getting ready in a short period of time.

This fire has been burning for a few days now and I have been able to watch the show just by stepping out my back door. The wind has kept the smoke and fire moving south, away from my home, but smoke is choking Leavenworth and evacuations are happening as close as a half mile… Read more: The Chiwaukum Creek Fire

Hiking the Middle Leg of the W – French Valley Make no mistake, if you are going to hike to the end of the trail into French Valley (the middle leg of the W hike in Torres del Paine) you will need joints that can take a pounding. The trek from Refugio Paine Grande, up… Read more: Hiking Patigonia’s W – French Valley

Grey Glacier – The first leg of our hike in Torres del Paine. (Patagonia) Grey glacier in Torres del Paine national park is much more spectacular than its somewhat dreary name. The glacier turned out to be the most incredible blue color and the viewpoint along the trail to Refugio Grey was a great spot… Read more: Hiking the W – Grey Glacier Viewpoint

Video – Shooting from a moving deck of a boat can be tricky! The information and photography from this trek in Patagonia are from March of 2014.

If I return to El Chalten, I would simply make a loop of the Mirador del Fitz Roy and Laguna Capri options. This would allow for many more hours relaxing, enjoying the scenery, and doing photography along the streams and near the lake. The views of Fitz Roy from these vantage points are framed with… Read more: Fitz Roy – Hiking Laguna de los Tres from El Chalten

Photographs of your own back yard might be more interesting than you ever imagined.

2013 NCAA Division II National Cross Country Championships Spokane WA. – At 20 minutes and 40 seconds into the NCAA II national championships Tabor Stevens of Adams State made a decision to win the race. It was a strong pass on Michael Biwot of American International who had made an early break at 13:15. Biwot’s… Read more: 2013 NCAA II National Cross Country Championship

Photography of waterfalls on cloudy days. Photographer Dominic Urbano reflects on shooting at Metlako Falls Oregon.

Shooting Landscapes It is pretty rare that I feel very excited about what I might have captured on any given landscape photo shoot. My wife will routinely ask, “How did it go?” when I return from a photography trip. My reply… usually a shrug and a “I don’t think I have much from that one.”… Read more: Shooting Landscapes

Cascade Quest Dog Sled Race 2013 With just a couple of hours to spare in what has become a really busy schedule I headed up the road a few miles to take in a bit of the 2013 Cascade Quest dog sled races. While I have no experience with dog sled racing, I really love… Read more: Cascade Quest dog sled race at Lake Wenatchee

 By Photographer Dominic Urbano   Will you fall victim of the Digital Dark Age? Odds are the answer is a big fat emphatic yes. While there are more photos being taken now than at any time in the history of photography the number of photos being printed is plummeting. Bottom line… if you don’t have… Read more: Avoiding the digital Dark Age

A chance meeting with a Medal of Honor recipient who was killed in “The Forgotten War”….

Burnside Bridge battle site. By Photographer Dominic Urbano The Burnside bridge at the Antietam battle field is a visually powerful battle site. While the entire tour of the Antietam battle field area is worthwhile, the relatively small footprint and well defined terrain of the Burnside bridge battle site makes it easier for the visitor to… Read more: Antietam Battle Field – Burnside Bridge battle site.

There is an entire day of festivities surrounding the Bavarian Bike and Brew XC Mt. Bike race. 2012 was the 15th annual day of racing at the challenging single track course just north of Leavenworth and it was my first opportunity to visit the event. I arrived late and had to leave early, so I… Read more: Bavarian Bike and Brew 2012

I start getting in shape and you win $500 for your favorite charity and a landscape print of your choice. OK… so I have decided to create a win, win, win… contest to get me out the door and get in at least some sort of shape. I’ll put up $500 and a 16x metal… Read more: Dominic’s 45th super prize – get in shape program – contest.

HDR vs Non-HDR… a brief story of one image. HDR vs non HDR photography and post processing is a hot topic these days. Frustration led me to work up the same image twice and post them both here as a side by side. The image on the top was completed using HDR techniques with the… Read more: HDR vs Non HDR

Creating a fine art image of Multnomah Falls on a crowded day. One of the difficulties that can come with photographing iconic locations such as the Multnomah Falls in the Columbia Gorge is that they are invariably crowded with people. The Columbia Gorge has many beautiful waterfalls and Multnomah Falls is one of the most… Read more: Photographing Multnomah Falls despite the crowds.

Love train photos? Here’s the shot for you. by Photographer Dominic Urbano Train photos in the great Columbia Gorge. One of the most scenic places on Earth the Columbia Gorge makes for an incredible location to capture a photo of a train. The Gorge is also one of the busiest transportation routes in the Pacific… Read more: Train photos… The BNSF railroad in the Columbia Gorge.

Creative destruction at the Mission Ridge Dummy Downhill. By Photographer, Dominic Urbano. Strap a homemade dummy to some skis and let it loose down the snow covered slope towards a tall jump… and see what happens. It is a pretty short list of rules for this event and the results are predictable. That’s what makes the… Read more: Mission Ridge Dummy Downhill 2012

Pacific Northwest Wetland Photos By Photographer, Dominic Urbano These wetland nature photos are from late March 2010–early spring in this part of the Pacific Northwest and a time of great contrast. New, rich green growth sprouts up through the decaying brown remains of plants from the previous year. The colors are so vivid it is… Read more: Nature photos – Pacific Northwest Wetland

By Photographer Dominic Urbano Musician Christopher Williams made a stop in my little town of Plain WA last night. The event was sponsored by a local art guild, Grunewald Guild, and performed in the beautiful Mountain Springs Lodge in front of their massive fireplace for an audience of 30 or so people. With his strong… Read more: Musician Christopher Williams – at Mt. Springs Lodge

Leavenworth Ski Hill – Bakke Cup 2012 by Photographer, Dominic Urbano Community events that are kid focused are my favorites. I spent Saturday at the 2012 Bakke Cup on the Leavenworth Ski Hill. Members of the Leavenworth Winter Sports Club and parents put on a great day of low-key competitive skiing for the local kids.… Read more: Bakke Cup 2012

An impromptu behind the scenes video of a landscape photo shoot along the Wenatchee river at Plain WA By Photographer Dominic Urbano Sometimes landscape photography means getting your feet wet. So while a large chunk of the U.S. population was watching the Superbowl… I was out wading around up to my knees in the icy… Read more: Photography on the Wenatchee River

Surfing a Costa Rica beach –  Carrillo Beach, (Playa Carrillo) By Photographer, Dominic Urbano If you’re looking for an experienced surfer review of the Carrillo beach (Playa Carrillo), this isn’t it. Surfing at Carrillo was my first time ever… and it was great. The pacific coast Costa Rica beaches are beautiful and I felt it… Read more: Costa Rica Beach. Playa Carrillo Surfing

Driving in Costa Rica. Photographer, Dominic Urbano. Driving in Costa Rica was an adventure, but not a dangerous one. A great deal of our vacation time in Costa Rica was spent driving our rented 4×4. (a little Toyota Rav4) We love to explore (rather than sit on the beach) so during our ten day visit… Read more: Driving in Costa Rica

Guanacaste Costa Rica Playa Carrillo: a quiet and beautiful beach destination. By Photographer, Dominic Urbano. Sunsets in Costa Rica are fleeting. On our first day in the Guanacaste region, we almost missed the sunset when we strolled to Playa Carrillo. The sun had already slipped below the horizon, but the colorful glow lingered. Despite arriving… Read more: Carrillo Beach, Costa Rica Beaches

By photographer, Dominic Urbano. The relocation of my photography studio and custom laser engraving and cutting business to Leavenworth WA (actually in Plain WA… but it is a Leavenworth address) over the past month has been an exciting time. My new Central Washington location will open up great  opportunities. I am looking forward to introducing… Read more: Now I’m a Leavenworth WA photographer!

By Pacific Northwest landscape photographer – Dominic Urbano. Note – This is part three of a three part series outlining my travel in the Cascade mountain foothills using the forest service back roads. To start with the first day of travel from Winthrop WA click here. A collection of notes made each evening in my… Read more: Chelan to Leavenworth via the back roads.

Day 2 – Traveling from Winthrop to Chelan via the forest service back roads. Click here if you would like to start with Day 1 of this Cascade Mountain road trip. By Pacific Northwest landscape Photographer Dominic Urbano (The following entry is a direct copy of my notes made in the evening at camp after… Read more: Winthrop to Chelan via the real back roads.

By Photographer Dominic Urbano Washington’s real back roads do not have pavement. The eastern slopes of the North Cascade Mountains are beautiful and surprisingly accessible. Tens of thousands of acres of public lands are interconnected with a network of forest service roads. It is a unique and rewarding way to travel, camp, and photograph the… Read more: Driving the Okanogan Back Roads

By Photographer Dominic Urbano Silver Falls in Chelan County is a ‘hidden’ gem. A bridal veil waterfall that would rank with the best if it were on the beaten path near a high traffic tourist destination. As it is the un-heralded Silver Falls is an easy/moderate hike that awaits travelers who are willing to make… Read more: Chelan County – Silver Falls Trail

By Leavenworth WA Photographer – Dominic Urbano A trip with Vancouver Whale Watch out of Richmond/Steveston BC was a worthwhile experience. During our four hours on the boat we spent about an hour tracking along with the J Pod orca whales as they made their way north between Mayne and Giliano islands and on towards… Read more: Vancouver Whale Watch – J pod orcas

Olympic National Park by Photographer Dominic Urbano. Photography in the Olympic National Park.  Crescent Lake, Hurricane Ridge, Sol Duc Falls, Marymere Falls,…. Isolated on Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula, Olympic National Park does take some effort to visit. Traveling to the peninsula  rewards visitors with an area of concentrated beauty second to none. One of the… Read more: Olympic National Park

By Photographer Dominic Urbano Stormy weather in Walla Walla cut short my weekend of shooting at the Walla Walla Balloon Stampede. A few good balloon shots but it was mostly the vineyards that captured my attention. Also the stormy skies made for some great backgrounds to some colorful scenes as I made my way back… Read more: Bellingham to Walla Walla and back. Photography on the move.

By Photographer Dominic Urbano A cross state drive to Walla Walla Washington for the annual Walla Walla Balloon Stampede. It was an event that I had put on my calendar some time ago. The combination of the beautiful Palouse region and the always colorful spectacle of hot air balloons was sure to be a visual… Read more: Walla Walla Wine Country and a Balloon Stampede.

By Photographer – Dominic Urbano The Bellingham Farmers market. Well worth a few hours on a Saturday. Come hungry… leave full. Prepare to have your senses overloaded with the sights, scents, sounds, and music. Whatcom county is an active farming community with a heavy bent towards organic practices. Prepared food vendors work tirelessly throughout the… Read more: Bellingham Farmers Market

Deming speedway opening day 2011. Photos and comment by Photographer, Dominic Urbano. My neighbor Ed has a sprint car. A mini-sprint car to be more precise. On Friday nights he joins other race car drivers, pit crews, families, and fans, at the Deming Speedway to reaffirm what is right in America. It may not be… Read more: Deming Speedway – Sprint car races

Alakai swamp photo gallery and hike information from Bellingham photographer Dominic Urbano

Photographer Dominic Urbano and his son Antony visit the Bronx zoo while a cobra is missing from the reptile house.

The Kalalau trail leads to a side canyon with the Hanakapiai falls.

Massive Hawaiian waves at Secret Beach and a not so good trip with Kauai Sea Tours

Leavenworth WA photographer Dominic Urbano reflects on travel in Kauai Hawaii.

Driving to Waimea Canyon and the Kalalau Valley lookout. Hiking to the Upper Waipo’o Falls. Kauai landscape photography & fine art prints by Bellingham photographer Dominic Urbano.

A photo gallery from a single day of photography in the San Juan Islands and on the slopes of Mount Baker.

Pelican – Hardigg cases. Storm Case iM2700 used to transport photography equipment. Cameras, lenses, and video equipment protection is essential during travel. Bellingham photographer Dominic Urbano used the Storm Case for his trip to St. John Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Dominic Urbano shares a summary of vacation and photography in the Virgin Islands. Notes about St. John Island USVI, Virgin Gorda BVI. Caribbean snorkeling, underwater photography, and landscape photography.

Dominic Urbano, photographer, introduces Fallen Leaf Imaging with a few images from Bellingham Washington. Photographs of Bellingham Bay with storm clouds in the distance.