Rich Greene Photography

I was honored to have this photo earn 2nd Place in the Open Division of the Santa Monica Mountains Fund 2025 Photo Competition. 187 photos were submitted -- a lot of amazing images from extremely talented photographers -- over twice as many as last year.

You can see all the finalists of this year's Photo Competition hung at the Anthony C. Beilenson Visitor Center at King Gillette Ranch now through March 23rd.

Last summer we took a roadie to New Mexico for a Celebration of Life in remembrance of my mom who passed away in July of 2020.

On the way back to SoCal we made a whirlwind through three National Parks; Mesa Verde, Bryce Canyon, and Arches.

We were on a pretty tight schedule so we didn't have the luxury of spending a great deal of time at any of them.

As luck would have it, it was later in the day and we didn't have to wait in the horrific lines that plagued Arches last summer as millions cooped up during the pandemic flooded to the National Parks in record numbers.

We only made one stop in the park; on The Windows Road where several arches are clustered.

This rainbow with the La Sal Mountains serving as a stunning background was an added bonus.

If you know your Spanish, I think you can probably tell how the range which is the second highest in the state of Utah, got its name.

Death Valley Sunset...
somewhere along West Side Road.

The Milky Way from Joshua Tree National Park, taken in August 2014.

I went back into the archives to reprocess the some of the images I shot of this celestial wonder.

This was the last shot I took that evening.

When we boarded the jetboat in Juneau for the 2 1/2 hour ride to Tracy Arm Fjord, and South Sawyer Glacier, it was sunny. By the time we made the turn from Stephens Passage into Tracy arm, it was clouding up and looking like rain.

I knew we were getting closer when we started to see icebergs of beautiful cobalt blue floating in the still waters.

The anticipation was incredible; the little kid in me felt compelled to walk up to the door of the bridge and holler, "are we there yet?" which drew a laugh from my fellow passengers on the observation deck.

The tour company passes out a very cool brochure as you board, with a route map, and what to expect on the trip.

In the brochure is also an excerpt from John Muir's century old book, "Travels in Alaska," as he describes entering the fjord in a canoe:

"The upper half of the fiord is about a mile to a mile and a half wide, and shut in by sublime Yosemite cliffs, nobly sculptured and adorned with waterfalls..."

I'd add that it to me, it was Yosemite on steroids.

Simply incredible.

I can't believe it's already been a month since I stood on the observation deck of the Allen Marine Tours jetboat in Alaska's Tracy Arm Fjord and saw this sight with my own eyes.

The whole day, starting with our departure from Juneau and the 2 1/2 hour journey to Sawer Glacier at the end of the fjord, I was like a kid in a candy store -
I shot over 1000 images; of which perhaps 98% will never be seen by human eyes.

But of that 2% that did make the grade, this is one of my favorites and to me, conveys the rugged beauty of America's Last Frontier

It is a sight and trip I shall not soon forget.

August 21, 2019.

If I've ever had a better day shooting, I can't remember it. The only day that comes close was a mass ascension at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta several years ago, but that was different, because the subjects there were man made.

These came courtesy of The Creator. And what a sight they were.

We took off from Juneau south in the Gastineau Channel and into Stephens Passage; destination Tracy Arm Fjord.

My head was on a swivel, my right index finger constantly pressing the shutter button.

Talk about sensory overload.

Fortunately, I had a full battery and plenty of space on my SD card.

This was the first sign that it was going to be a great day; one like no other in my photography experience.

Two humpbacks frolicking on a late summer day, breaching not once, not twice, but at least three times for our little passenger vessel!

Yes, living in SoCal, we've been on whale watching tours many times, and seen lots of whales, but never have I captured a breach. Flukes, yes. Breach, no.

I have to hand it to the crew from Allen Marine Tours who took us there, too. Kudos to you, kind sirs.

Incredible is too small a word to describe it.

You had to be there.

A couple of days after seeing the incredible beauty of Tracy Arm Fjord, we were able to spend the day in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska, home to eleven tidewater glaciers, including the Margerie Glacier, named for French Geographer and Geologist Emmanuel de Margerie and one of the most active and most visited in the park, which can be visited only by boat or plane.

And what a welcome Margerie gave us -- literally calving right on cue!!! Luckily, earlier I had staked out a space right on the bow of the ship, and had a front row view to catch a couple of images of the calving.

The sound that followed from a half-mile away was incredible.

We didn't see near as much wildlife in Glacier Bay as we did in Tracy Arm Fjord, but our time there was also nothing short of spectacular.

Later viewing the glacier from the comfort of our balcony, I was left to imagine what John Muir saw in 1879 when Tlingit guides led him into Glacier Bay for the first time.

"To the lover of pure wildness Alaska is one of the most wonderful countries in the world." ..."it seems as if surely we must at length reach the very paradise of the poets, the abode of the blessed."
- John Muir, Travels in Alaska

One of -- no, that doesn't adequately describe it.

THIS IS without a doubt, the absolutely most stunning spectacle I've ever had the pleasure to lay my eyes on upon during my six plus decades on this earth.

The South Sawyer Glacier at the end of Tracy Arm Fjord, (named for Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Tracy who served during the administration of Benjamin Harrison from 1889-1893) is about 50 miles south of the most unique state capital in the US, Juneau, Alaska, which is only accessible by sea and air.

To call it this excursion amazing is the understatement of all understatements.

On our journey we saw playful young orcas and humpbacks breaching, black bears and mountain goats foraging for food on the rocky cliffs, harbor seals lounging on the ice floes, various bird species including eagles, countless 1000-foot waterfalls emptying into the turquoise waters of the fjord, jaw-dropping mountains covered by clouds and ancient glaciers, innumerable sculptured icebergs, and the glacier itself, the beauty of which, is beyond compare.

Alaska truly is "The Last Frontier."

In this photo, you can see maybe a tenth of the entire glacier, which is about a half mile wide. The rest is around the bend, which we saw by navigating slowly through the icefield.

I was fortunate to capture the tour boat in the foreground for scale, because it just gives you a sense of just how immense this glacier is.

There are more famous glaciers in Alaska including the Mendenhall, which is just a quick 12-mile jaunt from Juneau, and thusly, much more crowded, but the trip to this one was well worth the extra time it took to get here.

The larger cruise ships aren't able to get as close to this glacier because of the floating ice which ranges from hand-sized to pieces to those that dwarf the vessel in front of us.

On our trip, a crew member took a long net and hauled in a small chunk of floating iceberg -- which the passengers got to hold -- and later sample in the delicious "Glacieritas" upon which we toasted our good fortune on the trip back to Juneau.

Some of my favorite photographic locales are the rocky beaches along the PCH from Malibu northward to Point Mugu.

Sadly, Southern California's devastating and deadly Woolsey fire which broke out in November 2018 causing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes, scorched nearly a quarter million acres, destroyed some 1500 homes and structures, and killed three, changing the landscape for years to come.

It would have been much worse if not for the efforts of the brave and dedicated fire fighters battling the massive blaze.

That's why I have chosen to donate a portion of the proceeds from sales of this calendar to California Fire Relief efforts.

I hope you like it, and will consider contributing to this worthy cause. Click the link below to check it out and order.

They make great Christmas gifts!

Light Shows Along the Pacific Coast Highway 2019 Fine Art Calendar by Rich Greene (Calendar) - Lulu Buy Light Shows Along the Pacific Coast Highway 2019 Fine Art Calendar by Rich Greene (Calendar) online at Lulu. Visit the Lulu Marketplace for product details, ratings, and reviews.

We've come to the end of the road -- it's day 14 of 14. Thanks for following along. There were many more places I had on my list to see but even with two weeks one can't do it all.

This is the Very Large Array, on the San Agustin Plain of New Mexico, 50 miles northwest of Socorro, and yup, another place I never went to while I lived in the state.

If you're a sci-fi fan, you probably saw them in the movie, Contact with Jodie Foster.

There are 28 dishes in all; 27 active and one used as a spare. As you can see from the photo with the person standing behind the one nearest the camera, they're yoooooge!

No, these aren't your basic DirecTV dishes. Each one is 82 feet, or 25 meters, with 8 receivers tucked inside. They sit on rails in a Y configuration and are moved over the course of a year up to a distance of 23 miles across.

In their 40 plus years of service, they've made discoveries like ice on planet Mercury, revealed the shrouded center of the Milky Way, and found a black hole a million times more massive than the Sun in a star-forming dwarf galaxy.

Very very cool.