I was teaching a photography workshop with friend and fellow professional photographer Gavriel Jecan in California when I took this photo. It was one of those scenarios where I set up the shot in the dark, took the photo, and moved on.

I am taking you back, WAY BACK in today’s Friday Photo. The original photos of Denali and the Alaska Range were taken in the summer of 2004 when my wife Heather and I were on a 14 day backpacking trip in Denali National Park.

Back in the spring of 2007, I entered the Coastal Bend Wildlife Photo Contest. It was founded because 99% of the land in Texas is privately owned and most of that land holds a bounty of natural resources.

Not to exaggerate, but this photograph took a decade to create. I remember one significantly cold June morning, while visiting Jackson, Wyoming a long time ago, in a galaxy… a hard frost covering all of the balsamroot flowers that were in bloom.