Printed area for mounting is 7.75"″ x 9.75″ (19.69 cm x 24.77 cm)

Nestled in the mountains of Colorado this old mill clings to a cliff overlooking a beautiful snaking river. I chose to visit during a thunder and lightning storm while carrying two tripods. Not my most intelligent move but I think the photo was worth the risk.

What a privilege it was to witness this moment in time. I count my blessings every time I look at this image. I was one of hundreds of photographers that day who all captured some wonderful images.

I'll be honest, there are times when the composition finds you. This was one such time.

I will take some small amount of credit for recognizing it but I defy anyone to walk past this arrangement of rocks both big and small and not see the most delightful composition. That lovely soft light and the flat, calm reflection were 100% worth the third degree burns from severe chaffing due to the massive hike to this lake. I would do it all over again if I had the chance.

This canyon was one of the strangest places I've ever seen and not easy to photograph. The freezing cold snowmelt river might have made things more difficult as my hands were shaking from the cold just as much as from the excitement of capturing this special moment.

I'd also ripped my shoulder to shreds on the way down into the canyon but the temporary 'photographers high' took care of that, at least until later when the pain came home to roost.

For this glorious window in time I was ecstatically happy just to witness these conditions in this hard to reach canyon on Vancouver Island.

During a high winter tide and after massive rainfall this small tree can disappear completely as it desperately clings on to this submerged log on the west coast of Vancouver Island. I captured this image a couple of days after such a deluge just in time to for the perfect conditions.

A big part of photography is seeing the unseen.

Sometimes you can't actually see a beautiful feature of a scene until you take a long exposure like this one. By choosing a creative shutter speed I was able to reveal the wonderful spiraling patterns of the bubbles as they weaved their way downstream. After some experimentation I was able to capture this delightful long exposure that I feel does justice to this tranquil and enchanting little scene.

This composited image of a Rialto Beach sea stack reflection has even less chance of becoming a reality now that the sea stack has partially collapsed. There are still some beautiful images to be had however so it's always worth the hike.

This print is signed by Gavin Hardcastle and has a […]

What do you do when a beautiful scene is crawling with humans? You wait of course.

Then you wait some more.

After waiting all afternoon I finally had my moment and managed to capture this image without a single human AND during gorgeous afternoon light.

Now if I hadn't told you this and you saw this photo you could almost call it false advertising but you've been warned.

These conditions are possible but you'll have to be patient and share the trail with several hundred other purveyors of majestic beauty.

Blue hour on the Donegal coast is a time of pure magic. Rather than quit after a nice sunset I stuck around as the clouds began to eat the sky, waves roiled up and birds went into a feeding frenzy. Sometimes all you have to do is just be there and wait.

This print is signed by Gavin Hardcastle and has a […]

I'll admit that sometimes I get lucky. On my second visit to this viewpoint in the Faroe Islands I knew as soon as I arrived that something magical would happen. At almost 11PM the sky erupted in a vivid display of magnificence and I couldn't believe my luck.

After a night of shivering in our tents Brent and I hiked up this mountain in the dark to be ready for sunrise. It turned out to be one of those lovely muted mornings with atmospheric skies that threatened more snow to come. The morning went perfectly until I spilled my hot noodle breakfast all over the trail. Brent made me clean it up and bag it so as not to attract grizzly bears. True fans know the full story.

Timing is everything when it comes to photography. Show up on the wrong day and a waterfall like this might have dried to a trickle. Conversely, a biblical deluge might make the waterfall dangerous and ugly as it bursts its banks with random debris.

After countless visits to this lovely hidden gem on Vancouver Island I figured out the best conditions for the perfect volume of water combined with the ideal soft light and this is the result of all those failed visits.

I rarely get the perfect shot on my first visit so it makes it so much sweeter when the stars finally align to give me a moment like this.

This print is signed by Gavin Hardcastle and has a […]

This print is signed by Gavin Hardcastle and has a […]

Fingals Cave on the Isle of Staffa is not somewhere I would recommend during rough seas. This afternoon visit was probably not the most sensible thing I've ever done but I carefully studied the incoming waves for quite some time before braving the interior of the cave. This image is the result of my stupid risk taking.

Printed area for mounting is 7.75"″ x 9.75″ (19.69 cm x 24.77 cm)

This print is signed by Gavin Hardcastle and has a […]

This print is signed by Gavin Hardcastle and has a […]

This print is signed by Gavin Hardcastle and has a […]

This print is signed by Gavin Hardcastle and has a […]

This iconic view of Scotland most famous castle is beautiful at any time of the day but particularly atmospheric during sunset. I thought the sky was just going to fade into grey but just as I was packing up my tripod the clouds erupted and offered up this lovely post sunset glow.

Utah has such diverse scenery. It's not all arches, canyons and red rock towers. The La Sal Mountains outside of Moab offer some spectacular fall colours and this stormy October day was just perfect. The pond offered the ideal reflection just as the light peaked on the mountains and gorgeous yellow aspens.

Rain, rain, so much rain. If you can't handle rain, don't go to Scotland.

At first I thought there was no chance of capturing a worthy shot but a short gap in the almost constant rain revealed a subtle reflection in the lake and I knew I had a short window of time before it vanished.

I waited years for these conditions in my favourite forest on Vancouver Island. I made countless fruitless visits with the hopes of encountering fog only for it to evaporate as I climbed the hill. On this day however, the conditions were perfect and I knew just the tree to make my vision come to life. Can you see the tortured souls trapped on the trunk?

There's nothing quite like sunlight that's bouncing off the moon to light up a beautiful scene like this. After photographing this same composition during sunset I couldn't wait to try it out once we got full dark. I was not disappointed.

Printed area for mounting is 7.75"″ x 9.75″ (19.69 cm x 24.77 cm)

Printed area for mounting is 7.75"″ x 9.75″ (19.69 cm x 24.77 cm)

Printed area for mounting is 7.75"″ x 9.75″ (19.69 cm x 24.77 cm)

Donegal is a treasure trove of spectacular coastal scenery and this three hour hike to the sea stacks of the Atlantic was well worth the sweat equity. We braved fields of sheep cakes, death defying cliff edges and ankle breaking post holes to reach this majestic overlook just in time for the sun to go down over the ocean.

Printed area for mounting is 7.75"″ x 9.75″ (19.69 cm x 24.77 cm)

This print is signed by Gavin Hardcastle and has a […]

Printed area for mounting is 7.75"″ x 9.75″ (19.69 cm x 24.77 cm)

Where else but Scotland can you go out on a day of sideways rain and hope to capture a book-worthy image? These misty mountains don't look half as good on a blue sky day. As the saying goes "there's no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing".