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

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

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.

Some of the most beautiful places are entirely hidden. This sea cave on Vancouver Island is only accessible by braving a questionable descent via rope down a cliff into a dark chasm. After the initial climb there are waves that must be negotiated before reaching the back of the cave but the brave are rewarded by this hidden gem upon arrival. Just be sure you watch your exit before it disappears under the waves.

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.

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.

Oregon will always have a special place in my heart. The Columbia River Gorge may have lost some of its most iconic scenes to a devastating fire but its still a wonderful place to visit. I was fortunate enough to capture this scene when it was possible at its finest. After several days of constant rain the creek was raging and I had to rescue myself from the torrent many times before nailing this shot.

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.

There's not much that can beat the Canadian Rockies during autumn and I knew just the perfect spot to capture some gorgeous mountain reflections. At first it looked like there was way too much cloud for any chance of good light, but as so often happens in the mountains things can take a turn real quick. In this case it was a turn for the better as golden light painted our little patch of heaven.

Like the fallen towers and columns of some lost civilization, the pinnacles and rock formations of the Alabama Hills have an otherworldly quality that I could study for decades. If you're lucky, you can capture a salmon pink sunrise that paints the rocks in this ethereal glow.

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.

Most people don't realize just how impressive the mountains can be on Vancouver Island. Views like this do come at a cost which is payable in sweat. After just 15 minutes of sleep I almost decided to stay shivering in my sleeping bag but somehow managed to drag my old bones up and out to find this magnificent scene.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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".

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.

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

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.

The Old Man Of Storr is like a rite of passage for all landscape photographers.

The hike to the top is very different to what it was when I first ventured up there decades ago. You'll rarely find yourself the only photographer up on those slopes but if you pick a moody day you might just experience that creepy solitude that I felt so long ago. Take a climb off the beaten path and you'll find some unique perspectives that are totally worth getting lost in fog.

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 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.

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.

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 image was one of those ideas that presents itself entirely by accident. I'm not usually one for environmental portraits but as soon as I saw my wife Amanda holding out her hands to touch that lovely cascade I knew I'd found my shot.

Ricketts Glen is one of the most enchanting areas I've ever photographed. With so many waterfalls one after another I almost overlooked this final waterfall but something about the quality of light over the creek told me I was about to witness something special. As soon as I saw this scene unfolding before my eyes I knew I had just a couple of minutes to capture shot before the sun moved over the horizon. Luckily I found it just in time.

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.

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.

Not many photographers are stupid enough to wade into a river at -15°C wearing just pants and hiking boots just to get a photo of an ice encrusted waterfall. Nobody ever said I wasn't stupid.

While the town of Lunenburg is very picturesque it was the foggy harbour that captured my attention. Just as I'd dialed in the ideal camera settings I noticed the ancient galley approaching from stage left and knew I'd found my shot.