Outdoor Photographer Puma Article

Join Jeff Parker for his Pumas & Peaks of Patagonia Photo Tour
I am stoked to share the great news! The April 2018 issue of Outdoor Photographer features my image of a puma from Patagonia on the cover. It also includes the article I wrote about the Pumas of Patagonia, along with a host of additional images.…
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7 Tips for Night Sky Photography

If the stars appear brighter to you in winter you’re not losing your mind! One reason is that during this time of year those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are looking through the Orion Arm of our Milky Way galaxy.…
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7 Tips to Nurture the Art of Seeing

7 Tips for the Art of Seeing, by Jeff Parker, a Blog for the Naturally Curious™
I offer my “7 Tips to Nurture the Art of Seeing” in the spirit Pablo Picasso’s words: “The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” I think part of what helps us wash away that “dust” is finding ways to approach the world differently than we usually do.…
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Big Bend for the Nature Photographer

Big Bend Photo Tour with Jeff Parker
As both a nature lover & nature photographer, Big Bend National Park is one of my all-time favorite places. I lead a tour there just about every year because I really enjoy showing other photographers — and nature lovers — some of my favorite spots.…
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Time for South Texas Photography!

Green Jay in South Texas
Now that summer’s pretty much here it’s time for South Texas photography! The hotter it is the more active the wildlife grow and the better shots you’ll get. The desolate landscape of the South Texas Brush Country doesn’t look like much, but the biodiversity makes it one of North America’s best places for wildlife photography.…
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7 Tips for Snow Photography

Jeff Parker's tips for photographing animals in the snow
February often brings winter’s biggest storms so I figured now made a good time to post these “7 Tips for Snow Photography.” I kept them simple, but feel free to shoot me an email if you want more details. 1) Watch the contrast.…
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Winter Nature Activities in Texas

Finding winter nature activities in Texas may seem tough even though our Lone Star winters aren’t always cold. (In fact, as I write this at the tail-end of December the temperature is a balmy 80 degrees!). But the Lone Star actually offers plenty to do in nature this time of year.…
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Push Yourself Beyond Your Comfort Zone

I was a “car guy” long before I took up photography, and so when I had the opportunity to do some photography recently at Circuit of the Americas during both the Lone Star LeMans and Formula 1 events I was really excited.…
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Autumn Macro Photography Tips

Macro Photography Tips from Jeff Parker
As we head into November, I thought I’d post a blog featuring some autumn macro photography tips. Enjoy! 1) Abstract in Autumn. Macro’s great for creating abstract art, and autumn leaves make one of the best subjects for making that happen – not simply because of the character of their veins and edges (as you’d expect), but for the interesting manner in which their colors appear.…
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Artist in Residence ~ Togiak NWR

Nature Photography 101 Workshop
I was an Artist in Residence at Togiak National Wildlife Refuge as part of the Voices of the Wilderness Program. Here are some thoughts from my time in southwestern Alaska: WILDERNESS? My first afternoon I’m with just one person: Allen Miller, a Supervisory Park Ranger.…
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Bat Viewing in Texas

Bat viewing in Texas heats up in the summer, especially in August. Bats live on every continent except Antarctica. Of the 1,000 or so unique species worldwide, 70% eat insects. In Texas, we have 32 species of bats statewide. (Learn about 10 of them here.)…
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It’s about the Experience…

I know you’ve seen the shots. The mountain lion leaping from one red rock to another. The close-up of the beautiful, fluffy wolf. The stunning snow leopard slinking through the snow. I can virtually guarantee these are shots of game farm animals.…
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7 Tips for Backyard Bird Photography

Photography Play Day
These 7 tips for backyard bird photography will help you make better images of the winged critters that frequent your yard. When doing backyard bird photography there are many things to take into consideration. One, of course, is having the right photography equipment.…
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What to Consider When Buying a Tripod

What to Considner When Buying a Tripod, Explore in Focus™ with Jeff Parker
What should you consider when buying a tripod? I get asked this a lot when folks want to learn more about which equipment would best suit their nature photography needs. So, for those of you who don’t subscribe to my e-newsletter, here are tips that I sent out in July.…
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Pumas in Patagonia

Jeff Parker's photo tour of Pumas of Patagonia.
“There he is!” whispers my wife Mary O. We’re near Torres del Paine National Park, Chile sitting in a van in the cold rain. Mary O. has just spotted a large male puma making his way down the hill to the guanaco kill we’ve been watching for the last hour.…
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Big Bend Photo Tour ~ Trip Report

This year’s Big Bend Photo Tour took place over the second weekend in April 2015. I have never seen the park so green nor have I ever witnessed the profusion of wildflowers that we had. We couldn’t have timed the tour better!…
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Why I Love the Desert

Recently, I meandered my way to and from the NANPA Summit, which was held in San Diego in February. My route took me through the backcountry of San Diego, the deserts of southern-California, and much of the Southwest. The journey, combined with my growing excitement about next month’s Big Bend Photo Tour, highlighted how my favorite places -— tropical rainforests and deserts —- are pretty much opposites.…
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Best Nature Destinations near El Paso

I’ve been working steady getting images ready for the book that Mary and I are doing for Texas A&M University Press. It’s tentatively titled “Explore Texas — A Nature Travel Guide” and will be out in spring 2016. I thought I’d share some of the best nature destinations near El Paso that we’ve featured in the book.…
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Used Camera Gear Offers Affordable Options

There’s no way around it; bird photography gear is EXPENSIVE! While you can get okay results of perched birds with digiscoping, if you want flight shots, or high enough quality images for large prints, sooner or later you will need to invest in some gear.…
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Photographing Fall Landscapes

Now that the weather is cooling down are you about ready to start photographing fall landscapes? I am! In fact, I’m heading to Vermejo Park Ranch next week for my Elk & Aspen Photo Tour and, in addition to photographing bugling elk, we’ll be focusing on the golden Aspen leaves.…
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Photographing Snakes in the Wild

Now that the weather is warming up, as a wildlife photographer you’ll possibly encounter snakes. So why not enjoy photographing snakes in the wild? Odds are high that most snakes you encounter are not venomous. In fact, the vast majority of snakes in the world are NOT.…
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