This beautiful little chapel is nestled high up in the cloud forests of Costa Rica. It is part of a resort now, but is a relic from the times when missionaries were colonizing the region. I love the way it stands out, in stark contrast to the emerald hillsides. I'm sure its plain demeanor was either out of necessity, or out of homage to their pursuit of modest, humble lives. However, it almost looks as if it instead was out of deference to the surrounding landscape. It's as if to say: "I cannot compete with the beauty of these hills, these trees, these forests, so I won't even try."

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This is a scene from a tropical rain forest in Costa Rica. I like this photo primarily for the restful feeling it evokes, though maybe you have to had been there. Often when trekking through the rain forest, you are bombarded with a downright cacophony of sounds and sights. It is hard to create photographs which don't border on visual overload. But then sometimes you find a scene that is a respite from all that. This little tropical bird seemed as grateful for a brief moment of peace and quiet as I was.

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The Galapagos Islands are overrun with wildlife in general, but especially one creature in particular: the Sally Lightfoot crab. These crabs are everywhere. And they are very pretty, too -- a bright vibrant orange. When keywording a photograph of wildlife, I always look up the scientific name, if I don't already know it. When I found out the scientific name of the Sally-Lightfoot crab, I chuckled a bit. Graspus graspus. What a fitting name for a crab, grasping at everything with its claws. Especially these crabs, that constantly walk around picking at algae on the rocks. It seems like an almost comical scientific name to me!

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This is a very simple photograph, with a very bland composition, but I like it nonetheless. I love how the fog is dense enough to give the cloud forest a really heavenly feeling. But what I like most is the way this photograph shows how valuable real estate is in these tropical jungles. It's not just a place on the ground that plants are looking for, it's far past that. Every plant branch also becomes real estate for other plants to live. There are mosses and bromeliads clinging to every branch, trying to get as much sunlight as possible. This phenomenon is even more exaggerated in the flatter, wetter, traditional tropical rain forests of the lowlands, but it's often difficult to portray it in photographs. Here, the fog provides contrast between the different layers of the flora, helping to isolate the epiphytic plants on the branches.

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The Costa Rican cloud forest is a remarkable type of landscape. In the dense jungles of the lowland, it is often hard to get a perspective of the jungle that is not from within the jungle. However, in the cloud forests, there are enough mountains and hills to allow for more distant vantage points. From inside the forest, it is easy to remember that they are vibrant and diverse and fascinating, but it is easy to forget how majestic they are. In the cloud forests, one gets a chance to see the forest, not just the trees.

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In the ocean, a great many animals do not care for their young, but rather lay many eggs so that some make it to adulthood. For these newborns on their own, finding a safe place to hide can be the difference between life and death. Unfortunately, there's not many places to hide in the vast and empty sea. But there's a few. Coral reefs are one, with all their rocks and holes. The mangrove coast is another (pictured here at low tide, but usually the roots are underwater). Big predators have trouble navigating the mess of roots, so smaller animals are safe if they stay within. There's not all that many mangroves in the world, being limited mainly to between the latitudes of 25N and 25S. (Although the ones pictured here, in Broward County's Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park, are at 26N). Despite being at great risk, coral reefs cover about 110,000 square miles worldwide. Mangrove forests, on the other hand, cover only about 53,000. As such, mangrove forests are precious resources. Even this small slice of mangroves is a rich haven for young animals who will spend their adulthood thousands of miles away.

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Okay, okay... if you are familiar with Coccoloba uvifera, you know that these Seagrapes aren't actually in season. These grapes are still young - when they ripen, they become a dark purplish color. But I wanted a title which conveyed the fertility and abundance of this tree. The Seagrape tends to be a pretty robust tree here in South Florida, but even so, this is one of the healthiest and most-fruiting specimens I've ever seen. It reminded me that the indigenous people living here many millennia ago actually had a pretty easy time finding food. Not just abundant edible plants like this, but also abundant fish and crustaceans in the nearby waters. But that doesn't mean life was easy - they still had to deal with hurricanes, intense heat, and worst of all, the never-ending mosquitoes.

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This photograph was taken in a lush jungle of Costa Rica. The dense tropical rain forest here is so dense, and so full of life! From a photograph like this, it may seem like the forest is lacking in animal life. Obviously, this couldn't be further from the truth. If this were an audio recording, you would hear an endless cacophony of birds, bugs, and monkeys howling. If it were a video recording, the view would be constantly complicated by birds whizzing across the frame, and fronds shaking from where one recently alit. But there's beauty in seeing this view as a still frame, too. It changes the scene from a study in biodiversity to a study in flora. I didn't even really get a chance to take note of all the plants until editing this photograph later. I love all the types of palms and ferns that you keep noticing the more you investigate. Even more, I love the vigor of all the plants. It's all completely, unabashedly green - no signs of anything but total health.

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Air plants, air plants, as far as the eye can see. The amount of air plants in Big Cypress Preserve, Florida, is staggering. They cling to anything and everything. The type pictured here, a species in the tillandsia genus, is the most common. But there are many other types of bromeliads down here too. Florida is home to sixteen species of native bromeliads, and two natural hybrids - more than any other state. All of them are epiphytic, meaning they grow on other plants but do not steal their nutrients (i.e., not parasitic). Even the ubiquitous Spanish Moss falls under this category! One takes these plants for granted when living here, but they are truly special. They are native only to the tropical and subtropical America's, and are sometimes referred to as "America's Jewels."

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My wife and I went to St. Augustine over Memorial Day weekend for a short getaway. I had wanted to photograph sunrise from Anastasia State Park, the place where my parents got engaged. Unfortunately, you can't get in before dawn (unless you are camping there, which was not in the plans for this trip). However, we discovered that nearby St Augustine Beach was accessible pre-dawn, so decided to photograph there instead . Close enough! I had feared that the sunrise would be quite boring, since the sunsets had been completely cloud-free. But a few clouds had built overnight, over the distant horizon. It wasn't enough to create a drama-filled scene, but was enough to add a bit of intrigue. Instead of being an onslaught to your vision, it was instead subtle tranquility that made you focus on your other senses. I tried to find a simple foreground to complement this feeling.

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