Photographer's Journal

Welcome to my online journal, otherwise known as a blog. Here I'll be sharing pertinent information, inspirational stories, trip reports, behind-the-photo stories, photography tips and techniques, and various random thoughts that you might find interesting. If you have any questions or comments regarding the opinions and information shared here, feel free to contact me. Thanks for your interest in my work!

The Enchantment of Sunsets
June 4, 2023

If sunrises are my favorite time to photograph, sunsets are a close second.

Behind the Image: Sand Harbor Tahoe
May 11, 2023  |  Sand Harbor, Lake Tahoe, Nevada

It's not unusual for me to go back through my photos months or even years after I've taken them, and find an image I've never edited or shared before. You might think that something I didn't choose to edit immediately after I made the photo would be a lesser image, or filler...

The Magic of Sunrises
April 18, 2023

It can be so difficult at times. I'll be fast asleep, snuggled up under the blankets, nice and warm, dreaming away, when suddenly, my alarm shatters the still and rips me from my slumber. I reach over and grab my phone...

Location Spotlight: The Nubble Lighthouse
April 16, 2023  |  Cape Neddick, Maine

My first time in Maine was over New Year's Eve 1998 and New Year's Day, 1999. My ex-wife and I had decided to get away for the holiday and found a cute bed and breakfast in York Harbor. When we arrived, we asked the innkeeper about nearby lighthouses, and she directed us to Cape Neddick Lighthouse, known by many as The Nubble Light...

Fine Art America? What's The Difference?
April 11, 2023

At some point or another, you may have Googled my name to find my website. And there's the chance that one of the results did not lead you here, to my own OFFICIAL website at RickBerk.com. Instead, it's quite possible you were taken to my profile at Fine Art America /Pixels...

Five Ways to Support Your Favorite Living Artists
March 30, 2023

Think about a world without art. I'm not just talking about my photography, but I mean, ANY art. How bland would life be? No music to listen to, to cheer us up, to accompany us on long drives, to play in the background while we work...

The Mystery Dory of Ogunquit
March 27, 2023  |  Ogunquit, Maine

Did you know that different types of dories are specific to the region they were built in? The Ogunquit Dory is one such dory. Popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, the Ogunquit Dory was built to handle the strong tides and rocky coastline of Maine...

What's In My Camera Bag?
February 26, 2023

I get asked quite a bit what gear I use to make my photographs. To be completely honest, it doesn't really matter what camera I use. Throughout this website, there are images captured with cameras from Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Fujifilm...

AI Art vs Human-Made Art- What Is The Future, Really?
February 12, 2023

There has been a lot of buzz about the emergence of AI technologies (artificial intelligence) over the past few years, but in the last six months, the buzz has grown far louder, at least in the community of artists I regularly circulate in...

Smoke on the Water: Braving Frigid Temperatures to Capture an Amazing Phenomenon
February 5, 2023  |  Portland, Maine

Living in northern New England offers a wide variety of benefits for photographers such as myself. Beautiful landscape that includes mountains, rolling hills covered in flowers, thick forests, rivers, lakes, dramatic cliffs dropping hundreds of feet into the ocean, lighthouses, and picturesque fishing harbors to name several...

Trip Report: Rocky Mountain National Park
January 29, 2023  |  Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

There's something special about starting out on the trail in the pre-dawn hours, the temperatures well below freezing, a light snow falling. Headlamps switch on, illuminating the 15 feet in front of you...

Location Spotlight: Dream Lake in Winter
January 23, 2023  |  Dream Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

On my recent trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, the top item on my list was to reach Dream Lake, one of the most popular locations in the park. It draws a lot of people, with the park advising visitors to arrive early or use the park shuttle since the lot will be full...

Photographing in the Winter
January 20, 2023

Having just returned from photographing in the Rockies in winter weather with my friend Kristen Wilkinson, I thought some might find it helpful to hear some tips about photographing in winter weather...

Location Spotlight: Wells Beach
January 4, 2023  |  Wells Beach, Maine

Located on the coast of southern Maine in York County, is a popular summer destination called Wells Beach. Wells Beach is somewhat of a rarity on the Maine coast, as one of a handful of sandy beaches on an otherwise rocky coastline...

Why I Left Art Storefronts & Joined WideRange Galleries
January 2, 2023

If you're a photographer or visual artist looking to sell your work, you might have interest in the various sales platforms available online. I began selling my work as art sometime in 2009 as I began a transition from sports photography to fine art landscape photography...

2022: My Year in Pictures
December 30, 2022

“Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop.” - Ansel Adams

Well, to be sure, I've shared more than 12 photos in my year-end review here, but to be fair, using a digital camera allows me to produce many more photos than Ansel Adams using a view camera that took one sheet of film at a time...

An Unlikely Collaboration: How My Image Inspired a Shave Soap
December 12, 2022

This is going to be a slightly different type of entry. But first, a little backstory on the image in question. I photographed this small cascade at Diana's Baths, just outside North Conway, New Hampshire, in the winter of 2020...

Tips For Photographing In the Snow
December 8, 2022

Winter can be a lot of things. Cold. Wet. Damp. Raw. But it can also be magical. Fresh snow and ice can sparkle over the landscape, make it clean and fresh, and change it from the norm. That's one of the reasons I love photographing in the snow...