Michael Frye Photography

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Mariposa, CA
Michael Frye Photography

Fine Art Landscape & Nature Photographer, Writer, Author, Blogger, and Workshop Instructor. www.michaelfrye.com/landscape-photography-blog/

05/31/2026

Wave Party

Claudia and I are in the northwest corner of California scouting for our upcoming redwoods workshop. I always enjoy coming here, as I love both the forests and the coast in this part of the world.

Tuesday brought some big waves to the coast, and we had a great time watching and photographing the breaking and splashing waves. Here's one example, and you can find more on my blog:

https://www.michaelfrye.com/2026/05/31/wave-party/

05/17/2026

The Quiet Side of the Grand Canyon

I just returned from a wonderful 12-day raft trip down the Grand Canyon. This was my fourth time down the canyon, and third with Visionary Wild and my amazing co-instructor, Jerry Dodrill. It’s always so special to raft through the heart of this spectacular, wild, and remote landscape, and it was wonderful to share this adventure with our great group of participants, and with our fantastic AZRA guides: Ed, Tony, Michele, and Boh.

During each of my trips down the Grand Canyon I’ve been struck by the contrast between the grandeur and immensity of the main canyon, and the quiet, subtle beauty of the side canyons. You can be walking beside a roaring rapid along the Colorado River, with cliffs and terraces ascending thousands of feet above you, then turn into a narrow side canyon and be out of earshot of the river within a few minutes. And in these quiet sanctuaries you can find tinkling streams, hanging gardens of ferns or flowers, waterfalls, and beautiful, sculpted, polished rock.

I’m still working through the 5,000 photos I made during our trip, but here's one of my favorites from those beautiful, quiet side canyons, and you can find a few more on my blog:

https://www.michaelfrye.com/2026/05/17/the-quiet-side-of-the-grand-canyon/

05/12/2026

Sharpening and Noise Reduction Webinar - Less Than One Week Left!

Although I used a tripod for this photo from Death Valley, I had to push the ISO up to 800 to get a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the motion of the blowing sand, creating a bit of noise. So how can I make a large print of this image that's sharp and noise-free? In my next webinar I'll delve into all the nuances of sharpening and noise reduction, and take the mystery out of these complex and sometimes confusing topics.

The live webinar takes place next Monday, May 18th. But if you can’t attend the live event you can watch the recording later; everyone who signs up for the webinar will have access to the recording indefinitely.

Click the link to learn more or sign up:

https://education.michaelfrye.com/sharpening-and-noise-reduction-webinar/

04/26/2026

Back to the Grand Canyon

Tomorrow I’ll begin another raft trip through the Grand Canyon. This will be my fourth journey down the canyon, and third for Visionary Wild. And once again my co-instructor will be the fabulous Jerry Dodrill – a wonderful photographer and teacher who knows the Grand Canyon intimately.

Prior to arriving here in Flagstaff, Claudia and I did a short road trip through Utah and Arizona, finishing at the south rim of the Grand Canyon on Thursday and Friday nights. Here's one of the photographs I made Friday evening, with sunbeams over the canyon.

I've posted a couple more recent images from the canyon rim on my blog:

https://www.michaelfrye.com/2026/04/26/back-to-the-grand-canyon/

04/19/2026

Spring Snow in Yosemite

Last Sunday another small weather system came through California. This one was colder – cold enough to turn rain into snow in Yosemite Valley toward the end of the storm. It was wet snow, and melted quickly, but it was enough to briefly etch the tree branches in white.

I had fun photographing spring-green trees coated with snow, including this blooming dogwood with misty El Capitan in the background. You can see more images from that day on my blog:

https://www.michaelfrye.com/2026/04/19/spring-snow/

04/12/2026

A Stormy Afternoon in Yosemite

Over the last few days unstable air has triggered numerous thunderstorms here in central California, with lots of lightning and thunder. That’s quite unusual for this part of the world.

On Friday afternoon radar images showed a broad line of thunderstorms approaching Yosemite, so Claudia and I made a spur-of-the-moment trip up to Yosemite Valley.

The misty, moody scenes that afternoon were beautiful. Here's one of the images I made that day, and you can find a couple more on my blog:

https://www.michaelfrye.com/2026/04/12/a-stormy-afternoon/

04/05/2026

Coming Home to Yosemite

Claudia and I have been home for a couple of weeks, which is a nice break from all our travels. I love all the trips we’ve been able to go on, but it feels good to chill out a bit at our own house, and sleep in our own bed.

And we don’t have to travel far from home to be in an exotic location, since we live only an hour away from Yosemite Valley.

It's been a weird winter here, with occasional storms followed by weeks of dry, warm weather. But I've managed to catch a few of those intermittent storms as they were clearing, including this snowstorm from February, plus a couple of weather events last week. You can see more photos and some time-lapse videos on my blog:

https://www.michaelfrye.com/2026/04/05/coming-home-to-yosemite/

03/31/2026

BIG NEWS for photography lovers...

We are absolutely thrilled to announce that master landscape photographer Alister Benn is officially confirmed to co-lead our February 2028 Hokkaido Winter expedition!

If you’ve ever wanted to refine your artistic vision and elevate your storytelling through landscape photography, this is your moment. With Alister’s unique approach to expressive, emotional imagery, this experience goes far beyond simply taking photos, it’s about transforming how you see.

✨ CLIENT TESTIMONIAL – 2025 Hokkaido Workshop

“Hokkaido was an extraordinary experience, with beautiful, minimalist landscapes and unforgettable views of red-crowned cranes. We stayed in unique Japanese inns and enjoyed exceptional cuisine. Our guides were superb and the photographic leadership exceptional. This trip expanded my photographic vision and provided a remarkable opportunity to experience Japan in a meaningful and immersive way.”

— Valerie S.

Led by Alister Benn and renowned local photographer Toshiki Nakanishi this trip offers incredible wildlife opportunities with red-crowned cranes, Steller’s sea eagles, whooper swans and deer, alongside a carefully crafted itinerary that maximises time shooting in the field. This expedition is a deep cultural immersion, from traditional inns to unforgettable Japanese cuisine

📅 February 4–17, 2028

📍 From Sapporo to the wild beauty of eastern Hokkaido

Spaces are limited.

👉 https://visionarywild.com/workshops/hokkaido-4/

Image: Michael Frye, taken on a previous Visionary Wild, Hokkaido Winter expedition.

Michael Frye Photography
Toshiki Nakanishi

03/29/2026

Antarctic Light

Antarctic light is special. During our last trip in early January, sunrises and sunsets were long, lingering affairs. Beautiful golden light lasted hours.

The weather could vary, of course, but often we’d get a mix of sun and clouds. This mix of sun and clouds was often quite beautiful, with dappled, chiaroscuro light, sunbeams, or dramatic clouds. But sometimes the most interesting light was in the distance, at places where land and water met. So my 100-400mm lens got a workout focusing on that light against distant slices of mountains and clouds.

Of course there were spectacular landscapes to go along with that light. Here's one example of dappled light on some amazing Antarctic spires. And I've included many more examples of Antarctic light in my latest blog post:

https://www.michaelfrye.com/2026/03/29/antarctic-light/

01/08/2026

Back in Antarctica

Claudia and I are back in Antarctica! We’re so happy to be in this amazing place again, and share the experience with our wonderful group of participants, along with the stellar crew aboard the Hans Hansson. And a big thanks to my co-instructor Justin Black, the founder of Visionary Wild, who did such an great job organizing this special trip designed for photographers.

We’ve had some wonderful light, and fantastic encounters with wildlife. Passing through the Gerlache Straight two days ago we saw a huge concentration of humpback whales – probably 50 or so within a few square miles.

And of course we’ve seen lots of penguins. Here are a couple of photographs of chinstrap penguins from our second day.

Like last year, I’m taking lots and lots of photos, so it’ll take me awhile to sort through and process them. But I’ll post more when I can.

Address

PO Box 2224
Mariposa, CA
95338

Website

http://www.michaelfrye.com/, http://www.michaelfrye.com/landscape-photography-blog/

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