Bombarded with loud music as I walked into a retail store the other day, I was once again reminded of how routinely we're overstimulated in our post-industrial society.

It's nearly impossible to go into public spaces anymore where music isn't piped in (often very loudly). Between innings at baseball games, at the fuel pump, at the airport, in elevators, at the grocery store, in nearly every waiting room. If it's not music, there's a TV. Silence long ago stopped being golden.

Then there's the smartphone: pocket heroin. Nearly always within reach, too often it's front of mind. How many times is it picked up out of boredom? Or out of habit? Or because it's pinging you, demanding immediate attention?

Walk into any medical waiting room or airport gate and you will encounter a sea of people staring at their phones. Parents and their children - each absorbed with their own device - rarely talking with one another. People shell out big bucks to attend sporting events, yet spend half their time sitting in the stands looking at their phones. Next time you're watching a tennis match or baseball game and they scan the crowd, notice how many fans are looking down at their screens.

We wake up and reach for our phones. We climb into our vehicles and turn on the radio. We get home at night and turn on the TV. Countless hours are dedicated to electronic entertainment and/or distractions.

Whatever happened to sitting quietly with your thoughts?

There is great value in being still.

Fortunately, nature photographers routinely find themselves in environments that aren't just beautiful; they're also beneficial. Nature is good for us. It improves mood and lowers stress levels. It enhances our ability to concentrate. It encourages curiosity and introspection.

Nature is the ultimate antidote for too much screen time.

Even in the national parks, though, connectivity is tending to creep into more and more areas. This is great if you're on a solo trip and want to check in with someone each night from your campground to let them know everything is okay. It's also nice to be able to consult various weather apps. It's not so great if we allow our phones to become intrusive.

I've seen people ambling through Yellowstone, faces buried in screens, oblivious to the sights they're passing. Why bother going to the park?

Whether or not you're able to make a photograph every time you're in the field, just being there is a win. Would you rather be sitting at a desk in a cubicle? Spending time in the natural world is a tonic. Obviously it's a bonus if you can walk away having made an image or two, but try to appreciate the experience no matter what.

Not every shoot is a cakewalk. I get it. But we are so very fortunate.

“Nature itself is the best physician.”
Hippocrates

"We can never have enough of nature.”
Thoreau

 About the Photograph

This spot, a tidal pool on the Atlantic Coast at Rye, New Hampshire, is a tonic for me. I've spent many hours here at the break of day, with seagulls and lobster boats making their rounds out at sea to keep me company. Hard to think of a better way to start the morning.

In Local News

Eastern Idaho and Western Wyoming remain mostly rainless. Beginning on Tuesday, Stage 1 fire restrictions went into effect for Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, the National Elk Refuge, Bridger-Targhee National Forest, and all of Teton County, Wyoming.

Stage 1 fire restrictions have been in effect since last week for all of Eastern Idaho, including the entire Caribou-Targhee National Forest. This encompasses all federal, state and private forests and rangelands, as well as roads and trails.

So far in 2025, there have been 20 reported wildfires in YNP. Nine of those were human-caused, ten were sparked by lightning, and the origin of one is unknown. Most of these are either out or contained, which is fortunate.

In Grand Teton National Park, Teton Interagency Fire so far this year has extinguished 75 abandoned or unattended campfires.