This spectacular photo is from a hiking and camping trip in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada. I can certainly picture camping here. You can see more of Snutur’s photography at her Flickr photostream.

I ran across this picture on Flickr and loved it, because the man looks like he’s sleeping so peacefully, yet the pic’s title is, “Dreaming of Dangerous Avalanches.” I had to know the story behind it, so I Flickr-mailed Klaus M. Auen, and this is what he said: “At this moment I was dreaming of a big serac avalanche (ice towers collapsed) just two hours before. That was really scary. We were able to escape by running like Carl Lewis, just a few seconds before it would catch us….”

Talk about some well-deserved rest!

If you read German, you’re in luck, because Klaus has written a book about the experience and how it changed his life, entitled Dem Himmel nah.

Here is a magnificent photo taken by Paul Reynolds while camping in Grant County, Washington. His Flickr photostream is here. I can definitely picture camping there!

Do you know the best times of day for outdoor photography? Early morning and late afternoon, because shadows are softest then and colors are at their warmest. Try to avoid high noon, because that’s when shadowing will be most acute and your photos will be most harshly lit. Of course, if an event you’re trying to capture is taking place at noon, you’re pretty well stuck photographing at that time– so take full advantage of your camera’s screen viewer and move around so you can make sure there aren’t shadows right on your subject’s face, for example.

Taking photos of your camp out at night? Try turning the flash off and using the ambient light of the campfire or lanterns. The flash distorts colors and can lead to the same harsh look you’d get at noon.