Journey Into

By Michael French, MA, LPC

Panoramic Journeys.

The creative pace has been steady lately, maybe a little too steady, so today I’m shifting into something simpler. My last post was pretty serious so I felt it was time to shake it up. Create some beauty here. This post leans more on images than commentary. I’ve been revisiting older panoramic shots—some taken intentionally, others captured in passing—and noticing how my eye has changed over time.

The first photo goes all the way back to my earliest attempt at using the panoramic feature on my phone. I didn’t plan it, and I definitely shouldn’t have taken it while driving, but it caught a stretch of Phoenix mountains with shadows that still hold up. The blurred foreground makes it obvious I was in motion, and it also marks the moment I realized I had a lot to learn.

The next few images come from Sedona. This time I was standing still, paying attention, and the results show it. They’re cleaner, more deliberate, and closer to what I was trying to capture.

A Beautiful Drive

These next photos were taken on my birthday, February 22nd. My wife and I had been in Phoenix for a few days visiting our son, and we decided to make the drive north toward Sedona. It’s almost a two‑hour stretch, and what struck me most was how quickly the landscape shifted—desert giving way to more wooded terrain, and the mountains pulling closer as we climbed in elevation.

Just outside Sedona I saw the red rock formations for the first time. The temperature dropped fast, from around seventy degrees down into the mid‑forties, and the wind picked up enough to make the change obvious. There was a snow‑storm warning in the area, and we watched the weather turn as we approached town.

The drive up I‑17 into higher elevation was, for me, one of the most beautiful stretches I’ve experienced. Nature handed me a solid birthday gift that year.

A wintry mix in Sedona, Arizona

This was the day after we arrived, and while I’m not sure I’d call what we got a full snowstorm, it was still beautiful. When I take photos, I’m always looking for a composition that stands out—something with a clear focal point or an interesting contrast. I used a filter on this shot that pushed the red tones forward, which worked well with the landscape.

Another shot near Sedona. We had stopped at one of the state parks on our way back from visiting Montezuma’s Castle, which was worth the detour. I couldn’t tell you the names of these rock formations, but they carry a kind of quiet strength. The remaining patches of snow across the landscape sharpened the contrast and made the colors stand out even more.

Branson, Missouri magic!

Away from the mountains and back in the Midwest. This shot was taken a couple of years ago overlooking Branson, Missouri. When I take a panoramic photo, I usually lock my legs and pivot from right to left. A few times I’ve probably twisted farther than I should. The water and the green in this scene really make it for me, and being slightly elevated let me angle the camera down to catch more of the valley.

A Bushwhacker and an incredible view!

Now this one was a long way from home. It’s from a Royal Caribbean cruise we took a few years ago. If you ever go to St. Thomas, make sure you get up to the highest point on the island. The Carnival ship in the foreground—The Celebration—wasn’t ours. If you look farther out near the upper center of the photo, you can make out the back of our ship, Harmony of the Seas.

I took this shot while I was slightly buzzed from a drink called a Bushwacker. I’m not much of a drinker, but it definitely took the edge off. The drink was powerful. For a moment, it was Happy New Year! Good times. This overlook is Paradise Point, and a storm was starting to move in. Pop‑up storms are common there, but something about a tropical storm feels more alive than the ones that roll through Kansas City. Location probably has something to do with that.

An Adventure and an Amazing Race for us!

This stop was in Saint Maarten, on the same cruise that took us to Saint Thomas. Picture‑perfect day. The different shades of blue in the water really made this shot for me. It was a fun island to explore, and my wife and I ended up joining their version of The Amazing Race, simply called The Race. We’ve always enjoyed the show, and while this was a condensed version, the tasks and detours were on a much smaller scale—no bungee jumps, head shaving, or food challenges.

Our team, made up of us and two other couples, covered about three miles. I didn’t love the humidity, but once the competitive part of me kicked in, the heat faded into the background. We finished second in the physical portion, but the final challenge was a quiz about everything we had done. We kept good notes, and the photos I took along the way helped jog our memory. Every team had to complete the quiz, and once the scores were tallied, our team came out on top. The team ahead of us hadn’t taken notes—they just rushed through it.

We didn’t win a million dollars like on The Amazing Race, but we can say we were the champs of a three‑hour shore excursion called The Race. It was a blast.

Hawaiin Beauty. Aloha!

In late January 2025, we spent a week in Hawaii. When I started researching the trip, Waimea Canyon kept coming up as the one place travelers insist you have to see. They call it the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, and once you’re standing there, the name makes sense. The scale is hard to take in all at once, which is why a panoramic shot felt right.

My wife even ended up with a cameo in the frame. Off to the left—hard to spot unless you’re looking closely—are two waterfalls tucked way out in the distance. Down the steps on the right is another overlook that continues all the way toward the ocean. Kauai is known as the Garden Island, and if you ever visit, this is one of those places you absolutely check off the list.

Hanalai Bay, Kauai

Of all my panoramic photos, this one might be my favorite. By the time, I took this photo, I was a little under the weather but that didn’t stop my enthusiasm to capture some photos of this incredible beach. We had driven up to the northern point of Kauai, and Hanalei Bay is consistently rated as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Standing there, it’s easy to see why.

To the west, you can make out part of the Nāpali Coast. The day before, we’d taken a catamaran tour along the other side of those cliffs—an experience I’ll talk more about when Journey Into Grace comes out. Hanalei Bay itself is more sheltered from the elements, with a crescent‑shaped shoreline and some of the bluest water I’ve ever seen.

Giants Arise!

While we were on Oʻahu, we took a circle‑island bus tour that made several stops—each one another chance to pull out the camera. I was fighting a cold that day, but the scenery didn’t make it easy to slow down. This shot is from near Kualoa Regional Park, and it felt like everywhere I looked was another ready‑made photo. The island has a way of making even the simple views feel cinematic.

Lost in the desert?

From the ocean back to the deserts of southern Arizona. Earlier this year we spent some time in Tombstone, and on the drive back toward Phoenix we tried to track down a wild prairie dog town that was supposedly out in the middle of nowhere. We drove for a while without finding it, and with the sun starting to drop, we finally turned back toward the highway.

Right before we reached the main road, this scene appeared—open desert, a dirt path cutting through it, and the moon sitting just above the mountains. After a day in the concrete sprawl of Phoenix, moments like this felt like a reset. Simple, quiet, and worth pulling over for.

Small Town, Great Scenes.

This was my most recent panoramic photo, taken just a couple of weeks before writing this post. My wife and I were in Fort Madison, Iowa for one of our niece’s weddings. The town sits right along the Mississippi River, and the park where I took this shot has a clear view of the water and the historic downtown behind it.

To the left is a recreation of the old Fort Madison. Flooding damaged parts of the original fencing, but there are plans to rebuild it. And somehow my wife managed to sneak into another photo. The background includes several older buildings tied to the town’s long river history.

If you’re experimenting with panoramic shots, my advice is simple: keep trying things. See what angles or scenes catch your eye. And if you want tips from people who really know what they’re doing, I’ve included a link to a site with solid guidance.

https://www.makeuseof.com/taking-panorama-photos-on-smartphone-techniques

I hope you enjoyed this look at some of my photography. You don’t need fancy or expensive equipment to create meaningful images. With a bit of practice, some luck, and the right moments, your photos can hold their own. Until next time, may you find love, peace, and grace in your daily journey.