by Rowan Sims | May 31, 2018 | Wallpapers
This month’s free dekstop wallpaper comes from one of my favorite places in New Zealand – Lake Taupo. Right in the middle of the North Island, the lake is a magnet for anyone who loves the outdoors. I’ve visited Lake Taupo countless times. Whether stopping for coffee or lunch on my way through, or staying in the little town to play on the lake in summer or go snowboarding at Ruapehu in the winter, I never want to leave. It isn’t a bad spot to pull the camera out either!
You can download the June 2018 desktop wallpaper by dropping in your email below. Enjoy, and don’t forget to check out my entire collection of free desktop wallpapers!
by Rowan Sims | Apr 30, 2018 | Wallpapers
I’ve been playing around with a lot of drone photography lately. I’m lucky enough to currently be based right on the edge of Noosa National Park in Queensland, Australia. It’s such a beautiful place to explore and is so photogenic, especially for aerials. If you’d like to download this free May 2018 Desktop Wallpaper, just enter your email below. You can view my collection of free high-resolution desktop wallpapers also.
by Rowan Sims | Mar 30, 2018 | Wallpapers
My April 2018 Desktop Wallpaper image is from one of the most amazing nights on my West Coast USA road trip last year. Joshua Tree National Park in California is such an interesting place to explore, and I only got to scratch the surface of it. It also happens to be an incredible place for stargazing and astrophotography. There is still a little light pollution out there, but if you want to practice photographing the stars without having to drive to the middle of nowhere, it’s a good place to start.
As always, this wallpaper is free and will work on both desktops and mobile devices. Download the high-resolution image.
by Rowan Sims | Feb 26, 2018 | Wallpapers
When I’m travelling, I like to get off the beaten track a little. I love nothing more than to find secret spots and unique angles on popular travel photography locations. But sometimes when I’m exploring a big city, especially one as important as London, England, I just embrace the fact that I’m a tourist and roll with it.
I only had five days in London, which if you’ve been there you will know, is nowhere near enough time. There is SO MUCH to see and do. You could live there your entire life and still not see everything. So, I decided to embrace the fact that I was a tourist and visit the tourist sites along with a billion other people.
I loved it.
You can’t visit London without seeing St Paul’s Cathedral. It’s one of those places that just stops you in your tracks. You don’t even need to go inside, just seeing the historic church from outside is incredible. I took this cityscape photo of the dome from a neighbouring rooftop bar (don’t judge me) just before sunset. You can grab March 2018’s high-resolution desktop wallpaper for free by clicking on the image. It will look great on any size screen from smartphones and tablets up to large desktops.
by Rowan Sims | Jan 31, 2018 | Wallpapers
I was asked recently if I had to pick my favourite moment of my time in Canada, which would it be? It took some serious consideration, and if I’m honest I had to narrow it down to my five favourite moments because it’s CANADA, which is one of the most incredible places on earth! The moment that really stood out was sunrise over Moraine Lake.
Now, as a landscape and travel photographer, few things are as satisfying to me as a sunrise. Sunsets are great, but there’s something about the stillness and calm just before sunrise that’s magical. That 4am alarm always sucks though. It’s not early morning, it’s the middle of the night. It’s dark and often cold, and the temptation to do violent things to that alarm clock is overwhelming, but I don’t think I’ve ever once regretted getting out of bed and going out with my camera to watch the sun come up and the day begin. Even on the days that the photography gods sleep in and don’t give me something amazing, it’s still worth it to be up to enjoy the beginning of the day.
This particular day was one of those 4am alarm days. The plan was to drive from my campsite at the unfortunately-named Mosquitoe Creek Campground in Banff National Park, Alberta to Moraine Lake for sunrise. Moraine Lake is one of the most popular sites in the Canadian Rockies, and probably all of Canada, so I wanted to get there early to beat the crowds, and I’m glad I did! Arriving just before 5am gave me plenty of time to scope out my shot and then wait for the magic to begin. There were already a couple other photographers there as expected, and more started to roll in as I waited for sunrise.
Getting there early definitely paid off, as I was in the prime location with the composition I wanted. I watched as other photographers walked around trying to find a good composition that didn’t include other people in it and didn’t get in anyone else’s shot (a concept lost on a few poor souls who sat on the rocks right in front of everyone and got swiftly and tactlessly told to move). The sunrise started as a beautiful warm glow on the famous ten peaks framing the lake, then as the sun came over the horizon behind me it lit up the very tops of the peaks. It was one of the most beautiful and magical sunrises I’ve ever seen in my life. Camera or no camera, it was worth every long hour of driving and the lack of sleep.
After I was done shooting from the view point on the rocks I walked down to these canoes I could see on the lake and took a few shots of them with Moraine Lake and the ten peaks in the background. It was still so quiet and calm, and the light was still stunning. I considered renting one of the canoes and taking them out on the lake for a paddle, but there was still much to do that day, including visiting Lake Louise, hiking the Plain of Six Glaciers, and seeing my first grizzly bear!
You can download the free desktop wallpaper for February 2018 (or any month you want) by clicking the image below. Enjoy, and if you like it please share!
by Rowan Sims | Apr 30, 2016 | Wallpapers
It’s that time again, so here’s another free wallpaper for your computer or device. This one is a long exposure image I made on the north side of Mount Maunganui this last summer. Gotta love the long warm evenings for shooting during sunset and dusk. Being able to get out in the water to shoot these kind of images without worrying about getting cold makes landscape photography so much more enjoyable!
As always, this is a high-resolution desktop background that will suit any screen size from your smartphone or tablet up to laptops and large desktop monitors. Just click the image above and follow the instructions to download the image file. Hope you enjoy it, and please feel free to share with your family and friends!
