O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!
—Katharine Lee Bates

As we look back on 250 years of American history, so much has changed—our cities, our technology, our pace of life. Yet some things remain wonderfully unchanged.

The untouched expanse of the Grand Canyon. The sheer granite face of El Capitan. The ancient Methuselah bristlecone pine. The vast wilderness of the Rockies. The unforgettable peak of Mt. Hood. The unending swamplands of Okefenokee.

Of course, landscapes shift—sometimes suddenly (like Mount St. Helens) and sometimes slowly (like the disappearance of virgin timber)—but many of the places preserved in our State and National Parks look nearly the same today as they did when the American Indian walked roamed the forest or when Katharine Lee Bates stood atop Pikes Peak and penned her famous words.

I’m grateful for every chance I’ve had to explore even a small portion of this immense continent. And over the past year, as I’ve sorted through photos for my 2027 Fine Art Calendar, I’ve found myself reflecting on the incredible natural beauty God has placed across this country.

Hitting New Territory

We traveled to several places we’d never seen before—the rocky coastline of Acadia, the legendary desert landscapes of Sedona, the lush, timeless glens of Cades Cove. Each location offered its own kind of wonder, its own reminder of how varied and magnificent America’s scenery truly is.

Beauty Close to Home

But beauty isn’t only found far from home. Some of my favorite photos came from simple places close to home: Prickett’s Fort, Gaudineer Knob, a quiet local park in town, a random hollow down a country road, and even the flower garden beside our driveway in the front yard. Winter especially pushed me to slow down and appreciate what’s close by. When travel is limited and my business schedule doesn’t have me going anywhere, those limited, picturesque snowfalls become treasured opportunities to capture scenes that feel both humble and extraordinary.

Attempting Variety

As I prepared this year’s collection, I also tried to keep variety in mind. I love wide‑angle landscapes, but I intentionally held onto a few floral compositions—provided they had enough depth and interest to feel “calendar worthy.”

Why Others’ Perspectives Matter

And now that I’ve narrowed my favorite photos down to my top 34, I’d love your help in choosing the final 12!

Every year, your feedback helps me see beyond my own experiences. A photo might feel extraordinary to me because I remember the family outing behind it—or because I was freezing, exhausted, or unexpectedly thrilled when I captured it. Growing up in West Virginia means desert scenes feel instantly epic. My taste for dramatic light and vibrant color makes winter photography especially challenging. What I find beautiful is inevitably shaped by my own memories and personality.

So that’s why I value other’s perspectives on my photos so much! You help me notice strengths I might have overlooked and weaknesses I might have missed. Your input shapes a more balanced, varied, and compelling calendar—one that blends my vision with the images that resonate with others as well.

I’ve narrowed the possibilities down to 34. Now, I’d love to know which ones stand out to you. Click here to take the survey and help choose the 2027 calendar photos. The survey will be open until Saturday, July 18 so take a few minutes sometime between now and then to vote & share your thoughts! Feel free to share the link with friends and family who would enjoy participating as well.

As you enjoy these longstanding landscapes from across the United States, may they also remind you of the longstanding blessings God has given this country—traits like a strong work ethic, respect for human life, and a belief in individual liberty, the laws of nature, and the laws of nature’s God. And of course, we rest in God’s promise: “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22).