William Lawson Photography
Travels
California
Photos from outside the San Diego area.
Winter Green | Moss covered oaks in Sonoma County. Photgraphed at the end of December.
Matrix | From a trip home for Dad's 80th birthday.
Creekside Trail | Saw more deer than people this December morning. Doesn't quite capture the cold.
To the Sun | This trail is always cold and dark in the morning. Right up to this point where it climbs out of a little valley and into a small clearing.
Illuminated Island | First light on a small lake in the Yosemite backcountry.
The Welcoming | Sunrise in 20 Lakes Basin after arriving in the dark the night before.
Sabrina ! A bit after sunrise thin clouds softened the light on the peaks. Why in the world is the mountain reflection touching that rock on the right side? Ugh. Always a great experience waking up and walking 200 feet to this.
Summer Thaw | Great experience being here shortly after the roads opened and there was still ice partially covering this lake.
Ripples | North Algodones Dunes. Showed up way too late. Was walking a long time to get away from footprints. Got super lucky that the sun broke through the clouds right before sunset.
Quiet Coast | A peaceful morning along the central California coast. I was the first car in the parking lot and didn't see another person while I was here.
2019 Superbloom 1 | Crazy scene. Just a short hike right off Interstate 15 in Riverside County. People acting so stupid the city shut down the trail the next time the flowers were good.
2019 Superbloom 2
2019 Superbloom 3
2019 Superbloom 4
Above the Sierras | Photographed through a dirty airplane window on a flight from Montana back to San Diego.
Zabriskie
Burrowing Owls | Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. `I first learned about the burrowing owls near the Salton Sea in 2009 from several photos by Floris van Breugel. Finally went looking for them in February 2026 on a day trip with my wife and son. Was super excited when we spotted these two along Vendel Road.
Burrowing Owls | Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge.
Burrowing Owls | Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge.
Cities
My preference is middle of nowhere. But sometimes cities are nice.
Guanajuato Twilight | I'm sure there's so much I didn't see, but the tunnels under the city and this view from Monumento al Pipila were my favorite things about Guanajuato.
Guanajuato, Mexico
Guanajuato, Mexico
Guanajuato, Mexico
San Miguel de Allende
Beautiful Victoria
Manhattan | Twilight view South from the top of the Rockefeller Building. Below freezing windchill. Still remember the warmth as we entered the escalator to go back down to the bottom of the 3 viewing floors. Regained feeling in our fingers by the time we were eating pizza and cheesecake.
Skyscrapers Abstract | Manhattan.
USA
I've been pretty close to home the last several years. I traveled more when I was younger, but many of those older photos aren't worth showing.
Cedar Breaks | Last stop on a road trip around Colorado and Utah.
Goblins Sunset | I was in Colorado the day before. Rain and snow was coming. I knew that combined with fall color those weather conditions could result in some amazing photographs. I also knew they could result in me holed up in my car waiting all day for the weather to clear (or not clear). So I hit the road with no real plan, at some point pulled up a map, and ended up here - it was the best day of the trip.
Goblins Twilight | Last shot of the day in Goblin Valley. Then it was off to find a dirt road where I could stay the night.
Cabin in Fall | Photographed in a light rain near Ridgway, Colorado.
Hidden Lake | First national park visit in more than a decade. Crowds were absolutely unbelievable. Needed a third hand to swat mosquitoes. But what an incredible place.
Above the Clouds | Haleakala. Stone ages. Shot on 35mm slide film.
The Grand Canyon
