This series is for our readers and for me. I am quite good at generating ideas but I need some help with discipline and follow-through. I plan to share a wrap-up like this at the end of each month through the end of 2024 to see if it helps me stay more accountable to myself. The basic format: an inventory of how I spent the last month with regard to nature photography and our photo business, a casual discussion about the things that are on my mind, and a few non-photography recommendations at the end. Thank you to Alex Kunz for the format inspiration.
September 2023 Review
ALASKA: Our September started in Alaska. We rented a small motorhome and completed a big one-way loop: Anchorage > Seward > Denali National Park > Denali Highway > Valdez > Glenn Highway > Anchorage. The loop was mostly one-way because the rental company charged $0.59 a mile so every time we thought about turning around, we had to do a little calculation and decide if the extra miles were worth it. Although we were not terribly happy with our specific RV unit (worst bed ever) or the rental company we used (extra charges for every little thing), renting an RV was the right choice for a photography-focused trip.
In addition to traveling around for autumn photography, we planned this trip with another purpose in mind: to do a big survey to decide if we want to bring our RV to Alaska for a full summer or fall season, and if so, which route we might want to travel once we arrive. The trip answered a few important questions with regard to this idea: yes, we (definitely!) want to go back and want to return to every spot we visited. This trip was supposed to help narrow the scope and instead it greatly expanded the scope…as usual. We are still not totally sure that an RV trip like this is feasible while Ron has a traditional job and that our tender Airstream is robust enough to make the 7,000 mile journey. With a Starlink RV plan, internet access is easier compared to just a few years ago but we are not sure how the drive up and back would work with a job.
This trip was one of our best to date, which you should probably take with a grain of salt since we love almost every trip we take. With this caveat in mind, we both agreed that the scenery was a special mix of some of our favorite places: Iceland, the Pacific Northwest, and the northeastern United States. If I was dropped at various spots along the route without any context, I would have guessed that I was in Mount Rainier National Park or Acadia or Iceland, mostly because of the plants, trees, lichen, and endless rain. Add in incredible fjords, massive glaciers, and imposing mountains and you have a pretty incredible landscape. Every day, we marveled at two things: the vastness and the wildness. Along the Denali Highway, which is the 135-mile gravel road that essentially travels between Denali National Park and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, there are almost no signs of human presence, aside from the road itself. Compared to our travels in the western United States, this area felt intensely remote, even though it is easily accessible by Alaska standards. The vastness of the vistas was overwhelming as well, especially the gently rolling tree-covered plains that reached all the way to the horizon in many places.
When I am ready to share my photos from the trip, I hope to include some in-depth writing about our itinerary and travel logistics. For now, I can just say it was an incredibly memorable trip and I do not think the photos will convey that experience. They still feel worthwhile to share but please keep your expectations low.
Geometric patterns on the frozen surface of a small lake (exciting first freeze of that year!). Mount Rainier National Park. Canon R, 400mm, f/14, 1/13 second, ISO 400, focus stack.
REST OF THE MONTH: After returning from Alaska (flying in and out of Denver), we spent a week visiting friends and family. I joined friends at the Denver Botanic Garden one evening and wish I had time for some photography since the gardens were looking quite lovely even at the very end of summer. When we lived in Denver, I photographed this garden all the time and it is interesting to return after long periods between visits. The changes seem more obvious that way, and some of the changes have been quite significant. The garden designers have moved from mostly manicured beds with mass plantings to wild plantings with full of native plants. There is a place for both in any botanic garden design but I miss the more manicured plantings from a photography perspective.
Ron recently started a new job and needed to head to Texas for a company retreat. This meant that our Colorado fall colors trip got a late start. The colors went from green to golden in just a few days, seeming late at first and now feeling pretty much on time. More on Colorado fall colors in next month’s update.
The last light of the day illuminates low mist in Mount Rainier National Park. Canon R, 300mm, 1/125 sec, f/13, ISO 200.
NEW PHOTOS AND SUCH:
New free ebook portfolio of work from autumn in Mount Rainier National Park. This form of sharing new work (free PDF ebooks) continues to feel like the best option for me since I like being able to control the layout and formatting. I am waffling on the number of photos to include. While I think it fits my photographic style to share a large collection of photos, I also think I need to do a better job of channeling my inner Alex Noriega and curate these portfolios much more tightly (related to the challenge I discuss below). If you have looked through any of these free ebooks and have feedback on the curation, I would welcome it.
New Article: Making the Most of Autumn. This is the first article I have written for this blog in YEARS. Not great! In the spirit of transparency, I have struggled with sharing my work and writing recently. The main reason: after getting a good reception to a few YouTube videos, I decided that is where I should direct my efforts. I made a six month plan for weekly videos and started working on them. After making a few, I realized how much they were distracting from the other things I wanted to be doing more. While I sort of enjoy the video-making process, it requires too many things to come together (a quiet day in our house, looking and feeling well-rested, time for doing my hair and makeup, blah, blah, blah…). I like that I can write from almost anywhere—without having to wear makeup—and the refinement process is so much easier. While I think I SHOULD be making videos from a business perspective, I decided to turn to what I enjoy doing far more: writing. While I plan to include video tutorials in fee-based products in the future, I think I will be much happier trying to write a regular blog post instead.
Miscellaneous: I taught one camera club talk, participated in two interviews (one podcast, one potentially embarrassing YouTube show—both coming soon), led one fall photo walk, continued work on the second edition of our Beyond the Grand Landscape ebook (the second edition will be a full course), and completed some early work on a book (physical book, not ebook!) project.
Autumnal mountain ash in Mount Rainier National Park. Canon R5, 100mm macro lens, f/2.8, 1/320 sec, ISO 400.
Nature Photography: Always on My Mind
I never understand when other photographers say things like “there wasn’t anything there to photograph.” In almost any natural setting, I can generate more ideas for photography than I could ever work through. I also like photographing throughout the day, enjoy a full range of subjects (grand landscapes, intimate landscapes, plants, abstracts, and more recently birds and wildlife), and get outside for photography a lot. This has created an intractable problem: I am creating too many photos. Even if I spent all my time processing photos while not adding any new ones, it would probably take me many years to get through the files I already have.
This would all be fine if I could emotionally separate myself from all those files—but I can’t. I think about them all the time, especially because some of my better work is in there yet I cannot find it among a sea of 223,039 mostly unsorted files (with that number likely increasing this very afternoon!).
In teaching photography, I regularly encourage taking a lot of photos, experimenting extensively, and getting out as often as possible. I think these habits are helpful in many ways: getting regular practice keeps a photographer familiar with their equipment, experimentation can lead to creative breakthroughs, and working with different subjects and varied light helps a photographer become more adaptable. I have followed my own advice but think it is time for a different approach. Here are a few things I am trying to make progress on both sides of this coin (my massive existing backlog and adding new files to that existing backlog):
Think more like a film photographer. Having a whole sleeve of 256GB memory cards likely isn’t helping. Since I place value on being a careful and deliberate photographer, I would never say that I “spray and pray” but I do take so many photos. Until I make some progress on my backlog, I am going to try to be more discerning about taking photos so I have less to cull through after I get home. I am trying this on my current trip and am interested to see how I feel after getting home. Did I miss out on a lot of opportunities or do I feel relieved because I have a more manageable set of files to work through? TBD!
Photograph less in iffy conditions. This is a specific application of the first point above. I will still get outside as much as I currently do but be much more selective about creating files in iffy conditions. For example, unless I am really excited about a scene and subject, I am going to photograph a lot less when it is windy. Or, if I am photographing sunset over a grand landscape on a clear day, I know that I can wait until 20 minutes after sunset to start creating files since that is generally my favorite light under such conditions. This will mean fewer files to wade through and possibly easier progress with editing and processing.
College Professor Rule. One of my college professors had a household rule about buying new things: to buy something new, they had to get rid of something they currently owned. This made their buying decisions much more deliberate and I think the same general lesson could be helpful for photography. While this exact framework can’t apply to photography (or I don’t want it to since I love my time outside with my camera too much), I need to be better about getting through my existing photos before adding new ones. I am going to try to have my favorite photos from 2023 finished by the end of the year, which would be a first for me. I will not be able to get through everything but getting through the files I like most will feel like major progress. This might also help me accept the backlog. If most of my better photos are processed, I can accept that the good enough files will remain unaddressed.
More careful curation. I mentioned Alex Noriega above because he is so good about carefully curating his work. He releases very tight, cohesive collections. While I prefer creating loose portfolios that include both my best photos along with photos I just kinda like, I am going to try creating much tighter collections of work and see how it goes. This might also help in getting me to the point where I can accept the existence of the backlog because I know that at least all of my favorite photos are finished.
Making these changes feels hard since I like most of my current practices, but think I want my best photos to be out in the world more. I welcome advice and feedback from readers about how deal with this mix of issues. I know that in the scheme of things, this is a sort of ridiculous problem to have but since I have chosen nature photography as a career, and this is causing some on-going angst, it seems like I should try to make some progress in a positive direction.
Late afternoon light and shadows, Mount Rainier National Park. Canon R5, 300mm, f/16, 1/13 second, ISO 200.
This Month’s Recommendations:
Among friends, I am known as the person who is always sharing recommendations. I continue that tradition here.
Recipe 🧑🏻🍳 Stuffed peppers from New York Times Cooking. My mom made stuffed peppers when I was a kid and I thought they were so gross. Now I make this recipe all the time and love it. I replace the meat with chickpeas or lentils, cook the peppers for a little longer than the recipe specifies, and add a little extra wine to the pan. Yum!
Music 🎼 Gregory Alan Isakov has a new album out and it is lovely (and as a desert lover, I find the album art beautiful as well). After hearing him perform with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra at Boettcher Concert Hall in one of the best live performances I have attended, he has become one of my favorite musicians. This new album is the perfect accompaniment for a photo trip or leisurely wander.
Cat Video 🐈⬛ Purrling: a cat that just loves being pushed across the floor with a broom (must be logged into Twitter to view).
Learn a Little About Nature 🐻 I had no idea that bears could climb a tree so fast (this Instragram video from Colorado Parks & Wildlife includes some helpful tips on keeping bears wild, too).
Favorite Photo Accessory 🥾 Last year, I purchased a pair of rubber Muck Boots in the Forager style for a trip to the Oregon and Washington coast. Since I was going to be teaching, I wanted durable waterproof footwear that would be resilient to salt water without having mess with my usual waders. Turns out that I love these boots for photo outings. If I am not going to be walking more than a mile or two and think there is a chance for wet feet, I wear these boots. They were great to have in Alaska and I was happy to have them along when we stepped out of our RV to snow this morning.
Photo-Related Recommendations 📸 Subscribe to our newsletter! I share a list just like this but entirely focused on nature photography in each issue of our newsletter.