November 2023 Monthly Review

December 3, 2023 Sarah Marino

A rare mix of ponderosa pines, Gambel oak, and aspen trees. Southwestern Colorado, 2023.

I’m sharing a wrap-up like this at the end of each month to help with accountability and discipline. 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.

NEW PHOTOS AND OTHER THINGS:

Composition webinar: On December 14, I will be teaching Composition and Visual Design for Nature Photographers for the Lehigh Valley Photography Club. I am fully revising this presentation so even if you have seen me talk about composition before, I hope you will get something new out of this talk. It is $10 and you can register here.

Webinar with Ian Plant: I will be joining Ian Plant to talk about the benefits and challenges of trying new types of photography (specifically wildlife photography for me). We will both be sharing some of our recent photographs and talking shop. It should be fun! There is no cost to watch this webinar but you need to register in advance.

Integrating Gratitude Practices Into Nature Photography

November 26, 2023 Sarah Marino

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, partially because it involves cooking a large, complicated meal and I always enjoy cooking—and sharing—large, complicated meals. My holiday meal this year was complicated because I did all of the cooking myself, not because I selected any fancy recipes. After integrating more modern dishes over the last few years, the traditional sides—sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, biscuits, corn, and stuffing—seemed most appealing as I prepared my grocery list so those are the dishes that ended up on my table (in addition to a less traditional apple cake for dessert).

Another thing I appreciate about Thanksgiving is seeing other people share their gratitude. Amidst so much constantly heavy, negative news, it is lovely to enjoy a day of reading posts that focus on positive things. After seeing these many posts plus some news stories about the mental health benefits of expressing gratitude, I went down a rabbit hole of reading to learn more. This short article from Arthur Brooks at The Atlantic (gift link with no paywall) is a nice summary of the research, historical underpinnings, and practical advice about “Four Ways to Be Grateful—And Happier.” The reason I appreciated this article in particular is how Brooks likens gratefulness to exercise: to the reap the benefits, you have to practice.

Ron's Recent Work From Alaska (New Portfolio Ebook)

November 17, 2023 Ron Coscorrosa

After a very busy fall, I finally had time to process my photos from Alaska. The results can be downloaded here, as a portfolio ebook with about 100 new photographs. There are autumnal landscapes and plants, mountains, glaciers, misty fjords and ocean scenes, and even some wildlife sprinkled in this new collection. I have included a small sampling of the photographs in this blog post but they will look better in the ebook.

As I mention in the ebook, the size, scope, and wildness of Alaska is difficult to articulate. A map provides an intellectual approximation of its size, but the emotional realization of how big a place Alaska is doesn’t really settle in until visiting in person and for several weeks. This is the perspective I have from driving around the very small slice of Alaska that is paved (or well graded) within a reasonable distance of its largest population center. Even that “less wild” part was incredible—imagine the overwhelming majority of the state which is inaccessible except by water or plane. Hopefully in the future we won’t have to imagine, as we plan on making several return visits.

Q and A: Naturalist Apps, Connecting with a Landscape, and Photographic Celibacy

November 10, 2023 Sarah Marino

Using the iNaturalist app plus field guides helped me identify some locations where this plant might grow within Death Valley National Park. iNaturalist’s companion app, Seek, is one of my favorite apps for the reasons I explain below.

In August, a publication invited me to participate in an extended interview and then repeatedly delayed publishing it. Instead of hoping the interview might eventually run someday, I decided to withdraw it and publish it in two parts on my website instead. You will find part one below.

Monthly Review: Autumn Continues and Eclipse-Related Failures (#2.October 2023)

November 2, 2023 Sarah Marino

The type of conditions we missed this year in Colorado. I took this photo back in 2013 before this became an iconic view. I heard through the grapevine that beavers have changed the composition at this pond but I haven’t visited it myself for years due to the crowds. This is one of my most popular photos and I am happy that it has been the holiday card for a national conservation nonprofit twice, with more than a million cards printed.

Our October started and ended with photographing fall colors. Early in the month, we stayed close to home in southwestern Colorado, taking our Airstream trailer out for a week to a spot with lovely scenery and very few people. On most days, we saw only a car or two pass by our campsite near the area’s main road and aside from two people we know, did not see a single other photographer in the area. With a little exploration, it is easy to get away from the crowds, even in a place as popular as the aspen forests of Colorado in the fall. With mostly clear skies, we focused on smaller scenes and enjoyed a few frosty mornings. And then a lovely snowstorm rolled in and … we were not able to photograph it. 😓 After getting the COVID and flu vaccines at the same time, we were feeling too tired to head out into the wintery weather. It was disappointing to miss the autumn-winter mix but I should—obviously—not feel bad since I have been able to spend a lot of time on photography this autumn.

Alaska Wildlife from a Landscape Photographer's Perspective

October 27, 2023 Sarah Marino

A black bear takes a break from salmon-maiming to shake off. The shapes in the background are all dead salmon, many of them maimed by the bears searching for eggs. Live spawning salmon can also be seen in the creek. This photo is an example of how I needed to shift my thinking about composition. Normally, distractions like the dead salmon would have kept me from taking a photo of this scene. With wildlife photography, I decided they add important context.

To start our fall nature photography season this year, we went to Alaska at the end of August and ended up spending a lot of time photographing wildlife and birds. Although I always enjoy watching wild animals, I have never spent much time photographing them for a variety of reasons. Yet, with so many animals and birds around us, it seemed like I should at least give it a decent try and I ended up really enjoying the experience. It felt exciting to try something new, stretch my skills, and add a different kind of photography to my portfolio. The process of watching these animals and birds also deepened my understanding of these ecosystems and left me feeling more connected to the landscape. Below, I share a few favorite experiences, things I learned as a landscape photographer trying to photograph wildlife, and a few new photos. You can see the full gallery of photos here.

Look For Beauty All Around You: A Lesson from Female Birds and Arctic Ground Squirrels

October 19, 2023 Sarah Marino

In many ways, our modern society conditions us to find excitement and joy only at the pinnacle of experience. With nature photography, this looks like the epic sunset, the perfect swath of autumn color, or being in the presence of especially dramatic scenery. While I still seek out such experiences, I try to balance them with finding equal satisfaction and happiness with more common everyday experiences out in nature. A recent example: feeling full of joy and excitement when I saw a thriving four o-clock wildflower and its glowing magenta petals, with white-lined sphinx moths actively feeding on its nectar, in late October while on a casual evening walk in the Utah desert.

A few days ago, upon the recommendation of fellow photographer Dario Perizzolo, I listened to an episode of the Hidden Brain podcast, “How Your Beliefs Shape Your Reality.” Near the end, the psychologist being interviewed, Jer Clifton, suggested a simple mental exercise to help cultivate curiosity and promote this kind of connection with the natural world. Pick up a leaf from a tree and contemplate its beauty: the shape, the colors, the intricacy of the veins. If this leaf was rare, it would be considered a work of art but because it is so commonplace, it doesn’t command any special attention—or any attention at all.

Black and White: Learning to See Opportunities While Out in Nature

October 13, 2023 Sarah Marino

Midday light can work well for black and white photography. I headed out into these sand dunes in the early afternoon and found opportunities for photography through sunset. Canon R, 24mm, f/14, 1/2500 sec, ISO 400.

If you spend much time looking at nature photography on social media, you have probably seen a common type of post: a photographer, lamenting the poor conditions at the time, explains how they tried to salvage a photo by converting it to black and white. Before you read any further, I’m asking you to forever dismiss this kind of thinking about working in black and white. Instead of seeing black and white as a backup processing option when the conditions you hoped for do not materialize, I encourage you to instead think about black and white nature photography as an expressive form that stands on its own and holds the potential to open up many new creative avenues for sharing the connections you make with the natural world. A key step in shifting this mindset is learning to see opportunities for black and white photography while you are out in nature.

Monthly Review: Alaska, Photo Backlogs, and Stuff Peppers (#1.September 2023)

October 3, 2023 Sarah Marino

A few minutes of pretty light at Mount Rainier National Park. Canon R5, 2 seconds, 76mm, f/16, ISO 200.

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.

Making the Most of Autumn: Essential Lessons for Nature Photographers

September 27, 2023 Sarah Marino

Golden light on ice-covered terraces, with a cottonwood leaf on top. As direct light hit the cliffs above, the warm light reflected on the landscape below. Building your observation skills will hope you notice this kind of lighting situation when you are out in nature. Zion National Park. Canon R5, 472mm, f/16, 1/4 sec, ISO 100, 15 file focus stack.

Years ago, I saw this cynical comment on a website or forum related to nature and landscape photography: “The world does not need another aspen photo.” I’ll get to that sentiment later but before doing so, I’ll acknowledge that the same could be said about this blog post: “The world does not need another article about fall nature photography.” This morning, an email landed in my inbox with what I thought included some bad advice for photographing fall colors and that email started a journey into the Google rabbit hole of articles on this topic. After reading some of the articles at the top of my search results, I decided I had a bit more to add on the topic than is generally covered.

Nearly all of these “how to photograph fall colors” articles set photographers up for disappointment and encourage limited thinking by emphasizing the importance of getting your timing perfect for peak fall colors and seeking out the “best” weather, light, and locations. These ideas suggest that everything needs to align to create worthwhile photography conditions. My years of experience conversely show that conditions are rarely optimal so cultivating a different mindset and greater adaptability can both enhance the experience of being outside during autumn and result in a more interesting, personal, and diverse body of work.

Generally, our thinking and practices can limit our opportunities or expand them. I want to choose the practices and ideas, like the four lessons I share below, that expand my opportunities.

Notes From an Over-Photographed Landscape

September 22, 2022 Sarah Marino

Afternoon shadows fall across the Grapevine Mountains in Death Valley National Park.

PREFACE: This is the introductory essay for ebook portfolios covering my extended 2021-22 trip to Death Valley National Park. You can download these ebooks, for free, here to see the full collection of photographs.

With our Airstream RV trailer, we are able to work remotely for long stretches, so we packed up for the desert and arrived in Death Valley National Park right before Christmas, 2021. We stayed through late February, 2022, giving us about eight weeks in the park. Aside from two weeks of formal work (teaching workshops), I photographed, hiked, or both almost every day. This portfolio is the result of those efforts.

By the time we left to return home, the list of Death Valley canyons I have visited had many new entries, for a total of fifty-four. I can now say I have backpacked across Death Valley’s floor, an experience that makes the incredible vastness of the park feel much more profound than contemplating those same distances from the roadside. The scenery, as always, was endlessly enchanting. Solitude was easy to find. With photography friends coming and going, the trip felt a little like summer camp. As with every trip to this park, the list of new things I want to see is much longer than the list I had when I arrived. With the weather getting increasingly warm in late February, I knew it was time to head home but still tried to convince Ron that we should stay for just one more week. Just one more.

Ron's Recent Work from Death Valley

April 5, 2022 Ron Coscorrosa

After a busy fall in Colorado, the Adirondacks, Vermont, Maine, and Zion we took a needed break before heading to Death Valley in late December with our trailer and staying there nearly 8 weeks. That is a long time in a single place, but like every visit to Death Valley, we only scratched the surface of what is there to see and explore. Most free weekends were spent exploring the many canyons in and near the park. I have now visited over 60 Death Valley canyons - many without names and most with a few surprises.

Canyons (and the rocks within them) make up a large portion of my recent gallery of photographs from Death Valley, I have included a few favorites in this post, but see the full gallery for much more.

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