Hi ,

It's been a difficult year so far. For one thing, we're having least snowy winter on record here in Anchorage. Since December, we are over four feet below our normal snowfall... Yes, I said four feet... and we have had no measurable snow on the ground for weeks. 

This in addition to the rash of extremely stressful events that continue to play out in devastating ways for all of our communities, one of which was the sudden firing of thousands of highly qualified and passionate U.S. National Park and Forest Service employees. 

It breaks my heart to know that a great number of our parks, which are the greatest natural treasures we have in our nation, will suffer from the loss of so many passionate stewards of these revered public lands, people who dedicated their lives, not for money, but to the cause of preservation and conservation. These mass layoffs are sure to result in numerous disruptions and a host of other negative ramifications for visitors and for the parks themselves. 

Of course, to outdoor photographers who live in or visit the U.S., our National Parks are some of the most significant and special places in our creative and memorable lives. How many of us have spent countless hours photographing, practicing our craft and simply enjoying the beauty that these wondrous places offer? 

Now, For Some Good News!

With our totally lame winter, I decided to head down to Arizona right after my birthday to soak up the warn sunshine and ride bikes for ten days. If I can't ride on good snow, I might as well ride on good dirt. During the trip, we spent time in Phoenix, Tucson and Patagonia, riding, hiking, eating good food and even seeing some Alaska friends.

To cap off a great mini vacation, I witnessed an incredible and heartfelt episode of human compassion and kindness while sitting at the Alaska Airlines gate at the Phoenix Airport. Basically, someone in a moment of need asked for help and was given way more than they probably expected, all from strangers. 

I wrote about the incident on my Substack page, which has apparently been read by thousands of people. Not only was it the kind of thing that we all need to hear about right now in these uncertain times, but it made me rethink what kind of content I might continue to share on Substack. 

So far, I haven't posted much, but I do like the platform and I want to share more. Let me know what kinds of things you'd like to see from me over there. 

Headed to New Zealand!!

I've wanted to go to New Zealand for over 30 years, and so I'm excited to have finally bought tickets! We're leaving in about 10 days, going for three weeks and loosely plan to do lots of hiking and some cycling, both on the North and South Islands. 

I'll be taking a light-to-medium array of Fujifilm gear, most likely my X-T5 and three to four lenses, and look forwards to exploring a completely brand new place with the camera! I haven't shot much lately, in part because of the crappy winter we're having, and also because amidst all the chaos, my creative/personal time has been spent doing things like writing, playing music, cooking and taking long walks on the icy trails in the forest. 

I'm sure I'll have lots to share when I get back, so stay tuned!!

There Is No Failure In Creativity

With the constant assault of chaos and uncertainty these days, we need  creativity in our lives, more than ever. Not only is creativity good for our soul and our mental health, it also fosters things like community, inspiration, introspective thought and even empathy, which is perhaps the most important human experience that can directly lead to a better world. 

I know firsthand how easy it is to get distraught and let your creativity fall off, but it's a vital thing that we all need practicing, even if its just for fun and not for any "finished product."

Read my blog post called There is No Failure in Creativity to remind you of why it's so important to keep our creative juices flowing, and why you should look at, not as an endgame, some precious commodity, but as an exercise that begs to be taken off the shelf and played with on a regular basis. 

Want More Creative Tips? 

Save 40% on My Signature Online Course

In this 30-lesson course, which contains over 5 hours of instruction and insight, you'll explore a wide range of photography topics with me that challenge you to think about creativity and image making in a whole new way. 

I call it Photography On The Brain, because all great imagery begins and ends in the mind. In fact, the entire process of photography requires a combination of creative and technical solving abilities, and involves both left and right brain components. 

In this course, I share with you the very ideas that continue to drive my own fascination with photography. My goal is to help you explore your own creative ideas so that you can gain confidence as you develop your own style and expand your own individual approach to image making.

As a subscriber, you can get the lowest price I've ever offered on my Photography On The Brain Course, and you don't even need a discount code. 

Just click this link to enroll with an exclusive 40% discount.

Drawing on over 30 years of experience, this course basically takes you into my own head and shows you my creative approach, and the compositional process that I use to create the very images that you say you like. 

The course has a full 100% guarantee. If you enroll, and don't think it will help you stay inspired to keep pushing your own creativity year after year, than I'll give you a full refund. 

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That's all for now. I hope you're doing well and taking care of yourself these days!

Thank for reading and happy shooting. And don't forget to follow me on Bluesky, if you're over there!