WTA Taps Mitzi - Yet Again!

One of the best things about having a wife that loves the outdoors as much as me is that I always have a model for use in photos. I oftentimes place her on trails and viewpoints to give perspective to some scenes, and for the most part she doesn't mind. It's win-win. As such, several of the images in which she's featured have graced numerous pieces of the Washington Trails Assn.'s publications and correspondence materials. The latest image showcasing Mitzi is of her perched high above Lake Ann in North Cascades National Park. The image was selected to appear on WTA's newest postcard (top right).

In other news, the weather here in the NW has been consistently gloomy of late - lots of cold, soggy, wet weekends, with few brief glimpses of sun. It's given me time to catch up some more on imagery from summer travels, and start planning for what's next. I should be updating my Galleries page soon with more photos from John Day Fossil Beds, Strawberry Wilderness, Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Winter plans are taking shape, including snowshoeing at Crater Lake and Mt. Rainier, which should offer some stunning scenery. I'm eagerly looking forward to my first location shoots with the new camera too, so stay tuned...

Countdown to JMT 2010

In my very first blog posting earlier this year, I eluded to my desire to hike the John Muir Trail in 2010. This is the 221 mile trail down the spine of the Sierra Nevada, from Yosemite Valley to the summit of Mt. Whitney. For years, it's been my goal to hike the entire trail before my 40th birthday - which just happens to be in 2010. Now the time has come and plans are in the works. Thru winter and spring, I'll be making plans, arrangements, and preparations for the big hike next summer. I'm planning a full 4 weeks on the trail, anticipating plenty of time to shoot tons of imagery along the way. I'll be carrying a tiny video camera to keep a video journal, and I'll have my trusty SPOT tracker with me, creating a real-time GPS track, and sending daily check-ins (mostly for Mitzi's piece of mind). Over the next many months as I prepare, I'll be posting my plan progress, sharing some of the gear I plan on using, and testing some of the food I'll be carrying on my month-long journey. Check in occasionally to see how the plans are coming together...

WTA Tags Mitzi Again!

The Washington Trails Association can't get enough of Mitzi in Glacier Basin on Mt. Rainier. They've tapped this photo once again - I think this makes it their 4th or 5th use - in the Nov/Dec issue of the Washington Trails magazine. Unfortunately, this time it accompanies a story about the increase in price for memberships. Bummer. And more news with WTA, they've requested licensing of another photo for use in some of their upcoming marketing materials; and, next year I'll be working on some editorial contributions for them as well. More to come...

Time for an Upgrade

For the past 2.5 years, I've been shooting my photography with a Fuji S9100 pseudo-DSLR. My first digital camera was a Fuji S5100, and I've been pretty brand-loyal over the years, very happy with Fuji's operation and quality. I also carry a FinePix f50d pocket camera. These have performed well for the type of travel and shooting I do – good quality and always on the move. Recently, I decided that it was time to take the next step, add a few more pounds to my pack, and move into full-blown DSLR land (and the sale of several images this year helped that!). After much research, I decided to go with the Nikon D90. Not quite a high-end professional model, but one that will let me use different lenses, and offer more control and capability. The package that I purchased came with two VR lenses, an 18–105mm, and a 70–300mm. I'm also planning to add a 12–24mm wide angle lens to my inventory. So now, for the next several winter months, I'll be practicing with the new camera, getting up to speed on all its bells and whistles, and hope to soon start putting out even better quality images of the places I go roaming.