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Looking Back, My favorite Image of the year.

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  We have made another trip around the sun on this big blue marble we call home. It’s not uncommon to reflect on the last 365 days, remember the places one has been and the work created. As I sit here and scroll through the thousands of images I took over the previous year, it is a friendly reminder of all the beautiful places I was fortunate enough to visit. There are so many memories on these hard drives of mine. Memories of home, places, people I have met, and experiences I have had. I am lucky to go through these images and relive them again.                 Because of these memories, it is sometimes hard to pick a single “favorite” image from the last year. Each one has some special place for me, whether it is a memory of the trip itself, the emotion I experience while at a location, or just feeling good about overcoming the technical challenges and achieving the image. This year, I think my favorite image is a simple one. And this is not a big surprise really, most of my images a
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THE GRANDEUR OF LITTLE THINGS

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  Recently on my photographic outings, I have been looking down a lot! Looking for small details, looking for the patterns in tree bark, the colors of the lichen on the rocks, a collection of perfect mushrooms, the dewdrops on a fallen leaf. All the while I have almost completely ignored the grand landscapes surrounding me. Not because they weren’t beautiful, they most certainly were.               Instead of photographing the grand sweeping vistas, I was focused (pun intended) on small details. It is, after all, the little things that make up the Grand Landscape. I would get lost in the twisting patterns of tree bark. I can imagine a far-off planet in the ridges and valleys of the rocks. The small detail leaves so much to the imagination. I think that is what I like most about them. I am so often impressed by the things that mother nature can do. The way a tree will bend around a rock, or the way rock formations resemble an alien world.                                                
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I don't know what my photos are "about"!?

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       This is a hard thing to admit, but I’m not sure what my photos are about. I know what they are photos of, but not really what they are about. My photographic approach is very simple. I go on a hike in a beautiful place, and when I see something that I like I work the scene a little, find a good angle and take a picture. I have a pretty good grasp of the technical side of things. I know my exposure triangle, I can previsualize my image. I know if I will need to focus stack or use a long exposure, or an exposure blend. I know what I want the image to look like, I know how to get that result. What I am uncertain of is why am I taking this photo? I know it is a pretty scene, I know that it looks nice, but is that enough?       I tend to think that it is. Sometimes, “Because it’s pretty” is enough. My photo is about beauty. It is that simple. There does not need to be some deep philosophical meaning to that photo, no strong political or environmental message behind the image. I do of
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Fighting a Funk!

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  I have been in a Funk recently, and it has been hard to get out of it. It has felt like a fog descended around me and I could not find any way out. There just wasn't, in my mind, any reason to go out and create photographs. The weather was crummy, the trails were muddy, or closed, or both.  I could not think of anything I wanted to shoot. If I did think of something to shoot I would convince myself the conditions weren't right.  I had created every excuse not to go out. The problem with this thinking is it just spirals in on its self, and things get worse.  I almost did it to myself again this morning. I had made plans to go out and do a 5-mile hike in a location I had not been to before. This should have been enough motivation for me to get out there and explore, but it was another rainy day, I convinced myself I did not want to do the hike in the rain.  So the spiral continues. This spiral of self-doubt and excuses is hard to break. The allure of slippers and coffee is hard
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Location: Duluth, MN, USA
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Why I Shoot Landscape Photography.

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  Why do I like Landscape photography? For starters, I just enjoy being outside! This is maybe the biggest motivator for me. Exploring new areas and new parks is pure joy. The feeling I have while I am out in the wilderness can not be beaten. there is a sense of calm and peace that is difficult to explain, but it is just such a pure and simple feeling. There is nothing else, just you and the wild, all other things disappear and become insignificant. This simplicity of the place and self is a big motivator for me to capture the moment in a photograph. Photography is the best way to remember a place and to relive an experience.  And of course, a fantastic way to share it.  This is just another reason why I love landscape photography. I want to share my experience with others. I want others to share how feel while I am outdoors, if even a small part. I want to encourage others to go out and enjoy the wilderness for themselves. The planet is fragile, and my hope is that if more people appr
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