Hello friends. I hope you have something to sip on close at hand - so much has happened since my last update. What a fun and memorable spring it has been. As I write this, summer solstice is right around the corner and it’s looking bright and sunny. It’s a normal June out the window - the kind of June I grew up with: chilly, wet, and gray. But these days make for some beautiful photographs. The greens are almost too much to bear while the flowers pop in the greenery.

April and May were filled with camping trips and hikes in search of spring wildflowers. I did find them with videos and blog posts forthcoming - it’s been a busy quarter. Trips to Bridgeport State Park, Hungry Horse Hills, Rialto Beach, Ginkgo State Park, Vancouver Island, Eastern Oregon, Ebey's Landing, the Bogachiel, and one rocking weekend in the gorge filled my weekends and at times had my head spinning.

Flower weekends started slow at Ginkgo State Park, but ramped up with a visit to the Hungry Horse Reserve near Wenatchee, where the hills were adorned with Arrowleaf Balsamroot, Lupine, Phlox, and various other flowers. My first backpack of the season was a beach hike with my sister and her friend Chris. We hiked past Hole-In-The-Wall on the north end of Rialto Beach and spent a cool evening sleeping in the driftwood as ocean waves crashed against the rocks on the beach. You can watch the video here.

Mid-May, my boss sent me to Eastern Oregon to assemble display cases and I was able to photograph the image above of horses in the mist as the sun warmed the landscape. To date, this is my favorite image of the year. Then I was off to Vancouver Island for a workshop with Adam Gibbs and Alister Benn, two of my favorite photographers. It was a dream come true and a trip I couldn’t pass up. Four days of photography, learning, exploring, and laughter with other like-minded photographers. One morning, I walked through the woods with Alister and basically had a therapy session where he gave me straight talk and asked me the pertinent questions. Basically, I had been questioning my purpose with my YouTube Channel and trying to reach more people. But Alister reminded me that reaching one person is enough … You are enough, my dear friends. As I left the workshop to meet my friend Barb on the other side of the island, I had renewed lift to my attitude and photography goals.

Which brings us to a photographic idea. We talked a lot during the workshop about the emotional quality of our photographs. The choices we make in color tone and aspect ratio can carry an emotional weight. I challenge you, the next time you are out with your camera (phone, point & shoot, mirrorless …) try different aspect ratios. Try a horizontal image, then a vertical one. How do you connect with the different viewpoints? Play with the warming and cooling filters in your phone or photo-processing software. Are there any changes in your perception of the photo as you change color tones? I’d love to hear about your results.

As we come to a close, the summer is filled with possibility. I have a couple of long backpacks coming and a few shorter ones. I had hoped to get a bucket-list hike finished this July, but the snows are still a little too thick in the upper elevations of the Olympics. Summer is the time to play outside and I hope you have plans to get out and explore. Check back on my website and socials to keep up with the adventure and possible classes.

As always, be kind to yourself and I hope you are able to see yourself as those who love you see you.