Continuing the series of images I have created in the last fifteen years, May is a wonderful month for photography. The colors are bright, the air clear, and the subjects varied. From the Galapagos to Borneo to the temperate forests of the Pacific Northwest, take a visual journey around the globe in MAY!
Hard to believe I’ve been doing Tequila Time for a month now, but I can’t express enough how nice it’s been to be able to connect with everyone out there. During this stay-at-home order, I’ve pretty much limited contact to the same few people who are helping with the live broadcast – so having this opportunity to connect with everyone is saving my sanity – thank you!
I almost consider my home and garden a public space, so being able to do a virtual tour and sharing with you the artifacts and memories I’ve collected over the years means a lot to me. The theme of course for this video is “If you want to be an artist, LIVE like an artist”! Collect things that inspire you and make no apologies for surrounding yourself with the things you draw your creative fuel from, whatever that may be.
Enjoy the video – also I should note, the quality of the live video feed through Instagram is far superior to Facebook, so if you want the best possible experience for future TTA episides I highly suggest getting on IG – it’s also a great place to see my daily photo posts.
Have a great weekend, and hopefully you’ll be joining us next week, when we hang out in my den and discuss my favorite books!
It seems like an eternity ago, and in a sense it was. In February I traveled with Kevin Raber and Rockhopper Tours to Antarctica. So much has happened in the relatively short time since then that I very nearly forgot about this trip, filled with abundant wildlife and stunning landscapes.
A highlight was a massive iceberg we cruised by at dinner time. Everyone was deep in their dishes when I jumped up, grabbed my camera and ran off. A krill-red smear announced the presence of Chinstrap and gentoo penguins. Against the blue of the iceberg, it was a rich sign of life in this arresting landscape.
Seals, orcas, petrels and some minke whales also came to escort us along our cruise aboard the ship. Enjoy the photos – if you have any questions about them, join me on Thursday for another live episode of Tequila Time with Art and ask away!
Another great time going live on Tequila Time with Art is in the books, and this time we took a tour of my Huangshan-inspired Japanese garden. It was by far the most requested feature from these live chats, so I’m thankful both the typically soggy Seattle weather and technology conspired to work together for once! Check out the video above if you missed it, or simply want to re-watch it. For more information on my garden, I’ve also included my story of how the garden came to be below. Enjoy, and have a fantastic weekend!
Nature possesses many powers. It can awe and inspire, provoke fear, and humble. As a nature photographer who frequently travels to some of the most wild and remote regions of
the world, I have truly experienced each of these emotions and more.
In all my journeys, though, one place in particular captured my soul and spirit in ways that continue to inspire me today. The incomparable grandeur of the granite spires, spectacular rocky peaks, contorted pines and swirling mists I encountered at Huangshan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in China’s Anhui Province, planted in me a desire to blend my global travels into the shape and feel of my own home environment.
Upon returning to my native Seattle nearly 35 years ago from that fateful voyage to China, I immediately purchased a property brimming with artistic potential, offering sweeping views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. Full of enthusiasm, I began to transform my flat half-acre of predictable plantings and 1910 Tudor-style home into a miniature Huangshan.
Soon my simple lawn with its rhododendron border was transformed into a bustling work site. I rented a backhoe to sculpt a koi pond and cascading stream beds. A mobile crane brought in over 100 tons of moss-covered granite boulders, black pines, Western red cedars, hemlocks, Douglas firs, and Japanese maples, some with root-balls weighing as much as 8,000 pounds. My yard quickly became a place to enjoy visually as well as spiritually, and I was not alone. Wildlife promptly discovered the habitat I had created and new photographic opportunities arose.
I post no signs and have no fences, so it is quite common to discover total strangers walking along my pathways, lured by the soothing sounds of cascading waterfalls. The inviting landscape evokes the spirit of Huangshan that enchanted me so many years ago, and so long as visitors remain respectful, they’re not turned away. My decision to avoid contributing to suburban sprawl by remaining in an urban setting has been remarkably satisfying. I have enjoyed creating and maintaining critical habitat for the numerous wild denizens who share my tranquil setting.
There is something incredibly peaceful and grounding about working here, pruning the pines, weeding, planting and observing life thriving all around me. Simply put, my yard has become my therapist, my refuge, and a beautiful, relaxing place where I can explore my lifelong passions for nature and photography.
Continuing my series looking back on the previous decade and half of travel, April has been a varied month for me, with shoots spanning the globe to Europe, the Far East, the southern tip of Africa, South America, and plenty of shoots here in the states as well. This is typically an opportune time of year to visit so many locations that it’s making me antsy to think about it. Fortunately I’m keeping myself very occupied and fully immersed in creating my next series of educational and hopefully inspiring lectures – stay tuned for more information about that project, and enjoy the photos.
Greetings from Seattle! I won’t spend too much time talking about the elephant in the room, but I do want to wish each and every one of you the best through these difficult times and hope that you and yours are healthy and getting the support you need. In my limited excursions to get groceries and other necessities, I’ve witnessed nothing but kindness and support out there in the community, and that’s exactly what we need – we are truly in this together. I’m not one for standing still, and to that end I am working diligently to prepare some exciting new distance-based learning opportunities to unveil soon. Stay tuned!
One of my last trips before buckling down here was to Patagonia, with the primary goal of photographing pumas. These are notably solitary animals, whom rarely congregate or hunt with others until it’s time to breed. When cubs are born, they remain with their mother long enough to grow strong and learn to hunt before venturing out on their own. I was fortunate to capture not one but two such families on this trip – one with adorable young cubs, the other with rough-housing older siblings. To be able to follow these two groups and observe their similarities and differences kept me busy. They were surprisingly indifferent to my documentation of their days, whether they were lounging, scrapping, or enjoying some fine dining. Along the way I captured some other denizens of the area as well.
Enjoy the photos, have a wonderful weekend!
Dear Friends,
At this moment I am on my way to teach a workshop in Utah. We photographers who make travel our business are but a tiny subset of the overall tourism industry which generates 10.4% of global GDP and some 319 million jobs, but like everyone else we are closely watching this rapidly developing situation with the Novel Coronavirus. It is a huge understatement to say that getting the under control is critical.
While my life has been full of risk-taking, I don’t expect my clients to have the same threshold that I do. Already this month several of my speaking events have been rescheduled which I completely support. The health of my workshop participants is an absolute priority for me. My home, the beautiful Pacific Northwest, has become an epicenter, and is the location for my spring workshops
In light of this, I am postponing my photography workshops scheduled from later this month through the end of May. I will work with my students on rescheduling and deeply appreciate everyone’s flexibility and support as we explore options. If you are signed up for one of these workshops, my office will be contacting you soon with updates. In the mean time, feel free to email us if you have any specific questions or concerns.
My workshops later in the year are continuing as planned. For all workshops I strongly recommend travel insurance, and if you want the extra security, a CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason) supplement.
While we’re all waiting for worry-free travel to return, I don’t want any of you to get rusty! Continue to hone your skills and prepare yourself for your dream trips. I will be releasing and streaming updated versions of my tutorial seminars. You’ll have the opportunity to get out in your immediate surrounds to practice and join our group review sessions. I plan to do the very same and it’ll be fun to do it together and challenge ourselves! Stay tuned to our newsletters and updates for these releases in the very near future!
Please take care of yourself, your family, and friends during this time of uncertainty and stress. We are all working to stay safe and healthy to travel another day. For up to date information on the Coronavirus, see the CDC and WHO websites.
2020 continues to fly by at a supersonic pace. Spring is just around the corner, and here in Washington things are starting to warm up. When I’m home and working in my garden I can definitely appreciate the longer days. Looking back at the past 15 years, photos from March tend to capture the colors and activity of those approaching spring months. With better weather and more hours to get things done, cultures world-wide begin to celebrate and festivals such as Holi in India have captured my attention over the years.
Enjoy the photos, and have a fantastic weekend – and for those of you in the affected time-zones, don’t forget to spring ahead this Sunday!
I hadn’t been to Easter Island since 1986 and if you’ve checked out Photographs From the Edge, you’ll know that despite my “scientific” western brain, I had quite the spiritual experience here, miles away from the closest human and surrounded by monuments of ages passed. It is places like these where despite our different backgrounds one can come and feel an almost metaphysical presence that was partially my inspiration for an upcoming book on international faith and ritual.
For that project, among others, I thought it would be great to revisit it during the Tapati Festival. Rightly so, Rapa Nui people are very proud of their heritage and this festival highlights their culture. Of course, everyone is familiar with the moai, monumental statues of ancestors. We got up at three in the morning to photograph them under the Milky Way, running around with flashlights to illuminate them in various ways.
I was also able to pull photograph three Rapa Nui men in traditional garb, overlooking the ocean. In the past, men would brave the currents and swim out to the small island in the distance and bring back seabird eggs. If they succeeded they would be regarded as heroes for their efforts.
Enjoy the photos, and stay tuned to the blog for more photos from my first couple months of 2020 travel!
Better late than never and it’s still February; where’s the year going??? More importantly, where have the past 15 years gone? It’s always interesting to look back at the various phases of my career to be reminded of my previous goals, successes and of course. . the very very occasional failures. If you’re ever struggling to come up with something to say with your photography, there are plenty of resources around to step back and take a look at. I’m an avid book collector and I’m always on the look-out for compendiums of the passions of others that may help spark an idea of my own.
There is something to be said for being your own inspiration, however – especially if it’s been some time since you’ve looked back on your own photos and/or artwork. Perhaps time and experience will give you a new angle on an old idea, or you may find the simple purity of your original concepts got lost among new technologies, software, or just the clutter of life in general.
Enjoy the photos, and stay tuned to the blog for some exciting upcoming events!
