A few years ago, I found myself on a 12-hour bus ride through the countryside of Sumatra. I was on my way to a remote national park where I was planning to camp for a week or two while photographing rainforest critters. I was carrying two backpacks: one larger one filled with camping gear, and … Continue reading Travel at the speed of light: traveling light in the tropics.
“I’ve been looking at some maps, and I found a couple interesting sites that would be fun to explore…” “I just read an article that I think would interest you – I’ll send you a link.” “I’ve developed a recipe that I think you’ll have fun adapting…” There are few things more positive and encouraging … Continue reading Better living through associations: the importance of friends.
I love camping. For me, it’s a chance to relax, hike around, and check in with all the cool stuff happening in nature that I’ve been missing out on. And, of course, it’s time to have some fun with photography, too. Luckily, I married someone who shares many of my interests, including spending time outside, … Continue reading Baby camping for the win: 42 nights of awesome.
My family and I recently went camping at one of our favorite spots in the Oregon high desert. Wide open spaces, delicious silence, and loads of lizards – it’s pretty awesome. We make a trip out there at least once a year, usually in the summer. This time, we went later in the year than … Continue reading Time and priorities: a new father’s perspective.
As a relatively new parent, I find myself observing other parents with their small children, just to see how they’re proceeding with the weighty task of shaping their kids’ fresh little brains. One of the saddest things I see is when a parent tells a child, “Yuck! Look at that __________. It’s so ugly!” The … Continue reading There’s beauty in everything.
In my last article I wrote about some rather specific technical details of photography; this week I’m going to take a step back and write about something a little more broad in scope: using photography to facilitate exploration of the natural world. I know that not everybody is a photography fanatic, but with the ubiquity … Continue reading Exploring the natural world with photography.
I love photography. I find that the sheer act of composing an image forces me to ponder, appreciate, and really SEE what it is that I’m actually looking at, rather than just casually recognizing as familiar – and unconsciously dismissing – the greater part of the world. I’m particularly interested in photographing smaller critters, e.g., … Continue reading The science of macro photography.
Now that summer is finally here, I’m excited to get back into one of my favorite summertime activities: black lighting for insects. What’s that? You’ve never been black lighting? Get out. It’s only the best thing ever. Here’s what you do. The next time you go camping, hang up a bed sheet right around dusk, … Continue reading How to black light for insects.
West of the Cascade Range in the Pacific Northwest, under the climatic influence of the Pacific Ocean, we have two seasons: dark and light. The dark season predominates: the sun largely remains hidden behind a thick layer of clouds for about 8-9 months out of the year (roughly from the end of September through May … Continue reading Sunshine and science.
Think back to the last hike you went on. Fresh air, nature-y stuff, a little exercise. Probably pretty fun, huh? But was that hike awesome? Was it particularly memorable, compared to all of the other hikes that you’ve been on? If you were a naturalist, every hike would be that special. You’ve heard of naturalists, … Continue reading Being a naturalist will improve your life.
