Experience of place and people requires stepping across borders, physical and personal. Accepting the challenge of unfamiliar voices, common discomfort, and broken itineraries to find beauty within and beyond. Keep going…
On the edge of wild — Atacama Desert, Chile
With the wilds of Patagonia still fresh in our minds, Bill and I spent a short night in Santiago and then climbed on another Latam flight. We were headed north, working our way up the latitudinal expanse of Chile, exploring the regional extremes from glaciers to desert dry lakes, from sea level to the altiplano with volcano summits at 20,000 feet.
Continue Reading On the edge of wild — Atacama Desert, Chile
On the circuit in Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile
In January, I had the good fortune to travel to Chile with my good friend, Bill Bloomer. We planned this after the rise-and-fall of Covid’s delta variant thinking that, just maybe, the window would remain and, with due care, we could wander a few distant places once again. And then there was omicron.
Continue Reading On the circuit in Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile
Iceland Day 12: Kirkjufell Denouement
We were down to five – Erno, Bob, Ken, Nick, and me. Nick and I had commandeered a rental van early in the morning, loaded up the rest of the crew at the guesthouse, dropped Thor at some random roundabout near his home, and headed back to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. A stop at the Hotel Rjúkandi was required…
Iceland Day 11: South Coast Return
It was the final day of the Iceland Workshop, and it felt like we had some locations to catch up on. Although the storm had faded, it left a sky that couldn’t decide if it was going to be a backdrop of interest or a curtain of gray. We’d try to make the most of it before heading back toward Reykjavik and the departures at Keflavik.
Iceland Day 10: Out of the Storm
Our outlandish luck finally abandoned us. After several days of weather that supported our photographic desires, day and night
Iceland Day 9: Vestrahorn Gray
After the brilliance of Jökulsárlón, the morning seemed extra dark as clouds settled and the sky threatened rain.
Iceland Day 8: Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach
It looked like we had a couple days of good weather ahead and we planned to take full advantage. Although I had no real reason to, given the late sunrise, I was still getting up early, brewing some coffee in the lobby, backing up my remaining SD card, and loading images into my traveling Lightroom…
Continue Reading Iceland Day 8: Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach
Iceland Day 7: Vik to Vestrahorn
It’s a drive day. Forecasts called for a good twenty-four hours or so before the next storm, so the plan was to position ourselves further east along the South Coast, setting a base to explore the region as conditions change. I was up early to pack. I have a pretty simple system in two bags.…
Iceland Day 6: To South Coast
For now, we drive through almost perfect golden-hour light—the golden hour that lasts all day here. At first it was a bit frustrating, as back-lit storm clouds danced in the volcanic mountains. But we committed to the goal of the South Coast, the good weather and aurora forecasts pulling us onward.
Iceland Day 5.5: Black Church Aurora
Icelandic photo tours and workshops promise* aurora. There is always an asterisk, only Nick and Thor deliver aurora
Iceland Day 5.0: The Light Begins
The van was stuck. We walked from the hotel in the blue light of pre-dawn mid-morning to find Thor shoveling and sweeping a deep, wind-blown drift from the half-buried van. Even four-wheel drive would not get it out and the wind was howling, the piles getting deeper. In the shadow of the guesthouse the snow…
Iceland Days 3 & 4: A slow build to Snaefellsnes
The storm arrived. Northwest winds of up to 50 m/s (about 110 mph) shut down roads and local gusts pummeled the hotel window. We decided today’s Vogar adventure consisted of a walk to a convenience store and then waiting for the nice folks at Gamla Pósthúsið to open for dinner. I highly recommend this unassuming, excellent dinner house; it is perfectly located across the quiet street fronting Hotel Vogar.
Continue Reading Iceland Days 3 & 4: A slow build to Snaefellsnes
Iceland Day 2: A coming storm
Boarding a plane on any airline, it’s hard to tell one flight from another. It’s the same rows of seats, banging of carry-on, and hoarding of overhead bins. But when that first intercom announcement hits my ears in a foreign language, I know this plane ride is different. This happens every time; I perk up and relax in the same moment. It’s time travel. I’ll jump out somewhere else, in some other time zone, and things will be slightly beyond my control. In fact, call me strange, I love airports and planes. They are possibilities.
Iceland Day 1: Winter Adventure
Invest in yourself – sage and true advice if there ever was any. So rather than believing the next new piece of gear was going to spark some hidden creativity, I decided to travel for a landscape photography workshop. But what workshop?