Simple Click – "Why Do You Stop in the Middle of the Road?"

This movie requires Flash Player 9

I think the answer is pretty obvious, my director didn’t appreciate it though

Then Came the "Calm"

This movie requires Flash Player 9

So after being blown about the valley, the road, the planet, we found a location before sunset where the wind was only 20mph. Got the grit out of my teeth, changed my hair color back to gray from red, and made some clicks. The clouds as the storm moved through were KILLER! We’re safe and warm back in the lodge but they are saying it might snow here tonight. Cross your fingers for me!

Photo captured by D3x, 85PC-E on Lexar UDMA digital film

CS5 Content Aware & Joe Blow Tourist

Simple Click – Artist's Canyon

This movie requires Flash Player 9

Eastern Sierra Adv day3am – B&W

This movie requires Flash Player 9

The moment called for B&W.

All finishing done in CS5

Photos captured by D3x, 24PC-E on Lexar UDMA digital film

Stephanie's New Blog

The family secrets aren’t safe any longer. Our trusted and fearless assistant Stephanie has a new blog and I have no doubt she’ll have interesting content to share at the very least, embarrassing bossman moments at the most. Drop on by and say hello!

Eastern Sierra Adv – July '10

WRP is offering the next in our incredibly successful Eastern Sierra Adventure 8-11 July, 2010. We’ll be based the entire time out of Mammoth Lakes and working what I think will be a spectacular spring. Spring in July? We’ll be starting at 8000′ and working our way up to 11,000 during the week, spring comes a little later at those heights and I think, just a little sweeter. Yeah, we’ll do some wildflowers and some lakes, some rocks, a mountain or two and a mine. Jake will be co-leading and Stephanie will most definitely be assisting the digital darkroom sessions. The price is $1195 which includes instruction only and is limited to 6 participants. Give the office a call at 760.924.8632 if you want to make fantastic photos in rarefied air!

Another of the Great Gifts of Photography & PSW

So there I am, standing outside of the Precon room acting silly and saying hi to folks in the hallway. PSW has such a charged atmosphere that you can’t help but be affected by it. I was there with folks from NAPP being our usually goofy selves when a gentleman was brought up to me for introductions. Matt said, “This is Ali!” I think I had a confused look on my face when Matt said, “The guy on Scott’s blog this morning.” For those who don’t remember the story, in brief, he was granted a visa to come to the states from Iran (that’s right, Iran!) because he said he was going to Photoshop World! Now how cool and amazing is that! Well, I was very fortunate to shoot with Ali and get to know him the rest of that day and during the conference. I feel very fortunate that I can now say I have a friend and know a talented photographer in Iran. Photography, it’s a small world! He’s gotta purty cool website, check it and his work out here.

PSW Orlando '10

Photoshop World was just fantastic! The creative folks at NAPP have posted their recap video which you should watch. What you have here are just a bunch of clicks I made with the D3s, 24f1.4 or 50f1.4AFS. It was a great Photoshop World, one helluva a good time!

Simple Click – Shadows & food

As normal, with the time on my hands, I chased the light

Adorama & The Big Apple!

Here's Research I Can Get Behind!

Of course, I just thought it was an old age thing, glad to see it’s not. One thing wildlife photography affords is a nap in the warm sun in the middle of the day. Now, there’s a good reason for it. Check out the reason here!

Wayne Lynch – a Moose's Hero

I first meet Wayne in 2000 at Disney World, the perfect place to meet this crazy Canadian when we were both instructors at the Disney Institute. I instantly feel in love with his wife his photography, its message, his sense of humor and mission. You search this site, you’ll find at least a half a dozen posts for Wayne’s books which are spectacular (though his poop book is killer) and further proof what a fan of his I am. If there is ever a photographer I want to be when I grow up, it would be Wayne. This is a photographer YOU should know. He truly is, one of my heroes!

Check out a small Gallery here, then go to his site (link bottom of the page) and get to know this great photographer and person and then buy his books. You won’t be sorry!

Wolfers, the next Nat'l G is for you?

While I’m not really a big fan of the title, the March issue of Nat’l G has a piece on the wolves of the Yellowstone ecosystem (there’s a gallery at the link). I truly hope folks read the piece and just don’t skim the photos. There’s more to the story then just picking sides.

DLWS 2011 – What's Up?

Folks have noticed that our 2010 schedule is just about full, we have a couple of openings for Bozeman (and 2 for Santa Fe from recent cancellation) and that’s it for this year. And, there is nothing up for 2011. At least not on the website. So, what gives with DLWS, the hottest workshop series on the planet?

DLWS 2011 is most definitely happening and in a bigger and better way, but not bigger like you might think. We’ve cut the maximum group size down to 20max and the number of events to only five. At the same time we’ve increased the learning, fun, locations and expense (NAPP folks still receive the 5% discount of course!). All new Sunday line up, Landscape live demos, and our own lovely Ms. Stephanie teaching PS (you’ve probably seen her on PSUserTV). And we’re signing up folks by special invitation only which is why you’ve not seen anything on the website. Our first event in Yosemite next winter is just about full and we’re about to send out invitations for our HI event. How do you get a special invite?

You’ll have to drop Stephanie an email (and an email just saying “please add me to the list” isn’t going to get you added to the list). Then, once she’s satisfied that you’re crazy and big hearted enough to join us, you’ll get the invite and be on the list for future events. We’ve taken all the great stuff about DLWS and raised the bar a couple of notches to create what we think will be just a killer event. Hope you can join us in 2011!

A Presentation YOU Can't Miss!

My dear friend and Moose Hero Tim Paine will be presenting at TWI this fall and you’re invited! Tim is an amazing shooter and his photography don’t suck either. I’m not a creepy crawly shooter myself but sure can appreciate someone who is. Time just take these photos, he lives his photos. Here’s an expert from the write up for his presentation

Tim Paine has traveled extensively throughout the Neotropics, logging countless hours photographing the herpetofauna of Central and South America. He always has an amazing array of images to share and a unique perspective regarding conservation the and the lands from which these species hail. More about Tim (and samples of his photographic skills) can be viewed here… and also can be seen on the covers of TWI’s Leaf Litter Magazine (issues 1.1, 2.1, 3.1).

Another good friend and Moose Hero, Joel Sartore is incredibly active getting the world out. Check out this video from his project.

A Thousand Species from Joel Sartore.

Joel has a very busy speaking schedule, his next big event in in Washington DC at Nat’l G, here’s the info for that presentation. You can’t find better examples of photographers not only pursing their craft while at the same time getting the word out about our natural heritage then these guys. Do yourself a favor, I know you’re have a great time and be inspired, GO to these events!

What's the Best Investment?

We’ve got a great accountant, had the same crazy guy since day one of our business, literally, since day one. I remember going into his office for the first time (and actually the only time) 29 years ago like it was yesterday. I was scared to death, how much this was all going to cost me just kept running through my mind as with lightning speed he tapped the keys of the adding machine (big box, bunch of buttons with paper that streamed out the backside), making this noise that just sounded like money being sucked out of my wallet. He looked at the figures I scrolled down on his form; he looked up at me, and then back down at the figures and hit those damn keys again. I sat there for about ten minutes as my meager paycheck went off to pay taxes.

He got down to the box containing the dollar amount for all the gear purchased that year when he stopped and looked up at me and said, “That’s All?!” “I’m just starting out…I don’t have any money to spend…I’m only 21, I can only do so much.” He sat there and looked at me, which by the way, a stare that was very unsettling. Then after a moment he said, “Is this your business plan, excuses why you can’t do something?” I wasn’t sure how to take that, I felt like crying. Then I built up enough courage to say, “But I simply don’t have the money, what am I to do?”

John sat there for a moment contemplating, what we now have to expect from him, that wise, fatherly advice which is why we’ve counted on him all these years, that has always steered us so well. “Well, if you don’t invest in yourself, who in the hell ever will?” “If you don’t get off your butt and make things happen, how will anything ever happen, you think it’s just going to walk into the door and get handed to you?” “The best investment you can ever make is in yourself, whether it’s education, equipment or both. The door has been opened and now you must walk through it!”

What door had been opened? At that moment in time, I couldn’t see it. Yeah, I had my first image published in Audubon and I had a couple, just a couple of clicks under my belt but looking back at it now, it’s easy to see what that door had been. That wasn’t the case then.

It’s amazing how such little things in life can have such out reaching ripples. The new TC-20e3 for example, a piece of insignificant gear I figured would barely warrant a blog mention. Yet, this little piece of gear seems to be incredibly important to many, for the simple financial reason it gives them the reach they think they need (to repeat, think they need) to get into the game of wildlife photography. When John gave me those great words of wisdom was just after I had just purchased the Nikkor 400f5.6 EDIF lens, the longest lens I had owned for the next four years. I bought it used and wore off the coating shooting with it. There are images in my upcoming book taken with that lens, there are images in our files shot with that lens that still garnish a good payday to this day. That lens taught me tons, much of what I share with you to this day.



When it comes to listing the offenders buying new gear when it first comes out, my name has to be in the top five, seriously. If there is even the slightest possibility it will solve a problem, bam, it’s on my desk the next day (yeah, the 24f1.4 is on that list). And while I make that financial investment in my gear and John still makes sure I stay in the black doing so, he also pushes the bigger investment and that’s in myself. I’m so proud that I can say I don’t have all the answers, that every day is a new opportunity to learn something new and in doing so making that investment that will pay big dividends someday down the road.

I take 270 pages (and growing daily) to spell this out in the book, but here it is in a real nutshell. Biological knowledge is worth at minimum 200mm in focal length. That $600 you’d spend on that TC-20e3 if invested instead into four solid weekends of shooting would more than pay for itself with images that are not just better, but subjects that are larger in the frame because you’ve learned how to get closer physically. I put in four years with the 400mm and the lessons it taught me I use to this day, every day and what got me to this point in my career. It takes gear to make the images, but it takes the person behind the gear driving through to make it sing and produce. And that’s the door that was opened for me within that first meeting with John. It’s all up to you, not your gear, to make the opportunity happen and make the image come to life.



With that knowledge, am I giving up my 600mm? I don’t think so. But rather, I feel even more pressure to make the most of that opportunity life has provided me. I was told by the very first editor who bought my image a piece of wisdom I still hold close. “You’re only as good as the last image you took.” That means there is always, always room for improvement. And coming back to that very important piece of business advice John gave me so many years ago made all that more relevant. The best investment is in yourself!

Simple Click – Movin' Through

This movie requires Flash Player 9

The gift of the Sierra, photographable weather!

Photo captured by D3s, 28f1.4AF on Lexar UDMA digital film

« Previous Page — Next Page »