Nestled just outside the enchanting Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada lies a secret haven for adventurers and free spirits: the captivating landscape of Overton Ridge. While the park itself is a kaleidoscope of fiery red sandstone formations, this neighbouring area offer a serene escape with its own unique allure. Don’t miss the drone video at the bottom of this post! Just outside the park, we love to boondock on BLM land at either Snowbird Mesa or Poverty Flats. To the west of this area, Overton Ridge provides a breathtaking backdrop that seems to whisper tales of ancient times. The ridge ..read more

Picture this: you’ve embarked on the photo trip of a lifetime, armed with all your camera gear, ready to capture the beauty of a far away land. However, Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate, and instead of stormy clouds and fiery sunsets, you’re greeted with a bland white sky. Your precious photos now lack the visual punch they deserve. But fear not! In today’s tutorial, I’ll show you how to rescue those photos, infusing them with a burst of colour and drama. Whether you’re using Photoshop or Luminar, say goodbye to boring skies and hello to photos that truly reflect the magic of your journey. Int ..read more

Hey there, fellow leaf-chasers! Photographers’ favourite season is here – the enchanting days of fall. As the leaves begin their transformation, it’s time to try some creative approaches to enhance your fall foliage photography and capture the vibrant essence of autumn. Get the Right Rain Cover for the Job (which might not be a rain cover) Let’s start with the perennial problem: rain covers. We need to protect our gear, but they can be a real pain. Here’s a quick solution for those of you with small cameras – snatch a shower cap from your next hotel stay and tuck it into your camera bag. The ..read more

Discovering Blind Channel: A Hidden Gem in British Columbia Imagine the awe and wonder that must have gripped early explorers as they stumbled upon Blind Channel, British Columbia, without the luxury of today’s navigational aids. Even modern mariners find themselves questioning their charts while searching for the narrow, tree-lined entrance to this tranquil haven – one that I stumbled upon while photographing Pacific White-Sided Dolphins in Johnstone Strait, many years ago. I was completely engrossed in photographing these magnificent creatures when it dawned on me – I might not have enou ..read more

The Maiden Voyage of Vestri The dream is finally here – I am back to boating in British Columbia! We purchased our new trawler, our new adventure home on the water, had a shake-down cruise to make sure everything was working as expected, and then embarked on a 10 day cruise to get the boat to Campbell River, BC, where we spend our summers in the RV. It’s not really that far. Perhaps 20 hours of running time in our slow boat. Many people would just do that non-stop and be there in a day. But there is so much to see along the way and I know tons of beautiful spots from all my years exploring ..read more

Things are happening again. Not that things stopped happening, I just didn’t have enough energy to care about them very much let alone write about them. The past 4.5 years since I got sick have been a challenging journey, both physically and mentally. But, at the beginning of this year, at exactly the 4 year mark, I decided that I am no longer sick. Although my recovery is ongoing, the fact that I no longer feel sick is a tremendous step forward. It’s time for me to seize life’s opportunities and rediscover my passion for marine wildlife photography. It’s time for a new boat! I am not really s ..read more

The Sonoran Desert in Southern Arizona has a special place in my heart. During our snowbird winters, my husband and I love to camp in the wilderness near Ajo on the Ajo Scenic Drive. In my latest video, “Sonoran Desert: Ajo’s Backcountry in Time and Motion,” I want to take you on a visual journey of this captivating landscape. Through drone footage, timelapse and still photography, and stacked star trail photography, I’ve captured the raw beauty of the Sonoran Desert. From the lush cactus to the stunning star-filled nights, and even a glimpse into a historic mine, you’ll get a feel for what ma ..read more

Drone Photography at the Salton Sea It’s been 10 years since I first started visiting the Salton Sea in California and there have been some big changes. Back in the day, the shore used to be bustling with pelicans, and I would spend hours taking photos of them as they headed north at sunset. Sadly, the tilapia that used to live in the sea can’t survive the high salt levels anymore, which means the pelicans have moved on too. However, there are still some small crustaceans that support a variety of smaller shorebirds. And while there are a lot fewer birds now, there are still a lot of interes ..read more

NFTs for Photographers: The Future of Digital Art and How to Get Started Welcome to the crazy wacky world of NFTs, the new digital art craze that is both the future of digital art and bubble just waiting to burst. I was so intrigued when I first heard about this that I got sucked in to hours and hours of watching videos and reading blog posts to try to understand what is going on and why. What I found is both a revolution for the digital art world and mind baffling amounts of money being spent on low-res drawings of cats!  CryptoKitties – it’s a game where people collect and breed virtu ..read more

Hope is a Pied-Billed Grebe Last night I told Ray that I thought I had run out of hope. It’s been over 2 years since I developed an auto-immune disease – one that is supposed to go away someday – and while I am every so slowly improving, it’s been a long haul.  So wasn’t I surprised this morning when I received my “poem of the day” – the first one I received since I signed up for it as a motivation to get out of bed in the morning. It is called “Hope is the thing with feathers” by Emily Dickinson. It made me think of all the time I have spent bird watching this past year. All those peac ..read more