One thousand feet above the Colorado River-twelve inches from disaster.

It has been an interesting year here in the Brandt household. So you haven't heard much from me lately. Forgive me for that and allow me to tell you a story from this week.

If you didn't know, I had broken a bone in my foot two months ago. This past Monday I finally got the immobilization boot off. You should know what that means, my hiking boots went on. My foot still hurts but it is a little better. I got lucky, as I often do, and had to travel to Page Arizona for my day job. One of my favorite places in the state is there, Horseshoe Bend. Horseshoe Bend is a 270 degree bend in the Colorado River that you can only see from above. One thousand feet above. On the sandstone cliffs. It's pretty, very pretty. And dramatic. The sandstone cliffs change color with the time of day and the season. What better place could there possibly be to stretch out my healing foot.

My friend, Daniel, and I arrived in Page just in time to watch the storms surround the city. But it was sunny where we were so we headed out to Horseshoe Bend. During the three quarter mile hike from the parking area Daniel explained to me how much he hated heights. I told him the story of other people that I had brought here that couldn't reach the edge. I also told him of my own first visit when I was so determined to get the photo that I had to crawl to the edge and take the photo from my belly. I've been there so many times now that the heights don't bother me. I just walk right up to the edge. Today it was more like I hobbled up to the edge.

I found a spot that I thought might be slightly different than I've ever taken photos from before. I hobbled right out to the edge and set up my tripod. It was beautiful. Daniel took this photo of me on the edge.

As I was composing my photo a lady and her daughter mentioned that I might have lost my mind being so far out on the edge. I half turned and spoke with them for a few minutes before returning to my passion. I took a series of photos to capture as much information as I possibly could. I became aware of the wind increasing in speed. It was coming from behind me so I was a little concerned about it pushing my camera over the edge. I continued taking my photos while holding down the tripod with increasing force. The wind was getting strong.

I finished capturing what I wanted, stood up, picked up the tripod and folded legs together. The next gush of wind hit me with more force than ever. I suddenly realized that not only had I been holding the tripod down, but the tripod had been keeping me steady as well. My original plan had been to step back with my right foot but I couldn't get my left foot to summon the strength to push me backwards. I pushed the tripod legs back into the rock to keep me steady. I couldn't swivel in either direction without feeling like the wind would push me over. I looked down at the river 1,000 feet below and the panic set in. Pure terror suddenly touched my every fiber.

In what seemed like an hour, but was probably seconds, I looked for a ledge to jump to, considered sitting down, thought of casting aside my beloved camera while I jumped backwards while spinning wildly to look for my landing zone. I was too scared to move. I couldn't even turn my head away from the ledge. I needed to know where it was. I couldn't see any way off of this ledge that didn't include down. Down meant a very bad ending.

I thought to myself "I'm not going to make it off of this ledge!"

I'm not going to make it off of this ledge. That was the thought that made me realize that I had to take control. I had to stop the panic from being in control. All I needed was one step backwards. And the sooner the better. I wasn't sure how long I could control the terror. Looking right I saw Daniel standing a little bit away from me. I called out to him. He must have seen it in my eyes because I don't remember making much of a motion but he came.

"Do you need to hand me something?" he asked. "ME!" I replied.

Without hesitation, and with complete disregard for his own personal safety or dignity, Daniel crawled out on the ledge where I was standing and reached out his hand to me. I only remember quickly reaching back and grabbing his hand, pulling myself towards him and that one step I needed to feel safe again. We both quickly retreated from the ledge and smiled at the safety of something wider than a 12 inch ledge.

The adrenalin coursed through my body for a while but I knew that I would learn from this. Isn't that how we continue living? I'll go back when I get the chance. And yes, I will go right to the edge.  I will make sure I have two good feet next time. I will also watch the wind and mind it more than ever.

But you know I will go again. I have to be on the edge to get photos of views like this.

Here is Daniel after he saved me. Suspiciously close to the edge. I wonder if he gained some confidence.

Next stop is the Grand Canyon. I hope my foot has recovered enough that I feel comfortable close to the edge. You can be sure I will be careful though.

Looking back at 2013. What a year!

1/5/2014: I began this just before Christmas. The season was so busy that I wasn't able to finish it until this morning. It is still relevant, at least it is to me.

I was looking through my photos from 2013 the other day. I was looking for something in particular. I ended up reliving the year. I never found what I was looking for. But I did spend a lot of time reflecting on the past.

I am often amused when I get together with people that have known each other for a very long time. Eventually they will start to tell stories from the old days. If I have known them long enough I will have heard the stories before. Most of them more than I wanted to. I am reminded of this today because we are preparing to get together with my wife's family to celebrate Christmas. We see them very often through the year so it's not unusual for us to get together. Because of the holiday we will spend just a little more time together than is usual. And I will hear the same stories that I hear several times a year. We will laugh like we always do. I will love every second of it.

I tell you that because it is odd to me. I don't spend a lot of time looking back at the past. It's not that I don't have a reason to. I feel like I have had a wonderful life. Sure there have been some tough times. But I have had a lot more good times than bad. At least that's the way I remember it. 2013 was full of both good and bad. But as I was looking through my photos from the year I was thinking of all of the good days.

January took me from Tucson to San Fransisco and out to the east coast. Each with good friends and memories. No epic photos. But I did buy that Pelican case that I wanted for travel. It was a great way to start the year.

February was a stay at home month. Much needed after the hectic January. I did talk my family into taking a walk around Tempe Town Lake one night this month. I loved the water in this photo of Mill Avenue Bridge.

March brought a friend into town. I always enjoy his visits and I look forward to this coming year when he gets here again. We made a trip up to Antelope Canyon where I captured the first great photo of the year. I have been through the canyon several times. I often come home with the same photos. This year I came out with something different and special.

April was mostly at home again. But a short trip to Show Low along with Google Maps took me out to a little lake for sunset. I learned a lesson about sunsets this trip. When you think it is over, wait. I had packed up my camera and headed back to the car when the sky exploded into pink. I ran back to the lake to capture this.

May was wildly exciting as my wife and I went to Colorado for a friends retirement party. My friend was retiring after over 20 years in the Army and he and his sister hosted a fantastic weekend in a lodge that looked across the valley at Pikes Peak. It was a fantastic time and I had the chance to see the Garden of the Gods at sunrise. A classic view but uplifting either way.

Here is a look at the table in the lodge. All set for a feast. And it was a feast.

June took me back to the Boston area and another chance to see my good friend up there. Once again we tried to get a decent photo outing. Even though we have bad weather he took me to his favorite beach where I captured this house in the rain. And we had a great dinner at Woodman's. The original fried clams. I can't wait to go back.

June also brought our family vacation to Disney World. Along with having a vacation of a lifetime with the people I love, I was able to see some very old friends from my Army days, and an old photography friend. It was a special week all together. And to prove that sometimes you just get lucky in photography. I got lost one night and ended up in a place I shouldn't have been during the fireworks. But I got this out of it. Lucky.

July brought a fireworks display to my neighborhood that was amazing. I was able to view the entire show from the comfort of my deck. And the photos were plentiful and colorful. But the best photo of the month came during an attempt another friend and I made to summit Mt Humphreys in Flagstaff. Just above the tree line the storm let loose with lightening. We had to turn back, and we were soaked. But it was a great time and I proved that my camera is very water resistant. I also captured this photo.

One day in August my friend from Colorado called me and said he was thinking about a road trip to Arizona. A quick call to my boss and wife (I am sure the order was different) and I was taking a photography trip up north. A great journey through the desert southwest. Including Monument Valley. So many beautiful photos were taken that it is hard to choose a favorite from the month. This photo of Tom on the outcropping 1,000 feet above the Colorado River has to be one of my favorites.

September brought homecoming. My chances to take photos of Sarah and her friends are coming to an end. I've been taking their photos together since the 7th grade. When they graduate this coming year they will scatter to different states for school. One to Indiana, one here in Arizona. I already miss having them around. They've grown into wonderful young ladies.

October sees me recovering from Mohs Surgery on my nose. A little cancer that's removed, completely. It will make me change a few things in my life. Probably too late. But maybe I can prevent further damage. The whole thing shook me a little. I've been told that it's a natural reaction. I stayed very busy at work. And I kept my nose off of the camera. The only photos were of my face but I will spare you from those today. I can share this with you though. Both my nose and my psyche are healing nicely. I actually put my face into the sun the other day and smiled. A warm smile indeed.

In November I joined the Desert Botanical Gardens and I experimented with star trails. But my favorite part of the month was decorating the house for Christmas. I really don't enjoy the work. But Janice loves it. And we were able to combine years worth of lighting ideas with a new idea to get a beautiful display. It's been up for a month but we still love looking at it. I will have to come up with a new idea for next year. I feel the pressure already.

December took me back to California. This time to the coast itself. Pismo beach. Living in the desert it was hard not to stare at the beauty of the ocean. Great sunsets every night. But The holidays were looming and I felt the rush to get back home.

 When I started this I meant it as a look back at some of my best photos of the year. Somehow it ended up being photos surrounding my favorite memories of the year. Tomorrow starts the first full work week of the year. It's time to start looking forward again. My first trip of the year is scheduled for the week after next. I am excited about the trip and the upcoming year. I hope every one of you has a fantastic year. Thank you for taking the journey through last year with me.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

As it often does, my day job required me to go out of town again this week. As I always do, I tried to make time in my travels for a photo or two. I was staying in Gallup, New Mexico and working in Ft. Defiance, Arizona. My goal was to get back up to Canyon De Chelly for sunset. I ended up leaving Phoenix too late to get there so I decided to play it all by ear.

When I drive north out of Phoenix I always keep my eyes out for Mt. Humphrys. You can usually begin to see it well south of Flagstaff. Tuesday was no exception. The skies were blue and the mountain was white. I knew exactly what I wanted. The drawback, I saw the clouds moving in from the west. I needed to reach my spot before the clouds hit the mountain. As I got closer to Flagstaff I could see the snow being blown from the top of the mountain. The wind was pushing my Jeep all over the road. But my sense of urgency was growing. I really wanted this shot.

When I finally got to my meadow. If you are a regular reader/viewer then you know the one I mean. You have seen it at different seasons this year. Anyway, when I got there, stopped and opened my car door it was almost ripped from my hand. Winds gusts over 50 miles per hour. And cold! Very cold! Oh! And the meadow was covered with snow. Bonus shot. I opened the back door much more carefully and put on my heavy winter jacket. (Yes I do own a heavy winter jacket. That is a long story for another day.) Changed into my hiking boots. Made a quick decision about lens choice and tripod. And took off running across the snow covered meadow.

I could hear the laughter from the tourists who had stopped at the same point in the road as I had stopped. I could only imagine what I must have looked like to them. A man running in 18 inches of snow, against the wind, wearing a big sail, all while trying to attach my camera to the tripod. Tip: It's very important to remember to look up every once in a while in this situation. There are trees scattered around this meadow.

After everything, I managed to get exactly what I wanted. Plus so much more. This effort was going to be a big win.

The wind blowing the snow off the mountain and creating that cloud was beautiful. I did have to firmly hold the tripod in place. Although keeping from being blown away by the wind was a constant battle. After I had the shot that I wanted I started to play around with things like jacket zippers and boot laces. All the while wondering why my hat was still in the car.

And the wind kept the cloud on top of the mountain interesting.

I really wanted to stay and watch this develop more. But as I have mentioned I have a day job and I needed to get to it. So I got back on the highway and drove east. There isn't a lot to see between Flagstaff and west Tennessee on Interstate 40. But one of the things you really have to see is the Painted Desert. I took a few minutes and explored a spot I hadn't seen before. I found this old trail leading into the desert. I believe the sign said the trail was closed for repairs. The sign also needed repairs so it was difficult to read. I decided that if you can't read the warning that it must not be too terrible, so I went down it, just a little.

On the way home from Gallup yesterday I drove through freezing rain, a blizzard and the most beautiful fog. I watched a spot for about 20 miles looking for a place to exit the highway and head south. The fog kept getting more thick but I wanted this photo bad enough that I took the exit and turned down a dirt road. The road looked more like an unimproved driveway but I was determined. Through slushy mud and snow I continued closer to the rock formation I could no longer see. I finally grabbed my camera and tripod and ran out into a field. Too late! The fog had covered the rocks. All I managed to capture was a lot of mud, both outside and inside of my new car. A big lose. But the Jeep is now broke in.

Star trails. A quick guide.

First let me say this is a quick guide. There are too many variables to to try and tell you a technique that will work every time. And I really only know Nikon's newest cameras. So my knowledge base is limited, as is my experience with star trails.

Second: If you are of the mindset that you should try to never edit photos, and you are not willing to try, don't even think about doing this. There is a whole lot of editing going on here. Hours of editing and waiting for your computer to process your commands. Unless you have access to a super computer. If you do please call me.

Okay, I started trying star trails several years ago. It was good practice but I was missing something. I recently figured out what was missing. A good foreground. Time spent searching out the perfect foreground will make your photo "POP". Your foreground should be out away from the city with a view to the north if you live in the northern hemisphere. Carry a compass with you to help.

Now that you have your foreground selected clean your lenses and charge your batteries. Seriously, charge them again just before you leave. This is going to take a lot of battery. Now check your memory cards. You need room for about 400 photos. Check again that you put those recently charged batteries back in your camera. Are you ready to go?

Not yet. Unless you own the land and know that no one will be around to permanently borrow your camera remember that you will be out there for a long time. Pack something to eat, plenty to drink and appropriate clothes. I live n the desert. It gets cool at night in the summer. In November it gets seriously cold at night. Flashlights with extra batteries. A chair. And if you plan to sleep an alarm clock. Don't forget your tripod. Are you ready now?

Maybe! What phase is the moon in? You want a New Moon. A brightly lit sky will make it difficult to get the star detail you want. And the moon is very bright. You've got a New Moon? Now we are ready.

Leave early and get set up long before sunset. You should take this opportunity to check your composition. Make sure the edges of the frame are clean. Listen for cars. Is there a road you didn't see before? You won't want the cars headlights in your photo once it gets dark. Once you're ready it's time to wait/ When the sun sets you can use a flash to take a photo of your foreground. The goal is to light just what you want to be seen with the stars. You can use a light painting technique if a flash won't work. Once you're happy with the foreground we wait again.

Do yourself a favor, wait. Somewhere around around two to two and half hours after sunset is the best time to start. The sky is still light until then. Now find the technique that you plan to use. Your aperture should be open, wide open. A 30 second exposure and select the ISO you need to get good stars in the photo. Once you have it set put your lens cap back on and take three photos of the dark with the technique you plan to use. You will use these later to help clean up noise.

Take the lens cap back off and get ready to take a lot of photos. I like three hours worth. That is 360, 30 second exposures. On some cameras there is a built intervalometer. Nikon's system is a little strange. Not intuitive at all. But if you set it up right it will work fine. I set mine to start "Now", the interval is 33 seconds, 360 exposures with 1 at each interval. For some reason the 33 second interval is the key to keeping this thing working perfectly. I'm sure you could use 34, but not 32. What you should hear is the shutter closing and then immediately opening again.

Now you wait again. Are you sensing a theme here? There is a lot of waiting. I set up two cameras last night. I listened to both of them. Close and open, close and open. It was better than thinking about the killer javelina stalking me. Or the large wild cat that kept walking around the river's edge. Don't judge me, it gets lonely out there.

Once the shutter closes for the last time you are all set. Pack up and get out of there. If you were smart you were packing during the last hour of exposures. Running as gracefully as you can get back to your car and lock the doors. You never know when javelina will develop oppose-able thumbs.

Once back home you can relax and start downloading the images onto your computer. I use Lightroom to edit one photo then I can apply that editing to all of the others. Then I convert them all to jpeg. There are several different programs you can use to stack all of the images together. I recently used StarStax. It worked well and is freeware. It allowed me to use those dark photos to cancel out the noise a long exposure creates. Then one more pass on the stacked image to fine tune the final product. The editing process is personal preferences. Play with it, a lot. You will learn to get it the way you meant for it to look when you started. You may even find a new style a long the way.

I can help with more specifics if you ask. And if you happen to live in, or be passing through the Valley of the Sun I will even go out with you to help you through it. Just let me know.

Star trails are usually done somewhere beautiful. Like the landscapes I love so much I find it relaxing to be out there where the beauty is.

Desert photography at night. A new adventure in survival.

I made the decision late this past week that I couldn't take it any more. The weather here in Arizona is perfect for hiking, and my new Jeep was looking for adventure. So I decided to try something new. So here is my adventure. With a few hints and tips along the way. I will not, however, be going into a long explanation of how to's. Google it, there are hundreds of how to's out there.

I was excited and impatient so I left too early to get out to the lake. I was really looking for something in particular. I didn't get that. But I am keeping it a secret for another day. I saw some people hiking in an area that looked promising to me so I parked and took a scout hike back into the desert looking for something interesting. I found this beautiful old cottonwood tree that I just couldn't pass up so I went back to my car and loaded up.

I had my backpack with cameras, lenses, two flashlights (yes, two) spare batteries and a tripod. A cooler with enough food to last three days, another tripod and a camp chair. I was really happy that the spot I selected was less than 1,000 yards from the road.

I used my trusty compass and set up my cameras. You really want to set your composition in the daylight. Set the focus to infinity. Then wait for sunset. I was a little early. I was setup by 4:00. Sunset was at 5:30.....

I was set up in a dry river bed. I do not recommend this. Most river beds in Arizona are dry at some point in time. And there was ample evidence of water rushing through this one, recently. I took a chance but I was also informed. No chance of rain anywhere in Arizona. And it hadn't rained for a few days. If you are not familiar with Arizona, stay out of the washes and river beds. Even if it doesn't look like rain.

An hour after sunset I used my flash to get a decent photo of the giant tree in front of me. My plan, use the tree for a foreground in a massive star trails photo.

Then I programmed my camera to take 360 30 second exposures. Hit start and wait. That's three hours worth of photos. About 30 minutes into this I wondered if two hours would be enough. I had forgotten my ear phones. It was just me, my very observant hearing, my imaginative thoughts and the noises of the desert night.

I heard the wild donkeys running though the desert. Peccary snorting close by. Coyotes calling each other in the distance. I swear I heard a very large feline stalking me. Maybe 30 minutes is enough! Wait! What was that?

The best meteor that I can ever remember seeing streaked across the sky. I could actually see the fire. It was incredible.

I decided to eat everything that was left very quickly. Hoping to keep the predators away. Then I realized that left only me as a potential meal. That's 45 minutes down. Only 135 more to go....patience.


Star trails done properly is a true labor of love. As I write this my computer is processing 360 photos that I will blend into the images that you will see here. This is pass two for these images. I wasn't completely happy with pass one so I am trying again. 360 photos took 3 hours just to take. Then there is the time scouting and setting up. And did I mention processing? When it is complete though, it is well worth it.

I hadn't been out with my camera seriously for about a month. That is harder to do than you might think. I relearn why I love it so much every time I go out with my camera. Especially when I get to a place like where I was last night.

Adventures in Canyon De Chelley

I talk a lot about my day job. One of the reasons is that I am proud of what I do. Another reason is that my day job takes me to some wonderfully beautiful places. Being a landscape photographer, that makes it doubly rewarding. A couple of weeks ago I was asked to go Ft. Defiance, Arizona for a particularly difficult job. Of course my camera goes everywhere with me. I expected to be done Thursday night which would give me Friday as a travel and photo day. So during my evenings in the hotel room I used Google Earth to look for a place to go. Canyon De Chelley called my name.

Canyon De Chelley is a National Monument that resides in the Navajo Nation. The National Park Service and the Navajo Nation work together to manage the canyon. People have lived in the canyon for 5,000 years. I can certainly understand why.

I typically get out of bed early but this particular morning I was awake at 2:45 AM. Too excited to sleep I got up and headed toward the canyon. The 90 minute drive gave me even more reason for excitement as I watched a fantastic thunderstorm just to the north of me. The storm appeared right where I imagined the canyon to be. Wet roads closer to the canyon confirmed that the storm had been there. The speed limit was tough to maintain. When I finally reached the park entrance I had to further maintain my patience as I had chosen the last overlook as the location for my sunrise shoot. And based on the lightning it was the right place for the storm as well.

There are 7 overlooks on the south rim of the canyon. The last one is the Spider Rock overlook. When I reached the parking lot I could still see the lightning to the east, but I also saw the moon shining bright. I jumped out of the car prepared to run down the path I had seen. The cold air of the morning shocked me. My desert dweller uniform of shorts and a t-shirt wasn't going to cut it this morning. Searching through my sparsely packed suitcase I quickly put a polo shirt over my t-shirt, stripped off my shorts and threw on a pair of khakis. Then down the path I ran.

If you've never tried to mount a camera to a tripod, in the dark, while shivering violently, then you may not have a point of reference here. But I imagined crowds laughing, full belly laughs, if they were only fortunate enough to see this spectacle. I'm pretty sure the laughing I did hear was only my own. It got pretty quiet when I finally had everything set up properly. But the quiet didn't come until long after I had found myself laughing maniacally while shivering in dark. Trying to put everything together. Photos of the canyon seemed impossible for what seemed liked forever at the time. Looking back it was probably only 30 seconds.

Mentally timing the lightning I decided I wanted an exposure in the 10 to 15 second range. The moon was bright enough to make it possible to get the storm, which by this point was fairly small to the east, and the canyon. Making a couple of adjustments to the exposure and composition this is the result.

The storm moved off as the sun continued to rise. So the great color I had been hoping for never materialized. I took quite a few exposures hoping for better lightning but it was really too far away by the time I reached the park. So now I was looking for light. I grabbed my things and went to the end of the path so I could see the canyon in both directions.

The sun light started streaming into the canyon as I made my way to the end of the cliffs. The light from the sunrise on orange rocks is never disappointing. So I set up on the edge and waited for the light. I'm not sure how my wife knows when I am standing on the edge of a cliff but she always does. With my eye to the viewfinder and my mind concentrating on balance, the stillness is shattered by my ringing phone. I have spent hours training for just this scenario and I know exactly what to do. Unfortunately the lack of sleep and the numbing cold have dulled my senses and slowed my normal cat-like reflexes. So I step toward the edge, one hand reaching for the tripod and one for the phone. My 3 Legged Thing tripod suddenly has 5 legs and I can't figure out which ones belong to me. All 5 of them are leaning the wrong way. Why am I in tennis shoes instead of boots I wonder as my feet slide around the rocks. I can hear the phone echoing from the distant canyon walls and I am sure that all 40 Navajo families living in the canyon are now fully awake. Luckily, gravity temporarily released it's hold on me and I was able to stumble up the rocks while maintaining a bear hug on the tripod.

After a quick good morning to my wife I carefully went back to the edge to chase the light. Looking away from Spider Rock I caught this scene.

A glance back toward Spider Rock gave this.

Once the sun was high enough to change the light I thought I might stop at a few of the other overlooks on my way out of the park. As I got to my last stop I realized that my activities during the sunrise had warmed sufficiently to switch back into my shorts. A quick look around assured me I was still alone. As I pulled on my shorts in the parking lot another car arrived. A man and his two kids got out and started speaking to the lady sitting by the path selling her art.

Wait! What lady?

I surely didn't see her there. And I don't know what she saw. But she didn't strike up a conversation as I walked past her. I wandered around on the rocks for a while then found this quiet place to relax and enjoy the view. In the top center of this photo you can just make out one of the cliff dwellings from the ancient ones that lived here 800 years ago.

Overall a pretty decent morning. I usually like to scout a place before attempting a sunrise shoot. But I have found that Google Earth really does a good job if you can't be there in person. I really look forward to my next trip in this area. For now I am spending a little time at home with my family. I think they are happy to see me.

Oh yeah! On my next trip. I hope to leave the phone in the car.

The big letdown.

I love landscape photography. I know, it's difficult in today's world to take a photo that someone else hasn't already taken. And make it look different, or maybe even better. I'm okay with that. I will continue to try and improve my own techniques and style. It is twice as difficult when you live in an area like where I live. A suburb of a major metropolitan area, in a desert. Especially when desert landscapes don't interest me that much. At least not all of them.

A friend of mine came into town last weekend. We took a dream trip up to northern Arizona and part of southern Utah. It was mostly desert. But it was desert that every landscape photographer dreams of. I took a hundred good photos, a few bad ones and a few great ones. The trip was awesome.

There were four days of shooting and traveling. And there were four days of good company with someone that loves the camera as much as I do. I've been taking my time developing the photos since I came home. I think it is because I want them to last. I also haven't cleaned the red dirt off of my camera, lenses or any of the other equipment that went with me. In fact, I haven't even opened up my camera case. Why should I? I am home. And I am feeling the big letdown.

I love my home. Our house is safe and comfortable. It is cool in the summer. The people I love the most are here and I enjoy being with them. But it is uninteresting to my camera lens. I doubt there will be any fine art photography happening here in my family room. So I am already planning my next trip. I feel the need to go again. I feel it after every great photography trip. I suspect it will always be this way.

So today I will open up the case. Clean everything, charge the batteries and put it all back together again. The whole time I will be dreaming of the great landscapes out there. Later this evening I will do a little cyber scouting. A week from tomorrow I have to be in Show Low, Arizona early in the morning for my day job. That means a Sunday travel day. Maybe a sunset at the lake I know up there. Or a hike in a canyon.

Whatever I decide to do it will feel wonderful. A break from the routine in a beautiful area. My viewfinder to my eye. How lucky am I to have a day job that takes me on these wonderful adventures? I will do my best to make it wonderful, for I know when I get home I will feel it again.

I have been developing some ideas of getting out of that funk a little more quickly. When I work out the small details I let you all know. In the mean time tell me what you feel when a photo shoot ends. Or a trip that you've loved. How do you keep the camera interested in things that are there every day?