2024 Photography Rewind

Here we are only days away from the end of 2024 as I type this out. It would be odd to not have the bounds of time like the start and end of a year to personally reflect on what has taken place and look ahead at what is to come. Whether life brought about changes big or small, moving forward or backward, these are the moments to pause and reflect on them.

2024 was the first full year completely immersed in the photography workshop and tour business since 2013, and back then it was only a part time gig for me. Since stepping away from the corporate life in 2022 I was working through a transition the last two years with my good friend David Cobb as I took over his Best of the Northwest photography business. So how did it go? I am glad you asked.

Overall I am happy with the direction everything is going regardless of what context you look at be it job satisfaction, work life balance, or financial. I realize not everyone has the ability or motivation to make such a dramatic career change during their peak working years. It's not for everyone. I could have waited another decade or more and taken on photography full-time in "retirement" but the timing appeared to be right not waiting it out. We never know what the future will bring, waiting could have brought no chance for an opportunity like this down the road. Life is a never ending game of coming to a fork(s) in the road, choosing which way to go, and not dwelling on what coulda, shoulda, or woulda been if we decided something else. Of course this is easier said than done for decisions more significant than simply deciding what's for dinner.

I consider it a privilege to share places, experiences, and knowledge with others for each person to create their own memories and photos. Most of my time in 2024 unshockingly was in the Pacific Northwest in locations including the Bandon area, North Oregon Coast, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument (aka The Painted Hills), and two different workshops in the Columbia River Gorge. Further from home was a tour driving over 2,500 miles through Wyoming, Kansas, and Nebraska including my first time witnessing a true storm cell and wow was that an experience. Driving my daughter to college, or visiting her, resulted in a couple detours on the way home to scout for future workshops. Then as the year was starting to wind down I headed south to Escalante with my friend Eric Bennett to scout for the Colors of Escalante workshop which I am excited to lead in 2025. That was quickly followed by our annual Photo Cascadia meetup that took the crew all the way down to the Eastern Sierra range staying in a Airbnb with splendid views at the low elevation of 8,400 feet. I am not sure there is any house in Oregon or Washington that is built at this elevation so it was definitely new for me.

One non-photo trip had me heading out of the country. I had visited my father in the states in late 2023 and while he wasn't doing great I didn't realize at the time that would be the last time I would see him. His health unfortunately declined rapidly after returning to Italy and he passed away in early 2024. Me and my siblings headed to Italy. Even though it wasn't for fun, it was very much needed as part of the whole process. We spent days going through his belongings which included a lot of reminiscing of our childhood, along with taking breaks to get out enjoy some wonderful sights thanks to our tour guide, my father's long time partner. I brought my camera with an ultra light travel tripod and a couple lenses, and took a few photos of some cool places we got a chance to visit.

There was one workshop notably missing from above. That is the Sawtooth workshop I had planned based out of Stanley, Idaho. Not surprising to the participants at the time, I made the hard decision to cancel based on a very active and unfortunate wildfire season the Sawtooth Wilderness and National Recreation area experienced. Beyond the devastation to the forest, I feel for the businesses that experienced loss of business. For me it's a loss but not catastrophic because I can take my business elsewhere. A business planted in a specific location doesn't have that luxury. I hope the forest, and businesses, make a full recovery. Thank you to all the personnel that helped manage and fight these, and all wildfires across the country this year!

One very unexpected surprise in 2024 was seeing the Northern Lights for my first time. I even spent the time and effort in 2020 to go for a couple nights outside of Fairbanks in winter only to see nothing. Even a long exposure with the camera showed no aurora. I got skunked. Yet, here it was a warm evening in May and I am watching them within an hour drive my house in Oregon wearing a t-shirt and sandals. I would have never guessed that. I have been meaning to write about that experience in it's own blog, which still may happen at some point. While I do have a few photos I like it was more about the experience than anything. It was a little like taking in the solar eclipse in 2017, mother nature put on a show that I will remember for the rest of my life.

What about New Years resolutions, do you believe in them? I say we can start and stop anything in our life on any given timeline... a different day, week, or month. I think it can be a fun exercise to see what sticks and doesn't but I don't actively seek out to make a list or etch in stone commitments every January 1. Many years ago I made one for getting in better shape with running. I started running on January 1 of that year and it was life changing. I ended up running for years after that including a half marathon. These personal commitments can be of value. On January 1, 2024 I had one goal to journal more. I did journal more than the prior years but still way less than I wanted. Most was focused on health journal updates that while important wasn't what I was envisioning. How about for 2025? I would like to share more photos, whether it be on my website, social, or both. This is an area I am just not great in. Not because I don't have photos I like, but because it's simply lower priority for me balancing out the business and personal life. Some people are eager to share everyday, that is simply not me most of the time. Let's see what 2025 brings. I am excited regardless!

Looking ahead into 2025 it will be a busy year. Of course that should go without saying since if I wasn't busy at least part of the year there wouldn't be much of a business. Right now it looks like about 10 workshops, tours, and conferences that I will be leading or participating in along with at least a couple other scouting trips for future workshops. This is all in the states, mostly the western states. I have always said I can spend a lifetime photographing just in the western United States and never get bored. That is still true yet I am excited to get out and explore other areas when opportunities arise. My trip to Italy this year was the first real international trip in about two decades and I don't plan to wait two more decades before doing that again. My wife and I are planning for a international family trip for summer 2025 that is completely different than pretty much any family trip we have done with our girls. Normally we do nature related or small town trips, this is the opposite. It should be a fun adventure!

Whatever 2024 looked like for you I hope at the very least you found some moments of happiness and success. Wishing you a healthy and satisfyingly 2025!