I took Blaze up a logging road and climbed higher and higher until we got these stunning views of Sterling Mountain. The same 3,714 foot peak we see from our house. I got spun around on the way down and ended up somewhere else. I even lost Blaze for a while and then out of the corner of my eye, not 50 yards ahead, I spied a large gray wolf staring back at me — a moment of panic quickly dissolved into recognition. It was Blaze. Listening to Shawn Colvin’s album “Fat City” on the way home I suddenly realized why I had loved that album so much when it came out. The voice critics called “reedy” reminded me of Thea’s voice. And the lyrics reminded me of those long lost years together back in the 1980s, especially in Antigua. Something is stirring in me. I feel volume two is about ready to come pouring out of me this winter.

“Thumb Out” Book One of my memoir trilogy “The Spaces Between” is available now

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“Thumb Out” Book One of my memoir trilogy “The Spaces Between” is available now

e-book ~ kindle ~ paperback ~ hardcover ~ signed paperback

At the end of the video Blaze sniffs out something tasty and does a major neck roll in it. It’s all part of owning a dog. The impromptu major bath that you haven’t planned on doing. C’est la vie.

“Thumb Out” Book One of my memoir trilogy “The Spaces Between” is available now

e-book ~ kindle ~ paperback ~ hardcover ~ signed paperback

“Thumb Out” Book One of my memoir trilogy “The Spaces Between” is available now

e-book ~ kindle ~ paperback ~ hardcover ~ signed paperback

There’s no doubt that I love photography. I always have and I always will.

“Thumb Out” Book One of my memoir trilogy “The Spaces Between” is available now

e-book ~ kindle ~ paperback ~ hardcover ~ signed paperback

“Thumb Out” Book One of my memoir trilogy “The Spaces Between” is available now

e-book ~ kindle ~ paperback ~ hardcover ~ signed paperback

“Thumb Out” Book One of my memoir trilogy “The Spaces Between” is available now

e-book ~ kindle ~ paperback ~ hardcover ~ signed paperback

Blaze I hiked the Class IV road which has a great vertical climb, an impressive waterfall on French Hill Creek (when it’s running), and a second bridge over Bouley Creek at the top. I missed my regular crew. Veronica has been on the DL with a bad ankle due to arthritis. And Blue…

Blue is still here, a day after the traveling vet wanted to put him down. After my hike with Blaze, I took Blue for a walk down our road about 1/2 mile to a neighbor’s large, wooded pond site and he went swimming! It was a struggle getting him up the bank afterwards, but he really enjoyed himself. He’s sleeping soundly now with a blanket over him, placed with love.

“Thumb Out” Book One of my memoir trilogy “The Spaces Between” is available now

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These were all taken with my brand new Canon RF 24 to 105mm f/4 L IS. I used the EF model of for years as my workhorse in wedding photography. This updated and reconsidered version seems much more three-dimensional and has a pop and that I find very satisfying. It’s a bit of a brick compared to my other non-lenses. I bought it primarily for video work because it has image stabilization. But just walking around with it, it’s so much fun to break free of the constraints of using a prime lens. The ability to compose on the fly and grab moments is unparalleled.

“Thumb Out” Book One of my memoir trilogy “The Spaces Between” is available now

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Photography has to be a habit. The more you do it, the more interesting and satisfying it becomes. I always shoot RAW in manual and spend time afterwards tweaking. It’s my daily crossword puzzle. It’s also a form of meditation.

“Thumb Out” Book One of my memoir trilogy “The Spaces Between” is available now

e-book ~ kindle ~ paperback ~ hardcover ~ signed paperback

“Thumb Out” Book One of my memoir trilogy “The Spaces Between” is available now

e-book ~ kindle ~ paperback ~ hardcover ~ signed paperback

The seasons of life start to accentuate as one dog starts getting towards the end while the other is fully in his prime. Blue welcomed Blaze 7 years ago with all his heart, and now he’s slowing down dramatically. But he still manages to make it up and down the ramp on the RAV4 tailgate. We have to keep him on a lead to keep him out of trouble in the woods. He sleeps so soundly afterwards.

Before we had color film, everything was in black-and-white. Some things still look better in black-and-white. Just for fun, I converted these nine pictures. Do you see any you prefer in black-and-white? The only ones that are mildly appealing to me are the ones of still life. Especially the ones with Blaze, our golden retriever, scream “color only” to me.

“Thumb Out” Book One of my memoir trilogy “The Spaces Between” is available now

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There’s a great discipline that comes from using prime lenses, especially if you just pick one and limit yourself to it for the session. 16 mm is very wide, but it also has an interesting ability to capture an enormous depth of the field. You don’t really have to worry about stuff being in focus when you shoot super wide. The Canon RF 16 mm f/2.8 however has a great ability to get up close and personal with its very short minimum focusing distance. You have to be careful with faces but a tiger lily in full bloom doesn’t really care if its features get a little bit distorted, it’s such a vibrant and flamboyant living thing — what’s a little more gonna do?

“Thumb Out” Book One of my memoir trilogy “The Spaces Between” is available now

e-book ~ kindle ~ paperback ~ hardcover ~ signed paperback

“Thumb Out” Book One of my memoir trilogy “The Spaces Between” is available now

e-book ~ kindle ~ paperback ~ hardcover ~ signed paperback

A quiet end to a breezy day filled with sailing clouds and intermittent July sunshine…

“Thumb Out” Book One of my memoir trilogy “The Spaces Between” is available now

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Another perfect day. We earned it last February, believe me.

“Thumb Out” Book One of my memoir trilogy “The Spaces Between” is available now

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The RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 costs a mere fraction of those legendary white whales — it’s made largely out of plastic, and that includes the optics. But it is super light, compact and affordable, and somewhat inconspicuous in comparison. It suits me perfectly and the thing that’s really important to me is the tech that’s built into this camera/lens combination. I’m talking about next level auto focus and the ability to shoot intuitively and quickly in full manual to get precisely what I want, shooting raw files which can later be manipulated with maximum creativity and flexibility.

It’s a real pleasure to not be on assignment. No one to please, but myself. All the time in the world and the lightness of being in the moment.

The R6 Mark II is not a super high resolution camera in the way that an R5 Mark II would be, but you can still crop in with no apparent loss and resolution. An example is the shot of Blaze by the fence line below, where I cropped into an effective 600 mm.

This lens can be used indoors as well, due to its generous range.

I’ve always been a “gear head” and I’ve always loved playing with cameras, lenses, tripods, drones, windsurfing equipment — and going back to my childhood, mechanical typewriter, HO scale trains and even tinkertoys. My mother said she would often find me when I was three years old up before dawn constructing massive creations in my room.

All my life I wanted to be a successful professional and now I’m just thrilled to be an amateur, a hobbyist, or what the Brits call a “punter” - but the key is loving what you’re doing, which is the root of all those words.

“Amateur” comes from the French amateur, which comes directly from the Latin amator — “lover, devoted friend,” from amare, “to love.”

So at its root, an amateur isn’t someone unskilled — it’s someone who does a thing for love of it, rather than for money or obligation. The word only picked up its diminished, “unskilled/dabbler” connotation later, in English, as a contrast to “professional.”

In the original sense, calling yourself an amateur photographer or amateur musician was a statement about motive, not competence.

It’s a nice word to reclaim, especially for creative work — the amateur is the one still doing it for love.

“Thumb Out” Book One of my memoir trilogy “The Spaces Between” is available now

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The first two shots are of what we call Buio’s Rock, a notable slab of granite high on Sterling Peak, visible with the naked eye from our deck. We named it after our golden retriever that died in 2013. The last three shots were in the woods below our deck. Sniper shots of details made notable by shafts of sunlight.

“Thumb Out” Book One of my memoir trilogy “The Spaces Between” is available now

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After a weird smoky, yellow sky and humid stagnant air yesterday, we were treated to a wonderfully windy and sunny bluebird afternoon today. Veronica picked blueberries and I demo’d a massive lens that I will be returning, even though it was fun. I just can’t see it in my bag.

“Thumb Out” Book One of my memoir trilogy “The Spaces Between” is available now

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Golden moments during the golden hour. None last, unless you’re there.

“Thumb Out” Book One of my memoir trilogy “The Spaces Between” is available now

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