Hello everyone, welcome to my newsletter! I hope you're well, enjoying life, creating photographs, traveling, and spending time with those you love.

This is my first official newsletter and I have no idea what I'm doing 🤣. If you've received this in error, I apologize, you can use the unsubscribe link at the bottom or email me. That said, this is a work in progress, but it's finally a thing, a real newsletter - not just in my head anymore, and that's a good start right?

Let me begin by saying I want to thank all of you who support my YouTube Channel, it's a labor of love and an enormous time commitment. I hope you're finding value and entertainment in each episode.  

So what's In this inaugural episode?

Oregon On My Mind

Holiday Break

Winter Photography

Photography Magazines  

A glimpse into the heart of Crater Lake, OR

If you've never been to Crater Lake National Park, you may want to reconsider adding it to your list. Simply put, it's like no other place on earth. It's stunning beyond beauty & will leave you in wonder.

My friend Mark Camp & I spent two nights at the Mazama Campground Cabins inside the park and just 15 minutes from the Rim Village & Visitor Center (Google Maps Link) located on the Southwest portion of the lake.

We visited at the end of June, but unfortunately, most of the park was closed due to snow. Did I mention it was almost July? They get upwards of 50 feet! We were limited to the West Rim with some hiking access to the East Rim (officially closed).

Episode 2 of "Exploring Oregon" can offer valuable insights and information for planning your trip. Or watch the video to experience two guys (more like two teens) getting up way too early, retiring way too late, and fighting off Mosquitoes while oohing and awe-ing over nature's wonders.

In Episode 3, released this week, we finally make it to Oregon's Southern Coast and stay at Gold Beach to explore the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor. You won't want to miss this episode if you love sea stacks.

This is raw beauty at its finest, in particular, Natural Bridges, and Secret Beach, The latter I cover considerably within the constraints of a normally running 15-20 minute YouTube video, and Natural Bridges is highlighted in the following episode (Ep. 4) which drops on Thursday, December 7th.

If you haven't seen any episodes yet, here's a link to the playlist, including the 2 Minute Trailer with all the highlights. Enjoy!
Exploring Oregon Through The Lens Full Playlist 

After Ep. 4 of Exploring Oregon drops (Thur, Dec 7th), I will officially take a long-needed Holiday break from anything YouTube and work on more stuff like this newsletter and other admin tasks.

Ep. 4 is currently being edited and covers our 2nd day at Gold Beach before traversing north along US101. Join us for more sea stacks, caves, Lighthouses, and other attractions along Oregon's amazing coast. We put over 1200 Miles on our rental car during this adventure!

Last year, I took a brief break for a couple of weeks around Christmas, but it wasn't enough to recharge. I'm extending that for all of December this year, and a week or two in January. I didn't want to interrupt the Oregon Series, but the timing didn't work in my favor. The Oregon series will continue in mid-January and I'll keep you posted if that changes.

If you watch regularly and subscribe to notifications, you may find a short video or two during my break. I'm considering sharing photographs from Oregon that didn't make the final cut. Could be fun to also discuss behind-the-scenes stories.  

NOTE: Subscribing is Free. It's a simple click. If you prefer to be

notified for each new video, then click the bell icon after subscribing.

Vestrahorn, South East Iceland

This subject reads more like a blog but has been on my mind. Winter Photography is challenging but also rewarding. Over the past several years I've had the desire to create winter scenes, and yet, before I know it, Spring is calling and the opportunities have passed.

Do you desire to create Winter Landscape Photographs or would you rather do the sane thing and sip hot chocolate by the fire while watching fresh snow transform the landscape?

Some of my best winter shots have been spent getting together with friends and planning local winter jaunts over a weekend. It's encouraging for one, much safer too as the weather can be daunting at times, and then there's breakfast afterward, and... sometimes that's often the best part!

This year, I hope to capture more winter shots and catch up with friends for some overdue time out together. Maybe I'll even capture something I can hang on the wall. That's my story, and hopefully, it sticks like snow.

This last topic is more of a question for this community. Do you enjoy, subscribe, or read any photography magazines? I'm looking for a "landscape photography" magazine with good articles and stories, and obviously inspiring photographs.

Please share your experiences or suggestions. I'd really appreciate it.

While I do enjoy the experience of holding a magazine, I'm perfectly fine with a digital subscription. I just really need more engagement, inspiration, and ideas to name a few. Not to mention the art of continuous learning. Creating videos can often isolate me from photography itself.

Anyway, my two top picks were leaning toward Elements, and Landscape Photography Magazine, the latter being favorable as I'm familiar with many of the contributors.

Well, that's a wrap for this first-ever newsletter. I hope you enjoyed it. Any and all feedback is appreciated. Enjoy the upcoming Holidays and get out there and make a photograph!