Rising From the Ashes of 2020

I sincerely hope this post finds you well. I don't think I have to tell anyone that 2020 has been a really messed up year. So many of my friends and neighbors have been affected and are struggling with the havoc caused by COVID. Most of them run restaurants, family businesses or are self-employed. It's hard to believe that we're closing in on half a year of lock-downs, social distancing and face masks. It is our duty to take care of our fellow human beings, animals and the environment. Not only is it the right thing to do, but we can't rely on our government to do it for us. Support your local family-owned restaurants and shops and tip more than usual if you can.

I've been spending a lot of time updating my website and artwork and also resetting the two years since my last blog post. I hope the redesign is more pleasant and also easy to use and navigate whether from a desktop or mobile. And of course, if you're thinking of livening up your walls, I have a new store setup. The extra time has also given me the opportunity to thoroughly comb through thousands of images and I have discovered many nuggets that I have initially overlooked. I have been continuing to process and post those results in my portfolio.

Camping and hiking have been seeing a boom in popularity recently with so many people who are just dying to get out of their home cubicle. If you're one of them, remember to relax, enjoy and to leave no trace. Or if you can, leave her better than you found her.

Hopefully helpful

Being a landscape photographer and an avid hiker and camper, I tend to be drawn to mostly environmental preservation and support organizations. But for the past several years, I have had the privilege of helping an organization called Get Up 8 by providing my images for their silent auction. They are a group of hard-working volunteers who have dedicated a lot of their time and energy to helping people tackle tough circumstances. The next fundraising event will take place on Oct. 27, 2018 at Dave & Busters in Orange, CA.

I will be donating this 24x39, hand signed, museum wrapped canvas for this year's silent auction. Not only is it for a good cause, but it's also a fun and interesting night when the main auction (full of some super nice products) gets going.

UAF

End to another great year at the Utah Arts Festival. Thank you to the UAF as well as all of you who stopped by to check out my artwork. It's always great to be able to chat and share some stories. Biggest thank you to those who purchased my work and I do hope that it brings some life and color to your walls. One thing I was bothered by was hearing from many people that a few of the locations of my photos have recently become popular, some even being vandalized. It's great for people to get out and enjoy nature. I love it. But if I could make just one request, it would be to leave no trace. The quickest way to lose it is by disrespecting it. In the words of the respected company Patagonia, let's cause no unnecessary harm.