Spring cleaning

After years of doing this, one thing is pretty clear to me: more gear, more problems. A lesson I should’ve learned a long time ago, and yet, here we are.

During my most recent road trip across the US, despite lugging around 8-9 lenses, I did most of my photography and video work with just 2 of them. Add a couple of primes and the telephoto for those rare images that needed them, and the math tells me I’ve got 4-5 too many lenses.

But it gets worse, because of all the accessories and other gadgets cluttering up my bag: from the neglected 360 camera to the wireless mic that my phone could easily replace. It’s all excess baggage.

So, it’s time for a spring cleaning. I went through my bag (and closet) and decided to part ways with a bunch of stuff. Letting go is the easy part, though. The real challenge will be to resist the temptation to fill those now-empty spaces back up with new and shiny objects. To stay light.

Because out there, when the hike gets tough, when the weather takes a turn for the worse, when you are tired and exhausted after hours of chasing the shot... less is more. Always.

3 days on a train traveling from San Francisco to Chicago

When I was looking for options to travel from California to the Midwest, one stood out: the train. I love trains, the route was absolutely gorgeous, and it was much cheaper than flying. What was the catch, then? Time.

This was a long trip, as we spent 56 hours on a train. If you add the almost 4 hours we waited at the train station, then the whole trip was a whopping 60 hours.

And yet, I'm so glad I did it. Something I will never forget.

Warming Up

With two trips coming up in the next few weeks, I wanted to break out of my comfortable daily routine and get out to make some images. I visit Lake Michigan and the Indiana Dunes, where I find much better conditions than I was expecting.

From the balcony

This image is a perfect example of what I talked about in "Images only you can make".

I made it from the balcony, on a beautifully white morning. This scene would have never worked if it wasn't for the snow: there's water, aquatic plants, cement, grass and so many other elements - too busy. But this morning, all of that had been erased by the snow.

There it stood the pier, alone. Something belonging to a very different, remote time. Almost out of place.

You don't have to go to faraway lands to find beauty. Just don't forget to look for it.

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How we travel

We are moving again, leaving Colorado and heading towards Utah. In this video, we talk about how we travel, why we do it this way, what we carry with us, and I make some images in Salt Lake City.

How to make the most of a photography trip

There’s never enough time at a location. That was definitely what happened to me in my recent visit to Rocky Mountain National Park. A beautiful and huge place, and only 2 days to enjoy it.

In this video, I share some tips on how to make the most of a photography trip, so we can go back home with as many good images as possible.

Nothing lasts forever

Hello, friend, from somewhere in Iowa.

I’m typing this on my iPad from the passenger seat of our truck. Today, we left Indiana after being there for a couple of months, as we head West in the search of new adventures.

We’ve “moved” several times in the last few years. It doesn’t get any easier. Leaving behind a place and a routine, the comfort and safety they provide, and the people you shared your life with even if only for a few weeks, is always hard. And in some ways, the uncertainty of a road trip can be a bit scary.

I’ve come to realize that all of this is a good reminder, though: nothing lasts forever. Memento mori, some say. This is a fact we all are aware of, but it can get lost in the everyday, automatic behaviors we engage in.

Knowing that we only have a few weeks left of whatever we are doing, of wherever we are, and of whoever we are with, makes me enjoy all of it a bit more. It makes everyone around us that way.

It wasn’t too long ago when we were saying good bye to everyone in Spain over meals and drinks, or when we were celebrating being back with our loved ones in Indiana. This week, it was time to enjoy the last few days with them.

Even though I always try to keep in mind how lucky I am to even be alive, this approach to life has made me even more aware. Every day is special in a different way.

Take it all in today. Because we aren’t going to be here tomorrow.

Our experience traveling back to the US during a pandemic

We are back in the US. This was our experience traveling during a pandemic.

Back in the US: old plans, new plans

I had big plans for 2020. Like everyone, I suppose.

As fate would have it, we were supposed to leave for Ireland the same day the lockdown happened in Spain. That trip to Iceland and the UK got cancelled, as did the trips to the Alps and all the hiking I was planning on doing in the American West.

Life goes on, though, and after spending months of lockdowns and big restrictions in Spain, it was time for us to come back to the US. Officially, we live here, so we had to. Also, we hadn't seen our family here in months. Airports opened again and we were able to book a flight - who knows how long this window will remain open, if things get worse it might have been our only chance to come back.

Traveling felt weird, very weird. Our first flight was packed, and being around so many people for the first time in months was an experience. Seeing Heathrow so empty was chilling. But boarding a big Boeing 787 on an intercontinental flight with just other 20 passengers was something else.

Anyway, we are back.

Planning the rest of the year is challenging. We will stick to the US and there will be no flying involved. We are looking for a used car that we can take on a trip to the West in a few weeks. I'm hoping to be back in Oregon / Washington for a couple months during hiking season, then down to Southern California / Arizona in the fall, and back to the Midwest by late fall or early winter. I do look forward to photographing the snow and frozen lakes.

All of this can change overnight if the pandemic goes out of control again and states start to restrict movement. That's why I will need to be even more flexible this time around and plan only a few weeks ahead of time.

I'm excited, though. I miss my family, the dogs and farm life, of course, but I can't wait to hit the road again.

WFH

When I wrote about my upcoming trip a few days ago, I knew the situation could get worse. I could not, though, expect how fast everything has unfolded here in Spain in the last few days: from planning my trip to country-wide mandatory quarantine.

I will be working from home for the foreseeable future. Thankfully, I have a lot of photos to go through and many things to talk about, here and on my YouTube channel.

Before focusing on photography again, I wanted to repeat what every expert in this matter is saying: stay home as much as you can. If you are already taking this seriously, then please keep doing so. And if you still believe this is like the flu, take a look at this.

Stay healthy, my friends.

Traveling for photography in uncertain times

In just a few days, if the coronavirus situation doesn't get even worse, I'll be taking a plane to Ireland. That will be my first stop on a 2.5-month-long trip to Ireland, Iceland and the UK.

The way I travel makes every trip a bit uncertain, but this time, I'll be embracing the unknown from day 1. Other than the flights and a few hotels in Ireland and Iceland, I have nothing else booked or planned.

On one hand, there's the virus: Italy is in lockdown and other countries are starting to require foreigners to self-quarantine for a couple of weeks. These measures could extend to other parts of the world -including the countries I'll be visiting- at any moment, so I don't want to book anything too far ahead.

There's also the issue with the weather: it's been a mild winter here in Spain, but it looks like Iceland is still getting its fair share of snow and ice these days. My hope is to travel along the southern coast, weather permitting.

I'm very excited about this trip. I've never been to Ireland, and I've been wanting to go to Iceland for a long time. And while I did visit London before, I've never been anywhere else in the UK. I'm especially excited about spending a few weeks up in Scotland.

Hopefully I get to visit all of those places as "planned", and to share many images and videos with you all. If that's not the case, it'll be fine, I'll do my photography from somewhere else. After all, those beautiful landscapes are not going anywhere and they'll be there once this virus is under control. What matters the most now is to keep everyone safe.

I'll keep you updated. Stay healthy.