My next post will be from Italy, as I’m frantically cleaning equipment and going through my pre-assignment checklist of things to bring. I haven’t been to Italy in more than a decade, and even then it was only for a short stop in Rome. This trip I’ll be driving at the height of spring between Florence and Sicily, then flying the historic Ionian Sea to Malta, and then back to Italy for a few solid days photographing in Rome itself. Can’t wait!

On the drive down south from Florence, I’m hoping to capture …

I have come to find out that religion is a funny sort of thing in Iceland. While most Icelanders identify themselves as Christian, a 2011 Gallup poll found that 60% of them do not feel religion is important in their lives. That’s one of the highest percentage of irreverent believers in the world.
Most Icelanders are of the Lutheran denomination, although few actually attend church any more on a regular basis. Paganism, or more accurately naturism, is still practiced by many. Still, Iceland is dotted with almost as many churches as …

I leave tomorrow for a 16-day photo exploration of Iceland. I’ll be accompanied by my good friend and fellow professional photographer, the curmudgeonly Richard Hartmier, of Yukon Territory, Canada. We have a 4-wheel vehicle reserved, but not even one place to lodge. Our plan is to rent some sleeping bags, a propane stove for coffee in the morning, a cooler for some food, and just take off for wherever our cameras point.  If we end up in one place for a few days we’ll book into a hotel or B&B, …

In a few days I’m bound for Israel, spending ten days on a tour, which is kind of a first for me. Frankly, I’m not the tour group type. Not that there is anything wrong with tours. It’s just that people tend to take a distinct dislike to me when I’m just setting up my tripod and camera for a shot while they’re already piling back on the bus to move to the next spot. The frustration on both sides after only a couple of days is almost electric.
That’s the …

This weekend I leave for a week-long assignment in Finland. I’ll mostly be in Lapland, but I’ll also have a couple of days in Helsinki, too. Despite winter temps around -15F in Lapland, I’m really looking forward to this trip. Crazy as it is, I love the frigid far north in winter. Its ethereal beauty is hard to explain and if you’re not into extreme cold it’s even harder to understand.
One of the things I have planned is a two-day dogsled safari. For those of you who have followed my …

2011 was a pretty good year… photographically, that is. I was able to fulfill a decades-old desire and delve deep into large format photography, only to find that it does not suit my travel style. Bummer. But I had fun finally tackling that beast and putting it to rest.
It was also the year that I added medium format to my repertoire, and I am enjoying my Hasselblad H4D-50 very, very much. With its 50-megapixel files and extraordinary sensor, I get luscious, film-like images that exceed my expectations.
I was also able …

I’ve been visiting global cold weather spots for many years and there is no question in my mind that climate change is occurring. From melting permafrost to retreating glaciers, I see this every time I venture north.
I am not taking sides on how much is human-induced and how much is naturally occurring. From the data I have seen so far, I am convinced that human activity has accelerated this process. But I also believe that more research is needed on this vital issue that will affect humanity and our natural …

Folks:
I’m excited about the newest PR image I managed to snag while in Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada last month. What do you think?
Les
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I just received word about an interesting contest from my colleague, Scott Jordan, the CEO of ScotteVest, an outdoor clothing company based in Colorado. If you are a regular reader of my blog you know that I am the photography columnist for the ScotteVest website (you can find my columns here), although I’d been using their fine clothing long before I began writing/photography for them. I find their clothing line to be perfect for photographers, with scads of pockets to store virtually every gadget we typically use. In fact, in …

I’m back in Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon Territory, recharging my batteries, cleaning my equipment, doing laundry and running assorted errands before leaving for the Dempster Highway again to photograph the Fall colors and Northern Lights (hopefully). I thought it would be good to review with you the past week’s photo shoot and some things I learned from the experience.
For those of you following my progress on my interactive SPOT geo-tracking page, it will be inactive for the next two days. On Tuesday, my fellow photographer, Richard Hartmier and I …