Jay © Art Wolfe

I don’t care if you lick windows, take the special bus or occasionally pee on yourself…

You hang in there sunshine, you’re special.

Every sixty seconds you spend angry, upset or mad, is a full minute of happiness you’ll never get back.

Today’s Message of the Day is:

Life is short, Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably, And never regret anything that made you smile…

Thanks Wife…and Art. I think?

Martha's Beach, Washington

I have had a really good week. Colleague John O’Conner inspired me with a few super simple image compositions that he posted to his facebook page. I drew more inspiration from a video of urban trials rider Danny MacAskill. And, was able to witness an amazing light display at my own private beach that allowed me to utilize everything I learned – hint go to my facebook page. I was going to post the beach image that I had on facebook earlier this week as the photo of the month, but I figured it was out in the world already, so why not something new. This month’s photo was taken from the same location. For what ever reason, the sun always seems to come out right around sunset, it doesn’t matter if it is howling, pouring, or foggy and overcast. This is really good for me because I love to take the kids and the dog down there to explore – with my camera of course. The evening pictured here was standard operating proceedure –  it rained all day and then bam, magic. That is the beauty of nature, it is ever changing. This image was captured with a Canon 1D Mark III, 16-35mm lens, Gitzo tripod, Kirk BH-1 ballhead, Singh-Ray LB Warming Polarizer, Singh-Ray 3-stop Daryl Benson reverse grad filter.

All of these positive events have generated a new idea – the experience. A new category on this blog beginning Tuesday. You will have to wait until then to find out more.

One more – I just realized that Singh-Ray has posted an article by me on their blog. Let me know what you think. They used this image as their lead-in.

Mount Shuksan, North Cascades National Park, Washington ©Jay Goodrich

This month’s image was taken in early September from the end of the Mount Baker Highway near Mount Baker Ski Area in Washington State. My wife Heather, daughter Jade, and son Micah and I were shooting some hiking images for an upcoming calendar along the trails above Artist Point, when we stumbled upon this tarn that was perfectly still at sunset. After I captured a couple of photos with the family in the reflection, I just couldn’t pass up shooting the image as a landscape as well. The more I explore in Washington, the more astonished I am at the unobstructed beauty here. It was one of those evenings where everything came together perfectly-the clouds, the stillness in the water, and the alpenglow on the peak. I couldn’t have created it better with a written request to mother nature. This image was shot with a Canon 1D Mark III, 16-35mm f2.8 II lens, Gitzo carbon fiber tripod, Kirk ballhead, and a three stop graduated neutral density filter.

Clouds over Mount Rainier, Washington © Jay Goodrich

Those who know me best know that I have been friends with Art Wolfe for some time now. He was a huge inspiration before I even had a career in photography and now our relationship has turned into a great friendship. I have spent the last 10 days with him traveling around Washington, sometimes photographing, sometimes driving (12+ hours straight one day), sometimes working and more often than not, laughing. I can count on him to make me laugh to the point that my stomach muscles are sore by time our trips are over. He invokes a drive in me to work harder and push my creativity farther than ever before. Sitting and watching the world pass you by is not an option for Art nor is it even in his vocabulary.

Here are two more photos from Mount Rainier National Park. The star trails image resulted in only 3 hours of sleep in order to be at Reflection Lake for sunrise. The high pressure that has been in place in the Pacific Northwest gave way briefly one evening to produce enough clouds for an unbelievable sunset. I now get to go home for a month, shoot a bunch of architecture projects, and catch up on running my business before it all starts again in Grand Teton National Park when Art, Gavriel Jecan, and I will be leading a workshop together. The whirlwind never stops…

Star Trails over Mount Rainier, Washington © Jay Goodrich

Eunice Lake at Sunset, Mt. Rainier N.P. © Jay Goodrich

Last week I was in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks working on an upcoming project. I shot this image at Mammoth Hot Springs. Faster than I knew, I arrived in Seattle, and began searching for images in Olympic and Mount Rainier National Parks. Stay tuned, for more posts, I will be here until the 22nd.

Rattlesnake, Hoffman Ranch, Ben Bolt, TX © Jay Goodrich

I am currently in South Texas competing in the Coastal Bend Wildlife Photo Contest and last night I was rewarded with an image that I feel everyone should see, and consequently I have made it the photo of the month. Most of the images that I have seen of rattlesnakes have depicted them in ways that I do not necessarily agree with. Rattlesnakes are dangerous, but they are an amazing part of nature and I feel that they should be represented no different than that beautiful sunset over the beaches of Hawaii. This image is my first rattlesnake image and I definitely got lucky with the composition. As I saw it moving across the road, I discovered this pattern that was developing in its movement. As it traveled over a section of road that was dry and cracked from the drought that is going on here, I quickly composed and took the shot. I love the results. I took this image with a Canon 1D Mark III camera, Canon 100mm f 2.8 macro lens.

I have a lot of photo bags. It all started 16 years ago when I purchased my first camera and lens. It was the meager beginnings of a fanny-type pack that held one body, one lens, some film, and a couple of filters. Now times have changed. I cannot fit everything into my monster Lowepro Super Trekker AW II, so I need to have multiple packs for multiple situations. If it has been designed I have owned it, in a never-ending quest to find the most perfect bag. I have even custom-designed a couple of my own packs for use on special projects. The reality is that I doubt there is a pack that works for every situation a photographer can find himself in. Thus my motley crew of packs. But thanks to Think Tank Photo’s new Shape Shifter backpack, I think I will now be able to thin out the collection.

Upon receiving my Shape Shifter, my initial reaction was one of astonishment. This pack is well constructed and full of features that even I, with my slew of packs, have yet to see. The first thing that hit me was the fact that instructions and photos of the features of the pack are included. I really like the idea of suggestions; show me what you were thinking when you designed it, then I will figure out how I want to use the space. This feature alone expanded my creativity in using the pack.

The next thing that hit me was the fact that there are pockets for everything. In today’s age of digital photography, I have as much support gear as I do actual lenses and camera bodies. There are pockets, sleeves, and pouches for well…you name it. All of those pockets and compartments allow me to store the gear in an organized manner, and not just stuff it all together in the one left over pocket that seems like an after thought.

This pack also changes its size, hence the name Shape Shifter. I can compress the whole pack by simply zipping a zipper, and this allows me to just carry my new Apple 17 inch MacBook Pro (review coming in the near future) if I am headed to a meeting or a presentation. But what is the maximum it can it hold? A lot! You can see here everything that I can fit into the pack, with the exception of my 600 mm lens. Which leads to the suggestion that Think Tank produce a Shape Shifter that will allow me to carry that lens with this whole set up as well.

Another really great feature to this pack is that it holds all of my photo equipment in drawstring closure “pouches”. This feature has all of my equipment laying flat, which means that it takes up much less room. The standard method of velcro dividers does not exist here, which is an improvement.

So are there negatives? Well, I wouldn’t say that there are features that I don’t like, but there are a few things that I would like to see added in the pack’s next generation. I would like to see some compression straps added to the sides of the pack. This isn’t so much to tighten the items inside, but just in case one or all of the zippers failed on an expedition, the compression straps would allow you to at least close up the pack and easily carry out all of your gear. The lower corners of the pack could use a little extra padding, especially in the laptop compartment. I am pretty hard on my gear and if I accidentally drop the pack, having a bit more in those lower corners would keep me from dinging that new Mac Book Pro. Also, if all of the photo gear pouches were mounted on the opposite side of the compartment than where they are currently located, the pack could be placed on the ground with the harness system facing up as to not put it in the dirt. This is a feature I currently have on another pack, and I find it to be very useful. Finally, I would like a beefier waste belt. If you load this pack with what it is capable of carrying, the waste belt is insufficient to carry the load, and would likely be uncomfortable on a multi-mile walk. Think Tank currently offers the Pro Speed Belt that will retro-fit with the pack, but it would be nice if it came with the pack.

I am absolutely astounded with the thought and design that has been put into this pack. I can tell that Think Tank pursued the opinions of many photographers when creating this item; it works, and it works well. I will be watching for upcoming new releases from this company. The name says it all – Think Tank, a company whose creativity is allowing me to pursue my own creativity with much greater convenience.

Add-One other item that I ordered from Think Tank was their Pixel Pocket Rocket compact flash card holder. I was looking for a card holder that was compact and held more than 4 or 8 cards at a time, well, I found it! And it is perfect! You can store your business card in it just in case you loose it, and it compresses to about the size of an iPhone. What else do you need to know, go buy one now.