TRAIL 2026 | MARKER 01 Happy New Year! I can still say that, right? Here’s what I’m not doing in January: making grand plans, committing to ambitious projects, or pretending this is the month everything changes. Instead, I’m taking inventory. Checking what’s working and what’s quietly breaking down. The systems, habits, and behind-the-scenes pieces no one sees but are essential for a photographer. With that in mind, this month’s article leans into exactly that kind of work. The unglamorous...
5 months ago • 4 min read
TRAIL 2025 | MARKER 12 Let’s raise our tripods to the end of 2025! In the last email, I asked what you wanted to read more about next, and one answer rose clearly to the top: why stick season is such a valuable time to be out as a nature and landscape photographer. So I’m sharing my thoughts on stick season and how to observe what the landscape reveals when the noise falls away. This issue also focuses on how we prepare. I’m sharing a thoughtful new photography app along with a few Trail...
5 months ago • 3 min read
TRAIL 2025 | MARKER 11 Hey Reader, I’d hoped to send this in mid-November, well before inboxes turned into holiday traffic jams. But life, projects, and parenting had other plans. So here we are, fashionably late with the annual Best Gifts for Nature & Landscape Photographers. Even with the delay, I think you’ll enjoy exploring this year’s roundup. I curated this year's best books, tutorials, travel-friendly gear, and small-but-mighty tools that actually make time in nature easier and more...
6 months ago • 3 min read
I didn’t want you to miss this opportunity, especially if wildlife photography is on your list for 2026. Today, November 19th, is the last day to save $400 on your registration for the Out of Merritt Island Bird Photography Conference, happening March 8–12, 2026, in Florida. I’m genuinely excited to be teaching at this event. Bird photography has been a steady thread growing through my work, and this conference brings together an instructor lineup that feels especially energizing. We’re all...
7 months ago • 1 min read
TRAIL 2025 | MARKER 10 Hey Reader, October has felt like sprinting through a marathon I signed up for on purpose. My schedule is filled with projects, courses, teaching prep, and family life. And while it’s a lot, I’m feeling fueled by the momentum. As the year winds down, I know I’ll lean into a bit of “wintering,” because these batteries will need to recharge. In this marker, I’m sharing what’s next on the horizon, including news about the Out of Merritt Island Bird Photography Conference,...
7 months ago • 6 min read
TRAIL 2025 | MARKER 09 Hello September! This past month, I waded into new territory—literally—during an aquatics course for my next Master Naturalist certification. I came prepared with underwater housing and high hopes of photographing fish, but Mother Nature had other plans. Heavy storms washed out Newfound Gap Road in the Smokies, and the rivers fared no better. The water was so cloudy it felt like snorkeling through chocolate milk instead of peering into another world. All I carried home...
9 months ago • 6 min read
TRAIL 2025 | MARKER 08 Hello there Reader, August has arrived with muddy boots, salamander-filled memory cards, and a calendar bursting at the seams. I’ve been bouncing between naturalist courses in the Smokies, editing marathons, and planning for 2026, all while soaking in these fleeting summer days with my kids. In this marker, I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes look at my recent amphibians and reptiles field course, and the surprising ways night photography builds patience and presence — plus...
10 months ago • 8 min read
TRAIL 2025 | MARKER 07 Hey Reader, Summer has arrived in full swing, bringing fireflies, thunderstorms, and the delightful chaos of summer break. Instead of settling into my usual slower rhythm, I’ve been bouncing between photo trips, project deadlines, and kiddo adventures. It’s a little wild, but energizing in its own way. In June, I snuck away to the Smokies to photograph the fireflies, then zipped up to speak at the Nature Photography Weekend at Grandfather Mountain. It was my first time...
11 months ago • 7 min read
TRAIL 2025 | MARKER 06 Hey hey! How are things going? Spring has been relentless here, in the best possible way. I’ve been doing my best to navigate the ever-wobbly seesaw between family and photography, though it just keeps flying up and down. There’s no true balancing it, and I think that’s just how it’s meant to be for now. A few weeks ago, I had the joy of teaching at the Out of the Great Smoky Mountains conference with Out of Chicago. It was an incredible experience—equal parts inspiring...
about 1 year ago • 6 min read