Often when I return from a trip, my dear peeps want results, and I want to share the wonder I've found. But not all of my favorite pictures are destined for my official portfolio (which is, after all, for Serious Work, don't you know). Social media? I'm a conscientious objector. What to do?

A solution came along when Brent Clark appeared on F-Stop Collaborate and Listen, Matt Payne's thought-provoking podcast for the nature photography community. Brent got my attention when he said he photographs for friends and family, as I do. His website of splendid work includes a section he calls Archives, comprising images he likes yet doesn’t showcase in his Collections.

Following Brent’s example, I've just added a section for Fs&Fs to my own photography website (the one I published four years ago and have scarcely looked at since). I'm calling the new tab Chronicle, and the debut set of images is from my trip to Death Valley National Park in January. (Hidden message: Having a semi-private way to show photos doesn’t mean I'll start getting them out fast. Aiming for faster.)

The occasion for the Death Valley visit was a workshop with Sarah Marino, Jennifer Renwick, and David Kingham, whose teaching inspired and prepared me for a few days out making pictures on my own. I felt giddy exploring the carnival of forms, textures, and colors within the relatively small part of the park I was able to reach. It was one of the most stimulating trips I’ve made, and there’s much more I’d like to do in Death Valley. Please enjoy my first scratch at the rocky, sandy, salty surface.

EscondidoDeath Valley National Park