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Greetings,
Ok, the title of this email is a bit misleading. The news isn't all that hot, but it is midsummer and it has been very hot here.
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Big news
The above having been said, the following is, personally, big news.
This is the culmination of eight years of dreaming and planning and scheming and building. It started with my wife Tracy wanting to travel in our distant (not so distant anymore) retirement. She’s really the “driver” of this; doing all the research, haunting forums, and sending me endless links about some cool RV thing.
She finally settled on what she wanted, and we ended up choosing the Unity Twin Bed by Leisure Travel Van. We ordered it about two and a half years ago and after supply chain delays due to Covid, it was finally built and delivered to the dealership.
And on Saturday the 29th of June, we flew to Portland and Ubered it to the dealership in nearby Sandy, OR, then drove home with our second home! Sydney’s not sure yet what to make of her new playhouse.
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How I use my Maven filters
I love the Maven magnetic filters (affiliate link). They’re high quality, easy to use, and versatile.
Other than being magnetic filters, the color-coding is what makes them so easy to use. Since I started using them, I can’t imagine going back to the old way of actually needing to read the tiny text on the filter ring to know if I’m grabbing a 3-stop or 10-stop ND filter.
I’m mainly using the daylight landscape filters and am currently carrying them in two filter carriers. One is the soft carrier I received with the first Kickstarter and the other is the hard plastic case that also came with the first Kickstarter.
 I generally carry all the filters, except the night photography filters, but the easiest way for me to access them is by using the soft pouch that carries six filters. It has a Velcro closure so it’s really easy to get to the filters.
I have several options for carrying the case. I can simply slip it into a jacket pocket, or I can use the attached D-ring and a mini carabiner to attach the pouch to a belt loop on my pants.
Or the eyebolt on one of my tripods.
 
Or a “Red Whip” cord from Think Tank that I attached to my other tripod.
I can then easily open the pouch and grab what I need.
Which filters go into the soft pouch depends on what I’m anticipating photographing.
For example, on my recent trip to the Palouse I carried the IR filter, both my linear and circular polarizer, a 3-stop polarizer/ND and a 6-stop polarizer/ND.
On the Olympic coast I filled the soft pouch with both polarizers, and 6- and 10-stop combo polarizer/ND filters along with the Splash Filter (just in case).
One reason I carry the linear polarizer is that I can stack it on any other polarizer to create a variable ND filter. I will often add it to my 3-stop or 6-stop combo polarizer/ND filters so that I can better dial in the shutter speed I’m after without the need to change ISO or f-stop.
When the situation changes, I can just swap filters from one carrier to the other.
You can learn more about the filters at the link above or the one in this email's sidebar. They're both affiliate links so if you use them, and buy something, I'll get a small cut. Win win!
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Bosque and White Sands
Cliff Zenor and I still have room in our December 7-11 workshop to Bosque del Apache NWR and White Sands National Park. This is Cliff’s last workshop before he retires, so come along and wish him a happy retirement!
Oh, and these locations are spectacular. Don't forget about that.
This is a great opportunity to work on both wildlife and landscape photography at two of the best places for each!
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2025 plans
I’m already planning for 2025. If any of these interest you, drop me a line to get on the early notify list.
In March, it’s Humpback whales bubble-net feeding out of Sitka, the dates are March 23-27. I know last newsletter I mentioned posting this tour after I returned from the Palouse. But some things got in the way (see the first topic in this newsletter). I’ll get it posted soon.
Next May I’ll be going back to Olympic National Park. The dates are tentative, but I think they're solid: May 13-18
In June it’s back to the Palouse. The dates for that workshop are solid: June 17-22. It should be posted soon
July may find me returning to Newport on the Oregon Coast
In August I’m looking to visit the Faroe Islands. That tour would be in the first half of August.
In September it’s back to Yellowknife in Canada’s Northwest Territories. Not only is Yellowknife the capital of the NWT, it’s also the capital of aurora viewing! The timeframe is Sept 17 - Oct 1.
Another option for the Oregon Coast is September or October. Either Newport or Bandon. Or maybe a combined tour where we split the time between the two.
Again, let me know if interested.
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Still time to join me in Yellowknife
I still have three spaces available in my Aug. 31 – Sept. 7 aurora tour in Yellowknife.
I’ll need to send the rooming list to the hotel soon, so if interested, let me know right away and I can at least get a room saved for you.
For more information, and to sign up, visit my Aurora Tour page.
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Soliciting advice
I’m in the early stage of transitioning from DSLR to mirrorless. So far, I’ve been using the Nikon FTZ adapter and that works well enough. But I also want to start using some of the new Z-mount lenses and am wondering, for those using Nikon, which have you found most useful for landscape photography?
I’ve rented the 100-400 and really like that lens for wildlife as well as telephoto landscape, so it’s definitely on my list been ordered. I’ve also read good things about the 24-120 f/4.
Any helpful thoughts? And no, switching to Sony or Fuji or Canon does not qualify as helpful 😉
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Stay cool
That's it for this month. I'll leave you with a picture of me and Sydney at the beach.
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