In the last two months we have covered the northern half of the Oregon Coast. We just crossed the halfway point on our journey south.

One of our travel philosophies - and a photography principle for me - is to ‘leave no stone unturned’: to dig into everything. If our curiosity is piqued, we check it out. On the Oregon Coast our curiosity is piqued nearly ever mile. What’s more, the dynamic winter weather stirs the emotions and draws us in.

We’ve spent many nights being rocked to sleep in the van by the indefatigable westerly gales. We’ve spent half of our time - sometimes days on end - van bound during especially heavy rains, reading, writing, working on images and, of course, napping. Through trial by fire, we’ve mastered the art of managing condensation in the van during the Oregon Coast winter without a dry heater. And we’ve basked in the glory of the elusive sun when it reveals itself for any moment of time. It hasn’t always been easy, but, as my mom says, “nothing in this life that is worthwhile comes easily.”

Needless to say, this has been the most fruitful season of photography in my life. I’ve stopped posting images of the Oregon Coast as I’ve embraced a new pace/style of production. Instead of posting images as they occur, usually the same day, I’m now sitting on them. I process an image, give it a day, check it out and re-examine what it is and how it can be most visually impactful. Then, a week later, I look at it again. I then continue to build a rough draft gallery of images of the Oregon Coast that I can assess for coherence i.e. color palette, subject matter, visual dynamism and luminance.

I’ve never been more excited about photography and prouder of a set of images. It’s been amazing to slow down and reconnect with photography. There’s no rush. My primary interest is in generating a body of work that I am proud of and reflects my personal vision. This is something I’ve always wanted, but it took until now to learn how to live it. I’ve begun embracing the art of going all in - where I used to be tentative - on anything that catches my eye and/or elicits curiosity (more on this in a forthcoming blog lost).

Practically speaking, what this means, is that day-to-day, I will be posting live videos of shoots, as I am able, and sharing blog posts about the journey. I’ll also be digging back into my MT winter archives and sharing images of my favorite season in MT.

When all of the Oregon Coast images are ready, I’ll create a gallery on my website and share it with you all.

A big thanks to all of you for sticking with me and following along as I continue to refine my process. It’s been a rollercoaster, I know. I was deeply worried that when we left MT on this extended trip that you all would leave me! And, I wouldn’t have faulted you for that.

Be well, remain grateful.