I ran across a quote this week by Galen Rowell, a prolific climber and photographer of the past half a century. His work is incredible and he firmly believes in less gear making for better work.

The quote reads:

“The odds of winning the state lottery are better than those of randomly walking up to the optimum position for a photograph.”

This affirms my recent thought process regarding how to make my next set of images. Optimum positions for making great work wont just happen to me. I need to premeditate, plan, scout, and then execute when I’ve put all the pieces in place.

Tomorrow I’m going to a spot which I’ve been looking forward to finding for over a year. There’s a ridge that is visible from both PUC and the valley floor and it is catches the first rays of sun in a way that’s been motivating me to get out there someday. Well, tomorrow is that day. I scouted the spot earlier this week and it has some incredible views. I could see the water of lake Berryessa, PUC campus, Mt. Diablo, Napa, St. Helena, and Calistoga all from one spot.

Hope to share some shots next week.

Here is a snap from my kayaking expedition last week.