I admit I really harp on the “green canopy” that is Virginia, but now that I am living here again, I must say, the greenery is quite spectacular. It’s amazing just how much flora there is - heaven forbid an inch of bare ground be visible! A bush, a shrub, a narrow wisp of a tree or even a small rug of moss must cover all land. This makes it overwhelming and dizzying, but there’s always something to look at and always something your eyes missed. It’s a huge adjustment from high desert and mountains, but I got a job in DC at the Dept. of Energy and figured I’d make the most of the area. So Bon and I went exploring and found sandstone cliffs (albeit grimy and graffitied), an idyllic stream, fern fields and these lovely little flowers in a nearby park.

I’m really happy to say that my photo of elk running through Mountain Village in Telluride, Colorado has been published to Patagonia’s “Freedom to Roam” campaign. Protecting wildlife corridors is a critical environmental issue and I’m proud that my work has done a small part to raise awareness. Having lived in crowded suburban and city areas and remote mountainous regions, I’ve seen wildlife corridors damaged and invaded upon in each place. This balance between human life and wilderness is very fragile, and as I examine my work more closely - both written and photographed, I’ve begun to notice that it is the central theme of everything I do, whether I knew it at the time or not. Be sure to check out Patagonia’s campaign and do your part to help.

In one of my favorite movies, “Death at a Funeral,” the grandfather sits on the roof yelling “It’s so f***ing green!” My thoughts exactly. I am back in Virginia/DC now - the land of the green, the land of the suits and ties, and the land of the seemingly endless sprawl and warm, humid weather. However, I can do this after spending a couple weeks in Telluride in which I got reinspired for life and art and photography and creativity. And let’s face it - we all need jobs. At least those of us who aren’t trustafarians. And until those trustafarians start buying my photos, I’ll continue the day job. I’m working on a new project, which I’ll discuss in more detail some other time, but this photo (click on it to see it much larger) is the first of many that focus on the intersection of nature and humans. It is not just an excuse to have a semi-nude body in a black and white photo. Although I do like that genre of photos. Enjoy.