Crater Lake

I often catch myself wondering how different geographic and geologic formations are made. On this trip I have driven through desert, ancient flood planes and have marveled at the reach of the Ponderosa Pine. I had seen pictures of Crater Lake, but I was unprepared for how mind-blowing Crater Lake would be!

The crater was created by a volcanic eruption over ten times the size of Mount St Helen billions of years ago. The smaller volcano in the middle of the lake followed. Talk about a "power spot"! Dizzy with altitude and surprised by my brief return to winter, I was racing with storm clouds behind me to create these images.

Note to self: revisit in August when the trails are sure to be open and open skies will create the glacier teal waters!

Kelowna, BC to Yakima, WA!

Day One of the Practical Mysticism road trip was awesome! Here are a few pictures I took on the way. It was hot, hot, hot! I found out why sandals are not such a great idea in the desert and had the chance to break in my new cowboy boots and hat. Not only do they protect your feet from thorny desert stuff, cowboy boots are cooler and easier to drive in than hiking boots. "Go figure," thought the city girl...







It was a great day for the road warrior! There is nothing I enjoy more than going somewhere I've never been and seeing something I've never seen. It has been a long time since my camera called me. Fortunately, I found flow today, the first day out.

Late Spring Surprise

One of the best things about being a photographer is occasionally having the opportunity to capture something that you don't usually see. Last Wednesday morning was one of those days. The nights had been hovering just below freezing and this field on Glenmore Road was a visual treat! As I was driving along, the shock of white in the field drew my attention. I doubled back before I realized that I did not have my SLR camera with me. I had brought it into the house the night before.

My point and shoot camera just wasn't going to cut it this time. I checked my odometer - I was only 8 km from home. I thought I might get a similar sight the next morning, but the little voice in my head said "go home and get the camera".
Am I ever glad I listened! The next morning the irrigation had moved further from the fence and it hasn't dipped below freezing since. This was truly a unique start to the day.

Welcome Me Back!

It has been a very introspective time since I last wrote. Some quick thoughts before I move forward:

I'm not into blogging unless I've got something to say...
I'm still a fair weather photographer - bring on Spring!
Perhaps I'd be more motivated to work on images if I didn't have to wait for my 3 year old laptop to chug along in Photoshop.
Perhaps I'd be more motivated to blog if I didn't lose the connection and lose everything I'd written the last 2 times I dedicated some time to it. Time to upgrade some equipment before I lose my patience.
I'm doing some research and deciding whether or not it's time to cross over and buy a Mac, particularly now that it runs Windows simultaneously. If anyone techie has anything to say, I'd like to hear from you in the comments section.


Moving right along, for those of you who are wondering where I've "been" the last couple of months, I'll fill you in as best I can. I had written this all before I lost my entry, and now have no idea where to begin again!

I seem to be on 5 year cycles of re-inventing myself. As I begin this cycle, I am certain that my next step is to pull all the disparate things I do into one cohesive package. I'm summarizing - it's taken me 2 months to come to this conclusion! I haven’t got the faintest idea how I’m going to do it, but I’m tired of pulling myself in several different directions at the same time. Between consulting, the photography I want to do, the teaching I want to do, the relationships I want to have, the lifestyle I envision for myself – I am spreading myself too thin. So, without losing any momentum, I am planning to consolidate. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ll never reach my full potential if I keep trying to be all things to all people.

Pop culture and pop psychology is playing a small role in this voyage of discovery. Thanks to The Secret, I’ll be seeing Jack Canfield here in Kelowna next Monday, and attending a course with James Ray in San Francisco at the end of June. I cringe at the thought of being identified with a trend. It is my nature to be counter-culture. I accept that what's popular to some has made me aware of people and resources that would have been out of my grasp without the exposure these teachers are receiving. Nothing is more attractive to me now than learning from leaders in their field among other like-minded individuals. I am happy that I don’t have to do it all alone.

So, I’m still going to blog, and of course there will still be photographs to illustrate. As a part of pulling it all together, I’m going to take you along for the ride.

Finding Joy in the "Little Things"

Where did 2007 go, especially the last month?!? I'm back to wish everyone Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for 2008. I have named this year's Christmas image "Little Things" to celebrate how small gestures and tiniest details can have a tremendous impact on the big picture.

I have always been attentive to detail. As an outdoor photographer, sometimes the greatest challenge is to isolate meaningful detail within a chaotic environment. Nature has its own grand plan, but to capture and communicate, within a two dimensional frame, the essence of a place, brings me joy. When other people get excited by one of my images, it multiplies that feeling tenfold.

I'm excited about a lot these days. I've had a great year, capped off by the trip to Utah and a couple of recent developments on both the home and work front. I will be taking time over the holidays to enjoy the company of friends and family. I am under no illusion that this will be a restful couple of weeks, but I hope to carve out some time to work on a few photo projects. Watch for some updates to my main website www.lauratucker.com and some news about upcoming workshop opportunities.

Until then, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!