It has been a while since I last went out specifically for photography. The reasons are varied. I’ve developed other interests, I haven’t had as much time or mental energy, and, of course, there is summer. Work has also been a little stressful lately, with pest outbreaks keeping my mind occupied long after I leave the office. (I am an entomologist, after all.) By the time I get home, the day often continues to play in my head, leaving little room for photographic inspiration.
And then there is AI.
The rapid development of generative AI has made it remarkably easy for anyone to produce beautiful, technically flawless images in seconds. Sometimes I find myself wondering: what’s the point? Why spend hours traveling, hiking, waiting for the right light, and carrying heavy equipment to take a beautiful photo when any crappy photograph can be made beautiful in seconds?
I don’t really have an answer to that question yet.
But I do know that I still bring my camera with me whenever I go climbing: my newest addiction. And when an opportunity presents itself, I take a photograph. Maybe that is enough for now: photography not as the primary purpose of the trip, but as something that accompanies me, waiting for those moments when I see something worth stopping for.
The featured photograph was taken in Tuolumne, in Yosemite National Park, the last time I actually set out with photography in mind. I had signed up for a wild horse photography workshop, but the workshop was unexpectedly moved to a weekday. Since I already had reservations in the Eastern Sierra, I decided not to waste the trip. Instead, what was supposed to be a photography adventure quickly turned into a climbing adventure.
Climbing in Tuolumne, however, turned out to be considerably more challenging than it initially appeared. The approaches were long and strenuous, the routes had few bolts to clip in the rope, and there was plenty of intense sun and wind. It was a very different kind of adventure from the one I had originally planned.
And somewhere in the middle of all that climbing, I managed to take a photograph of Lambert Dome.
See the prominent crack running up the rock? That is actually a climbing route. It has one bolt in the middle to clip the rope.
Needless to say, it was a definite no-no for me. I like my climbing adventures with a little more protection than that.
But I do like the photograph.
Perhaps that is the point after all. Photography may not always need to be the reason I go somewhere. Sometimes it can simply be the unexpected reward for being there.
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Wall Art landscapes and miscellaneous
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It is all about the light 
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