Wandering Switchback

10/20/2025

For the next few months, I am living near the small town of Yachats, Oregon. Yesterday, this town of about 1000 people had probably 600 people lining the main strip where Highway 101 passes through town for the protest.

The gentleman in the first photo I spoke with for a bit. He's also a former , which always opens up a conversation. There were several other Navy vets there I spoke with briefly.

I hadn't realized the huge ***r presence in this tiny town, and it makes my heart happy to be able to be so close to the community.

There was only one outwardly person there, a man with a sign honoring Charlie Kirk. A handful of people stopped and talked with him, and everyone stayed very respectful and peaceful.

With everything happening in this country right now, we need to stand together and spread love, not hate. It is easier to be conquered when we are divided.

09/19/2025

Oh my!

RECALL: Anker is recalling about 481,000 portable power banks after reports of overheating, fires and burn injuries, according to federal safety officials. https://www.ktvu.com/news/anker-power-bank-recall-fire-hazard?utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=facebook

09/03/2025

Had a great kickoff to our cross-country drive from Maine to California! After 4 years of talking across the country from one another and watching each other’s videos, I finally got to connect with Melissa, whose YouTube channel is Unlikely Hiker! Check out her backpacking videos at https://youtube.com/?si=7lkEWEIvR6FMByBH

08/25/2025

I didn't get much of a chance to photograph the Perseid meteor shower this year for several reasons, though I did get to enjoy watching it for an evening with my teenage son at the top of a waterfall (so grateful he still enjoys these things!). I have, however, been working to build some of my photography editing skills, and I decided to dust off photos I was able to take last year during the peak of the shower where we had a surprise appearance of the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis and play with one of the skills I've been trying to work on with them. Enjoy!

If you like this and want to check out ordering prints, you can find the ordering page here: https://www.wanderingswitchback.com/store/p/sqsp5ffae

08/07/2025

Heads up, people!! Time to get ready to see the Northern Lights! I’ve been getting solar flare alerts all day, so I’ve been watching the forecasts, and it’s looking promising.

To better understand the forecasts, check out my blog post: https://www.wanderingswitchback.com/blog/how-to-get-amazing-northern-lightsaurora-borealis-photos

This far out, the KP Index is our best predictor. The higher the KP Index, the better. As it gets closer, other factors are better indicators.

I’m also including a screenshot of the apps I use (click on the pic to see them all). The Space Weather one is the one that’s been most reliable lately, but between the three, it helps to get alerts most of the time.

08/06/2025

Some photo projects literally make you cry along the way. But through that comes the learning.
I finally learned just enough to be able to stack for the first time. You can read about my journey and about this photo here: www.wanderingswitchback.com/blog/knowing-when-to-call-it

08/04/2025

Go enjoy the National Parks today for FREE!!

Today, in honor of the fifth anniversary of the , all National Park Service entrance fees are waived. Not a bad way to start a Monday.

What if there’s not a park near me? Chances are, there’s a park closer than you think. There are over 400 national park areas spread across the country. Check nps.gov and search by state to find one close to you. (Keep in mind the nearest park entrance may be behind you.)

What is the Great American Outdoors Act? Thanks for asking. The Great American Outdoors Act ( ) provides funding to improve infrastructure, address extensive and long-overdue maintenance and repair needs, and expand recreation opportunities in national parks. Over the last five years, hundreds of projects have been underway. Learn more at: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/infrastructure/gaoa.htm

Image: Yosemite National Park recently reopened the Tuolumne Meadows Campground following the completion of a transformative three-year, $26 million rehabilitation project funded through the Great American Outdoors Act.

08/04/2025

People. Actually. Believe. This. Sh*t.

AI has its place, but boy is it frustrating as a photographer to see some of the junk out there (that has data stolen from REAL artists, at that). What’s more, it makes it harder for people to decipher what’s real and what isn’t. I’ve had a few shots people have told me it’s AI, and I choose to take it as a compliment, but with AI getting better and better, it will be harder and harder to tell the fake from the real at some point, I’d imagine. I’ve started leaving in more elements like satellites in Milky Way shots that I might have edited out before, as though I need to “prove” my photos are authentic, but unfortunately, it is the reality that we do.

Based on the number of likes, comments and shares on this image I’m sharing, the confusion is thick.

It’s absolutely okay to question whether an image is AI or real. You might even have to zoom in on elements to see the difference, or even ask the artist. I have shown other photos in a series or even a phone photo of my editing software open on my laptop to show that the photo is real.

I don’t like to think of myself as a cynic, but I do think it’s important to think critically and not take everything at face value. There are way too many people out there happy to pass off AI images as real photos. Question all of it.

A thunderstorm paints the sky with fiery colors, and the lake turns into a bright mirror.
Nature shows its power, but remains magnificent.
A calmly swimming duck reminds us that even in a storm there can be calm.
Lightning in the sky and reflections in the water unite in a magical dance.
This is a moment when everything speaks of power, beauty and balance.

07/31/2025

Today is World Ranger Day! Thank you to all our rangers for everything you, the things we see and the things we don’t. 🙌

07/30/2025

I had a pretty phenomenal experience taking this shot! You can read more about my experience here: www.wanderingswitchback.com/blog/acadias-best-kept-secret

07/23/2025

Calling on the botany hive mind here!
This flower was on Smith's Island, Iowa. I can't find identification for it anywhere. Does anyone know what this is?

07/20/2025

Going LIVE in 2 hours!!

Woo hoo!! 🎉🎉🎉 THANK YOU for all your support! 🥰🥰🥰

A couple of months ago, I announced a ✨giveaway✨ in collaboration with Kula Cloth! Now that I’ve hit 🔥5,000🔥 YouTube subscribers, I’ll be announcing the winner of the giveaway LIVE on YouTube tomorrow, 7/20/25 at 9AM PDT/12PM EDT!! https://youtube.com/live/JrCqtDsoIY0?feature=share

If you haven’t yet entered and would like to do so, you can at https://www.wanderingswitchback.com/promotion

Please like 👍 and share! 🙏❤️