Road warrior work flow

The past two years have involved quite a lot of travel and photography is a big part of those trips. The camera kit questions have been resolved and I feel good about the gear with which I travel. One body, three lenses, a few spare batteries and SD cards and I am good to go. However, until recently, that same satisfaction didn't exist with regard to the "processing workflow" portion of my trips. 

Early on I brought along my 12" MacBook, mainly for email but also for photo editing. Unfortunately, that computer was new in 2017 and in 2024 it is not up to the demands associated with moving hundreds of gigs of image files. Nor is its processor able to keep up with the computational needs of modern LR/PS releases. Plus, in addition to the laptop, I brought along an 11" iPad Pro Gen 4 purchased just after release in 2020. It is that platform on which I gamed, interacted with social media and surfed the internet. Increasingly it became apparent I needed to move photo editing and file management from the MacBook to the iPad Pro. After a few weeks of internet research (thank you YouTube!) I began experimenting with a few of the various ideas I came across. Trips to Olympic National Park and Iceland further informed my thinking and I coalesced around a process that seemed to fit my needs. Two follow-on trips, a two-week self-drive around Scotland and most recently, a three-week drive through Europe, further honed the process to the point where I am very satisfied. 

The kit I put together includes;

- Camera SD cards - although I have several makers, my go-to for the Leica M10R are SanDisk's Ultra or Extreme Pro in 32GB. I usually bring along at least 20 SD cards. More if I'm on a longer trip. In the big picture (e.g. in comparison to the cost of your camera / lens system) SD cards are inexpensive and easy to carry...don't fret the cost, buy more cards! Even with the 50MB files produced by the M10R's 40MP, a 32GB SD holds over 600 images. In my experience that is more than enough for me on a daily basis. The M system is slow and methodical and most definitely not a "spray and pray" platform.  

- UHS II capable SD card reader - Sony MRW-S1. This has worked for me perfectly for a few years. My only comment is that it is very small. I worry about losing it in my bag and often think about painting it bright yellow and attaching a lanyard. 

- USB hub - Anker 332 5-in-1 USB C + A. No complaints, no worries, works every time. Larger than the Sony kit above but not by much and it is very portable.

- External storage media - I keep four drives. SanDisk's Extreme Portable SSDs in 1TB (x2) and 2TB (x2). The two 1TB drives go on the trip with me and are used for daily backups. Prior to the trip I add an empty folder to those two drives that matches the file structure of my iCloud master backup. The two 2TB drives remain at home for use after the trip. More on them later.

- USB-C cables - 8" and a few longer - this process uses the 8".  The cables I use work for both data exchange and power delivery.

iOS software includes the Leica FOTOS app as well as LR, PS and PS Express. All four are loaded on my 11" iPad Pro Gen 4. My iPhone 15 Pro Max includes FOTOS, LR and PS Express.

The kit above enables me to easily transfer and back-up image files. Here's how I implement the plan.

Throughout the day's shooting I will, during down time, review images on the camera and mark those I'd like to edit that evening. While I can download to the iPhone on the road, I generally prefer to wait for the hotel so I can transfer to the iPad - bigger screen for easier editing. To transfer marked images directly from the M10R into the iPhone/iPad involves establishing comms between the camera and the iOS Leica FOTOS app. This is a very straightforward process that always works. I startup the local wifi net on the M10R, startup up the FOTOS app on the mobile device, and wait for the camera to connect with the app, usually just a few moments and I am reviewing images on the mobile device. Image files I select for download are added to the Apple Photos app on that device (and uploaded to iCloud in background). On any given day I transfer between five and ten images for evening, or next day, editing. The iOS LR app uses Adobe's Creative Cloud (CC) so when I open one of the images from Apple Photos, that image is also uploaded to CC. This enables me to edit an image with either of my mobile devices while on the road and, after I return home and synch LR with LR Classic, on my Mac Mini. Editing a few images on a daily basis during a trip lets me keep friends and family up to date on my adventures through social media (IG and Flickr) or directly through text/email. Easy peasy!

Back at the hotel, and after I've transferred images as discussed above, I remove that day's SD card then insert into the camera and format a new SD card. The Anker USB Hub is connected to the iPad's USB-C port and the Sony USB card reader is attached (that device uses a USB A connection). Into the Anker Hub is also attached the 8" USB-C cable. At this point there are no storage devices connected. On the iPad I open Apple's "Files" app then insert that day's SD card into the SD card reader and 8" cable is inserted into a one of the 1TB SSDs. After a few moments both devices appear in the iPad's Files app. Now it is a simple matter to drag the images from that day's SD card and drop them into file structure on the SSD. (Note: dragging/dropping and editing can be accomplished with a finger or with an Apple Pencil - I use both interchangeably.) Once that transfer is complete, I remove SSD #1, insert SSD #2 and repeat that transfer process onto the second drive. Transferring the SD card images to the two SSDs  usually takes between five and ten minutes depending on how many images I shot that day. When completed, there are three copies of the day's images. The used SD card, 1TB SSD #1 and 1TB SSD #2. The accumulating pile of SD cards and one of the SSDs are kept in my luggage and the other SSD is with me in the camera kit. Not foolproof, but as good as it's going to get while on the road. Final backups to the cloud happen back home.

Regarding the source from which to edit, I could leave one of the SSDs plugged into the iPad and edit in LR directly from and save back to that drive. However, that requires I keep the SSD and the hub plugged into the iPad and that feels constricting. Much more mobile to edit just the few images that were transferred wirelessly. The rest of the images can wait until I return home.

Once home, there are three copies of all photos - the pile of used SD cards and the two 1TB SSDs. My first step is to upload, from one of the 1TB SSDs - doesn't matter which - all the trip's images to Apple iCloud. This is a time consuming, internet-bandwidth-clogging process which takes a few days. Literally a few days. I returned recently from a three-week Europe trip with about 2,700 images totaling about 115GB. It took just at 48 hours for all of those files to upload to iCloud. To accomplish that task I attached one of the 1TB SSDs to my home computer (a 2020-era M1 Mac Mini) then dragged and dropped the trip folder into the image storage file structure that is established in iCloud. Again, this is a time consuming process. Don't plan on streaming your favorite shows while this upload is in progress.

When the dust settles on that process I check two things; that the beginning and end image file numbers my camera assigned are the same in both locations (SSD and iCloud) and that the total number of files transferred to iCloud is the same as are on the SSD. This is a quick no-brainer check that is intended to assure me I have all the photos safely in the cloud.

The final step, after all the files are uploaded to iCloud and before beginning at-home editing, is to back up iCloud images onto the two, 2TB SanDisk SSDs reserved for this purpose. For this transfer I utilize a program on my Mac Mini named Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC). It has been may go-to for quite a few years and has always worked as intended. On first use you will need to define a cloning task. For this example my task is "iCloud Pictures to 2TB SSD #1."  A second, defined task saves to 2TB SSD #2. Simply start-up CCC, plug in a 2TB SSD (whichever one, just choose the like named task else CCC will ask you to rethink what you are doing) and press "Start." The program reads the source folder then the destination folder and begins cloning. My defaults are set such that the 2TB SSD is an exact copy of iCloud. After the first 2TB SSD has cloned I eject it, plug in the second 2TB SSD, select the appropriate task, and press "Start" to begin the second round of cloning.  The iCloud back-up process takes a short bit of time but it leaves me with two in-hand copies of all of my iCloud images. For safety, one of the 2TB SSDs lives two blocks away at my daughter's home. 

After all the uploading and backing up, I am left with the two, 1TB SSDs and an accumulation of SD cards, all loaded with the trip's images. At this point, the camera SD cards are placed back into rotation. It is my normal process to format an SD card upon first insertion into a camera so I don't worry about formatting them at this point. As for the SSDs, there is still plenty of room on those drives for a few more trips. However, at some point they will be erased and reformatted for allow continued use. 

I hope this discussion helps anyone trying to figure out a similar process for their travels. While I am sure there are other methodologies, this one has worked for me. That said, tech is improving daily and I suspect the process I use in a year will be different, and most likely more streamlined, than I use today.  Cheers all!

Note: the gear listed was purchased at my own expense after a lot of research and a lot of trial and error (I have a box full of stuff that didn't do what I wanted). I'm sure there are similar types of kit that perform the same functions. Use what works best for you.

  

Scotland 2024

Just returned from a 17 day adventure in Scotland. Along for the ride were my wife, our daughter and son-in-law. Unlike the recent Iceland trip, this was a DIY I had been planning for nearly one year. To be honest, I was weary of planning and very happy when we finally arrived at Dulles International to begin the trip. We flew into London's Heathrow then onto Edinburgh, Scotland where we picked up a seven pax Ford Tourneo van from SiXT rental. Over the next two weeks we put 1100 miles on that van, driving on the left side of the road and mostly over narrow, "passing places" roads. It was a hoot. The map below shows most of the blue dots where we visited. From Edinburgh we drove to Glencoe via Stirling Castle, Loch Lomond and the Trossacks National Park. After two nights in Glencoe we drove to Mallaig via the Glenfinan Via Duct (where the Harry Potter train crosses) then caught the ferry to Armadale in the Isle of Skye. Three nights in Portree while visiting the amazing sights of Skye. From Portree we travelled 200 miles north to Thurso. Early the next morning we were on the Scrabster to Stromness ferry and the Orkney Islands. Orkney was the highlight location for me, my goodness, what incredible beauty. Three nights in Kirkwall then we caught the ferry from St. Margaret's Hope to Gills Bay. After a visit to John O'Groats we drove to Inverness where we stayed one night. Next day we were back to Edinburgh via Cairngorms National Park and Pitlochry to return the rental van. Three nights in Edinburgh then back to Dulles, again via Heathrow.   

Phew, got that out of the way. Clearly a lot of driving. But also a lot of fabulous scenery and even more history. Scotland is an amazing country. Friendly people, incredible landscapes, great beer (I'm not much of a whisky guy) and good food. And speaking of food, I enjoyed a lot of haggis. Don't think about it. Just eat it. By the time of our departure I believe I had enjoyed six meals of haggis. Couldn't quite get on with the Black Pudding (blood sausage) but I loved the haggis. Bottom line, good food everywhere we visited. And yes, the shopping in Scotland is amazing as well and we came home with a lot of wool purchases. After all, there are just so many sheep!

Even though this was a tourist visit and not a photography workshop, I managed to bring home over 2500 images. I brought along the standard Leica M10R kit, with a few modifications. Key modifications included; a smaller, travel tripod replaced my larger and heavier work horse tripod, and I replaced the standard 90mm with a 1970s era 135mm f/4 Tri-Elmar (my only Leica branded lens). I swapped out the 90mm as I was looking for a bit more compression in my long range images. While I was able to focus effectively through the rangefinder, I was far more successful through the Visoflex. The lens swap worked out, however, in the future, I'll bring the 90mm. It is smaller and lighter and easier to focus. That said, I capture a few of my favorite images with the 135mm. The truth is that telephoto work is best left to the autofocus SLR/Mirrorless crowd. The other kit modification, the smaller, lighter travel tripod, was a great choice. It didn't get used much but it was good to have it when needed. 

The remainder of the kit, 25mm, 50mm, ND/CPOL filter kit, spare batteries, etc., reflected the lessons of previous travel. Also, my workflow regarding backing up SD cards each day via my iPad is well sorted. Mobile versions of LR/PS continue to be my go to for post. Also helpful is the Leica Fotos iOS app. I can shot an image, transfer it wirelessly to the iPad or iPhone, edit in LR, then upload to Instagram or Facebook or Flickr, all in just a few minutes. Not something I did a lot, but during coffee stops in charming cafes, or lunches at 400 year old pubs, there was aways time to edit and send along a few images to friends and family and social media.

In addition to the Leica, my wife used my trusty Canon G10 PowerShot. That was my go to camera for many years and was used all over Asia. Certainly, in 2024, 14MP seems quaint, however, the camera sports a zoom with an optical range of 28-140mm (35mm equivalent), shoots Canon raw files, and is a small, compact, nearly indestructible camera. My daughter shot a Canon SX110. It is a few steps down the ladder from the G10 but she captured many wonderful images in jpeg. My son-in-law shot a Fuji X10. Again, although that camera is pushing 13 years old, it is a workhorse that shoots wonderful, 12MP raw images.

And of course, there were iPhone images. So very many iPhone images. Between this trip and the Iceland trip, I have become acutely aware of the excellent quality of my iPhone 15 Pro Max raw (DNG) files. Simply amazing. My only complaint is the poor ergonomics while using an iPhone, a lot, for photography. There are a few aftermarket gizmos to trick out the iPhone for more effective handling while conducting photography and by my next trip, I will be well sorted. While iPhone's editing capabilities are very good, I like that I can quickly move iPhone DNGs into LR/PS for more substantial edits. Not sure what Apple is doing under the hood to those images but they are generally spectacular right out of the phone. I suppose it is just a matter of time before that same computational power (AI?) is cloned and found in mainstream cameras from the likes of Canon, Nikon, Sony, Leica, etc. As a Fuji shooter (X-E4 and X100V) I love the ability to edit images in camera, then move them off body wirelessly via Fuji's app. My dream is that Leica incorporates in-body function similar to Fuji's, or even better, Apple's. In the mean time, I will continue shooting the Leica and muttering under my breath when the iPhone 15 Pro Max nails a tough, high dynamic range image, perfectly, in one go, and with no editing ("damn you iPhone!").  

Highlights of the trip? Certainly, first for me was the time with my daughter and her husband. She's been out of the house for many years now and I miss our daily interaction. What fun to be able to be together and enjoy our common love of travel, history and photography. Beyond that, Orkney, Glencoe and Edinburgh were highlights for me. As the map above shows, there are a lot of areas in Scotland without blue dots. I'll need to return to fill in a few of those areas.  

A few of my favorite images.

    

Iceland 2024

The first two weeks in March my son and I participated in a small, bespoke photography workshop in Iceland. In addition to the two of us, there was one other participant and the leader. Over the course of the workshop we traveled the Ring Road (Iceland's Highway 1) in a 9-pax Mercedes Sprinter Van, documenting the many amazing geographic and meteorological scenes we came across. I returned home with nearly 5,000 images (includes those shot on the iPhone 15 Pro Max). The map below show most of the stops we made during the trip. While there is a fairly comprehensive series of blue dots along the country's perimeter, there are a few notable empty areas. Next trip, and there will be a next trip, we'll explore two of those notable empty areas, the West Fjords and the Highlands.  

Iceland is an amazingly beautiful country. Incredible scenery, friendly people, all of whom speak excellent English, and great food (loved the seafood!). I was a bit worried about visiting Iceland in winter but it proved not be too challenging. For the most part, temperatures were in the low 30s to low 40s (Fahrenheit) - actually much the same as my home in Strasburg, Virginia. Over the course of the trip we endured some rain, some sleet and some snow. In fact on the next to last day on island we were in white out conditions at various times while driving the south's Golden Circle. However, we dressed for success and never felt we hadn't packed appropriately. As they say in Iceland, "there is no bad weather, only bad clothing choices." We made good choices.

Precipitation and temperature aside, the one constant was wind. My goodness, it really blows in Iceland. That impacted my lens swaps and my tripod use, more on that later.

Regarding camera kit, my primary shooter was the Leica M10R. As it has done nearly every day for the past two years, it performed flawlessly. Rain, sleet, snow, cold, no worries, it just worked. For glass, I brought along my regular kit - the Zeiss 25mm f/2.8 Biogon, the Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 Nokton and the Voigtlander 90mm f/2.8 APO-Skopar. Performance by all was superb. One of the many things I love about the Leica M ecosystem are the small, fast, super sharp prime lenses. While I brought along, and used, a small camera bag (Wotan Craft 3.5L), most of time, I just stuffed one or both spare lenses, and a few filters, in my coat pockets. Try that with one of today's full frame mirrorless 24-70mm f/2.8 fully auto everything zoom lens.

The big surprise for me was the 50mm focal length. As noted in many previous posts, it has never been a go-to focal length for me. However, in Iceland, 50mm proved to be an outstanding choice. The landscapes are huge and I found very often that 25mm was just too wide. Up close, for instance, in ice caves, or for many waterfalls and canyons, the 25mm was perfect. Over great distances, not so much. In fact, I used the 90mm for a surprising number of landscapes. While I did shoot landscapes with the 25mm, some of my favorites were shot using either the 50mm or the 90mm. And at a lot of locations, stitching three, six or nine images together in post delivered superb images that really captured the depth and breath of the location.  A few of those images are highlighted below.

Beyond the body and lenses, I brought along a big tripod, a set of ND filters and a CPOL, a total of four batteries and the Leica Type 020 Visoflex. Knowing about the wind situation I felt that one of my smaller travel tripods would not be up to the task and I was right in that assessment. Bigger, heavier, more stable was the key. However, even with that tripod, sometimes there was too much wind to shoot at normal tripod heights. For those situations, and there were many, I "asian squatted" behind a non-extended tripod to get the shots. One by-product of that approach was the interesting perspective resulting from shooting from a low position. That is one for the photography tool kit to be used in the future.

To support longer shutter speeds at waterfall shoots I brought along a 3, 6 and 10 stop ND filter in 46mm. The three lenses I had with me all had different filter sizes. I defaulted to the largest size, the Zeiss 25mm, and used step up adapters for filter use on the other two lenses. The filters worked wonders as they dramatically improved all of my waterfall images. As I recall, the circular polarizer saw no use. 

Prior to the trip, and having read everything Internet had to say on the subject of photography in Iceland, I was obsessed with the need for a back-up camera. My initial thought was to bring along the Leica M3 and a a big bag of film. But after thinking that through for about a half second longer I realized that was a spectacularly bad idea. Instead, I brought along my Fuji X-E4 (APS-C mirrorless), my XF 16-80mm f/4 (24-120mm full frame), and a handful of spare batteries. By trip's end I had used that setup only a few times and shot barely 200 images with it. 

Regarding spare batteries, again, Internet put fear in my soul and spoke to the fast demise of camera batteries in the cold conditions. As a result, I over compensated and brought a lot of backup. In the end it was unnecessary. Each evening I removed the battery, charged it and inserted a fresh battery. During the day's shooting I kept a spare in my pants pocket where it could stay warm. When (if) the in camera battery depleted to about 25% I swapped it with the fresh battery. Only once during the trip did I use more than one battery in a day. The main culprit of battery use was the Visoflex I used every time the Leica was on the tripod. That is an amazing piece of kit and a real help to me in achieving scene framing and nailing exposure. While not a fan of focus peaking, punching in to focus through the Visoflex proved its worth. The down side is that is a Leica battery killer.

One piece of kit I brought along was a Leica M lens to Nikon Z mount adapter. My son's kit consisted of a Nikon Z8 and an arsenal of fabulous lenses. He also brought a Z6 as backup. About a week into the trip, I borrowed the Z6, mounted the 90mm on it, and shot away. Turned out to be a good setup. Unlike with the Visoflex, I never bonded with the Nikon's focus peaking, and I came home with a number of soft images, far more, I believe, than would have been the case had I shot with the Leica. The good news was that most were useable as there is a lot that can be accomplished in post. With more time I would have figured out Nikon's focus peaking process. That said, I enjoyed using adapted M lenses on the Z6 more than I did using the X-E4 and its zoom lens. However, I only used the Z6 for a few days then went back to changing lenses on the Leica. And on that subject, again, Internet overplayed the horrors of changing lenses in the wilds of Iceland. To be sure, I didn't swap lenses outside the van in the rain, sleet or snow. But for the clear, windy days, I turned my back to the wind and made the changes in less time than an Indy 500 pit stop. In post, at home, I've had to clean very few dust spots from the resulting images. 

There were two revelatory moments during the trip. One was when I began shooting reflection images on my iPhone 15 Pro Max. It turns out I had a fantastic backup camera on me the whole time. Shooting in raw (DNG files) resulted in amazing images straight out of the phone. The phone use quickly advanced to shooting everything else as well. I shot hundreds of images on the phone. The resulting DNG files can be as large as 65MB! And LR/PS love them, no issues in post. Many of those are among my favorites of the whole Iceland experience. 

The second revelation was watching our trip leader work his magic in Lightroom and Photo Shop. I was blown away. Since coming back to photography a few years ago I have been using Capture One exclusively and I think I'm a pretty good C1 operator. However, what I saw in LR/PS was way beyond what I was accomplishing in C1. Needless to say, within a week, I had bought into the Adobe Photography Package ($10/month), downloaded the iOS versions to my iPad and iPhone, and began editing raw files with great gusto. Two months later, as I write this, and having loaded LR/PS to my Mac, and having edited hundreds of Leica and Apple DNGs, Fuji RAFs, Nikon NEFs, I am more convinced than ever I made the right decision. Culling and editing images is easier and more intuitive for me. I stress, "for me," as the decision for using a particular post processing application is a personal choice. I used C1 for a long time and really liked it. Having now used LR/PS for two months, I like them better. My workflow getting through the raw-to-jpeg-export-process is a bit clunky but I will get there and in the process I am loving these applications.

And speaking of workflow, my process for image backup in the field used an iPad as the intermediary between an SD card and an external 4TB SSB (SanDisk). Through use of a hub which included USB-A and USB-C, I could plug in an SD card and the external drive, then drop and drag the day's images from the card to the drive. When that was completed, the SD card was unplugged and a second external SSD was attached. The newly loaded files were then copied from the one drive to the other. That left me with two SSDs with all the images and the SD with that day's images. Into the camera I inserted a fresh SD card (I brought along twenty 32GB SD cards). It sounds much more complicated than it was in actual practice. To be sure, it took doing it for several days in a row before I had the sequencing steps where they made most sense. After that, it was a fairly quick process. And with use of the Apple Pencil, editing images in LR/PS on the iPad was a breeze. I was very pleased with the workflow.

Iceland was a wonderful trip. What were the highlights? First and foremost was spending two weeks on the road with my son. We talked about everything under the sun, but mostly photography, from the early morning wake ups to the late night lights out. Lots of great food and even more great beer (thank you Einstok!).  Looking through my images, I have a lot of pictures of him taking pictures. That seems to be a constant when we are on photo safari together. Beyond the time with him, the northern lights, the mighty Aldeyjarfoss, the enormous Vatnajokull were all incredible. We're in the opening stages of discussion about our next adventure. Back to Iceland to fill in more blue dots on the map? Perhaps.

A few of my favorite images.

  

 

Strasburg, Virginia

 Wow, a very big change has just occurred in the waning days of 2023! It was that change combined with all the associated pre-planning which caused me to endure a creative lock-up which resulted in several months with no posts. Now that I'm settled(ish), I'm hoping my curiosity returns and that I begin burning through camera batteries again.

So, "what happened?" you might ask. My wife and I relocated to Virginia from our Florida home of the past seven years. The decision was a long time coming and it centered solely on being nearer family. Our daughter and her family in particular, however, proximity to my wife's sister was also in the mix. Several years ago our daughter bought a home in Strasburg, Virginia and during the intervening time we made frequent visits to her small town. Those visits highlighted the charm of Strasburg and planted the seed of the idea of "walkability." Being able to walk neighborhoods, into the downtown area, to visit family, etc. After discussing this for nearly two years we bought a small home in Strasburg which is less than two blocks from our daughter's home. A two minute walk. And another two minutes into the beating heart of the downtown. 

A follower of this blog will note the frequent postings involving not only Strasburg but also the general area of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. It is a beautiful area and I am looking forwarding to capturing scenes that do not involve beaches in Florida. I'm thinking I will focus on the downtown areas of the many small towns which occupy the Valley. And with very close proximity to the Shenandoah National Forest and Skyline Drive (in the Blue Ridge Mountains), there is sure to be a smattering of landscape photography as well. A very exciting change of setting and I'm looking forward to sharing images of the area around my new home.

What I do miss is being able to shoot film. My developing paraphernalia is boxed and in storage for a few months while we settle in to the new home and neighborhood. Until then the Leica M10R will be in constant use, and that is a good thing!

A few images of the area where I am now living.

Olympic National Park

In September my son and I conducted another in our continuing series of photo safaris, this time to Washington's Olympic National Park. It was a wonderful trip that burned through a lot of batteries. From stunning Pacific Ocean views to incredible mountain views, Washington's Olympic Peninsula has it all. We were in the area for a week and based out of two different locations. 

First was Forks, WA which was perfectly suited for close proximity to the Pacific Ocean beaches which are a part of the park, as well as to the fantastical Hoh Rain Forest on the west side of the park proper. While there are several beach areas associated with the park, we found Ruby Beach to be the most photogenic. A rugged coastline with enormous washed up tree trunks along the rocky beach. We made several trips to Ruby Beach to cover sunsets and sunrises. Beautiful and highly recommended. And what is there is say about the Hoh Rainforest that hasn't already been said? It is an incredible location with spectacular hiking trails through what appears to be a primordial landscape. Simply amazing.  

The second home base was at Port Angeles, WA. This location provides access into the north entrance of the park and is very convenient to the Hurricane Ridge area with its many amazing views and hiking trails. And as with the Forks portion of the visit, we were up early for sunrise lighting and stayed late for those stunning sunsets. Additionally, the small city of Port Angeles is very charming and hosts. a number of pubs, restaurants and shopping catering to the adventure tourists traveling in from Seattle or Vancouver (British Columbia, just to the north across the Straits of Juan de Fuca). We stayed at a charming little Vrbo just a few minutes walk from the downtown area. Again highly recommended.

In between the two areas we visited Cape Flattery. This is located on the northwestern most corner of the continental United States. Just off the coastline proper is an island, Tatoosh Island, hosting a light house. That light, in addition to marking the dangers of the rocky coastline, also marks the entrance into the Straits of Juan de Fuca (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Flattery_Light). That Strait is the dividing line between the U.S. and Canada. In fact Victoria, BC is just a one hour ferry ride due north out of Port Angeles. The Straits are one of the most heavily trafficked waterways in our country and it is "controlled" by a Vessel Traffic System managed by the U.S. Coast Guard at the Port of Seattle. In my past professional life I traveled that Strait many times on board a vessel which was 600 feet long and that displaced 20,000 tons. I remember most the fog and the "loggerheads" (large tree trunks bobbing vertically in the water with just a few feet showing above the surface of the water). Good times. Anyway, there is a small parking lot at the trailhead which leads to the high promontory point overlooking Tatoosh Island. This is a rugged and beautiful landscape. BTW, the land is part of the Makah tribal area and you will need (or at least should have) a recreation pass to park and hike to the point. We bought ours (don't remember the cost but it was minimal) in the small town of Neah Bay on the drive to Cape Flattery.  

For this trip I brought along what has become my standard camera kit. Leica M10R with three prime lenses - Zeiss 25mm f/2.8 Biogon, Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 Nokton and the Voigtlander 90mm f/2.8 APO Skopar. Additionally, I brought along a Leica M3 and a handful of 35mm color film. As noted in previous posts, I love the interchangeability of lenses between the film camera made in 1958 and the digital camera made in 2021. That said, I shot the M10R almost exclusively and, sadly, as of this post the only roll of film I shot has yet to be developed. I ended up shooting the 25mm a lot in the towns and the 90mm a lot for the landscapes. In between was the 50mm. This coming March 2024 we are going to Iceland for a two week photo tour of the Ring Road and I am planning this same kit. 

Different this trip was that I did not bring along my laptop to upload and process images each evening. Instead, I brought along an iPad loaded with an iOS app named Darkroom. While not as full featured as my usual Capture One, it is quite powerful and I produced images of which I am very pleased. After each days shooting I would connect the M10R to the iPad via Leica's always reliable Fotos app, upload a few of my favorite images, process those with Darkroom, then save the resulting into my Apple Photos library. That location provides instant access to text / email images to where ever or to upload to Instagram. Prior to the trip I was concerned about the lack of laptop and lack of ability to backup images to the cloud. However, in the end I decided to swap out SD cards on a daily basis. Not a 100% safety factor as I still had the cards on my person (or in the room or car) but at least I didn't feel I needed to worry about card failure in the camera ruining previous images. And as I have come to realize that even with the M10R's 40mp sensor, 32GB SD cards are plenty big enough and, in the wider world of all things related to digital camera, very cheap. I brought along a card for each day's use and the system worked a charm. I'll probably do the same for Iceland.

It was another wonderful photo safari with my son and we're looking forward to many more to come. See below a few of my favorite images.

Cape Flattery

Cape Flattery

My son at Ruby Beach

Ruby Beach

Long time exposure at Ruby Beach. The M10R was resting on a rock. Love the ghosting movement of my son in the image.