25 years of (my) travel and photography
Part three: 2010-2014
2010 through 2014 was another busy few years. Between flying east to Thailand via Dubai and flying west to New Zealand, I nearly completed a circumnavigation of the globe.
2010
I was the Chair of the Freelance Council of the Society of American Travel Writers in 2010 and Thailand hosted us for our Spring meeting. Emirates was the air partner which required everyone to fly through their hub in Dubai. To break the long travel day up, we were happy to be able to arrange a two-night stopover in Dubai before flying on to Bangkok. The overall result was one of the most memorable trips of my life. As Chair I also sat on the SATW Board and attended a board meeting in Jamaica and another prior to the Annual Convention in Saxony, Germany. A big year, thanks largely to SATW and their host countries.
Dubai skyline.
Wat Phra Ram, Ayutthaya, Thailand.
Rafting in Jamaica.
Dresden, Germany.
Countries visited in 2010:
Dubai, UAE
Thailand
Jamaica
Germany
Gear at that time:
Nikon D300
Nikon D700
2011
My second SATW Freelance Council meeting as Chair was in Fiji in 2011 and I enjoyed a wonderful small ship cruise as a pre-tour. The Annual Convention was held in New Zealand that year with the board meeting in Auckland, the main convention in Wellington and I took a post-tour down the length of the South Island, through Otago with a quick visit to Stewart Island (the third largest island in New Zealand).
Whispering Tides, Fiji.
Otago Peninsula, South Island, New Zealand.
Countries visited in 2011:
Fiji
New Zealand
Gear at that time:
Nikon D700
Nikon D7000
2012
After a two heavy years of SATW responsibilities, I took some time off from the organization’s travel opportunities and focussed on North American stories including one on Acadian celebrations in Quebec, New Brunswick and Maine. I also returned to my roots in Kansas to shoot several Rural Opportunity Zone projects, wind farm construction sites and scenic byway routes.
Acadian Day Tintamarre, Squatec, Quebec, Canada.
Countries visited in 2012:
Canada
Gear at that time:
Nikon D700
Nikon D7000
2013
Drawn back into working with the Society of American Travel Writers in 2013, I served on the 2014 convention committee and helped scout and develop pre- and post-tours in the host country of Iceland. I would return in 2014 for the actual convention but I really enjoyed the sometimes solo scouting opportunities in some remote parts of that enchanted island.
I also made my first trip to Spain and the region of Extremadura in 2013. It would be the first of many trips to Spain but Extremadura remains as one of my favorite regions, largely due to the great experience I had on this first adventure.
West Fjords, Iceland.
Guadalupe in the Extremadura region of Spain.
Countries visited in 2013:
Iceland
Spain (Extremadura)
Gear at that time:
Nikon D700
Nikon D7000
2014
My relationship with the tourist office of Spain ramped up in 2014 with two opportunities — one to visit Granada and other locations around Andalusia and another to visit Pamplona during the Festival of San Fermin. Both were special trips but I must say that attending San Fermin and seeing the running of the bulls was a highlight of all my travels. Sandwiched in-between these two trips was a return to Iceland. For the first few days of that journey, I participated in a Photo Shootout where each photographer was provided a rental car and three nights lodging. Each gathered as many images as possible during that time, submitting a portfolio of 10 for a competition that was judged and awarded during the core convention. I didn’t win top honors, but I did well. And it was all about the opportunity anyway. Unforgettable.
Granada, Spain.
Folaldafoss waterfall, Iceland.
Pamplona, Spain.
Countries visited in 2014:
Spain (Andalusia and Pamplona)
Iceland
Gear at that time:
Nikon D700
Nikon D7000
Up next: 2015-2019
Once all of this series of posts is on the site I’ll add links here to the other years for easy navigation.
