The Sound of Letting Go... My Last Season with Gloria.

This one’s a tough one to write.

For ten years, my camera, Gloria, has been with me through everything.

Rain, salt, sand, freezing winds, murky waters, she’s been there for it all. 

Dependable. Solid. The kind of companion you trust when everything else around you is chaos.

Every image I’ve shared over the past decade, every whale, shark, snake, and orca, came through her eyes. 

We’ve been everywhere together, and back again.

So even saying this out loud feels strange… but lately, I’ve been thinking about finally making the switch.

From my faithful DSLR to a mirrorless system.

And not for the reasons people might assume.

Sure, mirrorless cameras are sharper, faster, lighter. 

They handle low light beautifully and focus like magic. It’s a better system in almost every measurable way. 

But that’s not what’s drawing me in.

For me, it’s about silence.

When I step into the ocean, in rivers, in the Arctic, I’m stepping into another world. 

A world that existed long before me and doesn’t need my noise in it. 

My presence already changed behavior. Fish move differently. Dolphins will sometimes swim away.

I can’t control that.

But the one thing I can control… is the sound I bring.

Every click of Gloria’s shutter feels like a small echo through their world. 

A reminder that I’m still an intruder. 

I don’t belong.

Over time, I’ve started to feel that echo more deeply, like the wild is asking me to listen, not interrupt.

That’s where mirrorless calls to me.

Not because it’s the future of photography, but because it’s the future of how I want to photograph. 

Silently. 

It’s strange how your relationship with your craft evolves. 

When you’re young in it, you chase the moments, you want the perfect shot, the perfect composition, the proof that you were there.

But as time passes. You stop chasing, and start protecting.

You realize the most powerful images come when the wild forgets you’re even there.

Switching to mirrorless isn’t about upgrading my gear. 

It’s about lowering my impact.

It’s about aligning the technology with the respect I’ve learned to carry for the wildlife I photograph.

Still… this isn’t easy. 

Gloria has been more than just a tool. She’s been my voice when I had no words, my constant when everything else changed. 

She’s been the silent witness to so much beauty, heartbreak, and wonder.

But maybe this is how every great partnership ends, not with replacement, but with gratitude.

The wild deserves our silence.

And maybe this will be my way of giving it that.

For now, I’ll finish the 2025 season with Gloria by my side.

I have four more trips this year.

That is four more chances to tell our story together before the next chapter begins.

And when 2026 comes, maybe, just maybe, I’ll take that silent leap…If I can let her go.

Chasing Sunrises and Sunsets... A Goal Worth Living For

There are some things in life you can never have too much of… and at the top of that list are sunrises and sunsets.

Every dawn feels like a beginning.  Every dusk feels like a closing chapter. 

And no matter how many I’ve seen, from the Arctic to the jungles of Brazil, each one leaves me quiet, grateful, and searching for words to describe it.

The truth is, you can never watch too many. 

Each one is its own story, the way the colors scatter differently across oceans, the way a mountain range swallows the last light, the way silence seems to hold its breath just before the sun tips away.

And it isn’t only when I’m traveling. 

Even when I’m at home, in the middle of the city, if I see the sky, rich with golden light, I’ll find myself racing around, trying to find a clear view where I can stop and watch it unfold. 

For me, that moment is too important to miss.

Maybe that’s something worth setting as a life goal… to seek out unique corners of the world, not just for the wildlife, but for the skies that bookend each day. 

Imagine collecting sunsets the way some people collect stamps. 

Patagonia, Tonga, Alaska, Baja, the Pantanal. A library of skies burned into memory.

What makes them powerful isn’t just the view, but the reminder they carry, no matter where we stand, no matter how much is going on in our lives, the world still turns, still paints the horizon, still offers us a moment to pause and give thanks.

So yes, chase the whales, the jaguars, the bears.

But also chase the skies. 

Because one day, long after the adventures blur together, it’s that momentary light you’ll remember, the way it painted the world… and the way it painted your soul.

The Journey So Far...Summer 2025 in the Wild

Mari and Sophia my travel buddies during the first leg of this trip.

It’s been a nonstop run across some of the wildest, most magical places on Earth, and I wouldn’t trade a second of it.

This summer began in the warm, blue waters of Playa del Carmen with a few days of scuba diving in search of sea turtles.

From there, We moved straight into our whale shark season off Isla Mujeres.

We shared time with our guests, swimming alongside the gentle giants as they fed in calm Caribbean waters.

Well sort of calm, the first two days the weather was a bit rough.

Right after that, Mari, Sophia and I flew straight to Brazil.

First to the Amazon, where we met up with our guests and spent time with the exotic pink river dolphins.

Our afternoons were spent seeking out three toed sloths and monkeys.

Then down to the Pantanal for an exploratory trip to look at the jaguars during the wet season.

It was fast. It was a lot of fun. And it reminded me why I do this.

After Brazil, I had to say goodbye to Mari and Sophia, who headed home while I continued north alone.

Those goodbyes never get easier.

Traveling with my family, even for a short while, adds depth and grounding to the journey.

But the next leg was calling.

Now, I’m writing this from Canada, with a morning flight to Churchill, where the next chapter begins… belugas and polar bears.

It’s exhausting, yes.

But this work, this life, this connection to the wild, I take none of it for granted.

The magic has been nonstop, and every day out here deepens my gratitude.

We do this not just to experience these wild places, but to share them, through stories, images, and the chance for others to come along and feel it for themselves.

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