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April Updates + Why Creativity Matters Right Now
Published 2 days ago • 5 min read
Hi Reader,
We hope your spring is off to a good start. Ours has been a bit of a rollercoaster.
We were chased out of Death Valley by a heat dome in mid-March and tried heading to Anza-Borrego early, only to find it even warmer. So we took refuge in San Diego for a week, enjoying cooler air, snorkeling, and reconnecting with the ocean.
Swimming with sharks and exploring sea caves was incredible, and safe to say, we’re hooked on getting underwater whenever we can.
After San Diego, we returned to the desert to lead our Anza-Borrego workshop. Temperatures dropped into the mid-90s, still unusually warm for March, but we had a fantastic group and caught the cacti in beautiful bloom.
We had planned to head back to the coast and snorkel around Catalina Island, but those plans changed with an unexpected trip to the ER. Jennifer experienced severe abdominal pain, which was quite concerning. After a series of tests, nothing serious was found. A relief, though frustrating without clear answers. We decided to head home to Colorado, and thankfully she’s feeling much better and following up with doctors here.
Now we’re back home after a very full couple of months, ready to reset and focus. This month we’ll be announcing new workshops, wrapping up the next issue of Nature Vision Magazine, finalizing plans for the Moab Photography Symposium, and diving into a few new personal projects.
Warmly, David & Jennifer
Creative Insights
Why Creativity Matters Right Now
Lately it’s easy to feel weighed down by everything happening in the world. And the question sneaks in: what’s the point of making photographs?
I’ve been feeling it too. Some days it all just feels like too much. It’s easy to get pulled into that and start believing that’s all there is.
I’m convinced this is when creativity matters most. Not as a way to escape, but as a way to stay connected. Maybe even as a way to keep ourselves from slipping too far.
We’re surrounded by constant noise. News, social media, opinions. It pulls us in and keeps us there. And if we’re not careful, we start to lose ourselves in it.
Creating interrupts that.
It slows things down. It brings us back to something real. To light. To texture. To moments that remind us there’s still beauty in the world.
When I’m out photographing, things don’t magically get better, but they do feel clearer. More grounded. It gives me a reason to keep going.
So if you’ve been feeling that weight lately, take this as a reminder to create something anyway. To ground yourself, reconnect, and hold onto the parts of the world that still feel true.
Upcoming Learning Opportunity
Beyond the Single Frame: The Power of Photography Projects
Jennifer has been creating photography projects since 2017, and they’ve played a big role in shaping how she approaches her work, especially when it comes to storytelling and staying creatively engaged.
Next Thursday, April 16 at 7:00 PM ET, she’ll be presenting this topic for the Lehigh Valley Photography Club, and they’ve kindly opened the event to non-members as well.
For $10, you can join live via Zoom, and a recording will be available if you can’t attend. She’ll be sharing some of her favorite projects, along with ideas for getting started and why working in projects can be such a meaningful part of your photography.
Jennifer has been collaborating on a new project called Circle of Light, a group of six photographers exploring a more personal and expressive approach to nature photography.
Their first ebook, The Nature of Place: Personal Narratives in Landscape Photography, will be released later this month, with special pre-launch pricing available starting April 13th for subscribers.
If you’d like early access to the discounted release, you can sign up below and you’ll receive the code when it becomes available.
by Robert Rodriguez Jr. Note: I'm re-sharing this from last month because right after I hit send, Robert's site went down, but it's back up now! In this thoughtful article, Robert Rodriguez Jr. explores why a print isn’t simply a reproduction of the image on your screen, but its own creative interpretation. Considering how much photography is experienced online today, I found this perspective refreshing and a helpful reminder of what the final expression of an image can be.
TJ explores the creative friction many photographers experience as their work becomes driven by expectation rather than curiosity. He reframes self-doubt as a signal for change, encouraging a return to play, practice, and a more authentic relationship with photography. A reminder that growth comes from reconnecting with why we photograph in the first place.
Six new reflections from this collaborative group, all centered around the idea of place and our relationship to it. Jennifer writes about Yellowstone, Charlotte explores Yosemite, Michele reflects on Cades Cove, Claudia on the Northern California coast, Anna on the cost of placelessness, and Sarah on Death Valley.
Sarah Marino has released two new ebooks centered around photographing plants and flowers. One is a beautiful portfolio of images she created in 2025, and the other is a free educational ebook featuring 15 lessons drawn from her experience working with these subjects.
Workshop Opportunities
We’ve had a couple of spots open up for 2026, including our popular Crested Butte Wildflowers workshop, where we explore the Colorado mountains by Jeep, and one of our favorites, the Zion Narrows, where we focus on finding light deep within the canyon.
e’re also finalizing the rest of our 2027 schedule, along with a few 2028 workshops. More on that very soon.
In March, we wrapped up our final winter workshop in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, a location that often flies under the radar. While the desert experienced an early wildflower bloom, extreme heat pushed temperatures to 110°, forcing us to adapt.
We leaned into the challenge, focusing on subtle desert light, new subjects, and even shifting into Milky Way photography to escape the daytime heat. It turned into a rewarding experience with a fantastic group of photographers.
Hi Reader, It’s been an incredible month for us here in Death Valley! We’ve been fortunate to experience some truly special conditions, from Lake Manly still lingering on the valley floor to one of the most vibrant wildflower displays we’ve seen in years. Along the way we also had the chance to volunteer at the Dark Sky Festival, lead a workshop for the Death Valley Natural History Association, and finish the month exploring the far reaches of the park with a fantastic group on our off-road...
Hi Reader, We hope your year is off to a great start! Ours has certainly been a full one, and a fun one so far. Before we dive into everything, a quick note. Our Boulder Mountain Creative Retreat is almost full, and registration closes February 24th. This retreat is shaping up to be a small, thoughtful group, exactly the kind of environment where meaningful creative growth happens. If you’ve been considering it, now would be the time. If you’re craving some photography self-care and want to...
Hi Reader, Happy New Year! December felt like a much-needed reset for us. We spent most of the month in one of our favorite places, Death Valley National Park. It was an unusual winter, with recent flooding closing many roads throughout the park, but that didn’t slow us down. Our Intimate Landscapes workshop was an incredible success, thanks to a fantastic group of participants who made the week truly memorable. In our downtime, we explored new mud flows and canyons, a constant reminder of...