The Cost of Being a Nature and Wildlife Photographer

 In the past I have been know to express “Why does it have to cost so much?” I'm sure this is a common lament by many people. I am finding myself expressing this lament at the moment.

Just a few months ago I could fill up the fuel tank on my pickup at less than $1.50/litre (Canadian dollars) but now it's pushing $2.00/litre or well over. This causes me to seriously wonder if I can afford to keep doing this hobby.

A number of years ago I had to leave a job that I enjoyed because it was costing too much to get to and from work. I didn't want to change employment but finances forced my hand. I ended up finding work with a much shorter commute and at a higher wage so the net result was positive. But I did miss working with my former collegues.

Usually in May, I take two to three weeks to go explore the backcountry of a particular region of British Columbia. I don't know if I can afford it this year. Taking the time off work is not the issue but funding the fuel to get anywhere potentially is.

I'm not going to get into the debate over using an electric vehicle for the simple reason that at the time of me writing this there isn't an electric vehicle that has the range needed to do what I would need it to do with the vehicle capabilities needed. Hopefully there will be soon. Hopefully it will be affordable.

What does this mean for me at the moment? Photo trips have always required proper planning. Now the financial aspect has more influence than the time aspect. Will I still do a photo trip this month. Probably yes but it will likely be only a week instead of two or three.

Hope to see you out there.

Frustrations of Balancing a Hobby with Work and Weather

 There are times when I lament a lack of means to just spend all my time wandering around the wilderness and enjoying it without having to do anything to provide a means of income to provide sustenance and other supplies. Part of this is because I can be a lazy individual. Another part of this is that I would much rather be camping then sitting at a desk typing on a computer or writing all kinds of stuff. This is not to indicate that I don't think my work is important. I believe it is very important but the desire is always there to just go hang out in the woods and explore what I haven't seen in person or experienced.

There's always something that will happen to interfere with plans that get made. This spring there have been many days when I was ready to go out and shoot but it just happened to be a day when the heavens brought forth much moisture. Oh well, that's the way life can be.

See you out and about.

What's the plan for 2026?

Sorry about missing posts in December and January with February now being a day late.

So what's going on in the year 2026? Well, I'm not totally sure. The plan is to get a few trips in. So what is the plan? Let's get into it.

January – The plan was at least one trip up into the mountains to get some snow shots. The day job has got lots going on including one weekend so we'll see when the snow pic trip happens. A fellow photog buddy have talked about going together to get snow pics. Unfortunately this did not happen

February/March – Where I live February to beginning of March is the outdoor travel show season. There are three that happen close to me. I hoping to get to at least two of them. I've also got at least two conferences to attend for the day job. Not sure if I'll get out for pics in February but you never know. In March it looks like I might be driving with a friend as he moves from the eastern part of North America to the western shore. Hopefully get to visit some fun locations. Probably not a lot of photography as the main purpose is getting him from one side of the continent to the other.

April – At least one camping trip planned but who knows what the weather will be like.

May/June – Big trips planned. Hoping to do some exploring along a major river in British Columbia and then spend a week fishing with some buddies in eastern B.C.

July onwards – I really don't know. There are several possibilities but they are too many and varied to mention at the moment. Hopefully get a family holiday happening somewhere.

I hope you all have a great 2026. The year is wide open.