Stoke-Ness December Newsletter
This season really sneaks up on me.
I'm almost always surprised when December hits.
It's time to find a tree, drink too many sugary hot drinks and get together with friends and family.
In this issue, I talk about why I switched to a truck camper, new mellow music and a surprise video that I helped make.
Be stoked,
Isaac
New Places
If you saw my IG post about Elk on the beach in California then I know you are wondering where can you see it for yourself.
Prarie Creek Redwoods State Park in Klamath, California is the spot.
We arrived at Gold Bluffs Beach Campground in the dark not knowing what to expect in the morning. Would we actually see an elk or was this long winding road a wild elk chase (pun intended)
We woke up early and drove the road to the Fern Canyon trailhead and saw a massive bull Elk right off the road. It was already an epic morning before we exited the truck.
The drive is rough but is possible in a car if you don't mind the bumps. Two creek crossing might have you biting your nails but with any ability to drive you should be just fine (the water is about 6" deep).
We hiked Fern Canyon (about a mile round trip) where part of Jurassic Park was filmed. The canyon makes Prarie Creek a stop all on its own without the Elk.
After the hike, we were about to drive out when I spotted a bull Elk on the beach and stealthily walked/jogged through a swamp and dunes to catch up. After I got out in front of him, I waited as he walked right by me without alarm. I'm guessing there are not many predators who would attempt to take down a fully grown bull elk here. Even though I had seen many elk before, the experience was thrilling.
10/10 would recommend.
Google Maps Pin
Gear
I travel a lot by auto. We put over 55k miles on our Landcruiser just last year and spent over 50 nights in the rooftop tent. With all that living in a vehicle, I knew it was time to get a house on wheels.
We now have a 2000 Ford F-250 crew cab and an older truck camper. Here are 3 reasons why we love the new setup.
- It's 4 wheel drive. This is really important to get where we like to travel. Not having it was not an option.
- It's comfortable, quiet, reliable, and fast (I know... this is 4 reasons) Unlike our older Nissan RV, this thing is a breeze to drive at 75 mph with the Bluetooth stereo going. Its crew cab and can seat 6 people, so our family of 4 is not cramped at all.
- It's affordable. All in we paid $7k for the truck and camper. That's less than a Landcruiser and it includes a house.
Now, it's not exactly photogenic and the cool factor is way low, but to keep living the life we do, this setup makes sense. I'm really starting to like it and feel like we made the right choice switching.
Who I'm loving on Instagram
@nickbondarev
I'm always drawn to historical images of expeditions and events. The way things were back then is hard to fathom compared to today's conveniences.
Nick's feed feels like stepping back in time. The ships and larger than life scenes feel like seeing a more epic past. One of my new favorite feeds.
Give him a follow here
Music I'm Diggin'
Despite 75% of my time being on the go and excited to see the next moment, sometimes I need a little introspection.
A chill song is just what the doctor ordered when I want to reel it in for a spell.
For Sarah by Tourist is what you need. It will slow things down without taking you into sleep territory.
Give it a spin.
Videos, Movies, and TV
This is an (as of now) secret video just for my email subscribers.
It took a lot of work and I'm happy to premiere it first here.
Give it a watch
Reads
Flash Boys by Michael Lewis was a surprise hit for me.
How fun can a book about financial trading be? I'd say not much fun if I hadn't read this book.
Michael Lewis makes the story riveting and the characters like crime-fighting heroes. I listened to this one on a road trip and the reader made the book even more tense. Give it a listen or read.
Flash Boys
Photo Technique
Dark to light photos are hard. Searing bright whites and darks that are clear as ink. Our eyes aren't good at seeing in this kind of light, and cameras don't like it much either.
Here are a few things I do to make the images I take in this light useable.
- I expose for the highlights when I shoot the photos. If you shoot in RAW file type then the shadows will still have enough info in them to make it visible in Lightroom. If the highlights and shadows are miles apart I will overexpose the highlights just a bit to get shadows that are not completely black.
- I raise the shadows and darks while lowering the highlights and whites dramatically. Keep in mind that going too far with this will make everything look artificial. There will need to be some dark areas here to make it feel like it did at the time you took the photo.
- In editing (I use Adobe Lightroom) I will use a selective adjust to pull the dark areas up with the exposure adjustment. Depending on what I need to do I use radial, gradient or the adjustment brush.
Try a few different exposures on the same scene and find what works best after you start to edit. You will learn what to expose for next time.
Good luck!
Every month I get excited to make this email. I'm even more excited that you keep reading it.
Do you need a gift for your mom or a person you don't know what to get? I'd love for you to get them a set of cards I made with photographers Rod Trevino and Bruin Alexander. You can see the cards HERE and they are only $34.50.
Be stoked and have a great month,
Isaac
