New Monochrome Images Released

Greetings,

Just a quick note letting you know that new images from my 2009 Pacific Northwest photographic trek have been published on my dedicated website. You may find them under the New Releases category. Here are a few samples:



"The Shining Path"



"Brothers & Sisters"

Hope you enjoy the visual journey.

Cheers,

Michael

Horizon Image Group - New Releases

Greetings,

Just a quick note letting you know that new images from my 2009 Pacific Northwest photographic trek have been published on my dedicated website. You may find them under the "New Releases" category. Here are a few samples:


Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park, WA


Glacier National Park, MT


Hope you enjoy the visual journey.

Be well,

Michael

Off The Road

Dear Friends,

After covering 29,000 road miles over a five month period, I am finally back in the SF Bay Area. To say it was an incredible light chasing experience would be an understatement. With several stacks of transparencies sitting around the office, my intention is to hide the keys (for the most part) and get busy with film scans and editing. Initially, I will release approximately two dozen compositions. Thereafter, the release figure will be more like a hand full each quarter.

Here is a sample:



"I Will Follow You Into The Light" (Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico - May 2009)

Many many thanks for your continued feedback and genuine support. You truly do motivate me to go farther and climb higher.

Cheers,

Michael

Pacific Northwest Foto Trek

Greetings~

With the itinerary tentatively set, the lightchaser in me is once again ready to explore. Coming off a wildly successful three week trek throughout the Desert Southwest, the compass is now pointed in the opposite direction i.e. Pacific Northwest. If you are interested in seeing the "path," here it is ---- Pacific Northwest Foto Trek.

As always, thank you kindly for your ongoing support and encouragement.

Be well,

Michael
Horizon Image Group

U.S. Desert Southwest Foto Trek

Greetings All~

I've safely returned from my three week U.S. Desert Southwest foto trek. Hot hot hot already in May! All things told, the light afforded me tremendous compositional opportunities. Now I must patiently wait a week until the color film is processed.

In the meantime, I am finalizing an itinerary for a one-month trip to Olympic NP/Glacier NP/Yellowstone NP/Grand Teton NP. And a few stops in between. I'm very excited to set my heart and soul on some new topography.

One regret----- with a 2009 production schedule potentially including 200 days on the road, time for administrative matters (including posting new work) has been a premium. Considering July-Sept will be my slower period, I plan on spending more time in the office vs. on the hill.

Most importantly, many many thanks for your continued support and praise. You motivate me to explore what's around the next curve.

Be well,

Michael

Lightchaser's May 2009 Photo Trek

Greetings~

In coming off a very rewarding photo trek spanning nearly thirty days (and 8,938 miles), I am pleased to share my next trip itinerary. I hope you'll join me in my wish for "good light."

Very best to you .......

Michael
aka Lightchaser
Horizon Image Group - www.horizonimagegroup.com

Highlights of stimulus spending to improve parks

With all the unexplainable rhetoric flying around Capitol Hill regarding bank and automotive manufacturer bailouts, I am very pleased to see federal funding earmarked for national park improvements. Bravo!

Film work from the most recent trek is back. Looks very promising. Time to begin the laborious scanning process. Stay tuned for new releases. Cheers!

Campbell Steele Gallery - Upcoming show (April 3, 2009)

Greetings~

With the Spring Metro Gallery Tour (Marion, Iowa) just a week away (Friday, April 3, 2009), I was so very humbled to read what Priscilla Steele, celebrated artist and Campbell Steele Gallery owner, had to say about my pursuit of light with camera in tow.

It will be such a pleasure to thank her in person next Friday evening. Then it's back across the American West chasing light all the way to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Hope you are all doing well.

Cheers,

Michael

Lightchaser's Photo Trek Itinerary - UPDATE

Greetings~

I have received word from the road that access to my trip itinerary requires a few too many hoops to jump through if you do you have a Google gmail account and are not a Google Reader aubscriber. That said, I've provided the outline below. Note that I'm giving serious consideration to turning back down into Utah after the Grand Tetons leg of the journey.

I'll keep you posted via Twitter and Facebook.

Be well,

Michael

******


PHOTO TRIP ITINERARY
Lightchaser's Path - 3/19/09 to 4/17/09

DAY 1 - Thursday, March 19, 2009
Drive from Fremont, CA to Salt Lake City, UT (757 miles / 10 hrs 55 mins)
Photograph sunset.

Weather: Partly cloudy - 67/41




DAY 2 - Friday, March 20, 2009
Photograph sunrise.
Drive from Salt Lake City, UT to Arches NP, UT (232 miles / 4 hrs 12 mins)
Photograph sunset.

Weather: Partly cloudy - 74/41

DAY 3 - Saturday, March 21, 2009
Arches NP, UT.
Photograph sunrise and sunset.

Travel across highway to Canyonlands NP, UT

Weather: Sunny - 70/41



DAY 4 - Sunday, March 22, 2009
Canyonlands NP, UT
Photograph sunrise and sunset.
Weather: Partly cloudy - 58/32




DAY 5 - Monday, March 23, 2009
Canyonlands NP, UT
Photograph sunrise.

Weather: Partly Cloudy - 61/31
Drive from Canyonlands NP, UT to Black Canyon of the Gunnison, CO (188 miles / 3 hrs 36 mins)
Photograph sunset.

Weather: Few showers (30%) - 49/28

DAY 6 - Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Black Canyon of the Gunnison, CO
Photograph sunrise.
Scout area around Maroon Bells / Snowmass for sunset opportunities.
Photograph sunset.

Weather: Mostly cloudy - 48/26

DAY 7 - Wednesday, March 25, 2009


Maroon Bells / Snowmass
Photograph sunrise.
Weather: Mostly Sunny - 47/27

Travel from Black Canyon of the Gunnison, CO to Great Sand Dunes NP, CO
(211 miles / 5 hrs 12 mins)
Great Sand Dunes NP, CO
Photograph sunset.

Weather: Partly cloudy - 49/23

Day 8 - Thursday, March 26, 2009
Great Sand Dunes NP, CO
Photograph sunrise.

Weather: Mostly sunny - 51/25
Drive from Great Sand Dunes NP, CO to Monument Rocks National Landmark, KS (427 miles / 7 hrs 38 mins)
Photograph sunset.

DAY 9 - Friday, March 27, 2009
Monument Rocks National Landmark, KS
Photograph sunrise.
Drive from Monument Rocks NL, KS to Kansas City, MO (389 miles / 6 hrs 6 mins)

Weather: TBD

DAY 10 - Saturday, March 28, 2009
Kansas City - relatives

Weather: TBD



DAY 11 - Sunday, March 29, 2009
Kansas City - relatives

Weather: TBD




DAY 12 - Monday, March 30, 2009
Drive from Kansas City, MO to Marion, IA (318 miles / 5 hrs 0 mins)
Weather: TBD




DAY 13 - Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Marion, IA - relatives

Weather: TBD




DAY 14 - Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Marion, IA - relatives

Weather: TBD




DAY 15 - Thursday, April 2, 2009
Marion, IA - relatives

Weather: TBD




DAY 16 - Friday, April 3, 2009
Marion, IA - relatives
Campbell Steele Gallery - Art Showing

Weather: TBD


DAY 17 - Saturday, April 4, 2009
Marion, IA - relatives

Weather: TBD




DAY 18 - Sunday, April 5, 2009
Marion, IA - relatives
Weather: TBD




DAY 19 - Monday, April 6, 2009
Drive from Marion, IA to Badlands NP, SD (632 miles / 9 hrs 32 mins)
Photograph sunset.

DAY 20 - Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Badlands NP, SD
Photograph sunrise and sunset.

DAY 21 - Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Badlands NP, SD
Photograph sunrise.
Drive from Badlands NP, SD to Yellowstone NP, WY (560 miles / 10 hrs 6 mins)
Study locations.
Note: Penultimate full moonrise

DAY 22 - Thursday, April 9, 2009
Yellowstone NP, WY
Photograph sunrise and sunset.
Note: Full Moonrise

DAY 23 - Friday, April 10, 2009
Yellowstone NP, WY
Photograph sunrise. Full moonset
Drive from Yellowstone NP to Grand Tetons NP, WY
Photograph sunset.

DAY 24 - Saturday, April 11, 2009
Grand Tetons NP, WY
Photograph sunrise and sunset.

DAY 25 - Sunday, April 12, 2009
Grand Tetons NP, WY
Photograph sunrise.
Drive from Grand Tetons NP, WY to Craters of the Moon NM, ID (178 miles / 3 hrs 50 mins)
Photograph sunset.

DAY 26 - Monday, April 13, 2009
Drive from Boise, ID to Crater Lake NP (450 miles / 8 hrs 58 mins)
Photograph sunset.

Day 27 - Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Crater Lake NP, OR
Photograph sunrise.
Drive from Crater Lake NP, OR to Mount Shasta, CA (139 miles / 3 hrs 4 mins)
Photograph sunset from Ski Park Road.

Day 28 - Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Mount Shasta, CA.
Photograph sunrise from Ski Park Road.
Drive from Mount Shasta to Lassen Volcanic NP, CA
Photograph sunset.

Day 30 - Thursday, April 16, 2009
Lassen Volcanic NP, CA
Photograph sunrise.
Drive from Lassen Volcanic NP, CA to Fremont, CA (269 miles / 4 hrs 49 mins)

Day 31 - Friday, April 17, 2009
Flex day

Michael McAreavy's Western U.S. Photo Trek

Greetings,

I hope this note finds you doing well. Upon request, here is my tentative Western U.S. Photo Trek itinerary [click on blog title to view Google document]. I will depart at 4am on Thursday, March 19, 2009 and return to the San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday, April 16, 2009. I say tentative considering this is a tremendous amount of ground to cover in one month, plus, chasing light with camera in tow often times takes you off course, reverse course, and somewhere in between.

Between now and 17 April 2009, capturing a handful of images that "have their own voice" will be a blessing. If you are interested in viewing work from prior light studies, please go to www.horizonimagegroup.com.

Be well,

Michael

When overpopulation must move around open protected spaces

Long a fan of San Francisco Chronicle journalist Carl Nolte, I appreciated his feature this morning on San Francisco's all time high population and its need/desire to coexist with protected open spaces within the city limits. I thought you might be interested in this feature as well. If so, here is the link:

City packed with people still leaves room for natural areas

Considering geographical space in San Francisco has and always will be a precious commodity, I feel fortunate that every square inch of dirt has not been consumed by residential housing and commercial structures. If so, naturally beautiful spaces such as this setting in The Presidio would no longer exist.

The Presidio, San Francisco, California

Please support the protection of open natural spaces anyway you possibly can i.e. with your voice, opinion, debit card, day to day action, etc.

Note: The record for the largest man made park in the world perhaps should be given to the Presidio since every tree here was planted by the military.

Senate approves wilderness expansion in 9 states

Mission control, this blog is ready for takeoff.

As a landscape photographer, I cannot think of a more fitting article/act to set things in motion. My sincere hope is that you will support passage of this bill in the House both for the benefit of our generation and those to follow.

Wilderness Expansion Act

As the story reads, state preservation will help protect open beautiful spaces touching both coasts, including quadrants very close to the following popular photographic destinations.

Joshua Tree National Park, California

Sequoia National Park, California

Moving in a million different directions these days , I'll make every attempt to tighten the wheel and deliver relevant content.

Be well,

Michael