Lalibela, Ethiopia. 2012.
Click the image to download a 2560 x 1600 desktop wallpaper.

I’m as close to home as I’m going to be for a while now. A month after heading to Africa and tromping about Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania, I’m back to packing my bags and this time for the haul.

On February 11 I’ll get into the Jeep and head towards Maine after a brief stop to visit family in Ontario. And then it’s 9 weeks of un-interupted road-tripping to see what I can discover and photograph, before a 3-week break in April/May takes me to Europe to teach and lecture. No plans beyond that. I want to stop in the Keys and finally get my PADI Open Water Diver certificate, then head west where I hope to spend much of the year. Under wide skies, in remote places, looking for the light. Part nomad, part pilgrim, I guess. Which is why I’ve chosen the image above as the desktop wallpaper for February. The man silhouetted on top of Mount Tabor in Lalibela, Ethiopia, is a pilgrim, one of many I photographed that walked between 5 days and 3 weeks to get to Lalibela for Orthodox Christmas, before turning around after a few days to walk all the way home, the destination only a thin slice of the larger blessing sought on the journey.

Resolution or Resolve?
I was going to let New Year’s eve come and go without using the word resolution. But then I started thinking about my own reluctance to embrace the whole topic, and I felt a sermon growing….

It’s that time of year again, when we as a culture gather our collective optimism and in one great seizure of denial we’ll make promises to ourselves that, for the most part, are mercifully short-lived, coming into this world all but stillborn and saving us from changing our lives for yet another trip around the sun. I’m weary of seeing friends making resolutions but seeing no change in their lives, lives that I know are so full of brilliance and potential; so many resolutions, so little resolve, and so very little change.

A resolution is a one-time decision. A mile-marker on our journey, on which we look back when we forget from whence we’ve come and lost sight of where we’re going. But it’s nothing more. The moment you make it, it begins to lose its momentum, and there are very few of us for whom that resolution carries much lasting strength. It’s just the way it is. It’s a strong indicator of a desire, but a poor agent of change. It may, at best, be a compass, but it’s not an engine. And waiting for the magic of January One is just silliness. Do it now. Not tomorrow. Not later.

Over this past year I’ve had greater opportunity to reflect on my life than I expected. Whether I’m “Living the dream” or not, I am unashamedly living my own dreams. But none of them come on a silver platter. They come with intention and resolve, they come rough and demand polishing, and they – all of them – extract a price. But I am amazed at how much we can accomplish when we pay that price, and stop screwing around, living our lives in such ad hoc fashion. Whatever it is you hope for this coming year, don’t stop at resolutions. Find resolve. Then map it out. How are you going to do it? Monthly, weekly, daily, what does this dream require of you? Now do it, and do it with all the strength you’ve got. You have one brief, beautiful, unique life to live, and only a limited handful of matches with which to set your world ablaze. Don’t you dare waste them.

January 2012 Desktop Wallpaper.
You knew it had to be Antarctica on this month’s wallpaper, didn’t you? This is a 2560 x 1600 desktop wallpaper, so it’ll fit everything from iPads to 30″ displays, just click HERE for the full-resolution image.

Heading to Africa.
On New Year’s Day I’ll be on an early evening flight to Frankfurt, then on to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to join Jeffrey Chapman and 8 others for the next Within The Frame Adventure. We’re heading north from Addis to the ancient town of Lalibela to join thousands of pilgrims for Orthodox Christmas. I was there 5 or 6 years ago and it was one of the most magical experiences of my life. I remember at the time thinking how much I just wanted several days to explore and photograph, but our itinerary didn’t allow it. Now we’ll have that time. Can’t hardly wait. I’ve no idea how accessible internet will be, but if I can do so, I’ll drop a line. Then on the 14th we return to Addis, head to Nairobi and get ready for the Masai Mara Within The Frame adventure, and I’ll probably be off the map until I get home from Zanzibar on/around the 1stof February. But if I can send a postcard, I will. Happy New Year, friends.

Ushuaia, Argentina, 2011.

After the woeful neglect of last month, I’m desperate not to leave you without something to put on your desktop. This is as fresh as it gets. Shot this this morning, and if you keep scrolling down to the blog post below, you can read more.

This is a 2560 x 1600 desktop wallpaper. Enjoy!

Rice Paddies in motion, Laos, 2011.

This is a 1920×1200 wallpaper, so it’ll do for anything up to a 17? MacBook Pro. Click the image to access the larger file.

This one’s a little different for me, and I wouldn’t use it to judge the merits of the Fuji x100 with which I made it, but I’m playing with impressonism and abstracts, and I thought it might make a nice change from the twilight work I’ve been obsessing over.  Enjoy.

Hi folks. The more rabid among you have already noticed that this September is the first month I’ve missed a wallpaper in, well, I think it’s the first time. Sorry. So much going on, my head is swimming. But read to the end, it’ll be waiting for you.

I was released from The Rehabilitation Centre in Ottawa on Friday morning. I walked out after 4 weeks of beatings, grateful beyond words for the progress and for the support of everyone that reads this blog, or follows my social media streams. Thank you again. I’m not out of the woods just yet. My feet hurt all the time, walking takes a lot of effort, and it’s just going to be a while for my body to re-adjust. Even then I’m told I’ll never get even close to normal range of movement on my right ankle, so I’ll be looking for a way to accomodate that and not limp. Still, so grateful! You’ve been so patient with me over the past 4 months as this blog’s been co-opted by news of the accident and recovery. We probably lost a couple of you when I started writing about bed-pans and enemas. Y’all can come back now. We’re moving forward now.

I got Jessie back from NY a week ago and I love having her back. We’ve been driving around getting some wind through the open windows and miles under the tires. I think she’s been smiling as much as I have. Sadly, I’ll be taking her off the road for about a year. She’s a great truck, but there are some issues preventing her from passing a rigorous safety certification. So it’s a good chance to bring her back to former glory and I’m hoping my Dad and I can do that over the next year: fix her little issues, give her a new carbon-grey paint-job, and then forge a new plan. Until then I plan to resume my travels, and at this point it looks like I’ll be spending much of 2012 in the American west in a sand-coloured 4-door 2011 Jeep JK named Emily. I’ll keep you posted.

The big news, and you may be reading this after the official launch announcement, is that we’re launching the Craft & Vision Community: a subscription-based way to experience Craft & Vision. We’ll be launching really soon. Might even be later today. The idea is simple – it’s a year of great photographic education and inspiration for a one-time price of $89 (that’s the launch special, regular price will be $99). For that you get 12 great new eBooks – and our line-up is getting better all the time – along with exclusive access to a monthly podcast, the C&V Blog, full-time discounts, one free eBook from the store, and you’re automatically entered for a great monthly giveaway. How great? This month it’s a $500 Gitzo carbon fibre tripod. I’m excited about this – it’s a chance to more fuly engage with the great community already building up around the Craft & Vision eBooks. And for those that don’t want to join, your experience doesn’t change. Same great eBooks, same great prices. More info to come.

I head to Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand on Wednesday. It’s my first trip since the accident and I’m going into it with a mix of sheer excitement and nervous trepidation.I’m joining Jeffrey Chapman there for Laos & Angkor Within The Frame Photographic Adventure. Psyched.

Photographically Speaking is almost at the printers, wrapping another year of work on something I’ve enjoyed making and am so proud to put my name on. It’ll easily be released, I’m told, by mid-October. Until then, as promised – and neglected – here’s a wallpaper for the month. I’m still hung up on twilight.

Glenorchy, New Zealand, 2010. Click the image to access the larger 1900×1200 file.

Rio Grande, NM. 2011. Size: 1920×1200
Click the image to access the larger file.

What an amazing 3 months. It’s now almost 15 weeks since my accident, and there have been times I didn’t think I was ever going to walk again. I’m still nervous. But I have hope. My casts are off, I’ve been off the sleeping pills and pain meds for weeks and finally sleeping through the night. Until Tuesday I’d taken a couple dozen nervous first steps without crutches. After wondering, at points, if I’d ever walk again, those dozen first steps and few more since then, were amazing. They gave me hope.

On Tuesday I was cleared for 100% weight-bearing on both feet, which means I’m now walking. It’s a sore, nervous, and painfully slow walk, but it’s a walk all the same. I’m now, as of today, 3 months post-op and should be in full-time rehab as soon as space becomes available.  I’m  using a cane part-time for small distances, though walk with a pronounced limp. I’ve always been a fan of Dr. House, so now all I need is a Vicodin addiction and I’m nearly there.   A second surgery in October to shave off some bone, and pull a plate and some screws, should help with the limp and make walking less painful and limp-y. It’s been a hard three months, at times I didn’t know if I had the strength to do it, but I’ve had more time with family these last two months at home than I have in 20 years put together. I’ve had time to write, to connect with friends and readers. I’ve taken in a few great exhibits at the National Gallery. I’ve learned to slow down. And I’ve learned what I’m capable of.

Updated: I shot this this evening with my iPhone while taking a short walk. Wanted to include it here, if for no one else but me

I wanted an adventure when I set out this year. What an adventure it’s been! I’m still not out of the woods, but I’m getting there and Jessie should be waiting for me when I am. She’s meant to be coming north on a flat-bed trailer, thanks to a friend in Atlanta, and will get dumped on Jeffrey Chapman’s lawn for a week or two, and just as soon as I can, my Dad and I will do the 4-hour drive together and bring her home. Then we’ll fix a couple things, get her licensed here in Ontario, re-fit her with some better gear and after my travels this fall, and a month in Africa in January, we’ll be back out there. For the first time in months it feels possible again.

I’ve learned a lot of lessons through this but none more than the incredible capacity to endure, and thrive, through things I never thought I’d be able to endure. I’ve had moments of unbelievable pain, and nearly unbearable humiliation. There were nights I’d cry myself to sleep because it hurt so much. There were weeks when the only way – and forgive me for the details – to go to the toilet was to hang, after an enema, from a bar over my bed, perched carefully, with a broken pelvis, on a bed pan, and hoping to God I could make it happen, while the other two men in the same room suffered through the change in air quality. Sadly, I listened to Cee Lo Green on my ipod during these experiences, and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to listen to him again. But add sh*tting while hanging from a bar to my resume.  There were times I lay in bed unsure I could do it all for one more day yet alone one more week or 3 more months. But if we choose, we can thrive even through the trials. Whether we can or can’t get through struggles like this is up to us. Whether we do it with a sense of humour and taking joy in the moments, whether we do more than just survive, but thrive, that too is up to us. I’ve learned I like a challenge and the more I’m told I can’t, I do. The more I’m told I won’t – even when it’s my own voice doing the telling – the more I know I will. Because you and I, we’ve got one life, and I’ll be damned if I’ll choose to lose one moment of it to misery or self-pity, if choosing to be happy and to make it through, is up to me.

But I didn’t do it – am not doing it – alone. I know I’ve said it before, but you all never cease to amaze me with your generosity of heart. Thanks for being with me; you’ve all filled my inbox, blog, Facebook and Twitter streams with encouragement. Thank you. I’m indebted to you for your kindness. You’ve walked a long hard road with me and I’m grateful.

Iceland, August 2010. This is a 1920×1200 wallpaper, so it’ll do for anything up to a 17″ MacBook Pro.
Click the image to access the larger file.

June 30th was my mother’s birthday, so I let her pick the wallpaper this month. She loves this one, so the rest of you are stuck with it. Seems a small thing to do for a woman that gave me life, taught me to pursue kindness and compassion, and taught me how to see the world as beautiful because that’s how she see it. Of course it’s not the only thing I gave her, but y’all weren’t invited to the rest of the festivities. Sorry this is late but it was Canada Day on the 1st and I was celebrating that too.

This, incidentally, is my 999th post. Tomorrow will be 1000. I remain astonished that I’ve had that much drivel to publish.

Vernazza, May 2011. This is a 1920×1200 wallpaper, so it’ll do for 17?MacBook Pro and anything smaller. Click the image to access the larger file.

I almost cried “uncle” on this one and didn’t post a wallpaper, but I started feeling left out. This was shot a week before I fell of the wall in Pisa, 40 days ago. It’s Vernazza and it’s one of my favourite places to walk around. Ah, I remember those carefree days when I could, you know, walk and stuff.   I left the hospital today and am now camped out at my family’s home south of Ottawa. I get around with either a wheelchair or by crawling which, frankly, is exhausting. Now I know why baby’s start walking, the crawling is just too friggin’ tiring. All the way through this, the community that rallies around this blog, and twitter, has been unbelievably supportive and kind – thank you again so very much for the love.

San Francisco, February 2011. This is a 1920×1200 wallpaper. Just didn’t have the attention span, with these pain meds, to do a couple different sizes. So this’ll do for 17″MacBook Pro and anything smaller.

Ok, folks, the Desktop Wallpaper is up for the month. You didn’t think I’d let a dozen broken bones stop me from doing this, did you? (For those to whom that is confusing, read the previous post, And Then I Fell.)

I’m still at The Ottawa Hospital, Civic Campus. Hoping today is surgery day. After that I could be here for 6 weeks then another 2 months of off-my-feet rehab while my pelvis heals. Other than that, no updates. Doctors are talking about an in-bed recovery of 3 months. I promise to be a good patient, to listen to them, follow their orders, and prove them wrong.

I know I’ve said it, but I’ll say it again and again over the coming months: thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. This community is one of the rare online communities that is not beset with trolls and haters and people for whom life is so long they have time to argue about cameras. It’s full of incredibly kind, compassionate people and I like to think you’re all rubbing off on me. I’m a better person for this community. For all the hundreds and hundreds of emails and shout-outs and kind words – thank you. If I could heal by virtue of good vibes and the quality and quantity of friends, I’d be on my feet already. To every single one of you, including sponsors and my publishers, family, friends, and most astonishingly: people I’ve never met, that have asked to help, offered company, or sent tokens of support: I am grateful beyond words.

Desktop wallpapers are here for April, fresh from Bandon, Oregon. Enjoy. I hope you’re in the mood for, well, moody. Click the link above for the small one and HERE for the much larger one. Enjoy!