Hi NPN, I am Sarah Marino, ask me anything!

Learning with Experts Ask Me Anything (AMA)
46

Hi David – Thanks so much for the great question. My answer is a complex one. The reason I am focusing on nature photography as my full-time career is directly related to other life choices we have made. We moved to a very small town and the reality is that my previous career just wouldn’t work from here. As I have mentioned a few times in this thread, I was working as a management consultant with nonprofits and foundations, and most of my projects were with mid-sized to large organizations and were often complex in nature. In moving, I would either be working with tiny nonprofit organizations with problems I found exhausting/uninteresting or I would be traveling way too much. Neither of those options interested me so… here I am! I was definitely better at my former career but I do not necessarily miss it. It feels like a gift to do things like this as my “job” so I am very grateful for the chance to give this a go.

With that in mind, I have had some downright awful experiences in doing this as a career. I absolutely hated working with brands and on sponsored projects. As I mentioned in another answer, I struggled with workshops for a variety of reasons. I have been too trusting and have felt let down a lot when collaborative projects fizzled. It has been tough and it definitely affected my passion for photography, just as you describe in your question.

A month or two into the pandemic, when I was feeling full of despair over closing down my consulting business a few months earlier, I decided that I am only doing this if I can do it my way, and so far, it has been working out alright. For me, that means walking away from the pressure to be constantly producing work and posting on social media, absolutely no brand partnerships or sponsorship situations, being more careful about protecting friendships with other photographers instead of jumping into collaborative partnerships that could damage the relationship, not blindly trusting people, never taking photos only because I think they will do well online, and no longer censoring myself in terms of my views on some of the strange and nonsensical trends and practices in this field. In practical terms, this means that my income comes almost exclusively from teaching at conferences, online, and in producing educational products like ebooks and videos. So, I now feel like I am doing this with more integrity and focusing on the things I truly enjoy doing, and I am making enough to make this a viable option for now. (I should also note that this approach is only possible because I pursued photography part-time for six years before switching to full-time so I had a lot of things in place already when deciding I needed to take a different approach to make this all more sustainable FOR ME - all the things I hate can work fabulously for other people.)

4 Likes
47

Hi Jennifer! I am happy to see a question from you.  One location… Just one? How about four: Alaska, Namibia, Patagonia, and New Zealand. And, I want to spend so much more time in Death Valley…

48

Hi Alfredo! Thank you for the question. We do have a large collection of photography books. This is one of the main ways we support other photographers. Beyond enjoying the photos, I love the idea of being able to hold something so important to another photographer in my own hands, especially since I know how much hard work goes into such projects. For me, it feels like the most meaningful and intimate way to connect with another photographer’s work. My first book was the National Audubon Society Guide to Landscape Photography by Tim Fitzharris. A few of the photos in that book inspired me to become a better photographer, and I can still picture them in detail in my mind. And the photos truly stand the test of time. It is still one of my favorites.

I recently added Gathering Time by Simon Baxter and Yosemite by Robb Hirsch. I highly recommend both. I really enjoy Simon’s essays, along with his woodland photography (and the book is beautifully produced). I consider Robb’s book a model for mixing a naturalist style with a photo book, which is what I aspire to do with my own books in the future.

If someone wants to build a photo book collection, starting with the used market is a good way to acquire a lot of (amazing) books in an affordable way. We have a lot of books from people like Galen Rowell, Ansel Adams, Eliot Porter, Philip Hyde, Craig Baylock, Art Wolfe, John Sexton, Freeman Patterson, and Carr Clifton that I found used online. We also buy many of the titles from Kozu Books (Ben Horne, Adam Gibbs, Hans Strand, etc) and a lot of regional titles from when we are traveling. I would round out my recommendations with books from Guy Tal, Lenswork’s Monographs (I’ll always cherish Jack Curran’s edition), Bill Neill’s recent titles, Eric Bennett’s Conversations with Nature, and QT Luong’s seminal works on NPS sites. Two other absolute favorites: Christopher Burkett’s Intimations of Nature and Within the Stone by Bill Atkinson. I hope I didn’t leave out any favorites but am I sure I did.

4 Likes
49

Hi Sarah,

Thanks for doing this! I particularly like the plants in your “Daydreams” gallery. You’ve already told us above how you handle color in your processing (“I almost always shift the color balance to blue, at least a bit. I also occasionally use the selective color tool in Photoshop, desaturate colors that are not harmonious to the rest of a scene, or lightly clone soft colors over areas that are distracting”).

My question: is there anything you would add in your post-processing to achieve dreamy effects with the light? An Orton-type overlaying, for example, or luminosity masks?

50

Hi Kristen – thanks so much for your great question. And I hope you are enjoying your time in the Badands! When I started in nature photography, I liked nature but didn’t really understand anything about the natural world. I just knew I felt more relaxed when I was outside. I couldn’t identify any flowers, trees, rocks, mushrooms, etc. When we moved from an urban block in Denver to a very rural community about five years ago, my relationship with the natural world shifted dramatically. I am now responsible for 2.5 acres, which feels like a lot to me, and living in a place that is so much closer to nature encouraged me to learn more about this landscape. This spilled over to my photography and now I am a lot like how you describe yourself in your question. I now think of myself as a naturalist-in-training, always with a field guide or iNaturalist in hand to learn more about the ecosystem surrounding me.

This has definitely changed my photography and my interests. I now enjoy foraging for wild foods, especially mushrooms (although with mushrooms I do more looking than eating or photographing). I also feel like learning about one plant leads to wanting to learn about another plant and so on… I visited Death Valley multiple times before I realized how diverse the plant life is in the park. Now I have spent some of each recent trip entirely focused on seeking out and photographing more of the park’s plant life, mostly because I want my portfolio of the place to show people what I missed during my early visits to the area. And, my search for one specific plant in Death Valley brought us to an incredible remote canyon, which was such an amazing experience. A few years ago, I would not have been as motivated to see new places like that, so my quest to find new plants has added diversity and depth to my more recent portfolios.

So, to your question, yes, this curiosity is now a major driver of my photography. I feel inspired to seek out more knowledge and see more plants, trees, fungi, slime molds, lichen, rocks, and more, and then photograph them in a way that fits in with my larger body of work. It honestly feels like a revelation and brings so much more joy to the photographic process for me.

(PS: I just took an online “botany roadtrip” class from Backcountry Press and highly recommend it. Now I have all sorts of new plants to seek out!)

2 Likes
52

Hi Mike – Thanks so much for the kind comment about my Daydreams collection and for sharing a question. As I mentioned in my previous answer, I use really simple methods and basic tools. For my photography, I think the important part (and the hardest part by far) is knowing where I want to take the photo, and then the processing is just about implementing the tools to get there. The tools are not the answer, the vision for the final result is.

Your question is one of the most frequent questions I receive about my work and I think photographers are sometimes disappointed with the answer because it is so simple. For that specific collection, I want my photos to have a soft, bright feel so I do two simple things: I lighten and reduce contrast using a variety of methods (a good reminder that sliders go both ways and reducing contrast softens a photo a lot!). The only more complicated step is softening some background issues or distracting elements. I do not do heavy cloning so this is mostly ust addressing things like a dark spot or distracting color. My most common approach to this problem is adding a layer in Photoshop (sometimes changing the blending mode but often just leaving it at the default). I use the eyedropper to select a harmonious color from elsewhere in the photo, and then I use the softest brush to paint in that color at 1-2% opacity over the area I am addressing (often after brightening and de-saturating the area of concern first).

I sparingly use luminosity masks (often for midtone contrasts, sometimes more for my black and white photography) and I have an Orton action, but again do not use it very often because I can get that effect through the simple steps I describe above.

1 Like
53

Sarah, thank you for taking this on and thanks to everyone else for asking the profound and probing questions I’d not have brought here. I’m 86ing the boring, technical question I thought of while moving my sprinklers. Instead, because I’m working with William Neill’s book on portfolio development, and you have been reorganizing your galleries: Will you talk a little bit about the thinking behind your reorganizing project, and the degree to which your portfolio themes are or will be on your mind while you’re in the field? Thank you!

54

@Sarah_Marino thank you for the great suggestions. I did gather a small portfolio of images of spring buds and have tried a few abstract but not much macro. I should be able to try some more afternoon/evening times to get some different light. The nice things about mornings is that my wife and daughters don’t mind sleeping in so I don’t miss much family time. However my daughters are getting older and more independent (university and high school senior) so I’m have a bit of flexibility with time especially as sunset is much later this time of year. I’m trying to learn to think in a less literal way and explore ideas/feelings rather than a rock is a rock etc. However this seems much more difficult than the technical aspects of photography . Thanks again for giving me some things to think about.

1 Like
55

Hi Mary! Good to hear from you and thank you for the question. I just bought Bill’s book and am looking forward to reading it myself this summer.

My reorganization project stems from the fact that I no longer think my own location-based galleries look very cohesive. These galleries contain an inconsistent number of photographs, which makes them feel unwieldy in some cases (too many photos in many) and unbalanced overall (uneven quality, etc). I spent a few days while we were in Death Valley this winter writing down a bunch of ideas that I think represent my photography, and then mulling over these ideas while hiking. I then went through all of my TIFF files and selected my absolute favorite photos.

Next, I spent a lot of time condensing the ideas and then matching them up with portfolios of photos, with the portfolios focused on consistent mood, colors, and subjects. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to include a portfolio of my best work from Death Valley and one featuring my dreamy plant photos, but beyond that I let the project develop organically. I reorganized and organized again until I had 11 tight collections (30 to 45 photos each) and a concept/name that I liked for each. Here is the list of the galleries and their themes:

• Recent additions
• Desert wanderings (Death Valley, blue and pink colors)
• A glow about the land (Colorado plateau, pink and red tones)
• Quiet time (autumn photos with a consistent color palette/feel)
• Flourishing (greens, mostly spring and summer trees but some other green subjects, all intimate landscapes and smaller scenes)
• Parting gifts (twilight landscapes, blues/pinks)
• The softest light (fog, mist, atmosphere, mostly smaller scenes and intimate landscapes)
• Connections (patterns and abstracts with a cooler, softer color palette)
• Order among chaos (patterns and abstracts with stronger colors)
• Daydreams (dreamy plants)
• Portraits of plants (more literal plants)
• Second impressions (soft desert plants)

In addition to these galleries, which are all color photographs, I will have my six existing black and white galleries along with “by location/theme” galleries that will not be featured as prominently on the new landing page for my photographs (the selections are done but I still need to re-process a lot of the photos so I have quite a bit more work remaining).

I don’t think these ideas will guide me much in the field in a proactive sort of way. Instead, I expect that my future work will naturally fit into these categories because they represent my most significant photographic interests right now. I also want these twelve galleries to represent my very best photography, so they will be tightly edited. I will be comfortable having anything that doesn’t quite fit in these eleven categories go into the “by location/theme” galleries, unless I start seeing a new theme develop and then will likely reconsider this organization to some degree.

2 Likes
56

Thank you to everyone who asked a question today! I really enjoyed connecting with all of you and talking about some challenging yet important topics. I am headed to bed for this evening but I will be happy to answer any remaining questions in the morning before the thread is closed.

1 Like
57

Hi Sarah, Thanks so much for doing this AMA. I love your images and greatly appreciate the generous amount of information that you include in your books and (FREE!) webinars. My question is about RV life - specifically food prep. I did a photo trip with my sister a couple years ago in our small camper. We ended up eating a LOT of sandwiches because we tended to be out taking photos around mealtimes (esp dinner). What are some of your favorite go-to meals that are easy to prepare in your camper? And what do you tend to eat when you are out taking photos on location? (And do you ever get bored with your food choices?)

2 Likes
58

Hi Sarah! This has been a wonderful thread! I’m squeezing in a question before the 24 hours is up! First, I’ll say that your beautiful work has been very influential in my personal journey over the last couple of years. Thank you!
My question is this: How do you decide when an image is finished? Or maybe your definition of “finished” is more fluid than concrete. I’m working on some projects/collections and I often find myself working on many but not deciding on finished work. It’s entirely possible that this is a skill to be honed as I grow into having confidence in my work. Thanks!

2 Likes
59

Hi Jeanie! Nice to see you here on NPN. I love this question! I cook a lot and try to use as much fresh food as possible, even when camping. So, what other people consider “easy to prepare” might be different than what I consider “easy to prepare.” I also eat a mostly vegetarian diet so this menu will not appeal to a lot of people. With those caveats in mind, here are some things I make a lot. When we are leaving for a long trip, especially if I know a grocery store will be far away, and sunrise/sunset times will interfere with cooking more complicated food, I make a lot of things to freeze in advance of leaving. I bought a lot of reusable plastic bags that are flat and thin so I can fit a bunch of them in our small RV freezer. Some specific food ideas:

• Veggie quesadillas – make the veggie mix and freeze in portions for two quesadillas (mushrooms, zucchini, corn, diced tomatoes, onion, with some chili powder, garlic, and cumin). When ready to make, add thawed veggie mix to refried beans, whole wheat tortillas, and a little cheese.
• Breakfast quesadillas – cook frozen shredded potatoes and add in scrambled eggs. Add mix to whole wheat tortillas with jarred green chile sauce and a bit of cheese
• Curry (peanut butter curry, green curry, and red curry generally) – make the curry sauce and freeze in 1 to 1.5 cup servings. On the day of using, thaw the sauce, cook the sauce with a can of chickpeas and some veggies (broccoli, carrots, snap peas, etc). Make a few cups on instant brown rice (10 minutes) and add it all together. I’ll sometimes blend in some very soft cooked sweet potatoes and lentils to the curry sauce before freezing to add some nutritional value.
• Pasta salad – make a batch that will last a few days – whole wheat pasta, sundried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, red onion, spinach, chickpeas, and a lemon vinaigrette
• Jambalaya – buy the Zatarains brand box, add a lot of onion (sautéed), carrots, and celery, cook and freeze in packets. Thaw and gently reheat.
• Fancy grilled cheese – I make caramelized onions and/or oven-roasted tomatoes (which are the best tomatoes ever) at home and freeze them (pretty easy to break off enough of what you need as long as the blocks are thin). Add a lot of onions or tomatoes to fancy bread and some nice cheese.
• Soups that freeze well: minestrone, potato leek, curry cauliflower, chili (one of my favorite chili recipes is from the NY Times, I just leave out the meat).
• I also freeze packets of different Rancho Gordo beans and mushrooms so I can easily add those more complicated-to-prepare items when I am cooking in the RV.
• For breakfast, we usually have plain yogurt, fruit, and granola since it is super-easy to assemble. On the rare times we will have electricity, I bring along a blender and make smoothies for breakfast.

As for snacks, we get fancy nut butter from Big Spoon Roasters and eat it with apples for snacks while out. I also love sesame thins/snaps, and Clif Nut Butter Bars are my favorite. For dayhikes, we usually bring a whole wheat tortilla with Big Spoon’s fiji ginger nut butter as the main thing and supplement it with lots of snacks, like nuts, sunflower seeds, bars, corn nuts, savory sesame sticks, Sahale snacks, etc. I also keep pringles and frozen cookies around, especially when we are doing a lot of hiking.

2 Likes
60

Hi Brie! Thank you for the last question of this AMA! I might be the wrong person to ask about this… I have a few hundred processed TIFFs that have never been seen by anyone but me so I am not very good about finishing my photos and getting them out into the world in a consistent way. I also have a few half-finished ebooks lingering on my hard drives, too. So, it sounds like we might have some of the same practices in this area. I will try to offer a few little lessons, even though my own practices aren’t terribly helpful in answering your question. During this year’s Out of Chicago LIVE conference, I heard Brooks Jensen talking about his photographic process and he spent some time discussing how finishing is the most important part. He emphasized that a few times: THE MOST IMPORTANT PART. At some point, you have to make the decision that something is done and get it out into the world however you choose to do it. Just finish it! JUST FINISH IT! We can always tell ourselves that a few more photos for a portfolio are needed to round it out, but if you always tell yourself that, you will never get anything out into the world, or you might be wasting time on the last 1-2% that probably do not matter that much. That was helpful advice for me to hear because I think I too often let the perfection get in the way of getting something that is more than good enough finished.

While I am still happy with the content for our Beyond the Grand Landscape and Death Valley ebooks, the photos do not reflect my current photographic practices at all (like: why are all these photos so DARK, and so (too) colorful, and oh my was I heavy-handed with the contrast…). However, I am happy that I got both of those projects out into the world when I did. If I had waited until all of my ideas were fully formed and my photographic portfolio was just how I wanted it, I probably would have never finished those projects. So, this is the advice Brooks offered in practice. Now, I have the opportunity to go back and revise those two ebooks years later. I’d rather have those ideas and photos out in the world in an imperfect form than never have published them at all.

Now that I am feeling more confident about my work, I feel better about deciding when a photo is finished without any outside input (like asking a friend for critique or posting a photo for feedback on a site like NPN, although those things were very helpful for me in the past). After processing, I generally let a collection sit for at least a week or two, and then revisit for a final edit. I am trying to be better about processing a collection of photos, letting it sit, and then finishing it in the span of a month or two. After that time has passed, I need to make the decision about it being done and figure out how I am going to share it. If you have a lot of things in the works and aren’t feeling like any of them are quite ready, I would encourage you to choose the one that feels the most finished, and JUST FINISH IT! It will likely feel good to have it done and give you some momentum to get the others finished, too. So, I think the answer to your question is that “finished” is both concrete and fluid. You can always go back to your processing or presentation months or years later but getting something that is good enough finished is better than getting nothing finished at all.

3 Likes
61

Thank you to everyone who participated in this AMA. It was both fun and challenging, with a lot of thought-provoking and difficult questions. I feel like I have a dozen blog posts started based on this discussion! I hope that those reading along got something out of the discussion, too.

If anyone has a follow-up question or comment, you can always reach me through my website. You can also find all of my ebooks and tutorials in our online store if you would like to see more of my work or go deeper into some of the topics we discussed. Thanks again everyone!

6 Likes