The purpose of the blog will be to share the challenges and solutions of being a mobility-impaired landscape and weather photographer.

I have Spina Bifida, which is a neurological birth defect. As a result, I use crutches to get around,  along with other issues, presenting unique challenges in carrying gear and getting to the places I can photograph.

I plan to share my experiences and tips on gear and getting around and hopefully show that anyone can experience the joy of photography.

If you have any feedback, please drop me a line, using the “Contact Me” link on this page.
 

As a landscape photographer with a disability that includes mobility issues, my most important piece of equipment, aside for my camera gear, of course, is my car. Since I don’t have the ability to undertake long hikes into the backcountry, I rely on my car to take me as far off the beaten path as possible. It’s important to have a vehicle that is well suited to the type of photography you’re doing and the terrain you’ll be working in.

A number of years ago, when I lived in New York State and getting into photography, I owned at different times a Dodge and a Toyota. Both were perfectly  fine for the relatively well maintained and largely paved roads in that part of the country and served my purposes well. But when I moved to Colorado, things changed. The little 4-cylinder Toyota, while getting great gas mileage proved to be inadequate to really exploring everything the state had to offer. It had difficulty getting up mountain roads and the ground clearance and lack of traction was insufficient for really exploring backcountry areas which were often serviced by rough, unmaintained roads. Plus, I learned a dirty little secret: there’s very little effort to clear snow in winter.

It became clear I needed a new vehicle. After a great deal of research, I settled on a Subaru. It has served me well and allowed me to greatly expand my reach.

But do not think that because you are a landscape photographer that you need an all-wheel of four-wheel drive vehicle to get you around. It entirely depends on where you live and where you want to go as a photographer. The important thing is to consider those questions and get the vehicle that’s right for you.

I’ll end with something I plan to do with every blog: A photograph.

The photograph with this entry was taken at Rocky Mountain National Park the day I picked up my camera from the repair shop. It was taken at the Forest Canyon Overlook on Trail Ridge Road. Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous paved road in the United States. The spot where this picture was taken is a bit over 12,000 feet. As you can see from the photograph, the weather was not good. There was heavy rain at times, which made keeping both camera and lenses dry very difficult. In addition, winter is starting to come to the high country of the Colorado Rockies. Temps were just above freezing.
 

After a short hike on the overlook trail, I propped the camera on a stone wall to use as a makeshift tripod and took several versions of this photo. Most of them, including this one, had some sort of water spot on the lens due to the rain, This one seemed to be the least affected. A little spot removal in Photoshop took care of any issues.