F-Stop Collaborate and Listen

Welcome to Episode 132 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast. This week's episode features a nature and landscape photographer living in Seattle, Washington - Mahesh Thapa. Mahesh is a Pediatric Radiologist and is known as "The Starving Photographer." He is a Sony Alpha Ambassador and has been an active photographer for over 20 years.  Mahesh and I explored several interesting topics this week, including: How he got into photography. The overlap and parallels between landscape photography and radiology. Managing a busy schedule as a father, photographer, and physician. What motivates him as a photographer. His relationship with Sony and other brands. and... Instagram! On the podcast introduction, I told you about one of our patrons, Gary Randall.  You might remember Gary from episode 37 and from episode 63 - he is a fantastic photographer and human being. Here on the podcast we are all about supporting each other as photographers through collaboration. Gary has been a huge supporter of the podcast for a long time and I encourage you to support him. He actually just announced his 2020 Kenai Peninsula Alaska Photography Tour - which will be August 9th through the 15th. I can promise if you go with Gary you will have an amazing time.  Please consider supporting the podcast on Patreon! There's a ton of bonus content over there for subscribers. For the full liner notes, head on over to my blog.

Welcome to Episode 131 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast. For the full liner notes, visit my website. This week's episode features a nature photographer and educator living in the State of Vermont - Brenda Petrella. Brenda is the owner of Outdoor Photography School and is a passionate advocate for the Nature First Photography movement. Equipped with a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Brenda's goal is to get more women out doing nature and landscape photography. She runs a YouTube channel where she inspires others to love the natural world through photography. Brenda and I explored several interesting topics this week, including: Her journey as a scientist and making the transition into full-time photography. Why she thinks its important for photographers to unite to protect the subjects we photograph. Her use of the Microsoft Educator Program to create the Human Geography Project. What its like for her to be in Nature. How we can shift our mindset in our culture of consumerism. How to get the next generation excited about photography, and I share a crazy camping story! On Patreon this week: Brenda and I talk about her approach of non-iconic nature photography - why she chooses, her process, Guy Tal's article on Mindfulness as a photographer, and "forest bathing." Be sure to join in on the conversation about each podcast episode over on Nature Photographer's Network. Not only is NPN the best place to get critiques on your landscape and nature photography, it is also home to some of most informative, thought-provoking, and inspiring articles on landscape photography I've found. I highly recommend you become a member today.  Also, I wanted to announce the winner of our recent photography contest over on Patreon. The theme was "changing seasons" - we had two submissions this time - from Jarrod Hills and Michael Ryno. In the end I had to pick Michael's photograph of changing fall color here in Colorado. The vibrant colors and excellent composition won me over. Thanks Michael and Jarrod for your submissions! I also wanted to tell you about one of the podcast's patrons - Anton Averin. He created an amazing luminosity masking panel called Arc Panel.  You can try it for free at https://arcpanel.averin.photo I also have some free copies to give away to listeners! To get one, share a post about the podcast on your social media account and send me a note! One last announcement - I really need your help picking the winner of our inaugural Landscape Conservation Award. We are still accepting nominations until December 31. If you're interested in helping, please send me a note! Please consider supporting the podcast on Patreon! There's a ton of bonus content over there for subscribers!  Here are the photographers that Brenda recommended for the podcast: 1. Melissa Groo  2. Ashleigh Scully 3. Cristina Mittermeier - Enoughness 4. Amy Gulick I'm really excited to announce that we have finally reached our $1,000 / mo goal on Patreon and we have officially launched our Landscape Conservation Award.  The “F-Stop Collaborate and Listen” podcast Landscape Conservation Award will recognize an individual photographer who is highly involved in conservation issues within their local communities or within the landscape and nature photography community. This can be through their writing, speaking, photography projects, or community organizing efforts. Additionally, this award seeks to recognize an individual that is actively practicing the Nature First Principles. In partnership with our Patreon supporters, the “F-Stop Collaborate and Listen” podcast presents the prestigious honor, which currently consists of at least $1,570.  So far we have been able to get support from the following awesome companies: 1. Shimoda Designs: Ian and his amazing team at Shimoda have sent me the next generation of their camera backpack, the Action X series. I took it on my recent 11-day fall color photography trip and used it on a 16-mile backpacking overnight and did a review which you can check out in the liner notes. Let's just say I was super impressed with it! Shimoda is donating to the winner of the Landscape Conservation Award a camera bag of their choice, a core unit, and a roller and accessory case - a $779 value! 2. Viewbug: Viewbug is a popular photo sharing and contest website. Members of Viewbug can submit their photographs to specialized contests and win amazing prizes. There are a lot more benefits of membership as well, so check it out. Viewbug is donating a viewbug PRO+ membership to the winner of the award. This is a $179 value. 3. Reed Art & Imaging: Reed is a fine art print lab located in Denver, Colorado. They are my print lab of choice for my high-end acrylic prints. Reed is donating to the winner a $500 credit towards the purchase of a Acrylic Print. 4. Tamron: Tamron is donating to the winner of the Landscape Conservation Award a 45mm f/1.8 Di VC lens- a $599 value! 5. QT Luong: QT Luong is donating a limited edition copy of his award winning photo book, "Treasured Lands."  Treasured Lands is a book about all the 61 U.S. national parks with location/photography notes for each of photograph. This limited edition version is valued at $245. As a reminder, you can also support the podcast by shopping at B+H for your photography gear using our Affiliate Link. 

Welcome to Episode 130 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast. This week's episode features the founder of one of the world's most premiere photo education websites, Aaron Nace. Aaron's chops in digital darkroom are pretty incredible and his body of work speaks for itself. Aaron's website, Phlearn.com, is a one-stop-shop for all of your Photoshop and Lightroom education needs. Aaron and his team partner with some of the world's best photographers and educators to bring you incredible tutorials that are easy to follow and full of great information. I would be remiss not to mention that listeners can use the code "fstop20" to get 20% off a subscription to Phlearn.    Aaron and I explored several interesting topics this week, including: His journey as a photographer and business owner. What can you expect from Phlearn. The future of photography education. Strategies for YouTube. ...lots more! On Patreon this week:  Aaron and I talk about how you can differentiate yourself from the crowd as a photographer.  Head over to my blog at www.mattpaynephotography.com to read the full liner notes and get links to the photographers Aaron discussed.  Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Episode 129 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast.  This week's episode features a photographer who has taken his passion for landscape photography and built a commercial photography business out of it. Dan Hawk is a Portland, Oregon photographer and former full-time bank employee who decided to use his knowledge he gained in the business world to create a niche commercial photography business for himself. Dan and I covered a lot of fun ground this week, including: His journey as a landscape photographer. How Dan created his commercial photography business after starting as a landscape photographer. Dan's involvement in a camera strap company called Luma Labs.  How to value our work as photographers. ...lots more! On Patreon this week: Dan and I discuss the challenges between the need for creativity and business acumen and how sometimes its hard to separate the two. A memorable quote from Dan, "Selling and creating are not the same thing..." By the way, I'm really excited to announce that I have officially joined as an instructor at the esteemed Landscape Photography Conference, Out of Chicago. I'll be joining them for three conferences this year - Out of Moab, Out of Acadia, and Out of Yosemite. Out of Yosemite will be February 5-9, 2020. I will be teaching, recording podcasts, and hosting panel discussions with some of our favorite photographers and past guests, including Alex Noriega, Coleen Miniuk, Charlotte Gibb, Jack Curran, Michael Frye, and more. I hope to see you there! If you're interested in attending, follow the link in the liner notes and use the code "fstop250" for $250 off your registration. Here are the photographers that Dan recommended for the podcast: 1. Hudson Henry. 2. Steve Yocom. 3. Alexa Hope.

Welcome to Episode 128 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast. This week's episode features a photographer known for her exceptional work in the Yosemite Valley of California, Franka Gabler.  Born and raised in Croatia, Franka developed a strong fascination and admiration for nature early in life. Moving to California in 1997, and soon after experiencing her first wilderness backpacking trip in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, Franka fell in love with the amazing landscapes before her. Now spending as much time as possible hiking and exploring wilderness areas, Franka always carries her camera and tripod, capturing her unique impressions.She lives in the Sierra foothills, in the small mountain town of Coarsegold, not far from Yosemite National Park. Franka and I covered a lot of fun ground this week, including: Her journey as a landscape photographer. Her creative process for finding intimate landscape scenes. Her philosophy of looking for light before the subject. The role of mood in her photography. ...lots more! On Patreon this week: Franka tells us all about her journey printing her photography and being represented by several galleries in California. Well, speaking of Yosemite, I have officially joined as an instructor at the esteemed Landscape Photography Conference, Out of Yosemite - February 5-9, 2020. I will be teaching, recording podcasts, and hosting panel discussions with some of our favorite photographers and past guests, including Alex Noriega, Coleen Miniuk, Charlotte Gibb, Jack Curran, Michael Frye, and more. I hope to see you there! If you're interested in attending, register to attend and use the code "fstop250" for $250 off your registration. Here are the photographers that Franka recommended for the podcast: 1. Dan Mitchell. 2. David Hoffman. 3. Jonathan Bock. I'm really excited to announce that we have finally reached our $1,000 / mo goal on Patreon and we have officially launched our Landscape Conservation Award.  We aim to grow the total award amount through donations and sponsorships. We are looking for nominations for the award. You can nominate yourself or someone else through the google form linked in the liner notes. Since our launch we have raised $550 towards the award and have garnered some great sponsorships from some great photography brands.  So far we have been able to get support from the following awesome companies: Shimoda Designs - Shimoda is donating to the winner of the Landscape Conservation Award a camera bag of their choice, a core unit, and a roller and accessory case - a $779 value! Reed Art & Imaging - Reed is donating to the winner a $500 credit towards the purchase of a Acrylic Print. Tamron - the camera lens manufacturer is donating to the winner a 45mm f/1.8 Di VC lens- a $599 value! QT Luong is donating a limited edition copy of his award winning photo book, "Treasured Lands."  Treasured Lands is a book about all the 61 U.S. national parks with location/photography notes for each photograph. This limited edition version is valued at $245.

Welcome to Episode 127 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast. This week's episode features one of my favorite photographers and photography personalities - Ian Plant. Ian travels the globe seeking out amazing places and subjects in his never-ending quest to capture the beauty of our world with his camera. Ian seeks out the hidden spaces in between the familiar, relying on long exposures, unique lighting conditions, non-traditional perspectives, and special natural events to show his subjects in a new light. Known for his inspiring images and single-minded dedication to creating the perfect photo, Ian has reached hundreds of thousands of people around the world in his mission to inspire and educate others in the art of photography. Ian is a frequent contributor to many leading photo magazines, the author of numerous books and instructional videos, and co-founder of Shuttermonkeys, a site dedicated to photography education and inspiration. Check out the full liner notes with links to the artists mentioned in the episode, Patreon, and the discount code for Ian's amazing videos -- all over on the Matt Payne Photography Blog. 

Welcome to Episode 126 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast. This week's episode features one of my favorite photographers hailing from Scotland- Alister Benn.  Alister has been teaching landscape photography since 2009. Alister has a refreshing approach and a questioning mind that has formed the foundation of his new photography company, Expressive Photography. Alister is pushing back against the same old teaching approaches used for decades. Alister and I covered a lot of fun ground this week, including: His journey as a landscape photographer. His new company, Expressive Photography. His upcoming partnerships with Alex Noriega, Hans Strand, Ryan Dyar, and Adam Gibbs (to name a few). Established workshop teaching techniques and how they might inhibit creativity. Homogenization in landscape photography. Reconnecting with the landscape - Why are you there? His YouTube Channel.  ...lots more!   Please see the blog at www.mattpaynephotography.com for the full liner notes!

Welcome to Episode 125 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast. This week's episode features a fantastic photographer hailing from the Rocky Mountains of Canada - Rachel Jones Ross. Rachel found herself obsessed with photography after a trip to photograph the Milky Way - her life has never been the same since.  Rachel and I covered a lot of fun ground this week, including: Her journey as a photography having made the transition from the academic world of Psychology. Her recent trip on the sailboat Maiden, where she photographed the journey and important work this group is doing.  The Sony Alpha Female Creator-in-Residence Program. Her workshops designed for women. Her thoughts on Instagram. Sony Kando Events. "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F***" Please consider supporting the podcast on Patreon! There's a ton of bonus content over there for subscribers!  On Patreon this week, Rachel and I talked about our views on composites and night photography. Be sure to join us on Patreon for this bonus 25 minute conversation where Rachel and I share our views on this aspect of the craft of night photography. If you're a listener and have not yet made a pledge, there's more reasons to pledge now than ever. We have over 90 bonus episodes over on Patreon for anyone supporting the show at the $5/mo level.  Over on Patreon we have also been doing themed photo contests where patrons submit photographs based on a theme.  The current theme, which will end on October 18th, is "Changing Seasons." Let's see your interpretation on the theme over on our community board. I'll send the winner a $20 gift card.  Here are the photographers that Rachel recommended for the podcast: 1. Amalia Infante. 2. David Wilder. 3. Stan Moniz.  4. Michael Hollender. I love hearing from the podcast listeners! Reach out to me via Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter if you'd like to be on the podcast or if you have an idea of a topic we can talk about. Join the discussion over on Nature Photographer's Network! We have weekly discussions about each episode of the podcast. It's also free! We also have an Instagram page and a Facebook page for updates. Let's talk about who is coming up on the podcast! I am really excited to announce some of our upcoming guests and episodes. It should be a really good fall! Aaron Nace, founder of Phlearn. Alister Benn, a photographer from Scotland. Brenda Petrella, a photographer from Vermont. Franka Gabler - a photographer from Croatia living in California. Ian Plant... Dan Hawk... Dylan Fox... And lots more! I'm really excited to announce that we have finally reached our $1,000 / mo goal on Patreon and we have officially launched our Landscape Conservation Award.  The “F-Stop Collaborate and Listen” podcast Landscape Conservation Award will recognize an individual photographer who is highly involved in conservation issues within their local communities or within the landscape and nature photography community. This can be through their writing, speaking, photography projects, or community organizing efforts. Additionally, this award seeks to recognize an individual that is actively practicing the Nature First Principles. In partnership with our Patreon supporters, the “F-Stop Collaborate and Listen” podcast presents the prestigious honor, which currently consists of at least $1,570.  We aim to grow the total award amount through donations and sponsorships. We are looking for nominations for the award. You can nominate yourself or someone else through the google form linked in the liner notes. Since our launch we have raised $550 towards the award and have garnered some great sponsorships from some great photography brands.  So far we have been able to get support from the following awesome companies: Current Sponsors: Shimoda Designs is an adventure camera bag company that produces some of the most amazing bags and equipment for landscape and adventure photographers! Shimoda founder Ian Millar is a lifelong explorer, snowboarder and product designer known for developing some of the most innovative camera bags in the world. Shimoda is his new venture which represents the culmination of all his experiences and utilizes the most advanced materials and technologies available to minimize the pain, fatigue and suffering that comes with foul mountain conditions. Shimoda products are a direct reflection and reaction to the outdoor lifestyle that Ian and his adventure photographer friends love so much. Shimoda is donating to the winner of the Landscape Conservation Award a bag of their choice, core unit, roller and accessory case - a $779 value! Viewbug is a popular photo sharing and contest website. Members of Viewbug can submit their photographs to specialized contests and win amazing prizes. There are a lot more benefits of membership as well, so check it out. Viewbug is donating a viewbug PRO+ membership to the winner of the award. This is a $179 value. Reed Art & Imaging is a fine art print lab located in Denver, Colorado. They are my print lab of choice for my high-end acrylic prints. Reed employs a unique technology for their acrylic prints that no other print lab in the United States uses called Diasec. The results are stunning. I also believe that Reed has some of the best customer service in the business and I recommend them to everyone I talk to! Reed is donating to the winner of the Landscape Conversation Award a $500 credit towards the purchase of a Diasec Acrylic Print. Tamron is a camera lens manufacturer and makes some of the world's best lenses for landscape and nature photography. Tamron is donating to the winner of the Landscape Conservation Award a 45mm f/1.8 Di VC lens- a $599 value! QT Luong is donating a limited edition copy of his award winning photo book, "Treasured Lands." I've enjoyed QT Luong's book in person and can tell you its one of the best photo books on the market. This limited edition version is valued at $245. We are working on getting more in-kind donations and financial donations to sweeten the pot for the deserving award winner. If you are interested in either, please check out the award page on our website.  Thanks for stopping in, collaborating with us, and listening. See you next week. As a reminder, you can also support the podcast by shopping at B+H for your photography gear using our Affiliate Link. 

Welcome to Episode 124 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast. This week's episode features a large format and digital photographer living in Scotland - Tim Parkin. Tim and his wife Charlotte publish the popular online landscape photography magazine, OnLandscape.   Tim and I covered a lot of fun ground this week, including: His journey as a photographer. The challenges and benefits of shooting large format film. Digital manipulation in film photography like that of Jerry Uelsmann. The parallels between music genres and landscape photography. All about OnLandscape Magazine including the YouTube Videos of their Conference. Please consider supporting the podcast on Patreon! There's a ton of bonus content over there for subscribers!  On Patreon this week, Tim and I talked about his 365 project and how we both look at photography and how our tastes are informed.  If you're a listener and have not yet made a pledge, there's more reasons to pledge now than ever. We have over 80 bonus episodes over on Patreon for anyone supporting the show at the $5/mo level.  Over on Patreon we have also been doing themed photo contests where patrons submit photographs based on a theme. The theme for the past few weeks has been "Nemesis" and patrons have shared their images of their nemesis - a subject that they have tried for years to get the best images of and it has eluded them but also inspired them to keep going back for more. There were a lot of awesome submissions this time around from great photographers including Bob Miller, Jarrod Hills, Jon Whitaker, and Michael Ryno. In the end, I had to choose the photo from Bob Miller as the winner. Bob stated, "If I had to pick a nemesis it would be Saguaro National Park in Arizona. I always come back with images I like but few that I love. I think this may be my personal favorite from SNP. I tracked this storm for 2 days knowing the cold would move through very quickly. It started coming down hard just as I entered SNP east and just after they closed the park. The rangers allowed us to continue through and it continued to snow for about an hour.  Within 2 hours there was no snow to be seen. Anywhere in the park." Thanks for all of your submissions!  The next theme, which will end on October 18th, is "Changing Seasons." Let's see your interpretation on the theme over on our community board. I'll send the winner a $20 gift card.  Here are the photographers that Tim recommended for the podcast: 1. Theo Bosboom. 2. Alister Benn. 3. Charles Cramer.  4. Charlie Waite. 5. Sandra Bartocha. I love hearing from the podcast listeners! Reach out to me via Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter if you'd like to be on the podcast or if you have an idea of a topic we can talk about. Join the discussion over on Nature Photographer's Network! We have weekly discussions about each episode of the podcast. It's also free! We also have an Instagram page and a Facebook page for updates. Let's talk about who is coming up on the podcast! I am really excited to announce some of our upcoming guests and episodes. It should be a really good fall! Rachel Jones Ross - a Canadian Photographer.  Aaron Nace, founder of Phlearn. Alister Benn, a photographer from Scotland. Brenda Petrella, a photographer from Vermont. Franka Gabler - a photographer from Croatia living in California. Ian Plant... Dylan Fox... And lots more! I'm really excited to announce that we have finally reached our $1,000 / mo goal on Patreon and we have officially launched our Landscape Conservation Award.  The “F-Stop Collaborate and Listen” podcast Landscape Conservation Award will recognize an individual photographer who is highly involved in conservation issues within their local communities or within the landscape and nature photography community. This can be through their writing, speaking, photography projects, or community organizing efforts. Additionally, this award seeks to recognize an individual that is actively practicing the Nature First Principles. In partnership with our Patreon supporters, the “F-Stop Collaborate and Listen” podcast presents the prestigious honor, which currently consists of at least $1,570.  We aim to grow the total award amount through donations and sponsorships. We are looking for nominations for the award. You can nominate yourself or someone else through the google form linked in the liner notes. Since our launch we have raised $550 towards the award and have garnered some great sponsorships from some great photography brands.  So far we have been able to get support from the following awesome companies: Current Sponsors: Shimoda Designs is an adventure camera bag company designed as a reaction to real world adventures rather than those imagined from a comfortable office environment. Shimoda founder Ian Millar is a lifelong explorer, snowboarder and product designer known for developing some of the most innovative camera bags in the world. Shimoda is his new venture which represents the culmination of all his experiences and utilizes the most advanced materials and technologies available to minimize the pain, fatigue and suffering that comes with foul mountain conditions. Shimoda products are a direct reflection and reaction to the outdoor lifestyle that Ian and his adventure photographer friends love so much. Shimoda is donating to the winner of the Landscape Conservation Award a bag of their choice, core unit, roller and accessory case - a $779 value! Viewbug is a popular photo sharing and contest website. Members of Viewbug can submit their photographs to specialized contests and win amazing prizes. There are a lot more benefits of membership as well, so check it out. Viewbug is donating a viewbug PRO+ membership to the winner of the award. This is a $179 value. Reed Art & Imaging is a fine art print lab located in Denver, Colorado. They are my print lab of choice for my high-end acrylic prints. Reed employs a unique technology for their acrylic prints that no other print lab in the United States uses called Diasec. The results are stunning. I also believe that Reed has some of the best customer service in the business and I recommend them to everyone I talk to! Reed is donating to the winner of the Landscape Conversation Award a $500 credittowards the purchase of a Diasec Acrylic Print. Tamron is a camera lens manufacturer and makes some of the world's best lenses for landscape and nature photography. Tamron is donating to the winner of the Landscape Conservation Award a 45mm f/1.8 Di VC lens- a $599 value! We are working on getting more in-kind donations and financial donations to sweeten the pot for the deserving award winner. If you are interested in either, please check out the award page on our website.  Thanks for stopping in, collaborating with us, and listening. See you next week. As a reminder, you can also support the podcast by shopping at B+H for your photography gear using our Affiliate Link. 

Welcome to Episode 123 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast. This week's episode features a landscape and travel photographer from Switzerland living in Bend, Oregon - Christian Heeb.  For years Christian Heeb has been touring the world as an independent travel photographer. The native Swiss has been living in Bend, Oregon since 1996, where he lives with his wife Regula. Over the years, more than 200 illustrated books have been published on the more than 80 countries he has traveled.  Christian runs the Cascade Center of Photography and operates landscape and travel workshops all over the world for both US customers and European customers. Christian and I covered a lot of fun ground this week, including: His journey as a photographer. The similarities and differences between travel and landscape photography. Christian's take on location sharing and his role as a workshop leader. The future of photography as a business. His American Dreamscapes series.  Please consider supporting the podcast on Patreon! There's a ton of bonus content over there for subscribers!  If you're a listener and have not yet made a pledge, there's more reasons to pledge now than ever. We have over 80 bonus episodes over on Patreon for anyone supporting the show at the $5/mo level.  Additionally, Patrons of the podcast are encouraged to participate in our themed photo contests by submitting them to the "community board" on our Patreon Page. The current theme, which ends on August 30th, is "Nemesis." I know we all have our own photo nemesis, whether it be a scene we have shot a thousand times that never had good light, or something else. Let's see those awesome shots over on our community board! Here are the photographers that Christian recommended for the podcast: 1. Greg Vaughn.  2. Bruce Jackson. I love hearing from the podcast listeners! Reach out to me via Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter if you'd like to be on the podcast or if you have an idea of a topic we can talk about. Join the discussion over on Nature Photographer's Network! We have weekly discussions about each episode of the podcast. It's also free! We also have an Instagram page and a Facebook page for updates. Let's talk about who is coming up on the podcast! I am really excited to announce some of our upcoming guests and episodes. It should be a really good fall! Aaron Nace, founder of Phlearn. Alister Benn, a photographer from Scotland. Tim Parkin from ON Landscape magazine. Franka Gabler - a photographer from Croatia living in California. Ian Plant... Dylan Fox... And lots more! I'm really excited to announce that we have finally reached our $1,000 / mo goal on Patreon and we have officially launched our Landscape Conservation Award.  The “F-Stop Collaborate and Listen” podcast Landscape Conservation Award will recognize an individual photographer who is highly involved in conservation issues within their local communities or within the landscape and nature photography community. This can be through their writing, speaking, photography projects, or community organizing efforts. Additionally, this award seeks to recognize an individual that is actively practicing the Nature First Principles. In partnership with our Patreon supporters, the “F-Stop Collaborate and Listen” podcast presents the prestigious honor, which currently consists of at least $1,570.  We aim to grow the total award amount through donations and sponsorships. We are looking for nominations for the award. You can nominate yourself or someone else through the google form linked in the liner notes. Since our launch we have raised $550 towards the award and have garnered some great sponsorships from some great photography brands.  So far we have been able to get support from the following awesome companies: Shimoda Designs  Shimoda Designs is an adventure camera bag company designed as a reaction to real world adventures rather than those imagined from a comfortable office environment. Shimoda founder Ian Millar is a lifelong explorer, snowboarder and product designer known for developing some of the most innovative camera bags in the world. Shimoda is his new venture which represents the culmination of all his experiences and utilizes the most advanced materials and technologies available to minimize the pain, fatigue and suffering that comes with foul mountain conditions. Shimoda products are a direct reflection and reaction to the outdoor lifestyle that Ian and his adventure photographer friends love so much. Shimoda is donating to the winner of the Landscape Conservation Award a bag of their choice, core unit, roller and accessory case - a $779 value! Viewbug  Viewbug is a popular photo sharing and contest website. Members of Viewbug can submit their photographs to specialized contests and win amazing prizes. There are a lot more benefits of membership as well, so check it out. Viewbug is donating a viewbug PRO+ membership to the winner of the award. This is a $179 value. We are working on getting more in-kind donations and financial donations to sweeten the pot for the deserving award winner. If you are interested in either, please check out the award page on our website.  Thanks for stopping in, collaborating with us, and listening. See you next week. As a reminder, you can also support the podcast by shopping at B+H for your photography gear using our Affiliate Link.