One Shot: Packrafting Grewingk Glacier

Capt. Jordan paddles among the icebergs at Grewingk Glacier, Alaska. Photo by Clay Duda.

It’s a rare moment during the busy Alaskan summer when the stars align and two friends end up with a day off together. You have to make the most of it. So when it so happened back in June, my buddy Jordan and I commandeered a couple of packrafts from True North Kayak Adventures and hit the trail to the lake at the base of Grewingk Glacier, Alaska.

Gearing Up for Another Summer Fishing in Homer, Alaska

M/V Irish in the Homer boat yard. Photo by Clay Duda. Olympus OM2n, 35mm f2.8 lens, Portra 400.
M/V Irish (left) getting sea-ready in the Homer boat yard. Photo by Clay Duda.

It might be late April but the snow is still falling here in Homer, Alaska. My wife and I drove 3,000 miles to get here from Newport, Oregon, where I worked on a crab boat for the winter and she worked at a local shop. I thought we’d lucked out and completely missed the Alaskan winter, but here’s it’s frosty grasp reaching up to remind us we’re living near the top of the world.

Resources to Repair an Olympus Trip 35

I came across this old Olympus Trip 35 camera at a pawn shop in Central Oregon and couldn’t pass it up for the price. I’ve shot a handful of different Olympus film SLRs in the past, but I’ve never gotten my hands on any of their point-and-shoot or rangefinder models. Make no mistake, the Trip 35 is a true point-and-shoot, grab-and-go camera that can produce some fun and surprising results.

Of course, if you’re seeking out a repair blog, you probably already know all this or you’re looking to patch up your ailing Trip 35 and make some memories.

Hunting for Sea Glass, Agates, and Fossils at Moolack Beach, Oregon

My wife searching for sea glass, agates, and fossils at water’s edge in Moolack Beach, Oregon. Olympus OM-2 // 28mm f3.5 // Lomography 400

Explore the Oregon Coast:

Moolack Beach just north of Newport, Oregon may be the best place to search for sea glass, agates, and fossils on the entire Oregon Coast. Then again, I haven’t explored every inch of sand just yet, but I can pretty much garuantee that Moolack is a good bet for your next beach foraging trip.

One Shot: Light Leaks at Seal Rock

Light leaks at Seal Rock, Oregon. Olympus OM-10 // 100mm f3.5 // Fujifilm Superia 400
Olympus OM-10 // 100mm f3.5 // Fujifilm Superia 400

Two great things I love come together in a single photo — film photography and beach life. Of course, light leaks aren’t usually something you’re excited to see when you get a roll of negatives developed, but sometimes they make happy accidents like this that are kind of cool.

Fishing for Grunts in Clearwater, Florida

Charter fishing in Clearwater, Florida. Olympus Pen FT // 38mm f1.8 // Ektar 100
Olympus Pen FT // 38mm f1.8 // Ektar 100

Last summer I bought an old Olympus Pen FT half-frame film camera off of eBay and took it on vacation to St. Petersburg, Florida. We went on a half-day fishing trip aboard the Super Queen with Captain Stan and bagged up a bunch of little grunt fish a even a few puffer fish. Even with 94 people on board there was a lot of fishing action. After a ~45 minute boat ride out to the fishing grounds it was all lines in, and all lines down. As soon as my little circle hooked tipped with squid made it to the ocean floor there was a fish nibbling and soon hooked. 

How to find shutter count on Canon DSLR for free — MAC

How to get shutter count for canon DSLR free on a Mac computer

This has nothing to do with traveling except that my 7D has long been a travel companion. Still, I hope it proves useful.

Unlike Nikon cameras that include shutter count info in an image’s EXIF data, it’s hard if not (nearly!) impossible to easily find shutter actuations on Canon DSLR models such as 5D, 7D, 6D, and just about every other “D” model in existence. Canon does not include shutter count information in .jpg EXIF files.

I recently came across this issue (once again) when trying to unearth a free and easy way to get the shutter count for my war-torn Canon 7D, which has been battle tested on the front lines of wild fires, rowdy concerts, and breaking news scenes since I purchased it new in 2010. It’s been a great camera.

There are many ways to find the shutter count for Canon EOS cameras on an Apple computer…