During the time that we are there, we will be taken under the wing and working first hand with several big guns from Getty Images including Aidan Sullivan who was responsible for creating Reportage, as well as some current incredible photojournalists including Tom Stoddart.

I’m happy to say that I’ve done some pretty awesome things in my life…some things that most people don’t get to do in their lifetime.  But yet, I’ve always only viewed the glass as being 1/4 full.  Everyone has a different view on life.  Some people dream of owning a house, getting married and having kids, having a nice car, etc etc.  I remember back over 10 years ago when I was working as a biologist and just doing photography as a hobby, I had always told myself that all I ever wanted to do with my life was travel around the world and take photos.  It’s the only goal I’ve ever had that has actually stuck with me all of these years.

I’ve always been fascinated by the changing world, ever since I was a young kid and had 125 penpals just outside of the United States.  (And yes, you read that number right.)  I went to college and somehow managed to come away with a degree in environmental science, which allowed me to appreciate the natural world in addition to the one that we humans live everyday.  The last chapter in my life ended and a new one began when my environmental job had gone under.  I decided to make the jump into full time photography.  There were many times in the past when I missed certain things about my former career.  But then I realized that all of the things that I missed were actually the things that I continued to do…because I loved them. Not even once did I contemplate if I had made the right decision; I knew that I had because I love my job and think it’s the best in the world…because I’m on my way to doing exactly what I wanted with my life.

I have to agree with something that my cousin told me the other day about her own life…I may be single my whole life and I’m ok with that.  Besides my lifetime goals, all I really care about is having someone to wipe my ass when I’m 80 and can’t do it for myself anymore.

So let the fun begin now while I still can!

You can help to make a difference in the lives of those going hungry in southeastern Pennsylvania when you are savoring your own food.  Create an account on shareurmeal.com.  When you’re dining on scrumptious yumminess, go ahead and snap a photo of your meal with your fancy little phone.  Email that photo to the designated email address provided through shareurmeal or simply upload it directly to the site with a caption that describes the meal.  For this small fraction of your time, a sponsor will dedicate $1 for every meal posted to United Way’s LIVE UNITED: Food for Thought initiative, which is a campaign to beat rising hunger in Southeastern Pennsylvania.  And you don’t need to live in Pennsylvania to do this, but know that you are helping someone through this one small task.

I can only hope that others throughout the country and the world catch on to create great social change in the simplest of ways such as this.  Thanksgiving in the US is right around the corner.  So when you’re chowing down on your dead animal, think about the number of people that it could have fed or the people who don’t even have the luxury of doing the same with their family and friends.  Instead, they’re digging your turkey scraps out of the dumpster the day after Thanksgiving.

Today I had these amazing huevos rancheros at Sabrina’s Cafe in South Philly, I posted the photo to shareurmeal and Drexel University donated a $1 to the cause. Now it’s your turn.  So pass it forward!

If you have an istockphoto account, download it while it’s hot!  After all, it’s free!  There will be another free image available every Sunday on istockphoto.

And if you don’t already have an account on istock, send me an email and I can hook you up with a referral and some free credits to use as well! Enjoy!

A couple of months ago, I had reconnected with a friend who I had met 20 years ago.  We were pen pals for quite a while (he lived in Montana and I in Pennsylvania) until we graduated high school.  So we hadn’t spoken to each other for at least 16 years and hadn’t seen each other in 20.  Well, as it so happens, he now lives in Boston and had a few days leave from work that happen to coincide with my time in Maine so he drove up here to hang out with me.  We had a blast!  Hiking, kayaking, laughing, conversation, drinks, good food, etc etc.  It was easily one of the best times I’ve had all year.  But he left this morning and I’m a bit bummed out about it.  But nevertheless, I am very happy to have reconnected with my old friend.

One of the hikes that we did lead to some cool tidal pools.  We found these little larvae like creatures in one of the pools that were no bigger than a few millimeters.  They were in small clumps and a weird blue-gray color.  You couldn’t really see the detail of them with the naked eye, but a macro lens makes all the difference in the world.  This is exactly why I love macro photography so much!  This photo was only cropped; no manipulation has been done.  I didn’t know what these little guys were, but someone has ID’d them as an insect called seashore springtails (Anurida maritima)…adults, not juvenile.  The are found throughout the world on rocky shores and tidal marshes and feed on dead marine animals, particularly mollusks and crustaceans.  The retreat into the protection of rocky crevices or under weeds an hour before high tide, but spend most of their time floating on the water and scavenging nearby rocks for food.