David Howell Travel Photography and Map Blog

The desert is a harsh setting. Only the adapted and fortunate survive. Lessons have to be learned quickly. Decisions carry serious consequences.

National parks and monuments in the desert are good places for contemplation. The landscapes are enormous and the mind can wander farther than the views. You are not distracted by artificial urgencies. The commercial world is not represented.

The desert allows a person to sort through the experiences of the past and evaluate the lessons that should have been learned….

OK, photography won’t solve climate change or reduce our dependence on petroleum. It won’t provide new jobs or feed hungry families. This one job doesn’t do that much to feed my family either.

So why spend days planning and hours shooting photographs? Is it really work if you enjoy it? What is the value? Are you contributing anything?

If you will excuse a somewhat personal and serious posting, I wanted to talk about these issues from my perspective. I used to be a soil scientist. Now I am a photographer….

Where did this business name come from and what does it mean?

I chose this name in 2005 to indicate the geographic extent within which I intend to operate. It also describes the elements of the business.

I understand that it is an unusual business name. It is sort of choppy and combines three disparate concepts….

I am a travel photographer and map maker. My education includes a B.S. and M.S. in Natural Resources (emphasizing soil science, GIS, and remote sensing) from Humboldt State University.  My professional background is in managing soil survey geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing analysis, satellite image processing, statistical modeling, GIS training, and digital soil mapping throughout [...]