Growing up, I wasn’t interested in photography, as much as I was in climbing.  I read everything I could get my hands on about Alex Lowe’s and Greg Childs’ climbing expeditions in the Himalaya.  When I got into photography, I was drawn to Galen Rowell’s work, not only because his style of shooting appealed to me, but because he was a climber, first and foremost.  

Whether we are climbers or photographers (or both), we face the challenge of needing to be in the field a lot.  Many of us also have day jobs or families that take away from our time in the field.  Alex Lowe and his friends got around this with what they called the Dawn Patrol–getting most of their tracks in before most of us roll out of bed.  Before we were parents, this wasn’t a problem; my wife would gladly come along for an early morning hike, or more wisely stay in bed while I caught sunrise.  However, when you throw a kid into the mix, especially one under the age of 2, things get more complicated.  

Our recent camping trip was an example.  My plan was to arrive at camp and eat dinner early enough to catch sunset at Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park.  As i said in my last post, our son wasn’t feeling well, and by the time we got him to eat dinner, and in his PJs, it was way too late to make the drive to Tuolumne.  Even though my wife is more than accommodating, adjustments are necessary, and Lowe’s idea of the dawn patrol rings true.  For instance, I was able to capture this image of sunrise on the Minarets and be back to our hotel before anyone was awake the other morning:

Sunrise on the Minarets, August 2009

So, even though having children can force you to think outside of the box, its not necessarily a bad thing.  When all else fails, include them in your photography:

Greg & Owen chasing Belding’s ground squirrels, 2009

Our son loved looking at the ground squirrels, and while it was a little more difficult to shoot with a kicking and (happily) screaming kid on my back, it was well worth the quality time spent with him.