2023 Summary - Plus What's Instore for 2024

 Where has this year gone? Seems the older I grow the faster time gets away from me. I no longer think of time within the context of days or weeks, or even years, but in decades. Speaking of that, where has the last decade gone? It was thirteen years ago when I started the Beyond The Campfire blog. Five hundred plus outdoor/photography articles later here I am about to wrap up another season and what a season it has been!

Over the past months we explored photography from a variety of angles including nostalgic reflections, seasonal changes, a variety projects from Ansel Adams style to Being in the Moment to Woodlands photography. We also explored in more depth Wildlife photography concentrating on the deer populations near my home. Along the way we spent time exploring with my Old Town Canoe making both day trips and overnight adventures, plus we managed a few backpacking excursions into the backcountry of Mammoth Cave National Park. Perhaps the most revealing project was indeed the Ansel Adams Project where I purposely made photographic attempts in the Ansel Adams style and created a solid portfolio of black and white landscape images. 

A good many short day trips and simple walkabouts became a large part of the outdoor experiences and I was able to create several YouTube video productions employing the images and video footage from many of those outings along with the overnighters. Video productions included photographing Kentucky Whitetail deer, Photographing Sandhill Cranes, A Shanty Hollow series, Chasing the Sun, and Exploring the Narrows on Kentucky's Barren River Lake. Along with those several videos were produced that chronicled overnight canoe camping and backpacking. All of these and others can be viewed on my YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondTheCampfireByKeith/videos

It truly has been an eventful year...but, What's instore for 2024?

Next season I will be exploring many of the same kinds of photographic challenges, but I plan on focusing more on the videography side of that challenge. I plan on encompassing more 'behind the scenes' kind of videos where I explain in some detail the processes, the thoughts and techniques I placed into making the program. I'll detail to some degree the physical challenges I faced to obtain a specific photograph or to accomplish a canoe trip or backpacking trip. I will also explore the equipment I used and how I prepare for an overnight or multi-day canoe or backpacking trip. These will include insights on what the challenges are from an older person's perspective and what is required physically, emotionally, and training to be able to pursue an outdoor challenge such as these.

One specific canoe trip I plan on is an end-to-end multi-day canoe trip on Barren River Lake. This will be somewhere around a 40 + mile trip spread over several days employing primitive camping at isolated locations along the route. Most likely that will happen sometime in the latter days of spring or early summer.  I also plan on making several multi-day backpacking trips and will include sessions on preparations and expectations on making such a trip. 

Photography projects have not been defined yet. Most of the time they simply come to life as a spur of the moment insight. So we'll see what ideas and insights come to mind as we travel through 2024, but photography will be a large part of those multi-day and long day trips I have planned for next year.

I also want to do more night sky photography next season. Night Sky photography has been something I have pursued over the years but in recent seasons I have neglected to keep pace with it. It is a fascinating style of photography and I plan on making another video on the processes and techniques I use to capture night sky photographs.

Okay, so there it is at least at a high level. As 2024 plays out I will adjust to the situations and will most likely add to or alter plans as necessary. I hope you join me...Beyond The Campfire...as we continue to explore the magic of the outdoors. Bring your camera along and lets see what happens.