Two Immutable Lifestyle Constants – Hiking and Photography

Almost a decade ago the open space mountain park near my home was a virtual wildlife paradise. Nearly every day on my little hour long hike through the high country, I would see a huge elk herd, deer, coyote, fox, hawks and tons of small birds. Now they have turned my primitive open space into a developed park with tourists attractions, and the animals have virtually disappeared.

Despite the absence of animals I find I still visit my sanctuary several times a week. In fact I took a snowshoe hike through the park just today. As I strode along through the snow I realized, all throughout my life there have been two constants. Endurance exercise sports and photography. When stock photography became a thing, I combined the two, and carried my camera with me everywhere. Two decades later, my camera is almost always at my side.

During good times and bad, fortune and famine, these two activities have kept me going and gave life purpose. I go out on the trail everyday because I have always done it. It is a way of life. Sure, it’s the same trail time, but when I first started running, I just ran laps around the high school track. When it was too cold outside, there was the treadmill, or the track around the club. Others like to lift weights or ride bikes. It’s all good, whatever brings you joy will work.

It’s hard to see how my stock photo business will thrive in the era of AI. Who is going to buy a stock image when they can just speak a picture into existence? Regardless, I will continue to hike my trail and carry my camera, while providing photo tips and tricks as long as my legs will carry me.

As far as my blog and my channel go, perhaps I can find a way to inspire others to hit the trail or the track. Perhaps my wealth of knowledge of the outdoors and sports gear will help someone to adopt an active lifestyle. So watch for my posts to take a new direction with more emphasis on the outdoor activities aspect of my adventures!

Steven W. Krull is a renowned photographer and author who has been photographing and writing of the beauty and wildlife of the Colorado Rocky Mountains for over two decades. Please visit his website at S.W. Krull Imaging to view his work, including thousands of prints for sale, stock images for commercial use, and his library of published books.