Check out my new article on Social Media Examiner

For all you marketers out there:

How to Enhance Your Instagram Web Profile for Improved Exposure

Big thanks to Social Media Examiner for the opportunity to write for such a popular and influential website.

Mobile Photography: Best of 2012

Sure, Instagram had a rough end to 2012 with those TOS changes and subsequent retractions.

But the mobile app has also been one of my favorite discoveries of 2012 (other photography app suggestions: Pixlromatic, Camera+, Diptic, Snapseed, Flickr). While I can’t realistically bring my DSLR camera everywhere, I always have my iPhone with me. What’s more is that the Instagram community is an awesome place. Interacting with other mobile photographers through Instagramers Seattle and Josh Johnson’s #jj forums takes Instagram to a different level entirely. Here are some of my favorite personal mobile shots from 2012.

Tumwater Falls Park

The Amazon Jungle: Tambopata National Reserve & Lake Sandoval

This is my second post in a series on my recent trip to Peru. In my first post, I talked about hiking Huayna Picchu at Machu Picchu. Stay tuned for thoughts on Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Lima, and more.

When my girlfriend and I were planning our trip to Peru, we had a big decision to make: Spend our final three days at Lake Titicaca or spend them in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest. We chose the latter.

Why? We thought it might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and the reviews of the Inkaterra Hacienda Concepcion lodge were stellar. I’m hoping to go into more detail about the wonderful lodge, its employees and our other excursions in the Amazon in another post. But for now, I wanted to detail our experiences on a day-hike inside Tambopata National Reserve to Lake Sandoval.

Lake Sandoval in Peru’s Tambopata National Reserve.

Top 10 Seahawks/Packers Monday Night Football Tweets

That awkward moment when you win fantasy because you started Golden Tate.

— ESPN (@espn) September 25, 2012

Russell Wilson became the first QB in history to throw a game-winning interception.

— Reign of Troy (@ReignofTroy) September 25, 2012

Fuck it NFL.. Fine me and use the money to pay the regular refs. — TJ Lang (@TJLang70) September 25, 2012

 

All @nfl fans watch the Ryder Cup this week, we got no refs. #USA — bubba watson (@bubbawatson) September 25, 2012

 

Hungover. What happened last night?

— NFL Replacement Ref (@ObliviousNFLRef) September 25, 2012

 

These games are a joke.

— Troy Aikman (@TroyAikman) September 25, 2012

 

WOW!!! What a game!! Love our guys for battling all the way to the end and never giving up! #Seahawks — Pete Carroll (@PeteCarroll) September 25, 2012

 

Seahawks banned from Xbox Live for hacking.

— The Fake ESPN (@TheFakeESPN) September 26, 2012

 

Last night, the Seahawks beat the Packers 14-12.I DVR’d the game and watched it later, just like the refs. #fallonmono

— jimmy fallon (@jimmyfallon) September 26, 2012

 

According to Apple Maps that was a touchdown. #ScabRefs

— Raven Brooks (@ravenb) September 25, 2012

Machu Picchu: Hiking Huayna Picchu

This is my first post in a series on my recent trip to Peru. Stay tuned for thoughts on Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Lima, the Amazon, and more.

I recently went on the most amazing adventure of my life to Peru with my girlfriend. We only spent 10 days in the country, but somehow we made our way all over. In fact, Peru is divided into three regions (the coast, the Andes, and the Amazon) and we hit all three. I’ll try to cover everything else in upcoming posts, but I thought I’d start things off with a bang: Our Huayna Picchu hike at Machu Picchu.

The reason I want to start with this is because of the research I did before the trip. There’s a lot of confusing information out there about hiking Huayna Picchu, mostly along the lines of, “It’s the most dangerous hike EVER!!!11!” I was pretty nervous about the hike after seeing this all over the internet, yet it didn’t turn out to be true at all. But let’s start with the basics.

Couldn’t have asked for better weather.

‘The Killing’ Version of Seattle vs. the Real Seattle

The Seattle from the AMC television show “The Killing”

The real Seattle

This short blog post brought to you by the Yeah, It Rains Here but Really I’m Posting This to Keep Others from Falling in Love with Seattle So They Stay Away Association.

Photography: Landscapes

Trying to organize my photos, so here’s a post of landscapes I’ve taken in the past year. You can also view the set on Flickr.

Gas Works Park Silhouette

Lake Cushman Reflections

Shilshole Bay Marina Blue Hour

Colorful Bellingham Dock

Deception Pass

Mount Rainier in the Distance

A Peaceful Green Lake Night

Shoot a Hole Into the Sun

Sunrise Over the Puget Sound

Autumn Colors

Summer Boat Reflections

A River Runs Through It

Lonely Sunrise