How I Failed This Year

This was a very educational year, because failure is one of the best teachers. I had many failures this year. And no, I’m not talking about personal or moral failures. I’m talking about creative failures. There were things I wanted to do this year, and despite the effort, failed at doing. I’m going to share with you how I failed, why I failed, and what I learned.

I hope you enjoy this final blog of the year, and can learn from my failures.

**Me, January 2022, contemplating my incoming failures.**

1. Failed Commercial Shoot for Blueline Surfboards

When you do commercial photography, you’re trying to tell a story in a controlled way that captures the vision you have for the story you want to tell. I had a story in mind for Blueline. We’d take a longboard down to a secluded part of the NorCal coast where there wouldn’t be people but their would be beautiful cliffs, and I’d have Jenn take some mock-surfing / paddling photos on the shore where I would make it look as if she’s paddling out in the water.

At this point in the year, Jenn had never surfed. The NorCal waves were also rough, windy, and the shore was a bit of a hot mess. But the sunlight was awesome, as it normally is up here in the Bay Area.

How I failed: I didn’t get the shots I wanted.

Why I failed: The wind, waves, and premise of shooting on the shore and making it look as if it was deeper did not work at all.

What I learned: If I want to shoot commercial surfboard photos, I need to outfit myself in a way that allows me to tell the story I want to tell.

**Failed: Board was covered with sand and the wind was blowing so hard that Jenn looks unnatural.**

2. Failed Adventure in Alberta

I love traveling in shoulder season. This is normally in the fall, once crowds start to dissipate, travel becomes cheaper, and the weather gets cooler. This year, I thought I’d try a spring trip. Amanda, Jenn, and I planned a trip during the first week of June to Alberta to go to Banff and Jasper National Parks. I booked some activities, planned some hikes and sights, and we headed out of SFO to YYC to what I anticipated would be a great experience.

What I didn't think through is just how much winter fights to let go in Alberta. We were there for an entire week in early June, yet trails were closed due to snow, lakes were still frozen or empty, and some of our adventures were cancelled due to frozen lakes (like a cruise to Spirit Island). I had to completely replan and rewrite the entire week while we were there, something that emotionally frustrates me because I’m such an avid planner.

How I failed: I had several commercial shoots and personal adventures planned, and none of them happened as planned. Not one.

Why I failed: I simply went too early in the year. When I was in Banff in late June in 2019, it was perfect. But just three weeks earlier in 2022, it was still winter.

What I learned: If I want to guarantee certain conditions, I have to travel when there is less risk.

**Failed: Lake Louise was frozen when we arrived.**

**Failed: Moraine Lake was empty and frozen.**

Don't get me wrong - we still had an incredible trip and did a ton of awesome things. You can see it all in my travel gallery. But it just wasn’t what we expected or planned.

3. Failed Shoot at Squaretop Mountain in Wyoming

I wrote extensively about this for NOMAD, as I had worked with them on a key photoshoot in the fall of this year. I shared the story on their website, and mine as well. I actually dissected and processed failure in that blog, and I encourage you to read it via NOMAD or here on this site.

But to sum it up, I failed to anticipate the implications of cold weather and an unfrozen lake. This created a major steam-pot, crushing any change I had of a shoot as planned. I also spent 6hrs driving - for nothing.

How I failed: Couldn’t complete a commercial shoot because of the fog.

Why I failed: I didn’t pay attention in science class in 1999.

What I learned: I will never again travel to a lake for a photoshoot when the air temp is colder than the water temp.

**Failed: This was suppose to be a big, epic shoot with an iconic and remote mountain. Instead…fog.**

4. Failed to Make Reservations in Yosemite

I live fairly close to Yosemite, and go there several times a year. That’s a normal rhythm…but I rarely go during summer. I go in the fall, winter, and spring. And when you go to Yosemite in the off-season, it’s really easy. You just show your park pass and drive right in.

My mom spent a month with us this summer, and I wanted to take her to Yosemite for a day while she was here. We left early in the morning and drove around 3hrs to the park. When I got towards the gate, there was quite a line, which I’m not use to. And when we got to the gate, they told me you had to have a reservation pass. The National Park system did this at Yosemite during the pandemic lockdown, but they don’t do it in the off-season, which was the only times I was there in 2021. With summer 2022, they brought the reservation system back.

They would not let me in, period. We turned around, drove back about fifteen minutes to a place with WIFI, and through some magical connections, I was able to get us in for the day without a reservation. But it was stressful for the time leading up to us finally getting in.

How I failed: Couldn’t get into Yosemite.

Why I failed: Didn't check the website ahead of time and didn’t realize Yosemite was requiring reservations for the summer.

What I learned: Always check the website before showing up to find out closures, restrictions, and conditions.

**Failed: Didn’t make a reservation, but through connections was able to get us in.**

5. Failed to Not Catch COVID While Traveling

I accept the risk of COVID when I travel. It’s part of our life now, and likely will be for the rest of our days. I feel like I’ve done my part: I’ve been vaccinated and boosted, and I consider others like a decent human being.

When my mom was visiting us, we had planned to travel to the Grand Canyon together to recreate a photo her brother had taken in the 80’s. You can see the video and the photos from this trip by visiting my Travel Gallery. To get there, we flew from San Jose to Las Vegas, rented a car, and drove 4hrs to the Grand Canyon. We stayed there for the night, drove back the next day, and flew home. Quick trip.

I love flying Southwest, and we had A3 and A4. We were on the plane first, and sat in the very front. A guy sat on the window seat, I sat on the aisle. My mom sat across the aisle on the other aisle seat, and someone sat at the window. We were both comfortable and ready to go. The entire plane loaded, and at the very end, a woman wearing a mask came onto the plane and asked if the seat beside me was available. As an honest man, I begrudgingly said yes. Then she took her mask off. The entire flight, this woman coughed up a storm. She was obviously sick and shouldn’t have been flying. But here we were.

Two days after we got back home, I tested positive for COVID. Then the rest of the house tested positive for COVID, except my mom and step-dad, because they had COVID about 60 days prior to visiting us.

How I failed: I caught COVID.

Why I failed: A sick woman sat next to me on a plane.

What I learned: I should have said something or relocated, though I don’t know if it would have mattered.

In addition to these five failures and lessons, here are a few other practical things I’ve learned this year because of missed opportunities or situations.

Always keep bathing suit & towel available when hiking lakes, just in case.
Pay attention to sunset times behind mountains, not just golden hour or sunset times.
Research and planning is only 60-70% max reality. I have to be ok being a little more flexible.
I don’t have to take all of the gear I have to be creative. I can leave a few lenses at home and save my back.
The quest for the perfect EDC bag is futile, but I will never stop.