Welcome to Episode 125 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast. This week's episode features a fantastic photographer hailing from the Rocky Mountains of Canada - Rachel Jones Ross. Rachel found herself obsessed with photography after a trip to photograph the Milky Way - her life has never been the same since.

 Rachel and I covered a lot of fun ground this week, including:

• Her journey as a photography having made the transition from the academic world of Psychology.
• Her recent trip on the sailboat Maiden, where she photographed the journey and important work this group is doing. 
• The Sony Alpha Female Creator-in-Residence Program.
• Her workshops designed for women.
• Her thoughts on Instagram.
• Sony Kando Events.
• "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F***"

Please consider supporting the podcast on Patreon! There's a ton of bonus content over there for subscribers! 

On Patreon this week, Rachel and I talked about our views on composites and night photography. Be sure to join us on Patreon for this bonus 25 minute conversation where Rachel and I share our views on this aspect of the craft of night photography.

If you're a listener and have not yet made a pledge, there's more reasons to pledge now than ever. We have over 90 bonus episodes over on Patreon for anyone supporting the show at the $5/mo level. 

Over on Patreon we have also been doing themed photo contests where patrons submit photographs based on a theme. 

The current theme, which will end on October 18th, is "Changing Seasons." Let's see your interpretation on the theme over on our community board. I'll send the winner a $20 gift card. 

Here are the photographers that Rachel recommended for the podcast:

1. Amalia Infante.

2. David Wilder.

3. Stan Moniz. 

4. Michael Hollender.

I love hearing from the podcast listeners! Reach out to me via Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter if you'd like to be on the podcast or if you have an idea of a topic we can talk about. Join the discussion over on Nature Photographer's Network! We have weekly discussions about each episode of the podcast. It's also free! We also have an Instagram page and a Facebook page for updates.

Let's talk about who is coming up on the podcast! I am really excited to announce some of our upcoming guests and episodes. It should be a really good fall!

• Aaron Nace, founder of Phlearn.
• Alister Benn, a photographer from Scotland.
• Brenda Petrella, a photographer from Vermont.
• Franka Gabler - a photographer from Croatia living in California.
• Ian Plant...
• Dan Hawk...
• Dylan Fox...
• And lots more!

I'm really excited to announce that we have finally reached our $1,000 / mo goal on Patreon and we have officially launched our Landscape Conservation Award. 

The “F-Stop Collaborate and Listen” podcast Landscape Conservation Award will recognize an individual photographer who is highly involved in conservation issues within their local communities or within the landscape and nature photography community. This can be through their writing, speaking, photography projects, or community organizing efforts. Additionally, this award seeks to recognize an individual that is actively practicing the Nature First Principles. In partnership with our Patreon supporters, the “F-Stop Collaborate and Listen” podcast presents the prestigious honor, which currently consists of at least $1,570. 

We aim to grow the total award amount through donations and sponsorships. We are looking for nominations for the award. You can nominate yourself or someone else through the google form linked in the liner notes. Since our launch we have raised $550 towards the award and have garnered some great sponsorships from some great photography brands. 

So far we have been able to get support from the following awesome companies:

Shimoda Designs is an adventure camera bag company that produces some of the most amazing bags and equipment for landscape and adventure photographers! Shimoda founder Ian Millar is a lifelong explorer, snowboarder and product designer known for developing some of the most innovative camera bags in the world. Shimoda is his new venture which represents the culmination of all his experiences and utilizes the most advanced materials and technologies available to minimize the pain, fatigue and suffering that comes with foul mountain conditions. Shimoda products are a direct reflection and reaction to the outdoor lifestyle that Ian and his adventure photographer friends love so much. Shimoda is donating to the winner of the Landscape Conservation Award a bag of their choice, core unit, roller and accessory case - a $779 value!

Viewbug is a popular photo sharing and contest website. Members of Viewbug can submit their photographs to specialized contests and win amazing prizes. There are a lot more benefits of membership as well, so check it out. Viewbug is donating a viewbug PRO+ membership to the winner of the award. This is a $179 value.

Reed Art & Imaging is a fine art print lab located in Denver, Colorado. They are my print lab of choice for my high-end acrylic prints. Reed employs a unique technology for their acrylic prints that no other print lab in the United States uses called Diasec. The results are stunning. I also believe that Reed has some of the best customer service in the business and I recommend them to everyone I talk to! Reed is donating to the winner of the Landscape Conversation Award a $500 credit towards the purchase of a Diasec Acrylic Print.

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Tamron is a camera lens manufacturer and makes some of the world's best lenses for landscape and nature photography. Tamron is donating to the winner of the Landscape Conservation Award a usa.com/product/lenses/f013.html">45mm f/1.8 Di VC lens- a $599 value!

QT Luong is donating a limited edition copy of his award winning photo book, "Treasured Lands." I've enjoyed QT Luong's book in person and can tell you its one of the best photo books on the market. This limited edition version is valued at $245.

We are working on getting more in-kind donations and financial donations to sweeten the pot for the deserving award winner. If you are interested in either, please check out the award page on our website.  Thanks for stopping in, collaborating with us, and listening. See you next week.

As a reminder, you can also support the podcast by shopping at B+H for your photography gear using our Affiliate Link.