Article in July CORVA newsletter

It was a great honor to have CORVA (California Off Road Vehicle Association) request permission to reprint my Off Road Basics: Trail Etiquette article in their July newsletter Off Roaders in Action because it gives me credibility in the off road community, especially when I see an article written by Tom Severin, who I hope to profile later this year, in the same issue. The article was originally published in DrivingLine (thank you to Nitto Tire for allowing the reprint) where it caught the attention of Kim Carpenter, CORVA's VP of Education. CORVA is a non-profit organization that works with land managers throughout California such as the BLM and the NFS for responsible off-highway vehicular access and recreation opportunities, as well as educating members on rules and regulations, promoting cleanups and trail maintenance projects. Just about everyone in the California off road community is a member of CORVA.

But I have to admit that it feels strange to see one of my articles without the photos. After all, I am a first and foremost a photographer. I enjoy writing the stories that accompany my photos and I never honestly thought about writing as a stand alone pursuit. At times I've even wondered if Lori the writer/author/journalist was detracting from Lori the photographer, especially when I'm busy chasing photos for a story instead of photos for the sake of art. So I wasn't quite sure what to think about having an article published without the accompanying photos. But on the same day my article was published in the CORVA publication I happened to listen to an interview with David DuChemin on Faded and Blurred. Jeffrey Saddoris asked DuChemin about how he felt when he realized that he was becoming as well known for his books as he was for his photography and the effect of adding the title of Author to his C.V. on his career trajectory. DuChemin responded that "I sometimes think that people can peg that about us before we're willing to say so about ourselves."

Listening to the DuChemin interview made me realize how insanely blessed I am that people are willing to pay me to share my experiences and stories about something I enjoy so much, whether in photos or in words. If sometimes it is in words only, that's perfectly fine with me. It's an endeavor that I hope will continue to evolve.