It's bittersweet getting ready for the Mono Lake "Forgotten Season" photo workshop, knowing that Rick Kneep won't be there. I don't think it'll really hit me until we're there and meet up at the Mono Lake Committee on Friday afternoon.

I haven't had many photography teachers. Rick was one of the few. He passed away suddenly in December. The photo in this post was taken on one of the first of those Winter workshops I attended. Joe and Chris Decker invited me along with them on the ride to this magical place that felt like another planet to me. I've been there five or six times now and it is still magical and still feels like we're not on this Earth.

Rick was a great teacher. His workshops were full of fun and photos and food! Rick was very helpful with constructive criticism when I asked him for help with certain 'problem' photos I had. He told me that my photographs were very good in their own right (when I was worried about showing mine after those of a professional photographer in a slide show).

I wish I'd gotten a chance to take more classes and workshops with him. I wish I'd bought one of his prints.

Everyone who had been on this workshop before told me of this phenomenon called 'pogonip' which I had never seen until about two years ago. Every year before the Winter workshop, I'd ask Rick to 'order up some pogonip' and he's say he'd see what he could do.

Rick, I'll raise a glass to you when we gather for our dinner on Saturday night in Lee Vining. I miss you and hope you're at peace.