You may recall that this year, the 4th of July fell on a Monday.  

On Saturday, July 2, Sophie and I were enjoying a digital-free afternoon off.  We had already enjoyed a nice homemade brunch, played cards for a few hours, and were wondering what to do with ourselves.  

The friends we had made here in our new hometown were either away or already had plans and for some reason, it felt like we were on a bit of an island.  Here it was, a sunny 4th of July weekend, Sophie’s first in the US, and we were going to be sitting around the house?  

Sophie mentioned aloud that she wished our family was closer. Having a beverage in the sunshine as the kids swam and ran around, being around our favorite people in the world, and getting out of the city sounded immediately appealing.

“Well, we could just drive down… we’d be there before dark if we left within the hour…”

We decided before we went any further in planning, we had better check with my sister to see if there were already plans and if they could accommodate surprise guests.  

She screamed excitedly, ignoring the part where we said we were just considering it, and made the decision for us.  Within the hour, we were loaded up and driving south for an extended weekend of family time and some light streetside fireworks.

As we neared Medford, we found ourselves underneath awesome storm clouds that were glowing in the sunset light.  Stopping safely on the side of the I5, I crawled to the top of the car to get a shot of iconic Table Rock standing majestically above the Rogue Valley while dramatic stormlight colors filled the sky.

It was good to be home.

There are a few big updates to go along with the July MotM that are worth writing about for those of you loyal readers who still open this email.  If you are reading this, you are probably wondering why we’ve gone so dark on social media, and what we’re up to instead.

To address the first topic, social media is massively time consuming and not something I feel comfortable devoting as much time to as we used to.  I’m just not sure our brains know how to handle so much feedback, criticism, and even praise all the time.  I don’t feel many of us, myself most included, know how to compartmentalize real life from Facebook or Instagram.

When a photo I am deeply proud of underperforms, or is trolled incessantly, or worst of all, when my personal character is questioned based on measures taken to achieve a result, I am not as able as I need to be to let it go.  The same goes with too much praise or a photo going viral; is this really my best work, or just the result of an algorithm?  Do I really want to gauge my work based on likes?

All of that said, the primary reason I am not as active on social media as I used to be is that it simply is not a good time to value investment.  With Sophie finally in the country and things like credit, leases, and “adult stuff” popping up constantly, it became clear we would need something more stable.  Likes and comments don’t build credit, and they don’t pay bills.

This leads perfectly to the second update and the answer to the second question of what we are up to instead.  The answer is that our travel website, the very one you are on now, has been exploding post-covid and we are pouring ourselves into creating more and more guides.  Every time a visitor goes from a Google search or social media to one of our guides, we make a little bit from the ads on the page.  If a trip or tour is ever booked through one of our links, we get a little bit of commission at no cost to the user.

Basically, we have found a source of steady income that lets us go back to being explorers and photographers, and not salesman.  Life on Facebook meant daily haggling over print pricing.  

It also meant frequent disappointment about how entitled so many feel to free art these days.  The Moment of the Month was created in hopes that with over 150k combined followers across all of our channels, just 1% might be willing to donate about $1 which would pay our rent.  In  the end, we only signed up about 100 people.

Which leads us to two final announcements. 

The first is that we will continue MotM until our 2-year anniversary, at which point we will be ending it as it just takes too much time and did not get the result we required to make it worth that time.  

The second is that we are partnering with Travel Medford, my beloved hometown tourism board, to promote the Rogue Valley and Medford over the next few months!!  

It is in this spirit that the other featured photos for the July Moment is a collection of some favorite photos taken in the Rogue Valley.  On a personal note, there is something incredibly fulfilling to be able to help move Sophie and I closer to buying our first home by combining a love for photography, writing, and the Rogue Valley.  Having all these come together in one campaign is a truly special feeling.

Click on any of the images in the gallery below to showcase the featured photos for July in full-screen mode.

WANT TO TAKE HOME ANY PHOTOS?

WE DREAM OF TRAVEL PRINT GALLERY

With the link above, you can browse photos from past Moments of the Month, and have the choice of printing those that speak to you on traditional photo paper or metal.

Metal prints produce more vibrant colors, deeper contrast, and a three-dimensional aesthetic that accentuates the stylistic ethos of our photography.

If you see anything you like in this Moment of the Month that you cannot find on the gallery, just send us an email at: [email protected]

Don’t forget: If you are subscribed as an ART LOVER, you will receive your monthly 10% off promo code via email.  Simply enter the promo code at checkout!

We have created a ton of guides to Oregon and the PNW. Whether you are a local or planning a visit, you may want to bookmark some of our top guides:

• OREGON BUCKET LIST: All the best things to do in Oregon.
• BEST SOUTHERN OREGON WATERFALLS: Where to find SoOr’s best cascades.
• SOUTHERN OREGON COAST PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE: All the best places to shoot.
• 7 WONDERS OF OREGON GUIDE: Learn about the 7 natural wonders.
• OREGON COAST PHOTOGRAPHY: Where to photograph the coast.
• TOP 15 NATURAL PLACES TO VISIT IN OREGON: Amazing natural locations to explore.
• BEST WATERFALLS IN OREGON: The Top 15 from all over the state.
  
• ALL OTHER OREGON GUIDES

These were discussed at length in the July Moment, but here are the cliff-notes:

• We have been quiet on social media but will be back soon to promote Southern Oregon and hopefully to start teasing the 2023 calendars.
• We Dream of Travel LLC is partnering with Travel Medford to raise awareness of the incredible natural beauty of the Rogue Valley.
• The Moment of the Month will continue until Feb 2023, at which point we will be regretfully shutting it down.

If you have any questions about the Moment of the Month club, you can find frequently asked questions and more information by clicking here.

If you have a question that is not covered, just send us an email or message on social media!