This is a pun, um, I mean, photo collection, that has been a while in the making.

I have always been a "mountain person" myself, but when Seth and I first met, he was obsessed with two things: deserts— specifically those in the American Southwest— and also, disparately, whales. 😳🤷‍♂️

Huh. Deserts and whales. I gave him a hard time about this. What an odd combination of interests… and I remember briefly wondering if this might be a red flag? Lol 😜

“Why is that weird?” Seth asked me, and I told him that I guessed it wasn’t, it would just make planning a trip around his two favorite things exceedingly difficult, if not impossible.

This is when Seth pedantically reminded me that, actually, Antarctica is the largest desert in the world, and there are definitely whales living in Antarctica!

🙄 I said, “Okay, touché, I stand corrected, so would you like to go to Antarctica with me?”

He laughed and said, “Oh no, Ryan, that’s not the type of desert I’m interested in.”

“I know, Seth! So, as I originally surmised, trying to shove some whale watching into an Arizona or Utah desert camping trip is going to be tricky!” 🤪

But fast forward several years, and now, in 2024, Seth and I have an exciting announcement to make:

Contrary to what you might expect, in late November of this year, Seth will be joining me for a photography trek in the MOUNTAINS of South America… but NOT continuing on with me to ANTARCTICA. 🤨

You know, Antarctica— the huge desert where the whales live.

Go figure. I guess my love of mountains has rubbed off on him, and likewise, when I started putting together this compilation video for Seth, of all the deserts I’ve photographed, I realized… man! For someone who claims not to be a "desert person," I sure have been to a lot of them! 🤪

And in just a few short months, I can add Antarctica to that list. 😊 Huh. Maybe I’m a Desert Person after all!