I'm feeling nostalgic for the west, for those wide open spaces that by the mere fact the combined feeling of smallness and awe bring tears to the eyes. The sound of Pink Floyd blasting through the car speakers, windows down, wide open road ahead and mountains in the distance. I can't remember the pain of hiking to 10,000 feet, alone and afraid that because of my aloneness I had better not twist an ankle because then, then I would be totally screwed. Living on the edge and knowing without a shadow of a doubt how fortunate I am to be alive. How much my family means to me, how much I miss them, and why, some day, they will be with me in these places.

I don't get out a photograph much these days, and that's OK. I'm doing what needs to be done so that one day, it IS what I will do. Today is my day to make that some day come true. Success beyond my wildest dreams.

For now, some images of the past to predict the future to come ...

The Tombstone Mountains in the Yukon Territory in Canada. This view is from the Dempster Highway, a dead end dirt road as long as Florida is tall.

My first solo mountain backcountry trek – Sawtooth Wilderness, Idaho, 2005. Fifty miles in five days. This was the last time I shot film. Fuji Velvia. Digital ... it's a game changer.

Surreal Utah. Nothing like it. Anywhere. This view is of Sixshooter Peak and the plateaus outside the Needles district of Canyonlands National Park. I shot this a few feet from my car, parked off the dirt road in the Canyon Rims Recreation Area. Free camping on free land. The public owns this land. So easy. If the world only knew ...

Aaahhh ... and my beloved Cascades. Who would have ever thought a Florida boy would stake a claim in the most rugged the West has to offer, much less a claim staked on his own terms. Day 7 of my 14-day solo trek through North Cascades National Park. This is my Japanese Garden, a place of restful sleep for the spirit within, a place of peace, a place for God.

Qivana is a solid company, meaning they have a founding team with experience second to none and a product line that is second to none. I’ve written about Derrick Hall, Qivana’s CEO, on my Qivana web site blog. I am 100 percent confident in Derrick’s ability to lead this company toward a successful future because he has more than 40 years of leadership experience working for both the pharmaceutical industry and the natural products industry. He’s worked in manufacturing, sales, raw materials, and research and development. He knows about the importance of patents and the exclusivity of products, and he has the heart of a man who wants to see good in the world. Here are Derrick’s pledges for Qivana:

Qivana’s Product Promise

•  What’s on the label is in the product
•  What’s on the label is in the product at the point of purchase
•  What’s on the label is in the product at the point of purchase and is absorbed efficiently and effectively into the body
•  Science and research will always guide our product introductions

Common Sense Business Management

•  We will grow as fast as we can afford to grow
•  We will venture overseas when the time is right
•  We refuse to drive any faster than our headlights will allow
•  We will run the company as a “for profit” venture, debt free and cash flow positive
•  Grow in stages: Build a firm foundation, grow, plateau, spring to the next level

Qivana – 10 years from now

•  More than 1 billion in annual sales
•  Conducting business in the major developed nations of the world
•  Profitable and still growing
•  Be the industry citizen by which our competitors measure themselves
•  Is a major player in the US health care system
•  Has a sustainable and scaleable business model
•  Is STILL debt free
•  The systemized approach to health care has improved the lives of millions
•  Has created a legacy for millions of IBOs throughout the world

And the four other gentlemen who founded Qivana along with Derrick are all from very successful network marketing companies such as Tahitian Noni, XanGo, NuSkin, Novell, and VM Direct. They’ve handled the development of brands, products and distribution strategies for national and international markets. They’ve taken companies from ground floor through hyper growth and beyond. What’s more is that we have a scientific advisory board of individuals who have unparalleled clinical and research-based backgrounds. Dr. Donald Layman is one of the foremost metabolic researchers in the world. Dr. Isaac Eliaz is one of the foremost cancer researchers in the world using naturopathic medicine. And there are few people in the world who understand holistic medicine better than Dr. Marcus Laux.

Besides for the founding team, the right network marketing company features products that are high quality, high demand, and value priced than can be “consumed” month after month, year after year. That is Qivana!! We have some of the best nutraceuticals in the world! (I explained more about the products in the “Why Qivana – The Products” blog)

One of the biggest factors in choosing a network marketing company is timing. Anyone can make a lot of money in network marketing if the company you choose has the factors I mentioned above. But if you can get in early ... you’re ability to make money goes WAAAAYYYY up!

Who has heard of Qivana?? Very few. Qivana is a brand new company. Their official launch was in September of 2009. And since network marketing is the “word of mouth business”, the company can only grow as fast as people spread the world. There are maybe 30,000 IBOs in Qivana. That’s NOTHING! This is a ground floor opportunity! Some people I’ve shared this opportunity with have told me that network marketing is one of those pyramid schemes where only the people at the top make the money. Well, despite the fact that is not true, lets for a moment say it was true. Who cares if only the people at the top make the money! THIS IS THE TOP! In ten years, there will be MILLIONS of IBOs in Qivana, mark my words, and if you get in now, as I have, you will be at the top too.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the average person to become wealthy. It takes work, a lot of work. I am working very hard. I have a four year plan with Qivana, at the end of which I will have enough wealth to achieve any dream I can dream up and enough time freedom to do anything I want to do.

My Qivana web site

Who wants to be healthy? Everyone does, of course! But who is healthy? What does it mean to be healthy? Is health the absence of sickness? Maybe. For now. But remember, you’re not sick until your sick. So what if you are healthy now but you get cancer or Alzheimer's later? Are you really healthy now? Better said, are you as healthy as you can be right now?

My personal approach to health is if I wasn’t born with it, then I can cure it, yet I can contract any disease at any time. Despite my confidence, I must be careful. I have three tools to be at optimal health: exercise, food and medicine. With these principles in mind, I exercise every day, I eat the most healthy food I possibly can eat, and ... I take Qivana. 

Qivana is the quintessential preventative medicine. It’s highly effective, based on scientific research, natural (and has no side effects or contraindications), patented, advanced, value priced, and easily consumed. It’s literally the perfect nutraceutical. 

I am 31 years old and in the best health of my entire life, that is my mind and body are functioning better now than ever in my life. The best part is, I’m getting healthier every day. I’ve been using the Qivana products for more than three months. My nearly life-long digestive issues are no more. Inflammation of my knees – gone. The stress and anxiety before Qivana was a daily challenge. Now that is gone too. My chronic fatigue has given way to a calming energy that lasts all day. Many of the benefits I feel come from improving my natural athleticism. I can work out harder and recover faster. I have more endurance and stamina when I go mountain biking or lift weights.

A few testimonials are from people in my Qivana team:

Richard, my 82 year old grandfather has lost 21 lbs on the Metaboliq LIfestyle system and hasn’t had a single bout of heart arrhythmia in almost 2 months.

Jim has been on the Qore system for four weeks. He reports his energy level is much better and it lasts throughout the day. Pain from gout flare ups are not as intense and don’t last as long. 

Dina’s dry callousing on feet for years has cleared up and her nails and hair are healthier. Nerve damage in feet from a previous injury that is getting better. Her blood sugar has stabilized bringing her back from the brink of diabetes. Metaboliq has helped stop her sugar, burn off 10 pounds, reduce her stress. Her fatigue is gone, just like mine. 

Nathan is off his blood pressure and cholesterol medication and lost 20 pounds.

Shelly is off two of her five prescription medications and the other three have been reduced.

Wayne has increased the amount of days he works out at the gym from 2 to every day because the Metaboliq and Qore systems have helped him loose 20 pounds, reduce his blood pressure and eliminate the inflammation in his knee. 

Dr. Wright, a family physician in Lake City, started a Metaboliq support group. He’s been able to work with more than 20 patients who have completely weened themselves from their diabetic medications.

You get the picture, despite the fact there are so many other testimonials that I am leaving out. Qivana is a new company. We’re only nine months old. Network marketing goes under the radar of most people because there is no store front or ad campaigns on TV. But you will see Qivana in the future. We will be the only company that can compete with the pharmaceutical industry. We will be the biggest natural supplement products company in the world. It will be THAT big. It is a revolution of health, for the people by the people.

**I obviously did not elaborate at all on the products. There is so much to say about their origins ingredients, efficacy, usage, treatment potential etc. However, if you are interested in learning more, be it for your own health or a loved one’s health, then please contact me or visit my Qivana web site.

In the June 5th blog post “Qivana – A Change of Direction Toward the Same Horizon” I announced that I have started a new business with a network marketing company called Qivana. With the next several posts, I discuss reasons why I have embarked down this new path. 

Network marketing is the best way for the average person to become wealthy, developing an asset that will pay substantial residual income for the rest of a person’s life. Creating wealth is different than earning money, just the same as investing in an asset is different than earning an income. Wealth is measured in time. It’s the measurement of how much time a person does not have to work and still meet their financial needs. Right now, I’m one month wealthy, meaning at the end of this month, if I don’t make any money, I will be in trouble when it comes to my bills and other financial responsibilities. An asset will pay you money even when you’re not working. An income will pay you only when you are working.

Most average people live their lives, either intentionally or unintentionally, working a job, earning an income until they retire. At that time most people hope to be taken care of by the government and by the few assets they’ve been able to build (retirement or maybe stocks), if any at all. Our educational system in the United States teaches us to become workers and employees of rich people. We almost don’t know any other way. But there is another way. And we are at a point in history where without finding another way, those who don’t educated themselves and open their minds to understand what’s at stake will be totally screwed.

I’m not a financial strategist or economic policy expert, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that we in America, and in the world, are in deep trouble when it comes to fostering a sustainable economic future. If you’re someone who is living below your means to save money, investing in a 401K, buying stocks or mutual funds, seeking a better paying job to make, hoping medicaid, social security, or medicare will take care of you when you retire, then God bless you. I hope you make it. But the reality is, your chances of coming out ahead are slim, you and hundreds of millions of other people. I use that system and I fully admit I have no financial future. The simple fact is the world is changing much faster than I can become financially free. And no longer can I depend on the government to look out for my best interest.

What I have found in Qivana is the opportunity for the average person to break the cycle of trading “time for money” day in and day out until the day I die (which would have been poor and, in following recent trends, in bad health). I want to break this cycle for many reasons. One of the most important ... so I can BECOME A PHOTOGRAPHER AGAIN!! 

I also want to become a conservationist again. Humans are obliterating the planet and most people don’t even realized it! We’re leaving the youth of the world a virtual wasteland. I want to help tell the story of cultures locally and around the world. I want to tell the story of mankind’s relationship with one another and with the earth. THAT IS WHY I AM IN QIVANA. With money, I can do these things. With Qivana I won’t have to worry if my newspaper boss is going to fire me, or if the magazine I freelance for is going to be discontinued, or if the stock industry is going to dilute itself to the point where I’m making a pittance from the licensing of my work. I won’t have to worry about negotiating usage rights for every single customer and keeping track of all of that. Through Qivana I will have residual, passive income for the rest of my life, which will allow me to achieve my professional and personal dreams.

This I guarantee – I will continue to photograph on the side as I build my Qivana business. But make no mistake, I am going full force with Qivana right now and into the foreseeable future until my dreams are at hand. When that time comes, I will pour my heart and soul to taking my wealth and investing it into making this world a better place.

My Qivana Web site

The definitions of success are as varied as their are people on this planet. Success is like happiness, what makes one person feel successful is often different than what makes another feel successful. Furthermore, that definition can change during our lifetimes as we grow physically, emotionally and spiritually.

I can be very hard on myself regarding how I define my success as a photographer. I am my own worst critic. Being publishing in newspapers, magazines and books is not enough. Hiking across an entire mountain range is not enough. Capturing that one elusive image is not enough. These are all individual, fleeting successes, the kind that briefly bring a smile to my face before I reload and aim for what lies ahead.

What I’m shooting for is success in the grand scheme of things. What the hell does that mean?! I’m not quite sure just yet. Maybe if I can preserve an ecosystem, if some land were set aside as a national park, then I would be a “success.” And if by completing a conservation photography project that leads to an outcome of preservation, even more reason to be a success. That has not happened yet.

But there is one definition of success that I have heard, one that has been part of my throughout this difficult life of nature photography. If I can truly influence one person, just one person, with my work, then I am a success. You’ve probably heard something similar to this before. What if a person, not matter what they do for a living, can show someone else, and that someone else’s life is changed forever – isn’t that a success? By that definition I feel like I am a success. (YES! I can quit the life of a starving artist!) Why not? I have had people write me letters out of blue saying they’ve been to my Web site and were held speechless by my photographs. Or people who write me letters telling me the world needs more people like me, fighting for the environment, sharing my experiences, inspiring people. 

Recently I did a presentation at Oak View Middle School to about 50 students. The discussion was about following one’s passion in life. Mine of course is photography, and how I use photography to raise awareness about conservation issues. Life on the Edge was the main topic, but I was also able to share my North Cascades Trek.

About a week later I received a package in the mail full of letters from all the students expressing their gratitude. I swear it almost brought tears to my eyes. Here are a few comments from the students:

“Thank you so much for taking your time to come and show us your photographs. I think what you do in your career as a photographer is the most brilliant way I have heard of ... I was very inspired with what you think about conservation. I also will be trying to protect Earth more frequently. I have always believed in conservation, but I was never inspired. Once again, that you for coming, it was awesome!”
–Kaitee Asbell

“I just wanted to thank you for coming to talk to us yesterday. You taught me a lot about nature and photography. I love all your photos and it is so sad that most of those places will be destroyed soon if we don’t protect them. They are beautiful and I can’t believe that people want to destroy them. You are awesome!!!! Thank you so much!!!!”
–Kendal McKinley

“Thanks so much for coming and sharing your experiences with us. I learned so much from your presentation about your hikes. I learned that deforestation is killing the world and animals. It is taking way more of an impact than I thought ... Your presentation helped show me the beauty of the world and that it is all threatened.”
–Hayden

“Thank you for your awesome presentation!!!! I can’t believe how you got some of your pictures. They were really cool. I wish you had more time to talk to us though. I think it’s nice of you to help the environment through photos. I think you raised a lot of awareness when you came to our school to talk to us.”
–Alan Wagner

"I love what you do and I may follow your footsteps. I have a connection that is very strong with nature. I really would have like it if somehow we could have become friends and go on amazing hikes over mountains and through the woods. You have put the idea of going on long hiking trips in my head and I will one day be doing that. I will always look back at that day and will never forget."
– Robert Raddep


Wow! There are dozens like this! I AM a success. I mean how many people get to influence young children. These kids didn’t know me. It’s not like I’m their uncle or dad or other family member. I had one hour with these kids and look at what they came away from that experience thinking. It’s absolutely incredible. I feel like the most blessed person on the earth to be able to stand in front of 10 years olds and to make an impression on them like I did with these students. In the same breath, it’s crushing to know as well that adults – ADULTS! – are screwing up the earth so badly that Robert, Alan, Hayden, Kendal, Kaitee, and others will suffer. Sure we adults might say that it is up to the younger generation to change things, but that’s bull shit. To put the burden on them is the epitome of selfishness. It’s not their burden to carry. Rather it is our burden to alleviate their inevitable suffering.

Reading these letters, I could not help but to think about that this is EXACTLY why I have joined Qivana. Qivana will bring me wealth. Qivana will allow me sever my dependence on the “system” to not get bogged down by what latches on to other people brining them down and into a stupor of forgetfulness. With financial freedom and optimal health, I can dedicate my photographic work and my investments toward the greater good of mankind – for the future generations. If all I did as a career was travel the country to inspire you children, and along the way teach adults their own responsibility, then that would be a life well lived, a successful life indeed.