Corey Rich Productions

American Safe Climbing Association - Auction

How often do you get the opportunity to hang out with great people, meet world class climbers, help a worthy cause and pick up some great prizes, all in one place? Here's your chance!

Tomorrow night, April 27th, Planet Granite in San Francisco will be hosting a live auction to benefit the American Safe Climbing Association, with guest speakers Alex Honnold and Chris McNamara!

The ASCA is an entirely volunteer effort, supported by donations. Their mission is to replace deteriorating anchors on classic climbs in the U.S. and educate climbers and the public about climbing safety. I have always been a big supporter of the ASCA, and whether by providing images or a donation, I'll help any way I can.

Check out SuperTopo for the huge list of items to be available. As an added bonus, Planet Granite has pledged to match up $10,000 in funds raised for the ASCA through April 30th. Can't make it to the auction? Then check out these great items on eBay, with all proceeds going to the same cause.

Visit the event page for all the details. Climb on and be safe!

5 Point Film Festival

Clear your schedule for next weekend and head to Carbondale, CO for the 5 Point Film Festival. As would be expected in a town with a personality like Carbondale, this festival has an impressive line-up of films showcasing the latest in adventure and mountain culture. I'm honored to have my film, Journey to Keketouhai included in the program. (Many thanks to Julie Kennedy, festival founder, and not so coincidentally, mother of my climbing and travel companion, Hayden Kennedy.)

Also at the show will be the world premiere of The Wolf and the Medallion, a unique performance directed by another great travel companion, Jeremy Collins. This piece combines live music, animation and some of my still images from our trip to Keketouhai. Sounds amazing!

Mentor Series - Workshops

I'm excited to announce two upcoming opportunities to join me in the field to learn some tricks of the trade. The Mentor Series, brought to you by the publishers of American Photography and Popular Photography, in cooperation with Nikon and SanDisk, is back for the 13th year and I'm honored to be on board as an instructor.

Join me, along with Layne Kennedy in late June (June 24th-26th) as we make our way through Boulder and Denver, Colorado. Spend three days photographing bighorn sheep in the Rockies, braving whitewater and documenting modern-day cowboys on a working ranch. Then, later this summer (August 11th-14th), I join my good friends Dave Black and Reed Hoffman in Arizona where we guide students through Flagstaff, Sedona, and the picturesque wonders of the Grand Canyon.

Visit the Mentor Series site for itineraries and details, and be sure to "Like" them on Facebook for all the latest news. Sign up soon. Classes are filling up fast! I look forward to seeing you there to talk shop and share a cold one.

UPDATE - PhotoShelter - Webinar

In case you missed last week's webinar, be sure to visit the PhotoShelter blog to download your copy of the Inspiration Handbook. This great PDF includes tips and advice from each photographer featured in the webinar, as well as direct links to each segment, now on Vimeo.

Many thanks to Grover Sanschagrin for including me in this feature, as well as continuing to inspire us all!

-------------------------------- UPDATE ------------------------------

Whether you're a seasoned pro, a photo student, emerging photographer, photo educator or photo editor, the upcoming webinar hosted by PhotoShelter is not to be missed. Listen in as Grover Sanschagrin interviews a group of photographers that inspire him, about what they do to fuel their own inspiration. My contribution addresses the importance of finding and following your passion — something I feel very strongly about. Personally, I'm really lookig forward to hearing what Ami Vitale and Robert Seale have to say — two people that inspire me.

Registration for this free webinar is required. Go here for all the details.

A fun side note - Grover conducted this interview from Mexcio City, as he sipped fine tequilas, while I sat in a room at the Hilton in Atlanta. Any strange noise you may hear in the background is just the maintence guys trying to fix my shower, or room service delivering an overpriced hamburger. Life on the road is so glamorous.