i went on a backpacking photo trip to get some stock lifestyle images of hiking, camping, fishing, and cooking in the outdoors. we camped at a lake 2 miles above mammoth. i have never been backpacking before, and i was logging a way to heavy pack with camera gear, fishing gear, and food. we made some sweet food over open flames every day.

my brother got the flu a few days ago and i was feeling the early warning signs, so i made a huge pot (a few gallons) of chicken soup. here is a quick shot of a bowl. i always have my camera near when i eat. notice how it was chicken soup, NOT pork.

im trying to put the soul back in food, cooking, and eating. i picked beets, baby carrots, zucchini, and peppers from the garden yesterday, and within a half hour i prepped, cooked, shot, ate, cleaned, and threw the remnants into my back patio compost bucket. there's something so soulful about properly cooked vegetables prepared simply.

here's what's on the plate: zuicchini with course mineral salt and pepper, beets with balsamic vinegar and course salt and pepper, chicken thigh with course salt, pepper, oregano, and tyme, and baby carrots with red wine vinegar, tyme, oregano. i cut the pepper to use with the carrots, but i forgot them on the board.