Footprints In Nature: Reflections

In this episode of Reflections, Chris recounts a moment at the Lightchasers Nature Photography Conference that changed everything. Scheduled to close the event with a prepared, hour-long presentation, Chris instead faced an immediate technical failure that silenced his visuals and left him standing alone in front of 250 people.

Stripped of his polished corporate presentation, Chris was forced to drop his armor and be completely real. What began as a technical nightmare turned into an unexpected journey of vulnerability, resonance, and the most profound connection of his career. Tune in to discover why letting go of perfection is not a failure, but the only way to find your true voice and build authentic human connection.

Main Takeaways

• The Myth of Control: Reflecting on a decades-long career in broadcast leadership and the constant pressure to maintain a perfect signal, both on air and in life.
• The Power of Vulnerability: How a ten-minute technical failure gave Chris the room to step away from the script and connect with his audience on a human level.
• Finding Your Voice: Learning why people do not connect with perfection, and why stepping away from the microphone is often the best way to be heard.

Links & Resources

•  Watch the nature montage mentioned in this episode on the Footprints in Nature YouTube channel. https://youtu.be/jY9-uLWAz4k
• Catch up on previous episodes, including Episode 19: I was just a passenger on the road of life.
• See the visuals and learn more about the philosophy behind the lens at www.footprintsinnature.ca

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube and share it with a fellow creator!

In this episode of Reflections, Chris explores the philosophy that defined his journey for years: "I am just a passenger on the road of life." While this mindset once felt like a shield against stress and a way to avoid the pressures of control, a sudden reality check from his oldest daughter, Alyssa, forced him to rethink everything.

Catch up on previous episodes, including Episode 18: Leading by Helping.

See the visuals and learn more about the philosophy behind the lens at footprintsinnature.ca

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and share it with a fellow creator!

In this episode of Reflections, Chris explores a fundamental trait that defined him long before he ever picked up a camera professionally: the drive to help, lead, and motivate people.

While it’s easy to get caught up in the idea of "competition" in the creative industry, Chris explains why he views other creators as fellow travellers on the exact same road.

From organizing neighbourhood street hockey games as a kid and working at the Calgary Saddledome as a teenager, to a simple analogy from the golf course, discover why community and lifting others up will always come before the bottom line.

Main Takeaways 

• A Lifelong Default Setting: Tracing the natural instinct to lead and help back to childhood street hockey games and teenage years supervising at the Calgary Saddledome.

• Playing Your Own Game: Why photography and the creative industry are a lot like golf, and why choosing community over competition is the healthiest way to grow your business.

• The True Measure of Success: Exploring a powerful quote from Kobe Bryant and understanding that a lasting legacy is built on the people you inspire and help along the way, not just the invoices you send.

Links & Resources

• Catch up on previous episodes, including Episode 17: The Black Hat (The Power of the Uniform).

• See the visuals and learn more about the philosophy behind the lens at footprintsinnature.ca

• If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and share it with a fellow creator!

In this episode of Reflections, Chris shifts the focus to his literal daily uniform. We often talk about the "many hats" required to run a creative business, but in real life, Chris really only wears one: a basic, black ball cap.

From childhood habits and 25 years of competitive darts to wearing a special fuzzy winter edition in the snows of Churchill, that black cap is a constant companion through every pivot of his journey. Discover why putting on a black hat every single morning is more than just a wardrobe choice; it is a strategic ritual that protects the creative energy needed for the wild.

Main Takeaways

• The Power of the Constant: Why finding a physical anchor in your daily routine can help ground your business, your family life, and your time in the field.

• Defeating Decision Fatigue: Understanding how removing mundane daily choices, like what to wear, preserves your "mental battery" for the complex creative decisions that actually matter.

• The Hat as a Tool: Moving beyond fashion to see headwear as essential gear, whether framing a shot at a dartboard or blocking the glare while tracking wildlife and operating drones.

Links & Resources

• Catch up on previous episodes, including Episode 16: The Steps In Between A-Z.

• See the visuals and learn more about the philosophy behind the lens at footprintsinnature.ca

• If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and share it with a fellow creator!

In this episode of Reflections, we confront our modern obsession with the finish line.

We live in a world that constantly pushes us to want the final product or result immediately, tempting us to find the shortcut and skip straight from A to Z.

Drawing from his early days threading one-inch tape onto massive reel-to-reel machines to flying modern drones, Chris explores the danger of relying on the "Auto" button.

Discover why handing your creative vision over to a microchip leaves your foundation fragile, and why the difficult steps in between aren't just in the way of your destination, they are the destination.

 Main Takeaways 

• The Danger of the Shortcut: Why relying on automated tech features robs you of the foundational skills and creative intent you need when things inevitably go wrong.

• Taking Creative Control: Shifting your mindset from simply operating a machine to understanding the "why" and the "how," allowing you to dial in exact settings that truly bring a frame to life.

•  The Process is the Prize: Realizing that true confidence doesn't come from a shortcut; it comes from knowing you have walked every single step of the trail to earn the final result.

Links & Resources

• Catch up on previous episodes, including Episode 15: The Visual Historian.

• See the visuals and learn more about the philosophy behind the lens at footprintsinnature.ca

• If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and share it with a fellow creator!

We often focus on the artistic or therapeutic value of our photography and filmmaking. But what happens when we view our cameras as tools to document history? In this reflection, we explore the profound responsibility of being a "visual historian." From the frozen tundra to the quiet corners of the mountains, we are doing more than just capturing beautiful images—we are preserving a vital historical baseline of natural history and animal instinct. Tune in to hear why every frame you capture is a gift to the future, and how your lens serves as a crucial bridge between the wild and the people who may never have the chance to stand where you are standing.

Main Takeaways

• Beyond the Art: Why shifting your mindset to view your camera as a tool for history changes how you capture the natural world.

• The Honest Lens: The profound responsibility we carry to capture the raw truth and the daily stories of survival in the wild, rather than just the beautiful highlights.

• Building a Visual Bridge: How your work acts as a legacy, ensuring the magic of these places is never truly lost for future generations.

Links & Resources

• Catch up on previous episodes, including Episode 14 on The Intentional Frame.

• See the visuals and learn more about the philosophy behind the lens at footprintsinnature.ca

• If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and share it with a fellow creator!

In this episode of Reflections, we explore the therapeutic side of nature photography and what my friend Brett calls the "self-regulating component" of the craft. We discuss how the simple act of hunting for a composition forces you to look up, step out of your own head, and truly immerse yourself in the present moment. Whether you are looking for a single still frame or capturing the rhythmic story of a video clip, we examine why the "intentionality" of holding a camera acts as the bridge between a distracted walk in the woods and a true mindfulness practice. In a world increasingly obsessed with AI and instant digital results, tune in to discover why that raw, mindful connection with the natural world is something technology can never replace.

Main Takeaways

• The Self-Regulating Lens: How adding a camera to your hike transforms it from an aimless walk—where your mind is still trapped at your desk—into a grounding experience.

• Composition Hunting: Why the search for a frame forces you to actively observe the world around you and appreciate the environment.

• The Irreplaceable Real: A look at why AI can generate a perfect forest, but it can never replicate the chill in the air or the magic of the split-second connection when a fox crosses your path and time slows down.

Links & Resources

• Catch up on previous episodes, including Episode 13 on The Show Must Go On.

• See the visuals and learn more about the philosophy behind the lens at footprintsinnature.ca

• If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and share it with a fellow creator!

The beauty of being a freelancer is being the director of your own life. The reality? The director still has to show up on set, even when they have a severe case of the man cold. In this episode, we talk about the quiet grit and professionalism required when you are the entire business and there are no paid sick days to fall back on. If you have ever pushed through a pounding headache to check your batteries, load your gear, and deliver a stunning final product for a client, this reflection is a nod to your resilience.

Main Takeaways

• The Freelance Reality: Navigating the lack of a safety net and the stark realization that you cannot simply ask a manager to cover your shift.

• Pushing Through the Static: The dedication required to compartmentalize how you feel physically in order to deliver absolute excellence for your clients.

• The Flip Side of Freedom: Acknowledging the heavy, inescapable responsibility that comes hand-in-hand with running your own creative brand.

Links & Resources

• Catch up on previous episodes, including Episode 12 on The Power of the Intentional No.

• See the visuals and learn more about the philosophy behind the lens at footprintsinnature.ca

• If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and share it with a fellow creator!

When you leave a structured career to build your own business, you trade the corporate safety net for total freedom. But without boundaries, the fear of failure can trap you in a seven-day hustle, turning you into a machine that never unplugs. In this reflection, we tackle the perfectionism and people-pleasing that leads to working from dawn until midnight. Discover how implementing the "Intentional No" to the wrong projects is the ultimate boundary—and the only way you can start saying "yes" to your family, your weekends, and your own life again.

Main Takeaways

• Breaking the 7-Day Trap: How the pressure to succeed can quietly strip away the very freedom you started your business to achieve.

• Reclaiming the Present: Recognizing when you are physically in the room but mentally trapped in terabytes of data, and taking the steps to plug back into reality.

• The Director of Your Life: Why learning to say an intentional "no" is the most powerful tool you have to protect your peace and prevent burnout.

Links & Resources

• Catch up on previous episodes, including Episode 11 on Storage Wars.

• See the visuals and learn more about the philosophy behind the lens at footprintsinnature.ca

• If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and share it with a fellow creator!

We all love dreaming about the latest cameras, the perfect light, and cinematic shots. But none of that matters if your backend infrastructure fails. This episode shines a light on the unglamorous "Storage Wars" of the digital age. From the days of paying a dollar per megabyte to the modern anxiety of a "Disk Full" notification, we explore the reality of managing massive amounts of irreplaceable data. Discover why transitioning from a casual creator to a true professional means taking sacred responsibility for your files the moment you leave the field.

Main Takeaways

• The "After" of the Capture: Why the true responsibility of a professional begins once the moment has passed and the data needs to be secured.

• Building Resilient Infrastructure: The absolute necessity of having scalable backup systems and RAID workflows to survive the relentless flood of files.

• Becoming a History Keeper: Shifting your mindset to view data management not as a technical chore, but as the act of protecting irreplaceable stories.

Links & Resources

• Catch up on previous episodes, including Episode 10 on The 2,000 Push-Up Pivot.

• See the visuals and learn more about the philosophy behind the lens at footprintsinnature.ca

• If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and share it with a fellow creator!