I’ll admit that after 708 days riding around the world, my first thought was, what could I possibly learn in a Level 1 off-road course? I’d spent two years swerving around stray dogs and potholes, hopping my fully loaded F 800 GS up mountain roads, and throttling through countless creek crossings—what would weaving between orange…
Weather a Dull Moment
Words by Lisa Morris, photography by Jason Spafford. Typically, what do you do when the weather isn’t playing nice? Weather is the defining quality of a landscape, and aside from the extra effort involved, the wilder it is, the more compelling your photograph. It determines the two most pivotal landscape features: lighting and mood….
Video of the Week: Off Road Training with Live Work Wander
In this week’s video of the week, Jessica and Jorge from Live Work Wander join Chris from Overlanding BC for some four-wheel-drive training in their Toyota Troopy. The focus here is on “technique before technology,” which means smart use of gears, selection of high or low-range, and smart line choice before resorting to the vehicle’s…
The Dark Night Rises: How to Shoot Night Skies
Words by Lisa Morris, photography by Jason Spafford. When done right, starry-night-sky shots are impressive. Astro-photography can seem like a daunting genre, but trust me when I say it’s an easier task to undertake than you think. A few hundred shots in, that light will be shining as bright for you, and I’m here…
A Distilled Guide for Travel Photography
Words by Lisa Morris, photography by Lisa Morris and Jason Spafford You’ve got the basics of composition under your belt, and with a good skill base, you continue your love of photography as a fun and creative outlet. Who doesn’t love visiting places tucked away off the beaten track, brimming with photogenic shots? When…
How to Shoot a Minimalist Landscape
Words by Lisa Morris, photography by Jason Spafford Arguably, location is the most crucial aspect to consider when shooting minimalist landscapes. Certain places seem to lend themselves to minimalist photography more than others. Indeed, it’s possible to create minimalism in many locations with a carefully selected composition and the right lens. However, shooting from…
Water You Doing Today?
Words By Lisa Morris, Photography by Jason Spafford I’m always drawn to photographing water, whether in the form of white-fringed waves crashing on the shoreline to a lake as still as a millpond or the sheer power raining down in a waterfall. Shooting water is a tonne of fun and easy to create results that…
Overlanding in a Language Vacuum
No ticket is more revered in international travel than competency in local languages. Speak Spanish or Hindi or French? You’ll trade jokes with border officials in Tijuana or easily pick your way through Varanasi, India’s holiest and most chaotic of cities. You’ll exchange numbers with the attractive barista at that café in Saint Germain, Paris….
Soft and Hard Light
Words by Lisa Morris, Photos by Jason Spafford Light isn’t something you can hold. You can’t touch it, or feel it – it lacks physicality yet bears a presence. So to take pleasing pictures, you need to start treating light as the subject – a shape-shifting object with the power to make or break the…
How To Shoot Into the Sun
Words by Lisa Morris, Photos by Jason Spafford The sun, a brilliant round disk of light and warmth, can be tricky to encompass in a well-balanced picture. Due to an acute intensity of brightness lies an inability to view it directly overhead. Although challenging, with some inexpensive equipment, the sun is a dramatic image-enhancing inclusion….
How to Shoot Snowscapes
Words by Lisa Morris, photography by Jason Spafford. I don’t know about you, but the excitement of seeing the first snowflakes settle fills me with a purity of spirit. Especially when everything gleams white in graceful silence, leaving behind a grey and dreary world for a fresh and sleek one. Snow and frost transform…
Managing Your Money on the Road
Words by Lisa Morris, photography by Jason Spafford A learned friend advised that if I were to raise funds for a big two-wheeled trip successfully, I’d have to adopt the mantra Don’t be too stupid to be poor. Being frugal is the easy part—surrendering the daily caffè latte, monthly subscription to premium television, and…
How to Bring Your Kids Onboard for the Journey: Overlanding Parent Styles
For all the usual reasons—long work hours, lack of time together, a love of the open road—our family plans to overland for a full year, from Canada to Panama, starting this summer, if the pandemic permits. Our kids take issue with this plan. Both enjoy weekend trips into the wild but are not sold on…
Bikepacking Kitchenware
Food, water, and coffee. The triumvirate of life. I wouldn’t say I was addicted to coffee, only that without my morning espresso, I’m completely unable to function—often not sure who I am, where I belong, or what day it is. On my bicycle tour from John O’Groats to Lands End, I packed a heavy stove-top…
How to Stay Creative During Our New Normal
No one foresaw becoming a shutterbug stuck at home. As we bide our time through a strange, new “normal,” we must make the most of what we’ve got—in the comfort of our home and on our doorstep. In such unprecedented times, more than ever, we need a creative outlet for ourselves. In the UK, while…
How Good Are You Really?
Photo: Christina Tkacs It’s been a long day. The sun is sinking low, and camp is still 30 miles away. One rider drags behind, struggling to keep pace. Fortunately, the ride leader is counting heads at every turn, but tension mounts as darkness approaches. If you ride off road, chances are you’ve been “that…
2021 Free Virtual Women’s Outdoor Summit
March 8 is International Women’s Day and March itself is Women’s History Month. To celebrate, Teresa Baker, founder of In Solidarity Project, has organized a Women’s Outdoor Summit, this year running Thursday, March 11 to Saturday, March 13. Partnering with Jam Collective, a social media networking group, and Ravel Media, editorial providers for outdoor and…
The Pandemic and International Overland Travel
When the pandemic bore down, our family had recently completed a journey across West Africa. Our plan was to remain in South Africa for a few months, recover our finances, and prepare the Land Rover for a trip from Cape Town to Vladivostok. In March 2020, we left Cape Town as news of Covid-19 rang…
Bikepacking During a Pandemic
Let’s start with a riddle: what’s invisible, arrived in 2020, caused global chaos, and begins with the letter ‘C’? Ah yes, Covid. It has been a rather strange episode here on Earth, and there aren’t many of us who’ve not been affected. It’s all too easy to curl up on the sofa, grab a tub…
Tips for Your First Bikepacking Trip
In today’s instalment, we’re going to look at 11 top tips for your first bikepacking ride and hopefully get you excited about your pedal-driven adventure. I want this series of articles to create a solid base for beginners but also offer experienced riders some useful considerations for their upcoming trips. As we continue to deep…