Warning: Not a Spectator Sport

Some fellow photographers may know what this is about. Usually, I take a few days around New Year's to go somewhere alone, do some shooting and enjoy the solitude. Due to other obligations this year I was limited to one day, so my wife wanted to come along and not let me have all the fun. We drove out to the Imperial Dunes near the Arizona border and I had (brilliantly, I thought) brought along a beach towel to set my equipment on in order to keep it off the sand while working, but she found it convenient to use for a nap after I had been working in one spot for a bit too long. I used her little pocket point-and-shoot to take this.

I wonder how many photographers prefer working alone as opposed to those who prefer having some company? It's definitely nice to have someone on the long drives (I like to work in some pretty remote places) or in the evening, but it's always in the back of my mind that someone's waiting for me if they're along while I'm shooting. Maybe it's just the type of place I like to work that makes it difficult. My wife keeps her own blog (in Japanese) about life in California and she's always looking for interesting new material, so she appreciates this process more than some would, I guess.

By the way, these dunes are a great photo destination in the winter when the temperature is very pleasant and the sun goes down early.