Matt Dobbins

Thanksgiving has come and gone and the festive holiday season is officially upon us.  I was raised in a rather conservative religious household that didn’t celebrate Christmas or any other holiday. It’s a very new experience for me to incorporate new traditions into my life. At some point I’ll tell that story… but not today.  I want to talk about who become our family. Family is such a complex crazy and beautiful thing. So many people today including myself think first of the nuclear family when they hear that word.  In my humble opinion Family isn’t limited to a noun, it’s not just simply something you are. Rather it should be thought of as a verb. Being a family is something you DO! Over the course of the last 3 years that concept of family has been firmly established in my heart.  I’m amazed at the amount of people who have supported me in sad times and laughed with me during happy times. My friends sat with me in silence when there were no correct words to describe the circumstance

In my photography endeavors a goal has been to take professionally quality time-lapse footage of the sunrise and the night sky. I definitely had the chance a few weeks ago on a trip through Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. I read extensively on the subject because there wasn’t much margin for error. It’s not the easiest to travel to a beautiful location and spend another night shooting just because a long time-lapse wasn’t set up currently.  I’m incredibly pleased with my projects results. I learned quickly that a consistent iso, aperture, and exposure make an amazing end result. Check out the video and let me know your thoughts! 

Only 4 more states to go! Here's a quick breakdown of what I hit this weekend! North Dakota surprised me most above all the locations visited on this trip. I should specify that the part of North Dakota I traveled to was the far southwestern corner. While in North Dakota, I stayed the most time at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I was not expecting this type of topography in North Dakota. It was breathtaking, in fact I think it's beauty rivals or surpasses Badlands National Park in South Dakota. I'm sure that is up for argument, but it's my personal preference. The majority of this trip was spent in South Dakota. Driving through central and eastern South Dakota is similar to driving through most of the plains states. I'd say it's on par with driving through Kansas or Nebraska but it's far better than the desolate Texas drives that I have experienced, but most things are better than driving through Texas, so I don't know how good of a scale that is. The

Only 7 more states to go! I’ve just knocked South Dakota off my list and wow this state didn’t disappoint! It’s absolutely beautiful here in South Dakota. I jumped at the chance to take an extremely quick trip up here when I saw that the weather was going to be in the high 50s, it actually hit 62° today in the Custer SD area! This is amazing for February. More soon but for now enjoy the pics! Bison at Wind Cave National Park Mount Rushmore National Memorial Me at a Badlands Viewing Area  Big Horn Sheep ( Ovis canadensis)

The beautiful Monumento a la Bandera or Monument to the Homeland on Paseo de Montejo. Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. Mérida is breathtaking! There is absolutely no city even slightly similar to Mérida in the USA. The list of Mérida’s beautiful qualities is ongoing! It’s a safe city, It’s beautiful, the people are friendly, its affordable, it has a great night life, good health care, and  it has an airport that is easy to navigate for travelers and it is centrally located to a ton of fun activities!  One of the beautiful store fronts in Merida What about the Safety!? As always we have to remember that live in the 2020s and there is going to be potential for crime anywhere. NO LOCATION IS PERFECT. The key however is finding a location where you can reduce the chances of having a bad experience and also have peace of mind so you can actually enjoy your time. I’ll be honest, as a US citizen, often times when I have thought of visiting Mexico I’ve thought of armed guards, windows with bars, high

Hola Amigos! taking this opportunity to finally write an actual blog post about my recent adventure traveling to beautiful Merida Mexico! Nothing beats getting out of the cold midwestern weather and being greeted by the breezy sweet smelling air of the Yucatán! First a little geography and history lesson for those unfamiliar with the Yucatán state. The Southern Mexican States As you can see it is one of the southern states of Mexico. It’s nearby Cancun and Cozumel but those destinations are part of a separate state called Quintana Roo. The Yucatán is also far less touristy and that my friends is a beautiful thing! The Yucatán is one of the safest states in Mexico and most visitors will feel at ease and right at home. Mayan Ruins at Dzibilchaltun As far as a brief the history of Merida and the Yucatán we can start back about 4 millennia ago with what became a very complex and advanced Mayan civilization. Years before the European powers traveled the world or even accepted that the worl