Today is my first day working with Rocky Nook Publishing.

They've hired me as their Photography Evangelist. If you're not familiar with this group, you're in for a treat.

Rocky Nook is based in Santa Barbara, CA. Right off the top, they show good taste in location. When I met with them last month to discuss this gig, we had lunch at the Shoreline Cafe that sits right on the beach. It's not too often you get to wear shades during a job interview.

They choose titles based on their appeal to the editorial team - no focus groups, high-priced consultants, or pressure from retailers. "I like to publish books that I find interesting," remarked Gerhard Rossbach, publisher in charge of Rocky Nook. He then asked me what camera bag I was carrying. "That would look nice with my Fujifilm X-T1," he added.

We are of like minds. As I've mentioned before, I only work with companies that I respect and find interesting. If I'm going to promote something to my audience, I need to be excited about it too.

I just posted my first article for them, Tips for Photographing Birds. The editorial calendar for upcoming weeks looks fantastic.

I'm going to love this.

-Derrick