Live Like A Child

2015 is here and I am going to take a week or two from the beginning of the year to reflect on what my 2015 goals should be.  2014 was one heck of a year, with some tremendous highs and some really big lows.  In effect, it was just like the journey of life, up and down, full of twists and turns, with everything in the end working out the way it should be -- Which is a great segway into two of my favorite expressions, words that I try and always live by, but sometimes fail to heed...

I was never not going to be here

Live like a child

These two expressions have formed the basis for my life the past several years, and as we move into 2015 I am committed to once again embracing the true spirit of their meanings.  First and foremost, we are where we are, and all is perfect in that which simply IS.  Second, if we could all go back to that wonderful joy we had as kids, found in the most mundane of ways, well then wouldn't we all be much happier and more at peace.

On New Years Eve, I danced and twirled and spent time photographing this lovely young girl as she was lost in the world.  Her joy was infectious to all that watched and it reminded me that all is well and that all is as it should be and that in the end, just Live!

Happy New Years to all -- I will be back in a couple of weeks with a plan for the year, and some much needed changes in the site.

The Ramble - My Top 30

I tried hard to put together a selection of images that would tell the story of our little trip.  10 guys, fatbikes and cameras in tow, it was not easy to narrow it down. We spent 6 days riding and I spent more than 8 days in all.  That equates to a lot of shooting, even for someone that tries to be a bit slower, shooting manual and never on continuous.  Still, I feel a responsibility to show a selection of images that I feel encompass the beauty, the spirit, and the love that took place on this little ramble. 

As Such, here are my top 30 (and even that was rediculously hard) images from the trip.  A combination of landscapes to portraits to priceless moments.  Enjoy!

G-

The Ramble - As Told Through Images

My take on the Desert Ramble is now live over on my Exposure site.  Hop on over and check out what a bunch of dudes, on Fat bikes, with cameras in tow, were up to.

Gnat's Desert Ramble

Ten guys, all avid cyclists and photographers, descended on Fruita, fat bikes in tow, for what would be a most awesome ramble through the desert.  Like all good trips, there is balance between the reality of plans versus what is actually achievable.  Skills, conditions, gear, all combine to alter what is the expected reality.

This trip would be no different, and while the goal was a figure 8 loop from Fruita to Moab and back, following the renowned Kopokeli trail -- the reality of rain, slick mud that turned to hard clay on our fat bikes, would all conspire to alter our plans. 

I am working images now and hope to have the full story up on my photo essay site later this week.  In the meantime, I am slowly streaming some of my favorite images onto Instagram as are the others.  Follow the hash tag #desertramble to find what others are posting.

From the bottom of my heart, my deepest thanks to JB for putting this together.  Truly one of the most memorable trips of my traveling time.

And we are done -- Not!

The Farm To Table Cycle trip has come to a close and now we dig deep, edit images, and begin the process of telling the fantastic stories that we encountered.  For now, you can read updates over on our 'Micro' blog site -- www.farmtotablecycle.com where we will be posting images and telling short versions of these stories.   Shortly, I will have the Farm To Table Cycle photo essay online where more images and a few words will be shared with all.

For now, a huge thanks to all of the people that helped make this extraordinary trip possible.  I am once again honored and humbled buy the lives of so many people doing such inspirational things.

Decompression

Erik and Josh working the dustbowl of the Oregon Outback

I am back from my whirlwind trips this spring, The Pisgah, The Kentucky Bourbon Trail, The Coconino 250, and the Oregon Outback.  Now for editing and sharing along with my ramblings on gear, life, and bourbon. 

Coconino 250 - Slowly getting the story done

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February Portland Photo Walk

We met up in the chilly winter air of Portland Maine for some beer tasting and an opportunity to explore the city with our cameras.  Learning to see at night is especially challenging given the extremes of light and dark.  For me, the Leica Monochrome simply excels at this environment.  The camera, with its high ISO capabilities and its beautiful rendition of tones, simply eats up the night light and spits out stunning images.  I love this camera more and more with each passing moment. 

Attached are some of my favorites from our evening walk.  I will be scheduling more walks as the year progresses so please stay tuned.  Part social, part teaching, all Fun.

Challenge Results - Motion

I challenged myself to shoot motion this past week with B&W.  As I mentioned, in the past, I tended to shoot motion with color being the dominant feature.  This was a good exercise and pushed me to see in different ways as well as to work my gear to its fullest capabilities.

Defining Your Vision

I love this quote:

"You have to perform your own visual signature, you cannot get anyplace imitating the work of the people you admire" -- Ralph Gibson

It is a theme or a message that I struggle with all of the time.  Not so much in that  I am trying to imitate anyone else, but that I am often concerned about what others think to the detriment of what I see.  A subtle shift, but one that can have the same affect on your creative work. 

It can cause you to photograph in a way that is not true to yourself and your own vision, instead playing to what you believe others want.  I believe that this can have the same detrimental impact on your personal vision as what Ralph was talking about.  A subtle difference, but still an impact on the purity of your own work. 

Below is the interview where he talks about this and a few other things.

Portland Photo Walk - 2/08/14

I am planning a photo walk, this coming Saturday, 2/08 in downtown Portland Maine.  The goal is to simply walk the city, sample some of the local beers, and have fun taking pictures.  Any and all are welcome to join in.  Start time will be 6:00 and we will meet at Eventide.  Please email me or comment here if you are planning on attending. 

Below are some images captured on my last Portland Photo Walk.  A beautiful city to photograph at night.

Into the Light

I through out a challenge the other day to push yourself as a photographer and try shooting into the light.  Most amateurs tend to shy away from this style, instead opting to shoot the safer route, with the sun over your shoulder.  Shooting into the light can create drama in your images especially those destined for Black & White. 

My shot above was captured in downtown Bangor Maine.  I located a small park bench that had the light coming directly into my face.  I could see that the tree and the other bench would provide some very compelling contrast, but it was not enough to make a worthwhile picture.  Instead, I sat patiently waiting for something interesting to enter the scene, something that would add meaning to the image.  

Dancers

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Downeast winter requires folks to get together whenever they can

In the woods

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A walk in the winter woods, solitude, silence, peace

An ode to TMAX

It was my favorite film to shoot during 'those' days.  I don't know why, maybe the grain structure or the big dark contrast, or the way the blacks could really block up on you adding to that intense contrast .... I may actually never know, but in any event the TMAX look very much influenced the way I see B&W. 

With B&W I can focus on blacks and whites and shades of gray, structure, form, shapes and subtleties.  It becomes easier for me to tell the view exactly what it was that I saw and therefore, hopefully, easier for them to see what I saw. These 4 images from yesterday, developed in SEP using the TMAX filter and some of my own adjustments, were captured during my winter ride. 

I brought the trusty Trangia with just enough denatured alcohol to warm up my Snow Peak TI pots and make a lovely cup of tea.  It wasn't cold, but instead raw from the moisture in the air.  Having a cup of tea as I sat overlooking the water was a fitting way to end the day.