LIFE-STYLE | TRAVEL | AERIAL
Photographer/Videographer specializing in Life Style, Travel, and Aerial Imagery. FAA 107 Certified for sUAS flight operations throughout the US. Fully insured. Videography work is limited to Aerial productions.
Based in Maine (May-December) and SWFL (Jan - April). Available for travel year round.
There are plenty of reviews out there regarding the A7rii and all of its pros and cons. So for me, I will simply use some images to showcase what this little camera can do. After a week or so of usage, I am definitely impressed. It still has the normal 'Sony' issues, but I must say, all in all it seems to be a solid package.
This series was shot using the 55/f1.8 Zeiss lens at sunset. Exposures range from .8 seconds to 6 seconds.
About 18 months ago I decided to give really small cameras a try. I bought a Fuji X100s and rented the Fuji XE-1 along with two lenses. I used that kit to photograph the Lost Coast, a story that has been one of my most popular ever and will be featured in a magazine this spring.
While I enjoyed the size and weight of this kit, and felt the images were good, they still did not give me what I was personally looking for when my goal is to tell a story via the web and have the ability to print large. At that time, I felt that the Fuji kit was nice, but just not up to the task, so I divested myself of the little X100s and moved on.
Fast forward to 2015, and one could argue that Fuji is on a roll, with big names jumping on their bandwagon and a host of my good friends signing up as well. Since that Lost Coast trip I have seen one of my X100s images printed wall size by the wizards at Dugall which again reminded me that today's cameras have plenty of oomph to do just about anything we want of them.
Still, I believe it is important to feel a connection to your gear, something that transcends simply taking photographs. At least for me, this is an important element to my photography. So here we are, and I have now picked up a little Fuji X100T to be my 'grab' camera for my next two trips. I have 3 weeks biking through Ireland, an environment full of spring time color and great old textures. This will be a wonderful palette to play with the little Fuji. Of course, it will not be my primary tool -- that task will belong to the Leica M240 and a 35/50 Summilux combination.
Next, 2 days after returning from Ireland, I head to Alaska for 3 weeks of deep winter cycling through the barren AK interior. A region known for white and shadows, dancing night lights and temperatures that will reach -30F at night. An environment that is hostile towards people and electronics. For that trip, I will again rely on the little X100T as a grab camera alongside my trusty Nikon D810.
My last trip to Alaska I used a D800E for two months with much success. I came back with images that to this day blow me away. They have graced the covers of Salsa's catalogs; are all over their website; and are blown up life size in their traveling display. The quality and image size of the D800 along with the large lithium batteries will be key to dealing with the environment of Alaska winter.
This is not too say that a Fuji couldn't, but I am not prepared to make to big a jump as of yet. So I consider these two trips as my attempt at dipping one of my toes back into the land of Fuji to see if the X series can appeal to my photographic needs. Follow along as the X100T and its wireless capabilities should get a tremendous amount of action on my Instagram and Twitter feeds. I will follow up after the trip with some of my thoughts on how this gear selection worked out and where I see myself going in the future.
Once again I am honored to have a selection of my images from this past year used to promote both the Salsa Cycles brand and the philosophy of 'Adventure By Bike'. This year, among others, they have chosen a selection of images from my Oregon Outback adventure, along with my good buddy Josh Spice, to promote life with a Fargo.
You can see a brief glimpse of them on the Salsa Cycles website, and in print at your local Salsa Cycles dealer. If the images intrigue you, the full story of the trip can be seen at my Exposure site.
Jason on his Surly Ice Cream Truck chasing rainbows - Leica M240 | 35 Lux 1,4
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!
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Coconino 250 with Lucas and Eszter - Leica MM, 50/1,4
After the long hard summer, it is almost time to start up the travel and adventure season once again. First up, a trip to Utah with a bunch of guys that love photography, bikes, and hopefully Bourbon. We fly into Grand Junction, shuttle to Fruita, and then head out on the Kopokeli for a 7 day loop through some of the most beautiful lands in the US.
I will be shooting both color and B&W for this trip and using my new bags from the master himself, Scott of Porcelain Rocket. He has a new rear bag setup which offers a ton more stability and a new sling system for those that prefer slings over rolls.
In a couple of weeks, Bunyan Velo will be coming out with there latest edition so look for my images on the Coconino that will accompany words by Eszter. Man, I can't wait to get back out to AZ this winter. Some of the finest riding ever. Last year I used a Salsa Spearfish with the new Split Pivot design. This year I will be on the new Carbon Fiber Horsethief!! A bit more travel and only a slight weight penalty over the Fish. If all goes well, the Fish will go on the market in near mint condition.
You can follow along as I post snippets of pictures on my Instagram account, and possibly a few things to FB, although my desire to post there is fading. I will do a small story here and then a larger story on my Photo Essays website (which is sorely behind in updates...)
Stay tuned, as the fun is about to begin.
With the show being on the East Coast this year, I am going to make the pilgrimage down to Charlotte with the MM and a rented (Lensrentals.com as always!!) Fuji X-T1 in tow. I am looking forward to seeing all of the amazing creations from some fantastic frame and bike builders.
While checking out this segment of the bike industry is my main goal, a secondary effort will be spent evaluating the new Fuji X-T1. A camera that is really generating a ton of buzz and one that I feel could really make a great (rugged, weather sealed) bike adventure camera. I shot the Lost Coast trip with two Fuji cameras and a little Nikon V1 with mixed impressions. Both of those cameras had pros but a ton of cons. I am excited to see what Fuji has done and give it a real chance. I am really stoked to try out the WiFi component and do some live blogging while roaming the show.
After finishing up with NAHBS, I will head to the mountains of Western NC for some trail riding on the new Salsa Cycles Spearfish. I need to learn how to set the bike up to go tubeless in preparation for a run on the AZT in April. An area full of flat inducing Goatheads, I have to figure this whole thing out. Sooner or later, manufactures will make the whole process of running tubeless easier...
If you are going to be at NAHBS or out in those western regions of NC and want to connect, please comment or drop me an email.
It appears that the Fuji X-T1 is in stock at BH Photo with the kit lens, while the body only is still on 'Pre-Order'.
Bikepacking Morocco - Salsa Fun Guy Green Gen1 Fargo
There are many things that change our course as we travel along the path of life. Some bigger than others and some more profound than others. As I sit here on my 51st birthday, I can honestly say that not many things have had as big an impact on my life as one bike and one bike company, Salsa Cycles and my Fun Guy Green Fargo.
For three years now I have lived passionately on one of their bikes, first the Fargo, then the Mukluk, and now a new Fargo and a Spearfish. Their bikes, their spirit and the people of that company embody the soul of Adventure by Bike. Something that I am trying to use as a mold for this life I am living.
I wanted to simply take this moment of introspection to share my gratitude to these people and their bikes and the support and friendship they have shown me. May the spirit of Adventure By Bike take you wherever you desire!
Two Months by Fatbike, Ti Mukluk - Alaska 2013
English Countryside, Gen 1 Fargo - 2011
Biking around the country, Gen 1 Fargo - Where it all started (c) Andrea Johnson
Touring the Gaspe Peninsula - 2012 Ti Mukluk
Fatbiking the Lost Coast, Ti Muk -- 2013
My writeup of the Lost Coast is now live up on the Salsa Culture site. That has a few more words about the trip and what it meant to me and the others. Take a look and let me know what you think. I have mentioned it before and I will say it again, an epic set of coastline that I look forward to seeing again.
A couple of other pics, in color, to highlight the story:
Choosing what camera gear to carry on a long distance bike trip is always a challenge. Over the years I have spanned the gamut from the simplicity of a smart phone to the complexities of DSLRs and mirrorless bodies. Often for me, the over-arching theme is what types of images am I hoping to capture and what is my intended goal for said images. Am I shooting to simply blog or am I looking for large print worthy images? Am I traveling in a capacity that allows me to carry a bit more gear or am I very much constrained by size and weight.
Since adopting a purely Bikepacking style of traveling, size and weight have often been key components in any decision that I make. An exception to this was my trip last year to Alaska where I knew that I would have to use rear panniers in order to carry the amount and type of food needed for a self supported tour. That decision opened up the opportunity to carry a D800E DSLR and a set of larger Zeiss lenses with a small NEX-7 as my point and shoot body.
You can barely see the little Hubba Hubba bag on top of my roll bag. That is how nicely it fits up there.
For the recent Lost Coast trip, I knew that I needed to travel light, so I opted for a very minimal kit, at least minimal in size and weight. I chose to carry my little Nikon V1 with 10/2,8 lens as my go to on the bike 'grab' camera. For a bit higher quality imagery I carried the Fuji X100s and the Fuji X-E1 with a XF 35/1,4 and the XF 60/2,4. This entire kit, with batteries, easily fit in a Think Tank Hubba Hubba Hiney pack that was attached to my handlebars with velcro straps.
What was so interesting to me about the choice of camera gear was the distribution of both the images that I shot and then the distribution of images that made the final cut for my Lost Coast Photo Essay. To say it was not what I expected is an understatement. Here are the final stats:
Images captured on the entire trip: 3527 images
That proved to be a fairly reasonable result given that the Nikon V1 was my go to camera on the bike. It was the camera that was most easily simply grabbed and shot while cruising along on the bike. At camp or for more methodical shooting I would turn to the Fuji's to do the job. As you can see, I really did not like the X-E1 very much otherwise I would have used it way more than the little X100s. The X100s is just a lovely little camera to hold and shoot. I look forward to seeing what Fuji does with that little guy.
However, what was really amazing to me, although I guess not totally unexpected, was the distribution of images that I used to tell the story. These were images that I selected not only for their meaning to the story, but also because I felt they were nicely crafted images from a Image Quality (IQ) perspective. Now, before this trip, I was shooting almost exclusively for a year with a Nikon D800E and Zeiss glass. Widely considered to be one of the finest cameras ever made. So my definition of IQ is a bit biased in one direction.
The final image selection: 118 images
Folks, the Nikon V1 can be had for a little more than $200 on the used market w/10mm lens, which is exactly how I acquired mine. This little camera and those image distribution numbers just blow me away. I want to beat the crap out of Nikon because they have allowed this little guy to be pummeled by the media when the reality is, if your target is the web or small (11x14) print, this camera just rocks. It still has the fastest, most reliable, AF of any small camera. Yes it has a few warts, but it produces absolutely solid B&W images.
I admit, I am not a fan of its color, but as anyone who follows my efforts these days knows I am turning almost exclusively to B&W imagery, and the little V1 does B&W beautifully. This camera at the current price points, should be in every adventurers bag. The V1 uses the older Nikon batteries and they just last, so you can take a little V1 with the 10/2,8 lens, two batteries, and go shoot forever. To say I am a fan is really an understatement.
Other than promoting the little V1, which really was not my main intent, I wanted to highlight how you can go create a compelling visual story with just about any camera out there today. They all take great pictures, which means, like it always has, it is about the person behind the lens, the one that chooses when to push the shutter button.
Learning to see, before you pull the trigger, is what it is all about.
My life has taken a bit of an unexpected turn the past two months -- Something that I will write about when the time is right, but for now, is all consuming. In the meantime, my riding and writing is definitely taking a back seat to the issues that need to be dealt with. While going through this life event, I continue to explore my environment in B&W, just at a slower and much less adventurous pace. The adventure will be back, but for now it takes a back seat to more pressing issues of life.
I do have a couple of items that I will be writing about in the next week or so during down time, including my thoughts on the state of the Mirrorless market (Olympus v. Fuji while Nikon and Canon are asleep at the wheel). I have a brief review on how I use a L bracket combined with the RRS mini plate and a Black Rapid (Kurve, Metro, Sport) strap to carry my cameras in certain situations. Lastly, I have some thoughts on B&W photography as a means of enhancing your color vision.
I am optimistic that my much desired 2014 Salsa Ti Fargo will arrive soon and the review on that can commence along with the unveiling of my SUL kit from Scott, the master mind at Porcelain Rocket (1.5 pounds for an entire bikepacking setup...). I am still on the fence with regards to gearing the Fargo, a toss up between going with a Rohloff or XX1. Your thoughts are appreciated.
Oh, yea, don't forget the Leica Monochrome...
Two months touring Alaska in mid winter on a Salsa Mukluk. I climbed this pass in hopes of finding a shortcut, only to realize that I was stuck. Just get out and do it because there are no guarantees.
May each and every one of you find the inner strength needed to follow your dreams and live your passions -- for it is only then that we are free and truly LIVING our lives.
Happy New Year
Self portrait, Denali National Park
Leica Monochrome, 35/1.4 @ 4.8
Normally not a very ride-able stretch of trail, but with the recent snow and general lousy weather, I was able to get out and explore. The winds were really kicking up the seas making for a dramatic ride. This was the third day in a row that I have taken out the Lowepro 10L flip backpack and it is really perfect for a light camera load.
Salsa Cycles 2014 Catalog - Cover Image from my Alaska Expedition
This came in the mail the other day. Not only a fantastic catalog, but also some really tremendous photography. Very proud to have some of my images in the 2014 Salsa Cycles catalog, including that awesome cover shot from this past winter in Alaska . To all all those who work tirelessly for Adventure by Bike, I wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
Salsa Cycles 2014 Catalog - Images from my AK, Morocco, and Gaspe' trips
Salsa Fargo in the Atlas Mountains, Morocco
An amazing ride this thing we call life. Reflecting today, as many of us do, I am incredibly grateful for the path of life, all that has come, all that is, and all that is yet to be discovered.
