Firearms
One of the tools my grandpa used regularly were his firearms. He was a life-long NRA member and out on the ranch, his reliance on them was often necessary. They were poor and my mom often remembers that the things he could hunt were what they ate - they were isolated in rural idaho and it was along way from the individually wrapped sections of an unidentified animal found in today’s supermarkets.
They were tools to him, and he used them. I like to separate him and the rhetoric I hear today when the subject of guns is brought up.
Have a great day.
Summer in Idaho
I setup shop in Grandma’s garage and proceeded to work thru a large collection of terribly interesting objects - most of which I remember directly being used on the ranch when I was a kid. I worked all day Saturday (with a break for lunch and a quick dinner visit to my Uncle Mike’s house close by). By mid-day it was 90 degrees in that garage and the lights sure didn’t seem to help.
On finishing for the day, we then went over to “Cruise Night” which was an annual vintage car festival in Emmett. We saw lots of what you’d expect - hot rods, Harley’s and lots of people. I also managed to take a few bike rides on a sweet cruiser and visit a few interesting places in this slightly out-of-the-way community on the edge of the sprawling Boise metropolis.
I’m just starting to go thru the results of the marathon Saturday shoot, but here are some fun pictures from the trip itself.
More to come on the tools
series later this week.
And what of my hypermiling experiment. I drove
my 1998 Nissan Frontier pickup down and back for a
total of just under 1000 miles 99% of it on the
freeway. First, consider the Federal EPA rating
for this car (and these are the revised EPA
estimates that better reflect current driving
habits):
Thanks to my Scanguage II, I was able to
monitor fuel consumption, efficiency and cost in
real time. I averaged 33 MPG the entire trip,
spending a total of $130 for the trip in gas. I
beat the EPA estimate by 66% and save almost $50
in gas. Of course, it took me an extra hour at
least each way, but it certainly was less
stressful, quieter and the knowledge that I was
being 66% more efficient was a big plus - its a
stewardship/moral thing and I consider it to be a
total success. Hypermiling works.
Taking it to the petro-sociopaths, one gallon at a
time...
To Emmett!
My Grandpa and I were pretty close growing up - I spent every summer on their farm from the time I was 7 years old and tagged along behind him everywhere he went. I was mesmerized by his knowledge, capabilities and just loved every minute I had in Idaho. There is a great story of me introducing my Grandpa to someone as “my best friend” and it was an honest reflection of how I felt then. I sure miss him.
Anyhow, so when we were there recently I grabbed some old tools from his garage (we spent alot of time fixing things in his garage on the farm outside Mackay, ID) and began a photo project documenting him through his tools. I brought them back home and the first two series are here:
Grandpa’s Tools - Series 1
Grandpa’s Tools - Series 2
I figured it would be a good idea to just go down and setup a studio in the garage and document as much as I could over the weekend. This would allow me to make further progress and visit Grandma at the same time. Kristin liked the idea and suggested I bring Chloe along with me - she loves to spend time in Emmett because Grandma is the queen of craft. I swear, that woman made a hat out of Pepsi cans once, and to a tinkering 9 year old, that is very cool.
So, off we go, with a truck full of lighting gear, my cameras and my daughter. Even with the price of gas, I love road trips. I purchased a ScanGuage II this week that monitors your real time gas milage (Holden Caulfield’s comments notwithstanding) and with my new bag of Hypermiling tricks, I should be able to squeeze 30 mpg out of the truck (rated at 23). I’m such a nerd.
Anywho, have a good weekend. I’ll be blazing away with my tethered 5D into Lightroom 2.
Soccer Tournament
I generally bring my cameras and shoot pictures for the team, but my heart really isn’t in sports photography. However, I do manage to snag a few informal portraits in the available light (i.e. full on, hard sun) now and then.
PS. They lost the final to a golden goal in the 7th minute of the first overtime period. Argh.
Final Field Day
Yesterday was hot. Desert hot.
We spent most of the day shooting and didn’t stop until after midnight (ok with a few breaks to sip water and sit in the shade). Ira and Alex were great to observe - I picked up quite a few lighting tricks that will be employed in the future. Thanks guys - it was great to observe and in my own humble way, assist photographers of this caliber.
I spent alot of time taking pictures of the camp’s inhabitants and the accoutrements of such grand enterprises. Here are a few of my initial favorites...
Our camp from “Cell Phone Hill”
The Work & Mess Tents
Dino - The 1970 Suburban
Fossils wrapped for transport
The Front Entrance to the Work Tent
A young lass relaxes after a day of digging
Mr. Fashion
Scott Drives Dino
Doing Pull Ups
Potato Cannon Prep
Celebratory Post-Potato Cannon Maneuvers
A Sign in Greybull, WY
On the plane now - headed home...
Worland Dig
We’re at an archeological dig site with roughly 25 kids and their professors. What a blast. They’re all young, committed and having the summer of their lives. I think they’ll spend roughly a month out there digging in the ground with picks and shovels.
We arrived in the evening
and they were just eating dinner - they were very
welcoming and pushed us into the mess tent for food
immediately. We spend the rest of the night just
sitting around chatting about random things.
In our abscence, it seems
a TV crew came in and ran over Alex’s tent. They
destroyed his ipod, jetboil stove, tend and sleeping
pad. Doh! They’ll be back tomorrow and we’ll have a
chat with them - we shouldn’t have a problem.
I spent most of my time
walking around getting to know people and shooting
some informal portraits.
Gillette, WY
We woke up this AM in Powell and discussed our options with regard to the shoot last night. Ira feels he needs more contrast in the hills - the rain and the lack of moonlight detracted slightly from his vision. So he’ll probably head back in Friday when the moon is fuller and try it again.
We had breakfast at the same cafe we at at last night. The funny thing is, every time we walk in the entire place seems to stop and stare at us as we progress to a table. I mean, three guys with big cameras and smiles shouldn’t be that off-putting, but we sure feel like aliens from space. We need to get some sleeveless T-shirts, Wranglers and Bass Pro Shop ball caps and we’d fit right in. I kid, I kid.
After breakfast (good!) we dropped off my car at Tom’s (the Jeep fella) and headed over the Powder River Pass to Gillette to photograph another piece of the story. Enroute, we stopped at an airplane museum (closed, sadly) but we snuck onto the adjacent airfield and took some pictures of four aging aircraft - including two Royal Canadian Air Force cargo planes.
We also stopped outside
of Emblem, WY because the sign on entering was this:
Finally, after checking
into the hotel and doing some research on our
intended target, we dropped Ira off to do some
guerrilla scouting/shooting. Here he is as he exits
the vehicle - the
exit-from-the-moving-vehicle-commando-style exit I
suggested wasn’t taken as seriously...
Tomorrow we head back
over to the archelolgical dig for some pictures of
the kids/professors working out there. I’m pretty
excited as it sounds like quite an interesting site.
Cheers!
PS. Why is it that cheap hotels in the middle of
nowhere can have better wireless internet access than
the big hotels I stay at (and pay $10-20 a day) in
the big cities? Wireless in nowhere Wyoming is
awesome.
Powell
Ira, Alex (a photographer
friend of Ira’s based in Phoenix) and I headed out
for a conceptual shoot last evening in some hoodoos
near the town. It was quite an elaborate setup, with
a Jeep and an ATV taking us into the location and a
couple of local guides. Here Tom, one of the two,
pointing out our destination.
A rain storm had blown in
just before we were to leave, and there was some
concern that the rain/wind would hamper our plans,
but after a few minutes of concern, it blew past and
we decided to head in.
We were headed for an old
Native American camp site - there were several tipi
circles close by - and while we worked, the two
guides headed off to look for arrow heads.
We got back fairly late
and after doing the card download/evaluate-the-shoot
dance, we went to bed.
Big Skies!
Yesterday I landed in Billings, MT, picked up my ridiculously yellow rental car and headed out for some shooting before meeting up with Ira in Wyoming.
I remember going thru Billings when I was a kid - probably on our way down to Colorado for a family reunion in Estes Park, CO. Salient on that trip was my kid sister getting all excited and yelling “Hooray! Buffalo Billings” as we arrived. And its stuck with me. Whenever someone says “Billings” I hear “Buffalo Billings.”
I headed out of town east, with no particular plan except to visit the Little Big Horn Battlefield - I have a few specific memories of visiting there on that previous trip.
Since my last visit,
they’ve built a whole new memorial (and one much more
fitting) of the battle for the First People’s side.
It was quite striking, well-designed and told the
warrior’s story beautifully. Much nicer than the
aging cemetery plot for the invaders and their
mecurial, sociopathic leader.
As luck would have it, I
have a book on Custer and the Little Big Horn on my
iPod, so I played that the entire day to get the
backstory.
The battlefield itself
was gorgeous - rolling green hills, swaying grasses
and flowers and get this - Agave plants - somethign I
never expected in Montana. Overwhelming all was the
intoxicating sent of the prarie - I can see why
someone would fight for this little corner of land.
I visited both monuments,
did the ravine hike (I was the only one on the trail
- its a very challenging 1 mile walk on a graded
path) and then drove down to the second battle site 5
miles away.
I also stopped in Hardin,
MT. They had a little country museum that I just dig
on visiting - you know, old buildings with nice
installations of what it was like in the early
1900’s. Lovely stuff.
Happy Fourth!
The Canadian in me celebrated the 1st of July and now the American in me gets to celebrate the 4th. While I have serious problems with how this country is governed and even more with its hegemonistic, bellic foreign policy, I really am happy and blessed to live in the great state of Washington.
I love this country for is true assets - the deserts, the mountains and wild places and even a few of its villages. Furthermore, I love the real American people - those happy people who recognize their blessings, are always ready to lend a helping hand and try to approach things with love and humility.
Sometimes it is easy to point out the big men who take advantage or the greedy who look to exploit for their own personal gain, and while they seem to run things, the real people outnumber the parasites. And thank goodness for that.
I'm going to be on a several day road trip next week in Wyoming and I'll see many of these everyday Americans. I'll even bring a few cameras and document this all-american of journeys.
So Happy Fourth! Raise your drink of choice and celebrate the good in this country. Huzzah!
Here are a few images snapped over the past few days.
The Snoqualmie Valley
Its lovely and pastoral - honestly I find it hard to believe it is just outside a sprawling city and its bloated suburbs. Perfect. I always think of Thomas Hardy or George Eliot as I pedal like a madman.
Today, I took my camera and documented some of the sights I've been visualizing for several years. I'm very pleased with how these turned out.
Have a great day.
EBT 2007-2008 Yearbook
"Available in hard or softcover, with 275 photographs from the past year, this yearbook will become a prized memento of your dancer's hard work, determination and beauty."
If you're the frugal
sort, use coupon "flickr10" to save 10%
The book is the culmination of a years worth of work
with EBT. It contains, as mentioned above,
approximately 275 images taken in weekly classes,
rehearsals, performances, and many EBT functions. I'm
really happy with how it turned out - its a beautiful
book with most of my favorite images. You can
purchase it directly from Blurb and there is a
preview of the first 15 pages available for your
perusal.
All purchases will go directly to support EBT's
programs and classes. Consider ordering a book or two
and supporting these wonderful dancers in their quest
to make the world a bit more beautiful.
Update: for all my blog readers, if
you buy a book, I'm offering a 20% coupon for any
print of a photo therein. Just buy the book and email
me with your print selection and I'll handle the
rest.
Happy Canada Day!
Bonne Fete Du Canada!
Batman
Goodbye June-uary and hello July (well almost). Summer bring soccer tournaments, long days, long bike rides and festivals. My youngest got to go to Strawberry Days in Bellevue this weekend and the highlight was either the cotton candy or the face paint. The former didn't last very long, but the face paint persists.
I'm going to Wyoming this
weekend to meet up with a Ira Block, a good friend of
mine who shoots for the National Geographic. Ira
is, to put it short, da man. I'm looking forward
to some shooting, continued warm weather and some
road tripping.
BTW, is the road trip facing extinction with gas
prices as they are? I sure wish we had a national
rail infrastructure that could support frequent,
comfortable, convenient travel like the Europeans.
With a bike and the train, I'd be a happy man.
Tools, PT II
This week I've continued in that vein this week with several more. Can you identify the second item?
This is turning into a longer term project - I've decided I'm going to be heading down to my grandma's place in Idaho to spend an visit shooting that vast garage full of treasures.
Back Home
Spent a bit of time in the mornings just wandering about in my "man I really need some exercise" mindset - this always happens when I'm away from my bikes - the true machines of my workout bliss.
Here are a few images of the the now slightly dingy suburban landscape that was writ decades ago upon what was once orchards. Can you guess the place?
We have a soccer
tournament this weekend, which will put us out and
about much of the time. Its nice to be home.
Cheers!
Vacations R' Us
Which, of course, means lots of fun and the requisite sand in the hotel/rental van/washing machine/pores. We've gone to the beach, visited with friends, seen movies and just goofed around. My family just happens to really kick it old school.
Here are a few images...
Penguins and Pirates
Ballet Photography
I've always been drawn to documentary photography,
and while I've expanded my repertoire substantially
over the past year to include studio work,
portraiture and the like, it remains a big part of
how I see and feel my world.
The backstory..
We promised our daughter she could begin dancing at 4
years of age - and on her birthday my wife quickly
found this quirky little studio (Ballet Bellevue) nearby that
had the right focus on performances and had a
great artistic director with a wonderful pedigree. We really wanted to avoid
the cheerleader-esque "dance competition" studios
and we were quickly at home in the melee of real
dance. She blossomed and grew there and we were
happy.
In late 2006 my wife prodded me to do some work for
them. I proposed a project that would document life
at the studio over the year and it was quickly
accepted. It became and exciting and challenging
project - learning to shoot fast moving dancers in
less than stellar lighting conditions.
When Ballet Bellevue had a falling out with Viktoria,
their artistic director, we decided to follow her to
a new studio she opened nearby - Emerald Ballet Theatre. I
continued to shoot for Ballet Bellevue through the
rest of the 2007 season, but I felt more welcome
at EBT and Viktoria really understood what
photography can bring to the equation. She is very
open to using photography showcasing her fledgling
business and I've done all their advertising and
promotional work over the past year. We also
helped put the studio together with several
friends - the focus was to be a beautiful,
organized studio with a simple, beautiful
atmosphere. To augment this, I began hanging
regular groupings of work and I do sittings with
individual dancers periodically.
Today...
One of the things I've learned is that I increasingly
look forward to the big productions - when dancers
are in costume and are working hard at their
variations on stage. EBT really focuses on
performances as a learning experience - and Chloe has
really grown because of this. As a new studio, we are
still a bit conservative on the number of
productions, but our repertoire will expand as we
grow.
We recently finished up our first year and the
end-of-year performance. I am very pleased with some
of the images I've captured from this past season and
am in the process of putting together a book almost
300 pictures from EBT's first year.
Look for it here soon.
I'm off in a few hours to ride my road bike up a
volcano...
Da Pimped Van & Some Bubbles
I currently roll (at least with the family) in a 2003 VW Euro Camper Van, but sadly its pimped for storing kids and their crap rather than photo stuff. Someday, when the kids are gone, I'll be doing something very similar.
I got out for a 40 mile bike ride this AM before coming home to clean up my cluttered office. I hate working in a cluttered office.
I'm riding a road race this weekend - I'll ride from Toutle, WA up the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway to the Johnson Ridge Observatory and back, for a total of 135 KM and just over 6000 vertical feet of climbing. Its going to be a blast, and its called the Tour de Blast for obvious reasons. The family is coming along and we'll camp nearby Friday night.
Marshmallow time!
Its my kids last day of school. They are excited to be out for the summer - and I'm just hoping we'll have one. My morning rides are still in tights and jacket for @#$@#$ sake.
Here is an diptych from yesterday of my daughter playing around with bubbles - she's such a lovable goofball.
Emerald Ballet Theatre Galleries Online
I'm quite happy with this
series, and they are available now for purchase
directly from the web galleries.
Cheers!
Square Kids, Square Kids, Square Kids
As Holden's classmates would scream: Digression!
I shot a series of square portraits for my sister today. I'm happy with all but one of them, and I might have to shoot a few more shots to get what I want. These are all in the vein of some portraits I did a month or two back - a style that I really enjoy and a format that I highly appreciate for portraiture. My sis was pretty happy with them, as am I.
After that, we headed
into Salt Lake to attend a SLC Bees baseball game.
To be honest, I'm not a fan of baseball.
Its a bit slow, slightly boring and just can't
complete with the beautiful game for sheer
athleticism, excitement and, ahem, beauty. That said,
its a mildly interesting past-time, with some quirky
side-shows, so when my younger sis handed me free
front row seats I couldn't refuse. We took the
parents-in-law and made an evening of it.
My son got one of those big foam #1 hands (a first
for our family) and then found a baseball - he was
buzzing with excitement. His grandpa is a big fan, so
the two of them talked about all the ins/outs and
made it all worth it.
Funny, they were playing the Tacoma Rainiers. I
suppose they are our hometown team...uh, go team!
The Sis Factor
I grabbed her kids last night and ran over to a local park for a few pictures...
Thanks Sis!
Soccer Academy
We drove down to drop my oldest son off at a BYU soccer academy for the week. He gets to stay in the dorms with a roommate and its quite exciting for him. Having older kids is proving to be as cool as when they were little - we have developed a great relationship built on trust and mutual respect. He's aces in my book.
Go Aidan.
Here are a few images fr