Colombia

This Thursday, I leave for a four month stay in Germany where I will be working as a technician at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Radolfzell. Naturally, I am reflecting on past travel experiences, such as my two month stay in Medellin, Colombia last summer where I studied carbon sequestration in the paramo (aka Colombian wetlands).  I embarked on two separate week long trips into the paramo which included a three hour, uphill hike to the cabin, a two hour hike to and from the research area, and miles of walking around the swampy wetlands.  On the second trip, I brought an old point and shoot film camera with me.  Most of my photos were used to capture the most stunning sunrise I've ever seen.

Julie

Julie Julie Julie.  Hashtag wow.  Julie and I became instant friends.  We met for the first time at Columbus' Get Right hip hop dance party.  She's been my muse ever since the Columbus Flea circa May 2016.  This photoshoot was our first of many together, and was inspired by the 5th Avenue Floral Co that glows bright red and emits grandeur and entitlement as it consumes the street corner during the crepuscular hours.

Fake Story

The idea to combine literature and photos came to me out of blue.  I have a tendency to OBSESS over various art media for periods of time.  One of my more recent obsessions was Tom Robbins. I like the way he combines imagination and reality where the two are hard to distinguish. Recently, I've been shooting with a 35mm Nikon Fe series (thx Serm), and decided to combine the photos with quotes from some of my favorite novels such as 1985 by George Orwell, Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins, and The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. I tried to incorporate some wit (tried) to create a fake story.

Brian

Brian is a relatively new friend of mine and where we are similar in our dichotomy of environmentalism and artistic photography, we differ greatly in a way such that he is technically savvy and detail oriented with his photos whereas mine typically excel in happy accidents.  Por ejemplo, on this day, we visited a few somewhat secret magical spots such as a natural waterfall at the end of a constructed, raised path, and a seemingly abandoned quarry, saturated with blue-green water (I'm speculating it's limestone, aka calcium carbonate). The photos that came to fruition for me were created by the combo of a tilt-shift lens and colored lens strap cloth.  This began a new photo chapter for me.

To the tune of Dreamin' by Mac Demarco

Nikki Moon

Nikki Moon and I became friends under a strange circumstance.  We could not deny our love for one another, spending our first months of friendship staying up until 4 AM, having sleepovers, sitting in coffee shops, collaborating on artwork, and enjoying one another's company in any setting.  Nikki is an incredible artist, and this particular project was a collaboration of sorts.  We began with a large sheet of white paper and rolled it into a tube.  We shot lights into it to create this other worldly effect.  Most of these photos went into a short stop motion.

To the tune of Marea Baja by Ken Griffin

It Was All Yellow: Film

See the post below for the description.

It Was All Yellow

I felt lucky and elated that memorial day weekend.  This past year has opened up my heart and soul, catalyzed by new friends and experiences.  This particular day was spent with Brian, Adam, Julie, and Nathan.  Nathan drove while the rest of us created our own eclectic playlist.  We stopped at yellow boxes, yellow flower fields, and a yellow, detritus coated office.  Nathan taught me a word back in August: MacGuffin.  I can't help wondering what mine is.

To the tune of Mind Bokeh by Bibio

Halloween

This photoshoot came with a concept for me.  Halloween is hella inspiring.  Orange pumpkins, bleeding black eyes, and garish gravestones were well suited as physical motifs for what I was feeling.  Jared and Danielle, two close friends of mine, worked together to appear as lovers of ambiguous love, ambiguous age, and ambivalent emotion.  

To the tune of Third Planet by Modest Mouse

The Happiest New Year

Solly, one of my most abundant faces in my photos, welcomed me into her home in Denver, Colorado to bring in 2016.  I rented a wide angle, low f-stop Tamron lens with stunning depth of field and strong bokeh potential.  We spent most New Year's Day walking around Rino, drinking bloody beers at a brewery, and photographing her pretty face against the tasteful graffiti and unprescribed color combinations that narrate the city's streets.

To the tune of I Wanna Die by Jolie Holland

Solly

Oh, my dear Solly.  I love you as family.  Shooting with her is effortless and comfortable.  I'm most comfortable shooting in darkness, typically with props.  The only true concept I had here was the utilization of two branches to create some sort of creature. Most of my photos I find are inspired by Crewdson and his omnipotent words, "I feel very strongly that every artist has one central story to tell.  The struggle is to tell and retell that story over and over again in visual form.. and try to challenge that story.  But at the core that story remains the same.  It's like the defining story of who you are". 

To the tune of All I Need by Radiohead