March 30th, 2015, Last weekend I took a backpacking trip with the Outward Bound club. They’re a bunch of my old college friends who formed a facebook group for camping and hiking activities. I’m pretty new to the ‘Gila Monster Crew’ but I’ve known these guys for years. All good people and real fun to be around. This was my first backpacking trip with the group and I was excited to take my camping gear out for a spin. We headed to the Parsons Trail up north by Cottonwood, AZ. The hiking conditions were perfect. Good weather, a low populated trail, challenging yet not too difficult terrain, and plenty of shade to rest under. The only real struggle was the stream crossings which we managed with only a few slips and falls. Overall it was an awesome weekend. Snagged some great pictures of wildflowers, star trails, and my friends being goofy. Looking forward to taking more trips with this group.
April 1st, 2015, I have a confession: I’m addicted to Amazon.com. I’m always buying new camera gear and books on photography/travel. Here’s a snapshot of my ‘To Read’ collection. The pile on the left are books about photography and the pile on the right are travel books. I have two more books in the mail on the way.
April 7th, 2015, When an image tells a story, that’s when it becomes more than a picture. Those are the photographs that really stick with people and leave a lasting impact. This is a concept I’ve heard photographers discuss many times before. In the past I’ve struggled to implement this idea within my own work. However, I feel the image above is a good example of this lesson. I took this picture a few weeks back at a photography workshop. The students were challenged to take a creative photo of a piece of paper. At first I had no idea what to do. All the other students were busy snapping their shots while I sat there befuddled. That’s when I remembered the workshop was located directly under the path of a nearby airport. I took my paper outside, folded it into a plane, stuck it in a bush, and waited for a jet to pass overhead. After a few minutes of waiting patiently, I took the picture. After the workshop, I stored the image away on my computer and never gave it a second thought. That was until I re-discovered it earlier this week. For the first time I saw a deeper meaning within it. To me, a paper airplane looking up at a real plane flying high in the sky is both hopeful and sad. Its the idea of striving to be more than what we are. You can spend your whole life trying to improve yourself, your career, or your love life. You can completely reinvent yourself with the aid of self-help books and educated gurus giving sage advice. But can people ever truly change? Or are we just a piece of paper pretending to be an airplane? I feel this image beautifully reflects my own fears and deepest insecurities as I work to become a professional photographer. Some days I worry whether my efforts will ever pay off. Can I realize my dreams or will I forever be just a guy with a camera who takes pretty pictures? I’m an optimist so I believe we all have the ability to better ourselves. Yet I can’t deny to truth in this image. I won’t be flying to L.A on a paper airplane anytime soon.
