I’ve been wanting to get into shooting documentaries or telling more stories with video so this was basically my first time filming someone other than myself. I wanted to film the process of my friend Dakota climbing one of his projects, Hidden Treasures, a 5.12a out at Jackson Falls in southern Illinois. We got stormed on and I dropped my camera 50ft on the first take of the actual climb. All in all I learned a lot, and got to hang with my friends and make some great memories. Go check out the video. Hopefully more to come.
Twall
Spent a couple days at Tennessee wall by myself this week. Wanted to try out my van and spend some time alone and be at the wall. Did some soloing and took a couple pictures. Met a couple people. Was a good time. Need to do it more.
Van build 2021
So with everything happening I’ve decided to build my van out. We usually use our van for music and to tour so I’ve always left it empty, but with not being able to tour or play live music I’m taking this chance to create a safe way to travel and a more comfortable place to sleep than my tent or the back of my hatchback. I’m trying to build it so that it’s reversible if need be. Not destroying panels and interior stuff. So far so good. The only thing i may have to do is instal a fan. Gonna try to figure out how to ventilate the inside without cutting a hole in the roof. So here’s the first month. Slowly getting there. Need to do the floor, one more wall, curtains and some trim pieces. But it’s livable now.
2021 test
got a new camera and needed to test it out. I kinda hate being the self model but decided to spice it up a bit. do something I haven’t done before.
climbing 2021
Every day I wake up and wish I was out climbing or capturing climbing. It’s either been too cold or I have nobody to climb with or don’t have time. My goal this year is to make a bunch of climbing video and travel and take more climbing photography than ever. Goalz!!!
Sarah and Jamie
I have been a fan of Sarah and Jamie on instagram for a long time. Amazing artists and models and I finally had some free time to reach out and plan a shoot with both of them. We got some super clean and beautiful shots. Most of the best photo I can’t upload here because the files are too big for Squarespace and I don’t feel like going back and re-exporting them. Just know there are so many more amazing photos. Great to finally meet these amazing women.
Also I have more glitter than usual everywhere in my studio… it’s there forever
Emily and Caroline
Did a TFP shoot the other day with Emily and Caroline. Haven’t done a just for fun shoot in a while and I’ve had some styles that i’ve been wanting to try out. Some things I want to get better at. Movement and faded looks were my focus on this shoot. Very happy with what we were able to get. Excited to use these new tools in the future.
Shelby
Worked with Shelby the other day. She has hit some milestones in her life and wanted to get some photos taken to remember this point in her life. I love when people do things so really remember a moment. Photos, tattoos, trips, making something, all great ways of taking something big in your life and solidifying it so that you’ll never forget where you were. Savor the moment and continue to grow. Here’s a couple of shots from this shoot.
Aspyn 2021
I’ve been working with the vocalist Aspyn for a couple years now. This was a shoot at the beginning of this year for a single she has coming out. Couldn’t help but do a bunch of different ideas all in one shoot. We always come up with cool stuff when we just mess around with stuff.
2020 catch up
I really fell off the blog train halfway through 2020. What a wild year. I’m gonna try to show some highlights and cool shots I got all in 1 post.
My friend Jordan on silks
Aspyn for her Singles “Black and Blue” and “Bedtime”
Headshots for my friend Gabe
Portraits with my friend Hannah
Collaboration with my friends Taylor and Jordan
Promo for Veridia’s Single “Light it Up”
Collaboration with Taylor and Luna
My friend Taylor
Portraits for Jordan
Halloween and doggos with Krista
20 hour drive with my best friend Erin
Finally getting to climb with my friends
Adventures with my friend Helena
Cross the country and back in 10 days
Live virtual set for Veridia
Christmas and doggo with Krista
More friends and climbing
Headshots for Buddy
Families dogs and cat
The trip
My goal this next year is to get more into film. Tell stories. Go on adventures. I started with one of my own stories.
Family
God woke me up this morning
I had my eyes opened and saw a group of people who teach freedom then vote to take away other people’s right to choose. Who teach love, but won’t join a Black Lives Matter movement or care about single mothers. Who preach giving, but are known to be terrible tippers by every server in America. Who teach unity, but are segregated by theology. To a people that teach humility but when you bring up their flaws they are instantly offended because their identity is “being right” and in turn just think you are the problem. These people cannot be reasoned with. They cannot be persuaded. They will not change. They have no ears to listen and no eyes to see. If they were to change now it would mean that they had somehow been wrong their entire lives and didn’t know it. If they ever had their eyes opened and saw the damage their people have done, it would be too much for them.
I want to have hope for these people. They mean well but have been living blind. They want to help but have been locked in beautiful buildings away from everyone else. They want to know God but only look for him inside the box they created for him.
I have hope for these people. I know that the blind, the crippled, the deaf, the proud, the imprisoned can all be saved and healed. I don’t have hope in these people. They won’t be able to heal themselves. But I had my eyes opened and was able to see God outside of my box. That is why I have hope for these people.
Wheat
Quick wheat shoot while out adventuring with these 2. Love when we stop at random stuff.
Quarantine Self photography
Often I find myself with out a subject to take pictures of. Comes with being an introvert and not sitting around waiting for other people to lead the way. I just go. Anyway, over the course of a week and a half my friend Cassie and I came up with self shoot challenges to keep out creativity flowing and give out lives some focus in the midst of a crazy time.
Day 1: glass of water
I wanted to have the initial focus on the glass of water and then your your focus turns to me and the surroundings.
Day 2: Reading
My goal for this shoot was to get out of my house. Get some sun and listen to birds and the creek as I read. simple. This shoot was about quality me time.
Day 3: Upside down
I had no idea what i was gonna do when i made this challenge. It’s kinda fun to put myself in a situation that i have to start from nothing and let pure creativity flow from the start. I don’t end up copying anything. It’s just what happens in the moment. lot of cool art happens that way. can’t say these are my favorite upside down pictures but that’s just what happened.
Day 4: Tunnel Vision
I decided with this one i’d jump on the blur trend. Had a fun time making things that attached to my camera to make it look right.
Day 5: Yellow
Personally I’m not a big color fan for my life. I love blacks and greys and white. Playing with color is something I’ve wanted to mess with for a while. Was gonna save it for someone else shoot but might as well get some practice. Pulled the fruit idea from Photographer Jessica Leigh and messed with gels for the first time to get the light i wanted.
Day 6: Grass
honestly didn’t want to shoot this day. I also started a job this day and was tired and mentally spent. I had wanted to use some bamboo(biggest grass) behind my house for this shoot but wasn’t able to. So i grabbed my drone and rode my bike over to the elementary school down the street. Big grassy fields and a great place to lay down to do my daily assignment. I love that as it zooms out you start to get a better idea of where I am.
Day 7: Hair
I wanted to do darker with this one. Black and intense. A lot of times longer hair can be used to show openness and carefree spirit. I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to make it feel daunting and off-center and intense.
Day 8: Leaves
Wasn’t excited about this challenge. Figured there was a bunch of stupid ideas that had already been done that i could pander to. couldn’t really think of anything original that i liked. Finally just cut down some bamboo and filled my tub and accidentally suffocated myself several times with $5000 worth of camera hanging over my tub. One of the weirdest and hardest self shoots i’ve ever done.
Day 9.5: Lines
So i missed this challenge. just didn’t want to shoot. Was tired from work and tired of taking pictures of myself. the second day i wanted to get that emotion out. I also didn’t want to use traditional lines like fences or buildings or clothing. I wanted light to create my lines. I left these picture relatively raw and unedited other than adding some grain because i felt like it portrayed the emotion of reality better.
Day 10: ……
This day wasn’t really a challenge. But a couple days after that last shoot i wanted to do a self shoot that showed me how i felt after all the challenges. I was proud of my pictures and the different stuff i was able to capture. Self shooting is so much harder for me. You have to think out what you want and how it’s going to look and what i’m going to look like and how to hit the timer or remote before you get to see what you captured. It just takes more thought and time and I mess up a lot more. So at the end I wanted to showcase myself in by “studio” with a celebratory glass of whiskey and coffee.
The challenges here and the challenges I have faced in life over the last couple months have made me grow and fall. Which i will most definitely continue to do the rest of my life. Thanks for reading. Stay excellent out there.
natural *sensitive content*
Couple shots from a shoot earlier this week. Hoping to capture the emotion of the human body. Natural body and nature. The art in who we are.
Some people can’t see nudity and not be aroused. My hope is to capture people in a raw and natural state. To normalize nudity so that it’s not something that is sexualized all the time. I don’t know if it becomes enlightenment or understanding or self-control or self-awareness to be able to see people as they really are, but that what i strive for and hope to relay.
I got some sleep
Finally got a decent amount of sleep last night. It’s my first day not working in a week. It’s been stressful. It’s been good. It’s been a lot. I’m continuing to put off some stuff I wanted to get done this week so my body and mind can rest. Wanted to take a couple quick photos though. I bought this chair for a shoot and haven’t been able to sell it. Might as well use it.
Puerto Rico
I got the chance back in February to go on a climbing trip with my friends Josh and Elizabeth. I originally was going to take a trip to Thailand to go climbing but i spent too much money on my camera and lenses for that to be possible, then i had a trip planned to do some huge multi pitch routes in mexico but the other person i was going with couldn’t get his passport so I decided on Puerto Rico. According to Mountain Project it had a ton of well maintained bolted sport routes and flights there were super cheap. Plus, the beach didn’t sound half bad in the winter either. Honestly i will probably take a trip to Vegas and Puerto Rico every winter. New winter stomping grounds. Puerto Rico did not disappoint! super great climbing. Very nice and helpful people and a cool climbing community.
If we ever are hanging out, ask me about about how i got felt up by TSA in Orlando on this trip.
Also i ate a pie almost every day of this trip.
Quick climbing trip
Took a quick 2 day climbing trip to the red a couple weeks ago. didn’t get any climbing pictures, but we go to climb some cool rocks including a random trad route that we just went for. Great fun with Erin!!!
quarantine self shoot
I’ve been trying to do a self shoot lately. Trying to be inspired and creative. Finally the other night i took a couple shots. Last week i was unemployed and low on money and no fix in sight. Just living on the faith that God always takes care of me. But i was very vulnerable. I feel like being vulnerable is the best way to be. You have to rely on faith more often. I wanted to shoot to match my feelings.
