Exposed

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Fourteener, 14er, 14,000 feet. Air gets paper thin, shade and trees disappear, and extreme weather can roll in within minutes. Below freezing windchill in the middle of summer, and a climb in elevation that brings a brisk walk to a snails crawl. A sufferfest, death march, and anything but fun, yet such a satisfying pain.  Thoughts become cloudy and the mouth gets bone dry. Water sources deplete, and now there is the hike back down. 

 

There are 58 peaks over 14,000' in Colorado. These high peaks are not your afternoon hike and require a bit of experience and planning. Although they may not be the most technical and difficult hikes, the altitude bites into your fitness fast, and inexperience can leave you in a dangerous place within a lightning storm. I wanted to show with this group of photos how exposed and how raw climbing a 14er is. I wanted you to feel the sun relentlessly beating down on you, and the dryness of the air sucking away any last bit of hydration within your body. I wanted this batch of photos to capture the raw struggle of climbing these peaks.  We climbed the tallest peak in the Rocky Mountains in North America  this weekend, Mt. Elbert and it was awesome. 

Back to Class

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Today I took a class on Strobe and Studio Lighting in Fort Collins. I want to and need to learn more about this type of lighting. I haven't had enough experience with it. Although I personally liked all the natural light photos I took instead of the ones with the strobe light. I liked them so much more that I didn't even post any that involved the strobe light. Also I don't think those photos are as great because it is a whole new skill I haven't mastered yet. Here are some photos of the model from our class (she did all the gesturing and posing since it isn't exactly my type of photo I enjoy, but she did a great job at it and I didn't have to direct or anything. Just not the type of photo I enjoy) It was a helpful learning experience though, and it was a good way to spend an afternoon. 

 

 

Down by the River

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Living in a house by a river would be nice, but without the house and without the warmth and the food it starts to become something else. I work in Denver and I ride the bus into work. From the bus station I have to bike down beside the Platte River and along the way there are tents, trash, and people all just getting by and living down by the river. Many just cruise by on their morning commute, run, or bike ride and pass with a blind eye. I want to bring this to attention. I want the people who live in these tents to be known because their numbers are growing.

To be without a family, home, money, food, or anything is truly something. To do this while having a disability or addiction is even more. I don't have some wild political idea or some genius solution. What I do have is a camera, and a feeling for these fellow humans who live by this river. I want them to be noticed and I hope something will come of this. As for now its just a start and I am not sure where it will go. I'm not sure how to handle this "story" or series of pictures. I'll figure it out though. This is just the start. 

Road Trip!

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I spent my last week after graduation taking some time to finally get the motivation to drive across the country for the last time....hopefully.

Check out my route 

I took a stop in South Boston (Goodwill Hunting), ran by Yale real quick, and spent time in some suburbs of Connecticut with my college buddies for possibly the last time in a while. My goal for this trip was to: 

  1. Make it fun and less of a suffer fest.
  2. Take at least one photo every time I filled up my gas tank.
  3. Get home

I met quite a few awesome people during this trip while taking photos and found a few interesting places. From stopping in the "Taste of Holland" in Iowa to meeting a man from Beijing that is riding from New York to LA I found out real quick that I do love taking photos and you will meet some interesting people while doing it. Many portions of this trip  i found myself wanting to learn more about the person or place I was photographing. I thought about many projects that I could make of these small towns, but for now I am going to focus on my upcoming idea for a project.

Pre-Graduation

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It's coming. My family arrives tomorrow, and before I know it this weekend will be over and I'll be in my car driving across the country. I've met many people since I've been here at Syracuse, and also during my travels since I have started at Syracuse. Here is a solid group that I have enjoyed spending my last and most "College" college year with. Cheers to you guys, and I hope our paths cross soon. (Also this is a cool picture... and I need to buy a remote for my camera so I don't have to awkwardly run into the picture anymore)