Michelle & Scott Engagement

Thank god spring is finally here! I think it's a combination of the warm weather and crazy schedule that is making me so happy as of late. Whatever it is it made for the perfect mix when paired with the kind of energy Michelle and Scott have when they are together. I am still not sure how a lot of these images happened the whole session just seemed to flow so easily as we were hanging out at the Country Club Plaza. The more I do this the more I realize taking time to let experiences happen is so important, somethings you just can't force. Great session and beautiful weather which it looks like we are going to getting some more of this week!

Motocross Senior Shoot

This kid has talent! Marshall is graduating this year and spends a lot of his free time practicing motocross stunts at a track in Sedalia Mo. So when it came time for senior pictures the theme was pretty much set from the get go. I was absolutely thrilled when I was asked if I wanted to shoot the session. I love all the different elements that can be worked into a shoot and this has to be one of the most excited Senior sessions I have shot. It's not often that I get asked if I am willing to lay down and have a motorcycle jump over me but I have to admit that alone would have sold me on the shoot.

I have had the images edited for some time now so I am excited to finally be sharing them!

Strangers - North West Coast Wrap Up

I am perpetually surprised by the variety of people I meet. In the image above are the faces of everyone from a graduate literature student to a heroin addict. The list goes on to include a travel writer, construction worker, farmer, cashier and Vancouver resident, who for the record is the only Canadian I met who said "eh?" and here I was hoping to be inundated!

All the people I met on this trip helped me in some way, sometimes that was as simple as directions or an engaging conversation, but without them my trip would not have been complete.

Keira - Seattle

This is Keira and without her I think Seattle would have left a bad taste in my mouth. Meeting Keira turned into a photowalk around Seattle in search of the best light. I don't think I have ever met another stranger on this project with whom I have had such spontaneous and engaging conversation with.

John - Vancouver

I love this guy, very very funny man.

Now that I am back in KC now and compiling the images for The BIG Family Project, I am happy to say we are making some solid progress with the first out of town shoots being completed. The next stage will be taking place in San Fransisco in the second week of April. Updates soon!

Big thank you to Jeannie and Tim for hosting me in Portland!

Canada - British Columbia - The Loop

I felt small.
I could also add cold, aching and humbled but those seem like inevitable and important parts of any and adventure. All those negative adjectives become a footnote to ones that monopolize your memories like euphoria, awe, inspiration, freedom and adrenaline.

Having spent the last few days driving a 350mi loop through B.C. and sleeping in a little rental Toyota Corrolla has included all those things listed above. Traversing "The Loop" has been an adventure that opened my eyes to the beauty of the second largest country in the world, albeit just a tiny little piece of it. The 3511023 Sq. miles that compose this country seem to hold such promise after just experiencing 350 linear miles of it.

"The Loop"
The Loop is something I heard about from a waiter who told me it was the most scenic drive I could do. The drive Starts in Vancouver and snakes it's way South through the legendary beauty of Squamish. I cannot tell you how many people have told me to visit, hike and climb there, Whistler (where the Olympic downhill sports are held) and through a handful of little rural Canadian towns nestled in the mountains before culminating in dangerously beautiful Frazer Canyon, dangerous simply because it's hard to keep your eyes on the road, which brings you around for a straight shot back to Vancouver.
The diversity of this drive is what really astounded me. You can hike through rain forest, by waterfalls, climb mountains and kayak on the countless lakes before making into the middle of B.C. where the rainshadow makes for a more arid climate that is a stark contrast from the moss enveloped trees of the Vancouver to squamish section. But as you continue along the loop through Frazer canyon, waterfalls are visible from the roadway hiking trails. Lakes and scenic overlooks tempt you to pull over constantly. Traveling through so many differing climates in such a relatively short distance kept the loop continually engaging and perhaps, best of all, sections of the loop have a distinct feeling of being undiscovered by the crowds.

There are so many options to doing the loop. I think the loop is more of a concept than an itinerary. So many possibilities and permutation are waiting to be explored. Just choose a road and discover where it leads you. Being bereft of iPhone maps or any of the usual aids I bring with me was more of a blessing than a curse. It let me explore without the stress of having a specific destination and the trouble that comes with actually finding that destination. This trip made me contemplate parallels in my own life. Always planning things to a "T" is not necessary. Sometimes the experience of new places and challenge of new obstacles is all that is necessary to create a memorable and advantageous experience.

Rain forests like this one were such a unique change of pace from the Midwest.




There are so many little Canadian cities that seem to be enveloped by mountains like this panorama of Lillooet.
The loop was complete for me when I reached the north shore of Vancouver

I have recently discovered a whole community of adventurers and travelers that make a living from helping others achieve their goals. One central message that seems to saturate every one of their articles is the idea of "doing" something. Stop planning, stop worrying, stop making excuses and just do, act, engage, explore, learn, converse, travel, build, run, walk, fly...whatever it may be...just do it. Build momentum and you may be amazed at what you'll find. In the words of one of my good friends, "Jump and you'll see the net". I love that because there is so much truth to it. It is not always possible to see all probable outcomes or options until we are in the thick of it. Start moving on whatever it is that is important to you and you may be surprised at what you find.

Portland - Kevin - Jenny - Betty Jean

This will be my finally post from the Portland leg of this adventure.

That is almost a bit regrettable as I had such a fantastic time exploring the city and searching for the best location to shoot. The whole city was like an undiscovered gold mine,to me, so many fantastic locations waiting to be explored.

Kevin helped direct me toward this location which not only includes the building he works in but also includes the oldest functioning vertical lift bridge in America! So I thought it was an perfect choice to set the stage for this shoot.

I finally got to meet Jenny and Betty Jean, who was so happy for our shoot! I think the camera loved her!

Yes I did take liberties with what's called exaggerated perspective and Kevin's head. I just couldn't resist! :P

Up next is a short blog on Seattle and then onto Canada which I have to admit is just blowing my mind! Here's a sneak peak.

Portland - Jeannie-Tim-Nate-Evy-Annemarie

Posting this blog from Seattle Washington which has been quite an interesting experience if only for the incredible people I have met. Hanging out in the hostel here is like a college party that never ends. I love sitting at a table with 5 other people and being the only America here. On another positive note my passport was renewed today which means I will be crossing the border to Vancouver tomorrow!

With the in house wifi here at the hostel I finally got the session with Jeannie, Tim and the kids edited and an online! I had a fantastic time in Portland and have to say, Portland is one of my favorite cities ever. Staying with Jeannie and kids just made that experience so much better and the prospect of being able to spend time with everyone one of my cousins one on one is definitely the coolest part of this project. Getting this shoot done was a balancing act between sick kids and crazy weather, but we caught a break in the weather and the sickness on Monday evening and were able to run up to the park and let everyone go crazy for a good 30minutes :)

Portland - Stranger Faces

Travel is defined by the people we meet. We are all defined by the people we know.

I wrote this after my first trip several month ago which was dedicated to meeting, conversing with and photographing strangers I would meet along the way.

"My portrait project has been quite simply life changing, more than I could have hoped for. The people I have met have have had a profoundly positive effect on my life. The people I have had long conversations with on park benches, empty parking lots, busy street corners, under bridges, they all surprised me to be honest, because what I found impressed me. I found little bits of myself in each of them and I found ways that I wanted to be better and saw things from perspectives I had not considered. I see each one of these people that I conversed with as a lens by which they were kind enough to let me see the world through and by seeing the world through their eyes I have come to see mine more clearly as well."

Even in the short while I have been in Portland I have met a surprisingly diverse group of people. Many of the encounters so far have been passing, with only a few minutes to listen and capture. But out all all the people I have met while pursuing this side project, Greg(pictured above) has made the biggest impression on me.

I met Greg in downtown Portland, east side of the Hawthorne bridge. Greg approached me asking for a light and after a few minutes conversation on everything from sailing the Puget Sound to fishing in Alaska, he admitted to being in the process of withdrawing from heroin, which in his case meant sleeping under a bridge until the withdraw symptoms faded. I hardly thought that was a good approach to kicking his habit and apparently it wasn't. As the day went on he kept on becoming more and more agitated, heroin withdraw symptoms include, anxiety, nausea, muscle aches and abdominal cramps as well as a host of other things intent on making sure it's as difficult as possible to quit. He kept on talking about needing $15 so he could get better and make it through today all the while complaining about cramps. I wasn't exactly clear on what his definition of "get better" meant, and if I had stopped to think about it, heroin is the cure for all of his immediate symptoms. But oblivious to this fact, when he offered to sell a couple of locking carabiners (used for climbing and sailing) for $15 I agreed. With the $15 dollars he had earned her asked if I wanted a "tour" which I have to admit turned out to be the most interesting tour I have ever been on.

Greg's tour involved meeting several of his friends(also junkies) who went on to brag about purchasing 8balls, which made me chuckle, I guess every social circle has it's own goals to strive for. The tour also included a run down on the the pushers we past and what they charged. We eventually ended up in the South Park Blocks which apparently has someone willing to sell for $15. After an initial disagreement among his friends over whether or not their needles were clean I stepped back and watched them prep the shot. Greg got his shot ready, his friends left to find their own and I was left with a Greg looking happier than had seem him yet. This is where things really got interesting, even though the shot was prepped and inserted into his arm he couldn't plunge it no matter how hard he tried. The needle was clogged and he started shaking, attempting to transfer the shot to another plunger all the while getting big air bubbles in his syringe, which in spite of everything struck me as dangerous. After his third needle clogged on him he really starting to freak out his voice was quivering as he told me "dude this is like a junkies worst nightmare", followed by a whispered "please God help me" which seemed painfully ironic at that moment. I thought he was about to cry and when he snapped the plunger on his third needle and after throwing it on the ground he did. Up to that point I wasn't sure how bad his withdraw was but seeing him cry definitely brought home the kind of pain he must have been in.

I think off all the strangers I have met Greg has had the biggest impression solely because his view, his uniquely distorted version of reality allowed me to see something different. I mentioned several paragraphs up that I think every person is a lens, with their own focal length and particular distortion brought on by their own experiences and the experiences of the people closest to them. The lens that Greg let me see his world through encouraged me to reevaluate opinions I've held and things I've taken for granted. I can relate to how Greg feels in certain capacities and finding relation with someone who is apparently so different is always eye opening.

Unfortunately I am going to have to leave you with only the faces and not the stories of all the incredible people I have met here in Portland. Otherwise this post will grow to ridiculous proportions!

Check out this cycle tourist, travel writing and yoga instructing girl at http://Elleesyoga.com

Portland - First Impressions - Textures

I was surpirsied when the first thing to catch my attention upon venturing out into portland was the texture. So many things here seemed to have a unique and beautiful texture to them, as if everthing was finely aged to provide captivating details waiting to be explored. The frequent rain seems to create an enviroment for moss to thrive and many of the massive trees that dot the neighborhoods here are covered in it.


Metal texture on a playground that reminded me of the ones I used to play on.

Rivets on the "Steel Bridge" constructed in 1912.


Best of all, spring is in full swing here with more cherry blossom trees than I can count! There is so much to be explored here and I have not even begun to detail the diverse group of people I have met. I have talked about everything from, bicycle tours to learning about v-8 tractors and even hanging with some guys shooting heroin. Aother blog post should be coming tomorrow dedicated to all those people.