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Just catching up here again!  I intentionally delayed this post because of an exclusivity agreement I had with the client.  I made a two part trip out to Hood River, OR in mid July 2010.  The first part of my trip was for the annual Kiteboarding for Cancer fundraiser. KB4C.org It was my first time out to the KB4C event but I liked the cause and they had great organization, which always makes my job easier.  The 3 day event draws a large number of competitors who come out to race, party, and raise money.  This year the event raised over $43,000 for Cancer Survivorship.  Anyways, while hanging out for a few days I ran into a few friends and did some photo shoots.  The riders featured are Sam Medysky, Jon VanMalsen, Eric Rienstra, and Brandon Scheid.  Let the pictures commence!

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The second part of my trip I was there to get some pics of my friend Jesse Richman whom I met through photographing his older brother Shawn Richman.  I also want to congratulate Jesse on his recent move to Naish. The Richman brothers are synonymous with power and style.  Jesse is a two time world champion kiteboarder, traveling the world twice before the age of 18 and Shawn is in a category all his own, constantly developing new tricks and often while competing it is referred to as the “Shawn Richman Show.”  To say the least I was in good company to get some good shots!  Unfortunately, the wind had other plans and we had to make due with what we had.  Our plans changed and instead of getting action shots we set out to do a few lifestyle shoots.

We were lucky enough to be staying with Jesse’s friends who were staying in a rather large house that was more than accommodating for the temporary entourage with room to spare.  Dirt bikes, skate ramps, hot tubs, swimming pool, tennis courts, game room…and if we got bored there was plenty of hiking near and around the property.  After two days of tromping around with no wind we finally got lucky on the final day of my trip.  It wasn’t for more than an hour but I was able to get a few shots that I wanted to get to round out my end of the agreement!  In all it was a successful few days shooting with Jesse, Shawn, Matt, Cole, and Matt Collins from Florida.  The images I shot for Jesse ended up being used by one of his previous sponsors, NPX

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Well, that’s it for now.  It was a good trip filled with good people.  Jesse was able to pass the photos along to his sponsors and I was able to get some much needed exposure.  I made some great friends that I hope to work with again in the future!

You never know what you are going to get…….

Life and my travels took a surprising and positive turn a few months ago when I decided to settle down and return to my ‘hometown’.  While living on the road is a fun adventure it has a few downfalls that were starting to wear me down.  First off, it is expensive……even while getting help from my dad to cover some of my expenses I was still running out of money.  My initial intent to spend ~$100 a week was derailed about 4 weeks into the trip, in a good way though.  I had found something that I wanted to pursue and would now use the rest of my resources to do it.  Second, it is lonely on the road.  Even though I would meet up with people from time to time and even see acquaintances in multiple different states, it didn’t satisfy my need for friendship and social interaction.  Like one of my buddies said, “it is tough being the new guy everywhere you go.”  Third, one of the best things about the whole experience was the freedom to do/go/be whatever I want, also, it was one of the worst things.  The lack of direction and necessity revealed an anxiety in me that I didn’t know I had.  The three of these downfalls combined, created a perfect storm that literally ‘drove’ me back to a place that was familiar, full of friends, and financially smart.

So, as I type this now, it is early in the morning/late at night and I am sitting comfortably in my downtown apartment in Colorado Springs.  In the morning I am off to scout photo locations for an upcoming photo shoot and then head to work in the afternoon to make ‘real’ money, waiting tables at a local restaurant.  Surprisingly, I usually like the day to day routine that I am now accustomed to.  I had to slowly ease my way back to a conventional lifestyle, but made the transition knowing that this is where I needed to be….a prayer had been answered!

Colorado will be a great home base for me to work on and develop my photography business into something that I will be proud of.  There are plenty of outdoor companies headquartered here that I hope to get the chance to work with.  In the meantime here are some photos from my last few months of ‘exploring’.  Locations include; San Luis Obispo, CA, San Diego, CA, South Padre Island, TX, and the back roads of CO, CA, and TX.

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Well, that’s it for now.  I have to go to bed so I can get up early and work before I have to go to work!