I have been using this Fuji X-T1 exclusively for the past few weeks and have been experimenting with a few different lenses (35mm f/2 is really awesome!), film presets (Classic Chrome is amazing!), etc. to get a feel for the camera's limitations and sweet spots. So far, I have found very little to not love.
Growing older is a surreal experience. The thing that I am constantly challenged by is how unexpectedly different I feel in comparison to how I thought that I would feel at this age. I don't mean physically, but as I watch my goals become achieved or morph, relationships grow or wither, children develop, spouses change, and time passes, I find myself constantly...
Following the warmest, least snowy December on record here in Rochester, it is now January and we finally have snow. There are plenty of folks who were thankful for the late coming of winter to the upstate New York region, but I am not one of them. The snow is here and I am glad!
It has been a few years since I started playing around with Fuji X-Trans cameras. Up until I bought my X100s, I was a pretty solid "Canon Guy", but after seeing some of the images being shot with the - then new - X-Trans cameras, I had to see what all of the hype was about.
So, there I was a few months ago declaring that I wasn't going to be so absent on this site. It would seem as though I lied. I didn't intend to lie and I had the best intentions, but as with all good things, they are susceptible to outside forces, which can erode momentum and will. I believe that I underestimated the energy required to get through shooting the end of the racing season, as well as launching The Ascend Collective.
Earlier this year I had been approached to shoot the inaugural running of the Twisted Branch 100K - which I immediately jumped at the opportunity to do. What wasn't to love? Trails, check. Opportunity to showcase Upstate New York, check. Support friends who were running the race, check. In Spring, all of these things seemed amazing, but as the race drew closer and my ideas started to come into focus, the sheer logistics of trying to cover runners...
The past month or so has been like a looming storm headed in my direction. Life has been hectic to say the least and my absence from posting anything here is evidence of the fact that some things have slipped out from under my eye. Sorry about that.
I am here to declare, however, that I am feeling like I am getting back on track, as my primary focus - The Ascend Collective - finally launched...
Here in Upstate New York, we are blessed beyond measure by the amount of nature preserves, state parks, etc. that we have available to us. I realize that while many other states have some pretty great things to see or do, the accessibility of forest areas or marshlands or whatever is one of the best things that New York has to offer...in my completely biased opinion of course.
Skateboarding is one of those things that once it has it's hooks in you, it will never leave you.
For years, I would skate daily and it was arguably one of my first passions. Over the years, I have picked up a board from time-to-time, pushed around and found myself loving it just as much as I did when I landed my first ollie or kickflip. It is strange because while it would be easy to confuse the old bike adage of "once you learn to ride a bike you never forget" here, but this is something completely different...
I don't particularly mind, but like everyone, I rarely have a minute to myself. What we define as "Life" has a way of consuming every last minute of the day. Whether it is work, family, or some other obligation(s), finding myself in a place of personal statelessness doesn't come around very often.
As a kid, I remember a time when the Fourth of July was lit up (pun somewhat intended) with excitement. Generally, the picnics and festivities before the sun went down were nice-to-haves, whereas the real experience started with the fireworks.
To me, a large component of being a photographer is simply reviewing the moments that you have captured.
Of course you can enjoy the personal meaning, beauty, and technical skill of your photos, but if you aren't inspecting critically for ways that you can improve, what's the point? Your photo catalog is an evolving time capsule that reflects the trajectory that you have taken in both your technical and artistic skill. Use it.
As I am sure it is the case with nearly everyone, there are times when I find myself unwittingly at a complete creative standstill. Typically it is when there are too many things going on and I find myself focused on "things that matter", which sounds ridiculous when I say it because without the ability to create, not much else really does matter. But I digress...
This weekend I was able to spend a few hours out shooting the Ontario Summit Trail Races, which seemed to be both a great challenge to all participants and a landscape showcase for the upstate New York trail system. Both of these things combined, in my opinion, to be a very successful inaugural event for the boys over at Goose Adventure Racing.
A few years ago, a friend of mine described what he referred to as "The Arc of Life". Upon this Arc, half of our life was spent in receipt of wonderful things that Life had to offer before Life started to take away what was once given.
At the time, this concept resonated with me personally, as I had just lost my mother to cancer and while the pain was still fresh, I was reflecting on all that had been given prior to losing her. The core lesson, to me, was to pay attention to the details and take nothing for granted. Life has a way of becoming a noisy and distracting thing, where...
This past Saturday marked the 16th running of the Muddy Sneaker Trail Race in Hi Tor Wildlife Management Area. Once again, the crew at Goose Adventure Racing didn't disappoint. Between the great Saucony and SmartWool sponsorship, the solid turn-out and, the perfect conditions, you couldn't ask for better -- and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to head down and shoot the event.
Despite previously lamenting the Winter's late onset and how much I missed it, when it finally did arrive, it really was excessive. The past month or so has been lost. Each day presented a stark, frozen landscape that brought life to a crawl.
No one would argue that Leonardo da Vinci is anything but a Master. To me, he embodied the spirit of exploration, in every sense of the word.
Much to our pleasure, the Rochester Museum and Science Center...
It would seem that Winter means to give us the past few years' worth of snow that we've been missing in the past few days. We have been receiving snow nearly every minute of the day. While it could be tempting to sit back and complain about the bounty of frozen flakes, it seems far more productive and adventurous to bundle up, get outside and take it
