Adventure, or the Lack Thereof

Posted on June 25, 2010 by Gary

I'd like to think that I'm an adventurous person. Sometimes I am, sometimes I'm not. It often depends on my mood, and largely how much sleep I've gotten the night before. In many ways, I have a strong adventurous spirit. But it is not always manifested in physical ways. I have a strong sense of enthusiasm for learning new things, for trying out new skills, and for improving my personal capabilities. But often times, when it comes to going out and exploring the world, I suddenly find myself reserved. The idealized version of myself is someone much more physically active and adventuresome, taking on challenges measured in leaps and strides.

Spear fishermen in La Jolla, California

My to-do list of "adventure" seems to be never-ending. I'd love to learn how to surf and snowboard. Rock climbing has always peaked my interest. And scuba diving seems like something I'd get a big kick out of. But even though I have an initiative for self improvement, I have a strange lack of motivation when it comes to tackling these goals. In some ways, I don't even know where to start. And this is further complicated by the fact that I have my whole life ahead of me to spend doing these things. But as someone who wants to go into the field of travel and adventure photography, I'm going to have to rack up many of these skill sets eventually. Or at the very least, I should try to gain back the wonderful sense of challenge that has all but faded.

Climber at the Garden of the Gods, Colorado

I told myself that I would travel this summer, and if the stars align properly, I'll at least get a chance to get out of here for a short bit. Still, that hasn't stopped me from dreaming. In-between spurts of cleaning and organizing today, I randomly planned bits and pieces of a theoretical Jack-Kerouac-style road trip. And it sounds like UCSD, my new school as of this fall, has plenty of opportunities for recreation and adventure. Who knows? Maybe I'll be able to redeem myself and reach that target of an adventurous spirit after all.

I Digress: Flight To Denver

Posted on June 27, 2009 by Gary

The photos I'm about to talk about were taken nearly a year ago. And they need a bit of explaining. You see, I am of the personal belief that everyone has their own story to tell. People often think that I, on occasion, randomly photograph strangers in public for no reason whatsoever. But in most cases, the people I photograph are individuals I find interesting, and whose unspoken stories intrigue me. Who is this person? Why is he/she here? What about said individual might hint at his/her own personal narrative? Though I may never know, the prospect still captivates me. The man below is one such person that I encountered.

I first spotted him in the San Diego airport while waiting for a flight. The reason I even noticed him in the first place was probably due to his crutches, the result of what appeared to be a broken foot. He seemed to be about average height, with a fairly athletic build (which probably coincided with his injury in some way). Armed with only a backpack, it was clear that he had difficulties maneuvering about the crowded terminal. He stood alone, somewhat uncomfortable with his apparent loneliness and his evident physical vulnerability. I seemed to lose sight of him, and forgot about him entirely until about an hour later when he boarded the same flight as me, after which he slipped my mind once more.

It was the third time I sighted him that I finally decided to pull out my camera and casually snap a couple of shots from afar. His circumstances intrigued me, and I found myself wondering what series of events brought him to Denver, Colorado. How did he break his foot? Why did he have a tattoo on his arm? Who was he on the phone with at the baggage claim? I'll never know the answers to these questions, and to some degree, I would rather not know. Life is full of mysteries, both large and small. And the fact that this stranger remains a stranger is potentially more powerful than whatever the truth might be.

Many photographers pride themselves on confronting their subjects when photographing strangers. Good manners dictates that one should ask permission before taking a photo, especially while abroad. Though I wholeheartedly agree with this practice, I choose to photograph my subjects in the exact opposite manner. As a "theatre person," I am a firm believer in the "fourth wall." When I am behind a camera, I take upon myself the role of an observer looking in on the outside world. Confronting an individual breaks this fourth wall, and it also forces a subject to shift out of his/her natural character.

There are Flickr groups full of photographs of "100 strangers," wherein photographers set out to photograph one hundred random strangers with their permission. While some of these sets might have one or two interesting shots, the truth is that the vast majority of these photos are simply posed and apprehensive smiling faces. Which is why I prefer anonymity when photographing people, shooting from as far away as possible and as discreetly as possible, as to not disrupt the natural flow of life. The wildlife photographer does not confront his/her subjects, and the photojournalist does not intervene and meddle with his/her surroundings. I fit somewhere in between.

And if you happen to be the man in the photographs above, I apologize for taking your picture in such a paparazzi-esque manner, and I hope your broken foot got better.

Denver Alley

Posted on October 8, 2008 by Gary

The photograph above was taken in Denver, Colorado back in July. I saw this alley and, without even thinking, snapped a photo of it. The original photograph was left on the cutting room floor, but was rescued the other day when I decided to do some creative editing on it. I won't go into details, as there are thousands of photoshop tutorial blogs out there for this specific purpose, but I will say that all edits were made in Adobe Lightroom 2. What I like about the resulting image is the immense amount of unpleasant detail. Let's make one thing clear: This alley was not a clean place. Not all photography is "pretty," yet photos that are "unpleasant" can still be visually appealing. The dirt and grime of the ground and walls are what makes this photo work.

Night Thunderstorm

Posted on October 7, 2008 by Gary

I wish this photo hadn't initially slipped past my radar. I found it marked "rejected" in Lightroom in one of my folders from my Colorado trip this summer. This shot was taken from the back porch of the house I stayed in while a thunderstorm rolled in from the prairies. It was the test shot from a series of lightning photographs that I've previously posted. I disregarded it at first because of the wide angle, which captured the suburbs and a passing car as well as the thunderstorm. What I failed to originally notice was the starry night sky hidden behind the swirling mass of clouds in the sky. And while I also failed to catch any specific lightning bolts hitting the ground in this shot, lightning in the cloud lit it up in a majestic manner. All of the adjustments in this image were performed from within Adobe Lightroom.

Personal Collection: “Color and Light”

Posted on September 20, 2008 by Gary

Continuing on my quest to discover new editing techniques, I give you the above photo. This photograph was taken this past July in Denver, Colorado, near Larimer Square. My first step was to run the image through a plugin that simulates an HDR look, which allowed me to have slightly surreal lighting in the photo. From there, I warmed the image slightly (though I edited the image on my laptop, which has a much cooler display than what I'm used to on my iMac), then ran it through the auto-paint feature in Corel Painter X. Though much of my previous experimentation with Painter X focused on using the "painted" image as an accent, I really made it the main focus of this photograph. After the auto-painting was complete, I layered it on top of the faux-HDR image in Photoshop. From there, I adjusted the opacity of the "painted" layer, and made it slightly more transparent in the center to give the scene some depth. And there you have it! Now, if only the cafe in the image was authentic and not a Starbucks...

The Last Remnants of Nature

Posted on August 31, 2008 by Gary

I've often heard the argument that the United States is still a vastly unsettled country. A satellite image taken at night over the US will attest to this, as a sprawling network of highways and populated areas can be seen. Yet some of the most beautiful moments one can have with nature come from the remoteness of an area. And in this country, truly being alone with nature can be a daunting task.

I've blogged about my experiences in Colorado before, and about how business owners these days only want to make a quick buck on weary tourists. The city of Manitou Springs, Colorado is a prime example of this. Here, man even tries to simulate nature in order to draw in the crowds, even though nature is ever-present in the area. The truth of the matter is that most ordinary people just aren't happy with what nature has to offer. Seven Falls, a popular tourist attraction near Manitou Springs, would be dry most of the year due to natural conditions were it not for a series of pumps that recycle the water to keep tourists happy. The average tourist expects immediate results, and is not willing to go searching for true beauty. But unfortunately, true beauty is fading at an alarming rate.

The United States has a wonderful system of National Parks that preserve the natural world. But finding yourself truly alone in one of these parks is near impossible. Manmade distractions are everywhere, and many times, scenic vistas are crosscut with roads. The August 2008 issue of National Geographic Adventure features an article entitled The Park at the Top of the World, by Kevin Fedarko, which documents a trip down Canada's Firth River through the Ivvavik National Park. The park, a 2.4-million-acre preserve, is virtually unknown and often goes unnoticed. In Fedarko's words, "Ivvavik is where we'll have to go to witness the soft of wilderness that America threw away." If Fedarko's description and Peter McBride's photography in the article are any indication, Ivvavik National Park is one of the last truly remote places on the planet. And it is a place I someday hope to visit and document, before it's too late.

From Colorado: Helen Hunt Falls

Posted on August 2, 2008 by Gary

As I've mentioned before, Colorado Springs is saturated with tourist traps. Though it's located next door to plenty of wonderful natural elements, most tourists merely follow the giant freeway billboards. One tourist trap you should avoid is Seven Falls. Due to a natural drought in the region, this seven-stepped waterfall is actually fueled by pump-driven recirculated water for the dryer months of the year. In addition, some reviewers online state that the attraction operators place fake wildlife in the immediate surroundings to entertain tourists. Right away, this didn't sound like fun to me.

Instead, I chose to spend my time at Helen Hunt Falls. This waterfall, named after famed author Helen Hunt Jackson, is accessible via a right turn just prior to the road that leads to Seven Falls. The road to Helen Hunt Falls leads you through a series of switchbacks up the mountain, upon which you stumble across the quaint visitors center for the falls. From here, you can take a hike that leads to the top of the falls, and then above the falls to a ridge overlooking a tall rock face. This overlook offers a beautiful view of the region, from the pine-saturated foothills to the plains off in the distance.

I was lucky enough to have done my research ahead of time, and managed to avoid yet another tourist trap. But most people only go by what's shown in advertisements, and because of this, don't even know that Helen Hunt Falls exists. Though this is a shame, it also means that you probably wont find a crowd at the falls, which results in a much less stressful experience. And if you're a photographer, it'll be much easier to take tourist-free shots as well. If you're in the region, and you're looking for a good way to connect to nature and go on a few hikes, I highly recommend checking out Helen Hunt Falls and its surrounding region.

View more photos of Helen Hunt Falls on my Colorado Flickr set.

From Colorado: Downtown Denver

Posted on July 30, 2008 by Gary

Anyone who knows me knows that I love the city. It doesn't matter what city we're talking about, all that matters is that downtown pulse. In my mind, cities are alive. They are creatures in their own right, never sleeping, and always on alert. Yes, I am an advocate for nature. But in many ways, city life is better for the environment than suburban or rural living. For starters, one's carbon footprint is much smaller in a city environment. Public transit is almost always superior, and places are usually located close enough to walk to. In addition, the part of town I saw was filled with as much foliage as possible. Trees lined many sidewalks, and planters held flowerbeds. It truly felt like a nice place to be.

I only had a few hours to look around downtown Denver, but I liked what I saw. For starters, the city seemed fairly clean. Granted, I only really explored the area around the 16th Street Mall, which is a 2km long outdoor shopping mall. Nevertheless, it was clear that the city is well planned out and well managed. I couldn't begin to count how many cyclists I saw, and the free shuttle service that runs along the length of the 16th Street Mall is a great idea. Yes, the rest of the city might have downfalls, but from a tourist perspective, the retail district is in relatively tip-top shape.

View more photos of Denver on my Colorado Flickr set.