College

This post will be my longest, it contains a lot of photos and a little bit of writing. This post portrays memories from my freshman year at WWU thus far. Please take 5-10 minutes to READ the text and view the photos, as the writing will help give a background.


My last post's title was Growth, and I now realize how aptly named it was. I was sitting with a friend revising my blog when I got freaked out, realizing I shouldn't have started this project without more experience. We talked about it and he brought up a great point. There is a lot I have to learn, so this blog should be a work in progress. I now know that I have so much to improve on before my photography is at the level that I want it to be. This blog will act as a reference for the development of my photography over the next few years as well as help me to share my experiences with friends and followers.

____________________________________________________________

College... College has been the best time of my life so far, I wouldn't trade the world for the friends I've made and the experiences I've had. I have learned so much about myself, how I want to live my life and how much learning I still have to do.

Fall

My school year began with a 5 day backpacking trip in the Chuckanuts, a wilderness area south of Bellingham. It got my year started off right, I was able to make some lasting connections with some real down-to-earth people within the Outdoor Center at Western. The trip had a profound impact on me, so much so that next year I will be guiding the same trip I participated in. Through the experience i found the importance of nature in my life. Nature slows down your mind and lets you reconnect with yourself, with others, and with mother nature.

Eric Messerchmidt, one of my trip leaders and a great mentor 

This photo made it on the cover of Western's AS (associated students) Review

Matt Birnbaum, another trip leader/badass

Soon after the backpacking trip actual school started, it was a sharp contrast to the peace and serenity of nature. The ensuing weeks involved too much partying and not enough school or sleep. It was a whirlwind of raging hormones and newfound freedom. I made my core group of friends and I couldn’t have asked for a better time, but I found out that partying like that isn’t conducive for productivity. Unfortunately, my grades reflected how much I fun I was having.

Winter

The winter quarter was absolutely insane, Mt. Baker went off this year with 800+ inches of snowfall. I meet a ton of gnarly shredders that all had every other day off of school so we could ski...talk about a party. I won’t soon forget the countless cliff drops and car rides to and from Baker, great memories with great friends. I felt like we never went to school. It was pretty dangerous; every other night seemed like a Friday then we would wake up to sooooo much fresh WHITE POWDA!!! I picked it up in school while shredding upwards of 50 days this winter. I’m super stoked on my college choice.


Here is the powder edit from our season:

Thanks to Kevin Curran for the edit!

During the winter I also went home for the holidays. It was good to get home. I always knew that Sandpoint was a spectacular place but you really realize it once your gone. Getting away made me appreciate where I was raised, it's one of the most breathtaking places I've ever been.

Road trip home with Jake Parrish, a great guy and an amazing photographer.
http://jakeparrishphotography.tumblr.com/

Home

Winter in Bellingham was temperate. We received snow in town once or twice but the rest of the time it was pretty rainy. We really cherish the sunny days here in Bellingham, everyone comes out when the sun breaks through the clouds. 

The Ridge at WWU

Check this out fullscreen, look at the detail

Spring

I had an amazing spring break, Connor Griesemer, Cameron Russel and I road tripped all the way from Bellingham to Dana Point, Ca. (South of LA). We were low on funds and it wasn't until the day of that we decided to take off. The trip had no agenda besides getting to Dana Point and back, it was probably the best plan we could have come up with. It led to impromptu wer camping along with some California hospitality from friends and family. The lack of planning showed us some amazing places. The California coast and the Redwoods are two of the most awe-inspiring places I've ever seen:

Carmel, Ca

Santa Barbara, Ca

Dana Point, Ca

San Clemente, Ca

San Clemente, Ca

Santa Cruz, Ca

Abandoned WWII lookout bunker

Sketchy Walk down from the Bunker

The majestic Redwoods

Avenue of the Giants, Subaru mobbin

Redwoods

Redwoods
(View this full screen)

Onward

Spring is finally showing in Bellingham and I am really settling in. Spring has been a time for reflection, learning and branching out. I am taking 18 credits, which is fun but hard. All my classes are super interesting but I have a lot less time for a social life.


I landed a position as a photographer on The Planet, a quarterly environmental science magazine at Western. The Planet has forced me to shoot differently than I usually would, really giving me a newfound love for photography. This quarter has made me become more independent and a lot more responsible. I am finally starting to grow up.


The people here in Bellingham are some of the most genuine, down to earth people I have met. I can't wait to spend the next three years with them in this magical place. The subjects in all of these photos are my dear friends, people that I have met and in less than a year I can call my family. I think thats pretty cool.

A more structured approach for my photography is needed. Hopefully this blog will allow me to build upon the skills I already have as well as help me to define my own style. I will do my best to make every post better than the last from here on out, but it won't happen without your comments and critiques. Please shoot me a comment so I can get some feedback!