Earlier this month I ambitiously committed myself to photographing three separate concerts on three consecutive nights down in Boston. That’s the foundation for this entry. But this isn’t going to be a step-by-step recap of the experience. This also isn’t going to be anything that resembles a concert review. Instead, I’ll briefly share the “what” from the weekend and then dedicate most of the words to my reactions to the experience. It was a lot!

As I write this I am less than 24 hours removed from touching down at Logan Airport after spending over a week fully immersed in the beautiful and dynamic California landscape. So for this month’s entry I thought I would focus in on one part of that trip, but speak to it a bit more broadly as one of my favorite forms of adventure - backpacking.

When I consider the concept of ‘adventure’, it has always been an external perspective, right? New places. New people. New cultures. But what has been thrown into my awareness recently is the adventure that perpetuates all around us individually. The new places that might be just outside your door, but also the internal adventure. New emotions, new ways of thinking and communicating. It has been quite the ride lately, so let’s talk about it.

June has been quiet. Relatively speaking, of course. Plenty of hiking, some kayaking, and a couple of weekend trips. But in terms of photography it has mostly been casual snapping on trail or playing around with the Z fc in random places. That camera, by the way, is still a blast to shoot with. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to the adventures ahead in July and August (and beyond). I was struggling to think of what to write about this month, but I suppose one cool thing did happen… American Forests announced their Our Forests in Focus photo contest winners for 2024.

There is one hobby that occupies more of my time than photography: music. Specifically heavy metal, and all the subgenres under that umbrella. I’ve been fortunate enough to photograph and write about one of my favorite bands, In Flames, who I’ve been following for multiple decades now, numerous times. They returned to the United States for a headlining run in early May, and you bet I was there with my camera in hand.

I’m sure I’m not alone in this, but one of my struggles as a photographer is packing. While I’m not the biggest fan of “what’s in my bag” type posts - they can feel a little showoff-y to me at times - I do think it could be helpful to share some of the decisions I make when it comes to packing for more complex tips. So allow me to take a few minutes to share my process… and I’ll leave a paragraph or two to talk about the trip as well of course.

I’m drafting this post in the early afternoon of March 23, watching the snow continue to pile up outside my living room. We’re already over a foot and it looks like we’re not even at halftime. Winter has been weird, and this isn’t what I was planning to write about. Nope. Instead of this current scene I was supposed to be in Boston watching one of my favorite bands, Junius, play a one-off gig at Faces Brewing. Some musings on my love for music and concert photography would have followed. Well, I made the decision to move to the mountains, and for all the great things this beautiful environment offers, the reminders of the inconveniences of the more extreme weather come regularly. All good, we’ll just talk about something else!

It already feels like a lifetime ago. Regardless, I still want to take a few (or several) minutes to recap a great trip out to Utah at the end of 2023 - Time spent exploring the Zion National Park area for a handful of days, one of which was dedicated to Bryce Canyon. It wasn’t a trip I was anticipating all year, but as the cliché goes, when one door closes another one opens. Let me catch you up.

Now that we’re pretty well into the new year, with all the 2023 adventures officially in the rearview (and by that I mostly mean all photos are edited and published), I thought this would be an appropriate time to hammer the keyboard on this site for the first time.