This winter was a longer season of change, given the rate of new experiences, new friends, and near constant growth.
A day after the wedding, Brendan and I drove down to Logan, Utah, to offer our creative services to the Utah Rivers Council. There, we documented Temple Fork, an area of the river that is under review to become a dam. The URC is fighting to preserve this part of the river, as it feeds into the already dwindling Salt Lakes. Back in the wilderness, we shared two days with a camp of hunters, their nearby echoing shots reminding us we weren't entirely alone.
We captured images of another area, a Boy Scout camp next to the Bear River, that is under similar scrutiny. There is an old wooden bridge that crosses the river to get to the camp, which I unfortunately did not photograph (damnit, Caryn). We made friends with a ranch dog that ran across a field, seemingly from the ether, to greet us. She would drop a stick at our feet and wait patiently for us to toss it for her, though this proved to be difficult with cameras in hand. She didn't seem to understand that we weren't also dogs.
After a couple nights in Logan - a sleepy, picturesque, Mormon-haven in the mountains, we made our way to the mosquito conference that is the Bear River Bird Migratory Refuge. It is a wide, oblong valley patterned by channels of water. Aptly named, birds on their way across the world use this as a rest stop, and boy they sure do have a fully stocked insect vending machine. We were wholly unprepared for the onslaught of bugs (duh, Caryn), fleeing for the car when we realized our pants were no longer visible under the sea of legs. We found a Walmart and bought face suits, gloves, and intense repellents. With our newly adorned protective gear, we were able to tackle the marsh roads and take some unique images of the plains. Unfortunately, there were few birds for us to photograph - perhaps they were already back on the road to their winter home.
We then drove through Utah and Nevada to head back to San Diego, where we would be temporarily moving some of our stuff up to Berkeley for a few months. We stopped at the Bonneville Salt Flats off the 80 and stood in awe at the ~3-4 inches of water gently waving in the simple breeze. A woman walked out, seemingly walking on water, and I regret not also doing so.
After a jaunt with a rental van up the 5, we were back in the Bay for a few months. In Berkeley, we are working on documentary videos to assist in the reduction of cannabis stigma, as well as a few other amazing projects, like a practical-effect influenced music video for our good friend and incredible artist, Graffick. We are planning a trip to Death Valley for the shoot and absolutely cannot wait to show everyone the final product. We are really giving it our all.
I'm enjoying the proximity to the redwood forest. Less than 10 miles away is a deep forest of ancient trees, ferns, and streams with endless trails to lose myself on. I love the damp darkness of the forest floor... knowing that I'm only one gnarly hill away from views of the city to the West and Mt. Diablo to the East.
We're excited to move back to San Diego very soon, while making regular trips to the Bay for our documentary work.
In order of appearance: Idaho & Idaho wedding photos, Utah photos, and a few from our return to California.
Next post will be coverage of our expedition to Ojai to photograph landscape for the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, and some images from our oddly luxurious trip to San Diego for work with CV Sciences!
Hugs.
