Tyler Art School

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This morning, I popped into an abandoned art school a few minutes away from our house in Elkins Park. Stepping through a busted out window, and through a haze of buzzing flies, I was immediately glad that I’d at least packed my asbestos mask and flashlight; there was plenty of dust throughout the dimly lit and boarded up building. In search of an interesting scene, I climbed the dark staircases between the identical dorm room layouts on each of the four floors. I found myself wondering why this school closed down. The rooms were small, even by older standards. A set of twin beds, stand up closets & drawing desks with tilting desk tops, rounded out each room. I’d have loved to go to art school; I wish I did sometimes. A cafeteria & dining hall occupied the first floor. A lounge on the second floor held two pool tables and a foosball table. seemed like a nice set up. At age 43 this morning, I found myself standing in the damp darkness, huffing noisily through a sweaty asbestos mask and missing dorm life. ha!

When I got back to the house I was eager to process these images. Through a quick search of the Tyler Art School I gleaned that it was donated to Temple University in 1934 by the family of financier George Elkins. Temple recently sold the site to an International Evangelical organization, previously busted in an embezzlement scheme… woah!

1/80 Sec, at f/9.0, ISO 2000, 35mm using Fujifilm GFX 50sII

1.8 Sec at f/9.0, ISO 125, 35mm using Fujifilm GFX 50sII

1.1 Sec at f/7.1, ISO 1000, 35mm using Fujifilm GFX 50sII

1/13 Sec at f/10, ISO 1250, 35mm using Fujifilm GFX 50sII

1/13 Sec at f/9.0, ISO 2500, 35mm using Fujifilm GFX 50sII

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Looping the Loop Three

1/80 Sec at f/5.6, ISO 2500, 35mm using Fujifilm GFX 50sII

Looping the Loop Two

1/60 Sec at f/4.5, ISO 2000, 35mm using Fujifilm GFX 50sII

Looping the Loop One

1/125 Sec at f/4.5, ISO 2500, 35mm using Fujifilm GFX 50sII

Lush

1/17 Sec at f/5.0, ISO 500, 43.3mm using Fujifilm GFX 50sII

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1/40 Sec, at f/4.5, ISO 125, 35mm using Fujifilm GFX 50sII

1/500 Sec, at f/5.2, ISO 800, 53.6mm using Fujifilm GFX 50sII

1/3200 Sec, at f/6.4, ISO 500, 35mm using Fujifilm GFX 50sII

1/20 Sec at f/14, ISO 125, 35mm using Fujifilm GFX 50sII

And his name is Dax.

I’m a father! My son, Dax, is now just a little over 8 weeks old and I have finally found two precious seconds to sit down and get these thoughts out here at the blog. It has been quite a harsh reality check; being blessed with the responsibility for our beautiful baby’s life. I can’t say I mind taking care of little Dax at all. I have no problem changing his diaper, feeding him or getting up at night with him; I like making him comfortable. That’s the name of the game anyway: keep him comfortable and in doing so; healthy. But the reality check that I’m talking about, and which I wasn’t totally prepared for, was the sudden stoppage of all extracurricular activities. This all gets put on the back burner. And that’s fine, Dax is and should be the center of my focus, but let me just say this: I miss camping, wheeling the jeep, and am watching this hunting season already start to slip right by. - Toodaloo! It’s OK though. I’d much rather take care of my son and for now I’m content just imagining our future adventures in the wild when he’s old enough to come along with Daddy.

My son Dax

Dax, just a couple days old, at the Nockamixon Spillway.

Snowmotion

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A buddy dropped by Uplandphoto headquarters this weekend to show me the mods he’s done to his new Rubicon (soooo nice!). After jibber jabberin’ about all things jeep and how we both wish times were “normal” again, we decided to take the Jeeps out back, behind my house and play in the snow for a while.

The below short video was shot using my GoPro Hero 7, the footage was then transferred to my phone where I did all of the editing using the GoPro app. It was quick, easy and fun - Nice job GoPro!

Check out these bad Larries!

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I’m officially giving a shout-out to my girlfriend Monica for the excellent t-shirts she made for me a while ago. I just think they’re so cool! Thank you!

RIDE

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Got out and hit the dirt for a sweet ride the other evening. I intended to make a full riding video from the clips I was taking but after a while of setting up cameras and capturing footage, I realized that I just really needed to ride and save the idea of making a real riding video for another day. The conditions were perfect. Dusty, dry, single track, cool temps, bright sunlight… it was amazing and I was reminded of just how much I love mountain biking. Below are 52 seconds of my day.

Whiteface

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This past weekend I was lucky enough to spend a couple of nights in the Lake Placid area of the Adirondacks. A trip to the top of Whiteface Mountain yielded some decent photos but now I am really longing to go back for some sunrise images from this mountain top. It was a gorgeous weekend up in the ‘Dax though, and the leaves have already started to change.

35mm, 1/640 second @ f/8, ISO 250

Around the campfire, I tried my hand at astrophotography as well. My exposures were a little too long and so the stars are not crisp and sharp in the image, but I think that the vibe relates to the viewer well enough. Pass the marshmallows.

16mm, 20 seconds @ f/4, ISO 250

Episode 1

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It’s been a long time since I put out a wheeling video. I’m relatively happy with this one, however I’m still working on my game. I really need to plan out my story line before I start capturing footage. What I’m talking about is the need for each video to have three intentional parts: 1) a beginning, 2) a middle/challenge and 3) an ending/resolution. This keeps the viewer’s attention and is just more satisfying. Interesting perspectives, camera angles and B-roll sequences make the film even better, but if you haven’t got a basic story line, the video doesn’t really go anywhere and just ends up being a series of unrelated clips. I’m gettin’ there. Another thing that I really need to do is to start using my DSLR. I have an amazing Sony A7 III that I use primarily for stills. This camera performs exceptionally for film making and I just need to start using it. GoPros are great; they’re handy, simple, easy to use and can be mounted virtually anywhere, but their fixed focal lengths don’t allow for creative control and filming at shallow depths of field with that nice buttery bokeh.

Nevertheless; I give you my most recent wheeling video. And with it comes my venture into episodic pieces on my YouTube channel. Although this isn’t my first video, I’m calling it Episode 1 and hopefully there will be many more to follow. Enjoy!

Create

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One thing that keeps me sane and gives me a lot of enjoyment is creating. It could be anything: creating a dish, creating a video, a poem, a friendship… creating an adventure. Creativity makes life interesting and in my opinion, keeps it fulfilling. You grow when you create and when others appreciate what you create; they grow as well. Just pop over to Instagram or Pinterest for some serious growth opportunity!

Sometimes I get a little bummed out if it’s been a while and I’ve been stuck in a creative rut. When this happens I break out the phone and start shooting whatever is around me. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: iMovie (On everyone’s iPhone) is an amazing little application that is both incredibly underrated and underutilized. Anyone can use it; it’s simple. Below are a few examples of short, fun sequences I’ve put together using only my iPhone. Give it a try sometime. You’ll thank me later!

Golden hour... in the skies.

Ba-gaaaawwwwk!

A rainy day at the office.

Catbird

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Sometimes pulling myself out of a rut is damned near impossible. But, you have to push yourself and make it happen - be that change. Creatively speaking; I’ve been stuck in a rut for quite some time now. No vids, no photos; no bueno. So, I’m forcing myself to post a photo each day until I’ve sufficiently slapped creativity back into myself. Here’s one for today. A catbird perched among a boundless, infinite freedom.

Sony 35mm, f/5.6 @ 1/2500 sec.

The Mountain Man

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A few years ago, my father handed me this poem that I’d written back in 1995 for my 10th grade English class. I’d completely forgotten about it. I get a kick out of the lines that my 16 year old self had painstakingly typed, using my sister Peggy’s fancy word processor. It doesn’t quite have a steady rhythm to it, and I think I could have done a lot better if I’d taken my time (As with all of my homework assignments back then). But I do remember being excited about the assignment and wanting Mrs. Adams to read this masterpiece to the classroom aloud. Anonymously of course… but I wanted her to read it!

Today I thought I’d take another go at the assignment. I mean, sure I got an 89% on this piece but I thought I could do better. Here’s how the 2020 version of this piece reads. Revision B if you will:

I’m setting out into the North,
to live among the wild,
Where nature’s pure tranquility,
shall never be defiled.

No hatred lives within those woods,
and home for me will be,
Hewn from log and shaped from stone,
to stand so solemnly.

There I’ll live in peace so free
where anger has no place,
Along the wooded sunlit slope
of a mountain’s western face.

I’ll watch the evening light retreat
as plum and rose skies fade,
within the comfort of my home,
my own two hands had made.

The moon above will light the sky
and though my eyes will close,
I’ll see in dreams my dearest friends
who give my heart repose.

I’ll join the ranks of men alike
who’ve soothed their troubled minds,
And be another Mountain Man
who slept beneath the pines.

Independence Day 2020

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Happy 4th of July folks. I hope you’re all celebrating our nation’s 244th birthday with great pride. Despite some of our recent, less than stellar actions as a nation, I will forever love our country. I’ve been all over the world; broke bread with strangers in foreign countries, experienced their cultures and observed their policies, yet no country will ever compare to ours. We are free. Truly free. Do not take it for granted.

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything on the ol’ bloggy-blog. Time for an update eh? Generally speaking all is well. I’ve adapted to pandemic life (What were my options again?) and last week was my first week back in the office since March 13th (A Friday, which I find apropos by the way). Upper Management is bringing the rest of our folks back into the office this week, as safely as possible, and there are quite a few changes that have been well thought out. I feel perfectly comfortable being there; I’m looking out for number one and remain diligent with safe practices.

I’ve been on a real health kick lately, riding road and dirt and changing up my diet for the better. It feels good. I feel good. I’ve dropped about 20lbs in the last few weeks. Now its time to add in some muscle. It’s been great to be back in the saddle enjoying the trails but It’s just not as fun when you haven’t got the stamina to ride as long as you’d like, nor the strength to ride as fast as you’d like. It’s coming though. Baby steps.

I haven’t been making videos lately and that’s due mainly to the restrictions on travel we’ve all been experiencing. Well, that and work being busier than ever. But I did get out on the trails today and made a short video using my phone, just for funsies. Nothing special, just fun. I’ll never get over how easy it is to make a short video right on your iPhone. The below video was shot, edited and published to the web, entirely with the iPhone - so cool.


The Pandemic

Well, I really didn’t want to post about this pandemic that we are all fighting through. It’s just a big downer. But this pandemic is a big deal. It has upturned so many lives. Changed them. Taken them. It’s changed how we interact now, and how we’ll interact in the future. I am grateful to have a job that is somewhat insulated from the effects of the pandemic. I have been working remotely since mid-March and do not take it for granted; I’m one of the lucky ones. It is not the same for others. Small business owners and those living paycheck to paycheck, supporting their families are getting hit the hardest and they remain in my thoughts. Now is the time to be especially kind. Show compassion for others out there. As cliché as it sounds; we really are all in this together. Be smart. Wear your masks. Wash your hands. And for goodness sake, love each other.

I think that this pandemic is especially hard for anyone who is always on the move, doing things, going places, exploring… It’s no good for me I tell ya. But, I’ve been very diligent about my isolation, distancing and general safe practices. I hope all of you are as well.

Before all hell broke loose in PA, my buddy John and I got one last wheeling trip in, up at Rausch Creek Offroad Park. I hadn’t planned on making a full video out of the trip, because I’d just been there so recently. The goal was to grab some B roll to play with and hopefully turn into a short introduction video for my YouTube channel. Welp, with all this time on my hands I decided to force it into a video. I hope you enjoy.