talking w a friend that recently that relocated to berlin from elsewhere in germany + he passed along a few images + thoughts that got me thinking. to hear the inspiration that he’s found is one thing but to see it in snapshots is entirely another. having moved recently myself in a big way i can only second the notion that you really need to be around what you need, what you want to do. if that’s in the city so be it. if it’s in the country, good for you. if it’s on a far off mtn peak, even better.

not to say there aren’t good people + great ideas everywhere but your access to them or ability to relate to them does change with the environment around you. try it, you’ll see.

here’s a handful from the relatively new ‘hood.

have always had a fascination with this stuff. ripley’s believe it or not museum, that’s incredible, the guiness book of world records, mc escher. it all fits with me. as i dove deeper + deeper into photography i was always intrigued by the curiosities that i could discover. partly due to luck + partly due to a ton of time outside, particularly up in the mountains, shooting in the early am + late pm, i’ve been fortunate to have witnessed a few of my favorites.

spectre of the brocken

This 200 foot high shadow figure lurking about the misty mountaintops goes by various names, mountain specter for instance, in China it is called Buddha’s Light, and one would assume that somewhere, at some time, it must be have been called something along the lines of “The Holy Crapuolossus: Bowel Evacuator.” It is best known, however, as the Brockengespenst or Brocken Spectre, owing to the ideal conditions at The Brocken, a peak in the Harz Mountains in northern Germany, for its sudden appearance.

first saw this in a galen rowell book as he has a stunning example, one of the best i’ve ever seen. long documented by alpine climbers + explorers it essentially involves having the sun directly behind you + (this is the hard part) being above the clouds or something for a shadow to be cast upon, ie, steam, fog, etc. this is from early summer in the bridger range in south central montana.

fata morgana
if you’ve ever seen this it’s like seeing the aurora borealis for the first time, you never forget it. this is crazy science, especially if you’re riding a chairlift up a hill you know well + BAM, there’s everything upside down. without getting into the physics it’s a complex mirage formed by light bending through layers of very different temperature air, ie, super cold air in the alpine. here’s a great shot of the cabinet mtns in the northern montana rockies looking like something out of southern utah.

rolling shutter
seeing this all the time now thanks to the prevelence of camera phones (also with video – totally reminds me of a miyazaki movie). in a nutshell, most phone image scanners go from top left to bottom right so moving objects lean to the left. i’m not sure but i think that also why there’s the difference between the vertical shot running the prop vert while the horizontal shot runs it horizontal. essentially any electronic shutter camera, ie, not an slr like mechanical shutter, will produce this effect.

ton more out there too. this video from a merrell project a few years ago by our friends @ cabin46 has a slick little ditty @ 1:28.

great week of work leading a pro studies class for the 3rd year in a row with rmsp. fantastic students – expecting big things from everyone. thanks for a great effort, exciting weather + all the inspiration.

good to be home + out on the streets late.

the moving process is off to a slow but steady start. going through the old files for a few reasons, namely to get 4×6 prints out to the good folk who’ve come this far with me. the adventures have been far + wide over the last 12 years based here in the rockies.

as i come across the gems i’ll post a few here. here’s ex pro mtn biker + all around hard charging nice guy pete. much thanks for all the dirt, sweat + blood over the years pete.