Monday, March 31, 2014

Orchestra Northern Arizona (take 1)

I haven't photographed an orchestra in a *really* long time.

Got the opportunity to shoot Flagstaff's community orchestra - Orchestra Northern Arizona - and did some quick edits this morning.

Shot these at thermonuclear ISO levels in the dark. Having a rough time getting rid of the noise. My default solution of just dropping them into black and white doesn't work so well when the client wants color images...

Work in progress, for now.





















Random FJ shots...

Took these a week or two ago. Naturally they aren't of my vehicle...




Sunday, March 16, 2014

2013 Tundra Build


Phase one: Basic camping layout and aesthetic changes
  • Daystar leveling kit
  • 275/70/18 Goodyear Wrangler mud tires
  • 18" Fuel Wheels

Phase Two: Camping Additions
  • Flippac 
  • Dual Battery 
  • Custom Built storage compartments
  • Fender Flares
  • Rotopax
With the phase two modifications installed, and the hoard of camping equipment that I accumulated over ten years of camping and wheeling, we were ready to start our trials at family camping.

The inaugural camping "trip" was taken (as I suspect many are) in our very own backyard in late summer. We have since taken the Tundra to Grand Canyon (Havasupai Point), New Mexico (Escalante Staircase), Lake Powell (Warm Creek Bay), and Moab. It is still our daily driver, too. So far, most of our trips have been "primitive" camping, with no access to water or facilities. We initially dreaded the bathroom situation, but teaching our four-year-old to use the luggable loo was surprisingly easy!

So far, we love it! Phase three is up next and will include bumpers and winch, suspension upgrade, water tank install, exterior lighting, and some kind of awning.


















Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Joshua Tree National Park: Guys Trip

A spur-of-the-moment trip to Joshua Tree National Park - the first of all three of us. We left around 11pm from Flag and drove into the park around 4am. 

We ended up spending most of our time in the "wilderness" area, rather than the touristy part of the park. More off-roading there and fewer people. Plus, camping in the BLM land is free!