Exploring Western Texas

A few miles added to the odometer, a few photos taken, a few showers neglected, lots of great conversations, and my whirlwind of a 5-day trip around western Texas has come to an end. I intentionally set off with very few plans for my journey, other than spending a couple nights in Big Bend National Park. After two days of pleasant camping in unfortunately dreary, overcast weather, I ventured out of the park and up to the charming towns of Alpine and Marfa.

Luckily, I stumbled upon El Cosmico in Marfa, where I made camp for the next few days. El Cosmico is a funky place, oddly similar in vibe to many of the hostels I've stayed at around Europe. They offer a range of accommodations, including teepees, vintage RVs, and safari tents with heated mattresses and chandeliers, to name a few. I went the more basic (and cheap) route and popped up my own tent.

It's difficult to comprehend the sense of space you're confronted with out here. There's so much emptiness surrounding you all the time. In combination with the crisp light, desert textures, and earthy colors, this part of the world really is quite impressive. It's no wonder so many artists and art lovers end up out here. After trying my hand at shooting landscapes, it was a welcome change to make it into the towns and shoot some portraits. It only took a few short days in Marfa to start seeing familiar faces and remembering names. Although this was my first time out to western Texas, it certainly won't be my last. I hope you enjoy the photos from my journey.

Sunrise from the Lost Mine Trail. Big Bend National Park, TX

Sunrise from the Lost Mine Trail. Big Bend National Park, TX

Santa Elena Canyon. Big Bend National Park, TX

Rio Grande Observation Point. Big Bend National Park, TX

Hot springs. Big Bend National Park, TX

Rusty's Jeep. Alpine, TX

Food Shark. Marfa, TX

Travis and Lauren, with their traveling Airstream shop, Small Room Collective while stopped at El Cosmico. Marfa, TX. http://smallroomcollective.com

George, Travis, and Lauren. Truly wonderful, kind people (and dog). Marfa, TX

One of the RVs available to rent for the night at El Cosmico. Marfa, TX

George, keeping a watchful eye over El Cosmico. Marfa, TX

Brian, a Canadian photographer on vacation with two other fellow Candians who made the trek via car. Marfa, TX

Ranger, foster dog. Marfa, TX

Sally, one of the friendly El Cosmico employees. Marfa, TX

At El Cosmico. Marfa, TX

Chandler, bike mechanic for one of the cross-country cycling trips that stopped at El Cosmico for a night. Marfa, TX

The Chinati Foundation. Marfa, TX

The Chinati Foundation. Marfa, TX

Ty, owner of the Lost Horse Saloon. Marfa, TX

At El Cosmico. Marfa, TX

Jim, professional pianist and piano teacher visiting from California. Marfa, TX

Small Room Collective at El Cosmico. Marfa, TX

Technicolor Hearts. They put on an awesome, intimate concert my last evening at El Cosmico. Marfa, TX

Jeff, an American cyclist riding from El Paso to Austin during his time off from leading cycling tours in France. Marfa, TX

Prada Marfa. Valentine, TX

Scouting the Kimbell

It's often advantageous to have friends that are also photographers. This is especially the case when going on location scouts. It offers a chance to practice lighting, composition, and photographic ideas without the added pressure of being with a paying client. Today I met up with Scott, a very talented photographer, at the Kimbell Art Museum to shoot some photos and enjoy the wonderful art collection they have.
I tend to get to the Kimbell every few months to spend some time looking at the art, but it was a completely different experience going today with the intention of creating photographs. The beauty of the gallery itself, its lines and curves, and the way it renders light was a lot of fun to experiment with.

Alex

Yesterday, I got to enjoy the wonderful Texas weather we've been having by meeting up with Alex to shoot some portraits for his website. He is currently a journalism student, about to graduate from TCU. We wandered around the TCU campus to find some fun spots to shoot, though Moudy (the college of communication building, for those who don't know) was creating some fun light to shoot in during the early evening. Keep an eye out for him on your TV sets, people.

Buster

This is Buster. He's a soft-spoken, resourceful, subtly witty, gentle-natured but tough man who hangs around Magnolia in the Near Southside part of Fort Worth. I met Buster last year during a stint working with the great people of Schaefer Advertising Co. Buster tends to stick around near the Schaefer office on Magnolia and the good folks at Schaefer have welcomed him into their family.

Buster is the type of guy you can sit down next to and have a long conversation about pretty much anything. Inevitably, the conversation journeys through Buster's past experiences in a series of often surprising, novel-worthy stories (check out the January, 1970 edition of National Geographic for a shot of him in an Igloo he built). Every time I talk to Buster, I feel like I'm talking to family. He speaks with a respect, familiarity, and bluntness that seems to come naturally to people I've met who have lived on the streets. I managed to stumble across him close to the sunset last night when the light was getting nice and he (with a quick, indifferent shrug) voluntarily let me shoot a couple portraits.

Colorado: Portraits at the Cabin

Here's a little series of photos from my recent Colorado trip that shows what you get when you mix a summery outfit with snow and temperatures that a Texan only sees on the news. I got to drive with my friend Morgan and her Great Dane, Monty, up to her family's cabin in the mountains near Winter Park. The cabin is on a huge plot of beautiful land with a view you could never get tired of. Despite the cold and the issue of walking (falling) around the property on snowshoes, I had a great time shooting in the snow and relaxing in the mountains. 

And no surprise, Morgan was stunningly glamorous as usual. The radioactive pink ombre hair doesn't change that a bit. Nor does the fact that, incredibly, she's actually wearing skis in the outdoor photos.

Colorado: Sunrise

I managed to wake up just in time to witness a beautiful sunrise while with a friend at her cabin near Winter Park, Colorado. Some fun portraits to come soon from my time in the snow.

Israel: Jerusalem, part II

After Tel Aviv, I had a choice. Do I go see Haifa? Maybe Bethlehem or Nazareth? Journey into Jordan to see Petra? I purposely hadn't planned ahead because I wanted the freedom to spend my last days in Israel in a meaningful place. Fortunately, there wasn't any debating necessary. 

Back to Jerusalem.

The Old City provided me the solitude and atmosphere to begin processing the tour of Israel. Potentially even more importantly for me, it offered a chance to take out my camera, slow down, and go at my own pace for a couple of days. No racing around. No being told (albeit with a smile) to hurry up. After seeing so many missed photographic opportunities while traveling on the tight schedule of an organized trip, a little free time was desperately needed.

It's difficult for me to describe the draw of Jerusalem's Old City. You can find yourself greeted with "Shalom," "Salaam," or simply "Hello" depending on which crowded, cobbled corner you stumble around. It's fascinating and mystifying, ancient and beautiful, welcoming and joyful, but also tense and tired. No matter where you are in the city, if you stop and look around, there's a good chance you'll be able to spot at least one young Israel Defense Force soldier with an automatic rifle.

I reserved a couple nights at Abraham Hostel, which I found simply by chance after talking with a young woman on the late-night sharut (shared taxi) from Tel Aviv who happened to know where I was going (I certainly didn't). At the hostel, I had a series of thought-provoking long conversations with a German woman; we worked together to try to get our heads wrapped around the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. I also had a chance to spend quite a bit of time traversing the narrow streets and talking with a kind, intellectual New Zealander who also loves photography and, unlike me, speaks Arabic (Sophie's the one below with the backpack). I spoke with Don for about an hour one morning (he's the third photo down, the one with a beard), an American Christian who made a pilgrimage to Israel a little over a decade ago and now lives on the streets of Jerusalem. He comes from Hollywood and referenced a '70s or '80s movie just about every time he would make a point about something ("It's like that Marlon Brando movie. What was it called..?"). I visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, got violently shouted at by a child eating chips after taking a photo of him, and made friends with the proprietors of a small cookie shop in the Muslim Quarter (second to bottom photo). 

These last few days in the country were personally revealing and emotional for me. I tend to be unsettled in many ways. Friends joke that I'm a traveler, a man without a nation. There are not very many cities in the world where I feel a tactile connection between my identity and a location, but Jerusalem is one of those places. I'm not sure I could ever see myself living in Jerusalem, but it does feel, in a small way, like home. 

Hostel: Overstay Tel Aviv

Valentine's Day Shabbat Speed Dating Party. An odd combination, but that's exactly what I encountered on February 14th upon reaching the first hostel of my post-Taglit stay in Israel. Needless to say, it was a lot of fun. A group of the Taglits came for one night at one of the most lively, artsy, community-oriented hostels I've ever stayed at. The volunteers who worked there during my stay were wonderful and welcoming.

Shabbat dinner was attended, to my surprise, mostly by non-Jews. There was a genuine interest from both guests and volunteers in learning about and taking part in the tradition and communion of the Shabbat dinner.

Our speed dating experience took place in their "Green Room," which seemed to be a converted soundstage in the basement with a giant green screen taking up one of the walls. Now used as a hangout area and screening/projector room, it contained us as we took turns drawing portraits of one another on our "dates." The artwork is undoubtably gallery-worthy and can be seen below.

If you find yourself in Tel Aviv or Jaffa, I highly recommend this place. It's inexpensive and you'll certainly have some great conversations with fellow travelers. In true artistic form, there are no signs on the building, so navigating there can be a bit of a challenge. When you find it, however, you're sure to get a warm welcome.

The Proposal: Spencer and Sarah

Very few things are more exciting to photograph than a proposal. Add to that a ranch, lots of horses, the sounds of nature, and a setting sun, and you pretty much have the most incredible setting ever for a proposal. I had the recent chance to photograph Spencer and Sarah, newly engaged as of last night. If I could just shoot evenings like this every day, I would would be thrilled. My hope is that these photos transport you and convey the joy, love, and beauty of this moment. Thank you, Spencer, for having me there to capture the moment (and thank you Sarah, even though you had no idea I was there). It was truly an honor and I wish you both the very best in this next chapter.

Israel: Tel Aviv and Jaffa

The majority of the time I spent in Tel Aviv was in the older area of Jaffa. It has great charm and I enjoyed wandering the markets. I had some incredible conversations with fellow travelers, met wonderful people, spent tons of time people watching, and of course ate amazing food. As this was our final night as a tour group, we all watched a beautiful sunset together over the port of Jaffa before closing out an incredible trip.

Israel: The Dead Sea

Israel: Masada Sunrise

Israel: The Negev

The Negev is a very enjoyable place, apart from the camels. The camel ride was the one portion of the Birthright trip that I was not looking forward to – and it was pretty much exactly as I anticipated. That said, the rest of our journey in the south was lovely.

Our visit to a goat cheese farm and a beautiful canyon hike more than made up for the discomfort of our morning ride. Our accommodation for one of the nights was in a Bedouin tent and the food was unbelievable (yes, there was hummus).

Israel: Jerusalem, part I

My personal journey in Israel truly started during our time in Jerusalem. Our fantastic tour guide, Dror, facilitated a very meaningful entrance into the city at sunset with a beautiful view of the city (you can make out the dome of the rock at the left hand side of the first photo). As the spiritual center of the Jewish people, Dror welcomed each of us home before we entered the city.

Our journey within the city took us to the Western Wall, where I placed a note within the cracks of the sacred stones. We toured the old city markets, as well as the Mahane Yehuda market. After photographing an Israel Defense Force soldier, he freely offered up his loaded rifle for me to hold (see below shots of IDF soldier and of Dave with gun). We had the incredibly sobering experience of visiting Yad Vashem, the holocaust museum. We also journeyed to Mount Herzl where we saw the graves of soldiers who have perished in war, some of whom were younger than I am.

I stumbled across the "Jerusalem skate scene" and spent some time watching and photographing some of the skateboarders. I was also able to check smoking hookah in Israel off my list during my stay.

One of the great joys for me in exploring new cities is getting to approach and speak with people in the public spaces. You'll see some of these faces in the below photographs (in addition to many photographs of my Taglit peers). All of these individuals agreed to have their portraits taken.

Israel: Tzfat

Tzfat is northwest of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), and we were told it is the historical home of Jewish mysticism. It is considered one of the most holy cities in Israel, and is the highest city in elevation. 

We were only in the city for a short period of time, but it felt to me like a relatively normal, somewhat commercialized, small village on a hill. I didn't personally pick up on any differences in the religiosity of people compared to other Israeli cities, though it was certainly overwhelmingly Orthodox. We walked the streets, met some schoolchildren working on a project, learned about Kabbalah, and visited the city's famous candle store before climbing back on our bus and heading south.

Israel: The North

The next few blog posts will center around the amazing journey to Israel from which I just returned. For those of you who don't know, I had the unfathomable opportunity to go on a paid-in-full trip through Taglit Birthright via the Israel Outdoors trip organizer (Google it if you are unfamiliar).

Our journey started in the northern part of Israel, around the Sea of Galilee. We stayed in a Kibbutz to the east of the sea, hiked in the Banias, and ventured up to the fortified northern border that overlooks Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon.

Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo Portraits

Today, I went to shoot some portraits at the Fort Worth Stock Show. This was the first time I've made it to the show in all the years I've been here in Fort Worth. Needless to say, it was great to walk through the stalls and meet some people that work in the business. These are just a few from the day that I particularly liked.

It's been quite a while since my last blog post. I've been away from my camera for about a year now working in other fields, but I'm excited to get back into shooting.  I'm currently gearing up for a trip to Israel so stick around for photos from my upcoming adventure.