Hot Take: My 2015 Ricoh GR II is Better Than My 2024 Fujifilm X100VI

If you’ve talked to me recently you would know I’ve moved away from the large DSLR and multiple lenses for smaller every day carry cameras. Specifically the ‘large sensor’ non-interchangeable cameras like the Fuji X100 and the Ricoh GR series. These days there are plenty even more premium options out there like the Sony RX1 or the holy grail, in my opinion, the Leica Q series. Fujifilm is so invested in these types of cameras they made a pretty niche 100MP medium format ‘compact’ non-interchangeable lense camera. I’ve been lucky enough to have owned a couple of these cameras over the years both old and new models even before they were ‘popular’. What got me hooked initially was my trusty X100s that just blew my mind at the time. Small, fit in the pocket sized camera with just as good - if not better - image quality then my Canon 7D Mark II DSLR.

However these days there is one camera that stands out among the rest as the most popular. Whether it’s tik tok that made it famous or people are finally catching onto these cameras being great every day options - I had to wait 9 months for mine to come after pre-ordering it 2 hours after launch. This is of course the Fujifilm X100VI which had all the features I wished my X100s had. Unfortunately my X100s died before the new one came and I wasn’t about to go without a camera. With even the X100s going for >$600 to replace (bought mine used for $350 before it was ‘cool’) I knew I needed to look elsewhere and ended up with the Fuji’s printer company cousin, the Ricoh GRII.

If you aren’t desperately searching the web for the best compact cameras in a feverish withdraw after the premature demise of your x100s then you may not have heard of the Ricoh GR series. Or at least haven’t shot one. If you are much older than me you might remember Ricoh as one of the digital camera leaders for many years. They even had a premium 35mm film GR series which are sought after even to this day. But if you’re unfamiliar with Ricoh as a brand I highly recommend you look into them. While it may look like your mom’s Canon SureShot from back in the day (but in black) it has an APS-C sensor without an anti-aliasing filter and a super sharp 28MM 2.8 lens in a formfactor that the fuji can only dream of.

Before I start my comparison I will say comparing Fuji’s flag ship compact camera to a 20 year old Ricoh may sound unfair, and it is, but I can tell you right now the only camera I dearly missed in Paris was my old Ricoh.

Before I tell you which camera the images from above came from (guess was it from the 2015 Ricoh or the 2024 Fuji?) I will try to communicate why the Ricoh has won me over. It may be cliche to say ‘The best camera is the one you have with you’, but this is entirely true and if you don’t understand this simple concept then this blog may not be for you. Over my years of taking images and even sometimes being paid for it I have learned that half the battle is just getting a camera to the place where you want to shoot. Sometimes that means buying a $400 camera bag so you can lug your camera and three lenses up a skin track in -10F for sunrise. Was it more expensive than the lens you have on your camera, yes, but would you have gotten that picture without it, probably not. Sometimes it means you ditch the DSLR brick for something smaller like I did.

“The best camera is the one you have with you.”

— Jase Charvis

For me the Ricoh was the perfect camera I heard of but never tired thinking I had already found the holy grail of compact cameras in the X100 series. Why try something else? It doesn’t even look cool… But as I started using the camera there were some not so obvious benefits:

1. Fit in your pocket small, looks like a thrift store bargain: It might be a little harsh to say it looks like a camera that came from the thrift store or how it resembles your mom’s point and shoot. But while it’s tiny size and generic black styling may not win it any prizes, it signifcantly changes the way your environment interacts with you. The trouble with a big DSLR or a recognizable Fuji X100 is people perceive you as a photographer and often changes the way subject act in front of you in response. When I shoot with the Ricoh I’m not sure people take me seriously and for someone who gets nervous getting up close or being where the action is, this is a huge win. Oh and by the way this camera is tiny compared to the Fuji which is already small, it is actually pocket sized due to the lens retracting into the body unlike other models.

2. Image quality with a wide perspective: Yes you heard me, I’m saying the 16.2 megapixel image from the Ricoh compares well to the 40 megapixel Fuji X100VI. You can tell me I’m crazy but it is hard to argue if you have ever shot this camera and saw their files. Between the excellent 28mm equivalent lens, no anti-aliasing filter, and traditional Bayer sensor/processing on the Ricoh it really holds up well. Don’y shoot over 400 ISO and it would be hard to tell a difference. For me the big standout is the wider perspective of the lens, this alone makes it worth keeping around. The 28mm focal length compared to the 35mm of the Fuji makes a huge difference.

3. Slow autofocus, tiny batteries, low-resolution screen, and no cropping: Ok hard take round II, this camera does have terrible 2015 performing contrast only autofocus, a screen that’s just barely usable, tiny batteries that don’t last long - especially in the cold, not so good high ISO performance, and a slower lens. Not a great camera to crop with. But all of these quirks make it a perfect tool for real image making, hear me out. When constraints are applied to any tool it forces you to think differently, plan ahead, and be more purposeful. This for me is really the best thing about the Ricoh is it’s not perfect and thats ok (sometimes preferred even).

If you want to know more about the Fuji X100VI there is plenty of information out there on the web so I won’t spend too much time defending it here because it is of course and exceptional camera. The stand out features for me (especially if compared to my old X100s) is the usb charging, in-body stabilization, and weather sealing. These were the three reasons I decided upgraded to the newest model (and that the old one died on me, RIP guy). Of course it also has really good AF, a much sharper lens, great EFV, with higher resolution and better ISO performance. All of these features were enough for me to buy this camera new, the first new camera I have ever bought. It’s truly an amazing camera, one that I will likely never give up.

At the end of the day I’m not saying that the Ricoh is actually better than the Fuji. Only that it holds up with the rest and that if I got rid of either camera there would be a huge hole in my lineup. Different cameras for different uses but both amazing at what they do and how how I use them.

The reason I actually decided to write this up was that I recently thought about buying the new Ricoh GR IV. It has all the features of the new Fuji but with the same formfactor. Whether or not I go for the new version I thought I’d share why I love the old one so much and why it’s stayed around despite the Fuji being my main camera now.

Hopefully this is interesting to folks out there and if you ever have questions feel free to reach out!

Oh and the first gallery of images is from the Ricoh GR II and the second is the Fujifilm X100VI.

Paris in B&W - Spring 2025

Don’t ask me why it took so long to get pictures from Paris on my blog. Couldn’t tell you. Maybe it’s my creative rut screaming at me saying they’re not good enough to share. Or maybe I’m protective of these memories and I don’t know why anyone would be interested to see them. It could be a lot of things to be honest. But here it goes, or at least for some select black and white pictures I took along the way.

I generally try to arrange and design the way images are placed on my blogs. This usually helps me tell a story and take you along with me as I take pictures and try to describe what is happening as it happens. But this time it just didn’t feel possible. So my approach for this set of images is to just dump them in front of the viewer and hope they see and appreciate these like I do. This first set are from our day-time adventures around the city.

This next section is bit more ‘experimental’ as I don’t usually shoot in the extremely wide aspect ratio of 1:2.7 (same as the X-Pan if you know what that is) very often. But when you are in a city full of life happening around you, especially when that life and sound and smell is not familiar to you; being able to show that you are just one small participant in a cacophony of noise seemed fitting. I don’t know maybe it is silly but I find that I focus on the details of an image differently when my eyes swipe horizontally from left to right and back again. It’s something that I need to remember if I ever make it back to Delhi.

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The next section of images may be my favorite out the bunch. Black and white at night just never seems like something you do. Not sure where this rather unhelpful whisper of wisdom came from but I’m glad I ignored it on this trip. Between the dark crushed shadows that dissolve to black and the soft bloomy highlights these images just feel different. Something I hope to explore more and maybe even on film (I need to do something with the rest of my 120 Tri-X).

Ok I promise more images from Paris are on the way. Maybe in the from of more unarticulated photo dumps, but more pictures all the same.

For the people interested in my process I can share that this group of images is a mix of film and digital (can you figure out which are which? One is easy to spot but the others might be a little harder). Being that we flew over an ocean for this trip I had to keep the kit pretty small. I brought my Olympus XA3 for no thinking on the go pictures, my dad’s old Nikon FM which goes on every trip, and the trusty (ok heavey) Pentax 67 because I said ‘small’ kit right. And of course for digital I had only the trusty Fujifilm X100VI with a 1/8 Black Pro-Mist filter. What I ended up doing was first developed my B&W film and then did my best to match that look with my digital files in post afterwords. Some people may say it’s super lame to edit digital to look like film and I generally agree. But for B&W I always up the contrast and dodge and burn like an unhinged Ansel Adams making a darkroom print for someone he doesn’t actually like so adding grain and killing sharpness just feels right.

For the film I used Kentmere 400 shot at 800 ISO and push processed using Rodinal in a 1:50 dilution (yes that is 19 minute dev time, no I don’t care because I’m cheap… like really cheap). This combination is starting to be one of my favorites for the blocky grain, great tonality, and flexibility of higher sensitivity. Plus if you haven’t tried push processing Kentmere you are really missing out! I’ve also started camera scanning my film using a Pentax K1 II and a native 100mm F2.8 lens which is giving me some great results. I’ll likely post a deep dive on my film process very soon.

Some Crunchy B&W

Same day as the image above. If I remember correctly there was so much snow that it started building up on me and by the time I got back to the shop I looked more like a snoe pile then a person. [Olympus Stylus 150, Kentmere 400, +1 push development in Rodinal, Scanned w/ Pentax K1II & Pentax K 100mm F2.8]

Well it was that time of year again. The time of year where you pull out your bag of shot film and realize it’s taking up more space in the freezer then a 12 pack of Costco ciabatta rolls - not ideal.

So after many hours developing and scanning and editing I now have another ~100 or so pictures to share. Starting with this first set from this past winter when it actually snowed.

Totally obsessed with crunchy grain and big snows. Definitely will be doing more of this.

Nothing like an evening snow with the boys. [Olympus Stylus 150, Kentmere 400, +1 push development in Rodinal, Scanned w/ Pentax K1II & Pentax K 100mm F2.8]

On my way down the alley to get to my morning meeting at the library. [Olympus XA3, Kentmere 400, developed @800 in Rodinal, scanned w/ Pentax K1II & Pentax K 100mm F2.8]

The Oak. [Olympus Stylus 150, Kentmere 400, +1 push development in Rodinal, Scanned w/ Pentax K1II & Pentax K 100mm F2.8]

I took this a couple days before leaving back to STL with Catherine. And what can I say, I’m absolutely obsessed with this local’s rig. [Olympus XA3, Kentmere 400, developed @800 in Rodinal, scanned w/ Pentax K1II & Pentax K 100mm F2.8]

A quick snap of our driveway. [Olympus XA3, Kentmere 400, developed @800 in Rodinal, scanned w/ Pentax K1II & Pentax K 100mm F2.8]

Back in the Red

Some climbers scoping Cell Block Six (5.12c) in the Midnight Surf area of Muir Valley. [Fujifilm X100VI: ISO 200, F2, 1/400th]

It’s been entirely too long since I was last in the Red River Gorge.

A place that I don’t think I had ever heard of before my first trip in college. For those who don’t know it is worth a Google. Think tree filled gorges of weathered sandstone, small trickling creeks, thick humid air, and pockets of warm sun and cool damp shade.

If you’re a climber I would bet that you’ve heard of this place at least in passing. Likely the largest climbing mecca outside of Yosemite - especially for those out East. If you Google the number of routes in this area you’ll get over 3,000 potential routes and as far as I know this number continues to grow.

There’s also climbing establishments like the famous Miguel’s Pizza where you can camp for $7 a night (used to be just $3 dollars when I first looked) with the only rule being you must be a climber. Of course we were there to climb but I would almost drive the distance just for the pizza.

With a long weekend Catherine and I left on a Friday morning with the plan of spending all day Saturday climbing and to head back to STL Sunday. A quick trip when you consider the 6 hour drive both ways, but we were itching for a couple nights in a tent, climbing, and of course some good pizza.

Saturday morning started early with color just touching the sky.

Miguel’s has more than just pizza, opening right at 7:00AM with hot coffee and breakfast sandwiches you only wish you could make yourself (come on you’re not making your own bagels they are). [Fujifilm X100VI: ISO 3200, F2, 1/100th]

View from our tent that moring. Looks like we weren’t the only people starting early. [Fujifilm X100VI: ISO 3200, F2, 1/4th]

With so many places we could have gone I relied on my notes from the first trip taking a ‘we’ll be back’ attitude choosing the famous Muir Valley Area. I remembered it for the steep and narrow stairs that snake down the near vertical cliff down to the main access road. It’s a tremendous area of easy and hard climbing, loaner stick clips for reaching the first bolt, and just enough people around (once the lot is filled it’s filled).

We arrived right behind the person who takes the money for parking - far too early to climb with the sun blocked by clouds and the temperature was just over freezing. Despite the chill in the air (ok the freeze in the air) and with plenty of blind enthusiasm we started down the steps with loaded packs full of layers and gear. While Catherine’s fingers warmed up we took the scenic route to some ‘easier’ climbs visiting just about every area on the map just to do it.

This is the way in and out of the valley. On my first visit I vividly remember hiking up these stairs with camera and climbing gear after climbing for two days, in pitch black night, when it was still +95F and 100% humidity. Brutal to say the least. That morning was the opposite problem of numb fingers and stiff legs - but we made it. [Fujifilm X100VI: ISO 800, F2, 1/320th]

Flaking rope for a fun 5.8 on a little nose. [Ricoh GRII: ISO 800, F2.8, 1/160th]

My hand was still on the brake strand come on… [Fujifilm X100VI: ISO 200, F2, 1/80th]

I said ‘easier’ above because the Muir Valley (and as I understand most of the Red) is what’s called classic rated or in other words prepare to be sandbagged to some extent. While the ratings have been updated climbing a 5.10 there feels like at least a 5.11 - be prepared to work for it. Classic rating are found all over and come from the older climbing areas when 5.9 was the highest rating. Now days the ratings climb much higher and Muir Valley if famous for some brutal 5.12s and 5.13s.

Sometimes it’s easier to just hang your stuff to make sure it doesn’t roll down to the bottom of the gorge… Plus it looks cool I guess. [Fujifilm X100VI: ISO 200, F2, 1/50th]

No caption needed on this one. [Fujifilm X100VI: ISO 200, F2, 1/70th]

Yes I shamelessly bought 3 quickdraws, a new GriGri, and 2 shirts while I was there. Don’t worry about it. [Fujifilm X100VI: ISO 200, F2, 1/70th]

On our way out. First down then back up. [Fujifilm X100VI: ISO 200, F2, 1/80th]

The Brother Proposed

I very much need to start posting more here. Lots has happened, works is busy, and sometime I just want to sit on the couch and annoy the dog. Last week was definitely not a couch situation, much the opposite. Not only did I fly to Denver to hang with my brother, I was wrapped in a vast conspiracy to help him propose. Without typing too many words and to let the pictures do the talking I’ll leave it here.

Ok I’ll share a bit more since I can’t help it as I arrange the photos. First, I’m not sure we could have picked a better place in Telluride. A place I’ve not been to before that evening. One that I will definitely be back to soon for the views of 14ers, town, the airport, the La Sals out in Utah, and well a 360 views of the San Juans. The trailhead was a left turn on Last Dollar road that I’ve driven by before with Catherine, that time shrugging it off for another trip to only forget about it. Luckily Mike had suggested it and as we all crawled up Last Dollar in the Land Cruiser smelling rain and feeling the warm engine draft by I knew we were in for something special.

Congrats you two! It was a pleasure to be there and be a part of your special day.

My Amazing Travel Camera - Graflex 4x5 Camera (Ok Maybe Not)

I am definitely one of those people that is allergic to checking a bag. Too many times have I seen friends without clothes for two week in a foreign country or roommates questioning if they will ever see the other 1/2 of their clothes they packed from over winter break. Because of this I have gotten reasonably good at living extended periods out of just my LowePro Whistler Camera bag and a backpack that fits under my seat - both basically ensure that I will never have to check a bag again. (For those who don’t know when the plane is “full” and they “have to check all carry ons from now on” they only mean wheeled bags, bags with backpack straps will get you past the gate without having to check it) This strategy does mean that I need to be efficient with space and need to really pay attention to the cameras I bring.

Usually this means that I bring just my little Fuji x100s (RIP friend) or more recently my Ricoh GR2 and leave my big heavy film cameras behind. But sometimes you have to make things difficult for yourself and my trip to Quebec City and Rueben’s wedding I thought, “My 4x5 camera would be a cool camera to bring.” So without thinking through anything I decided to pack my 4x5, 2 film holders (4 pictures), and magnifier loupe. Basically taking up my whole underseat bag. Was it worth it? Well… Let’s just say that I’d think about doing it again.

I did end up hiking around my 4x5 camera the second day we were there. Past hurting my back and being an impressively impractical camera to even consider walking around with. I took it with us that moring, no tripod, not clue what to shoot, and only having three sheets of film. Being that all of these shots were made hand held and on a whim, it’s a miracle these turned out. For anyone interested in my actual kit, it was a 1948 Anniversary Speed Graphic with a 127mm F4.5 Graflex Optar Yellow Dot lens with Arista 400 4x5 film loaded and developed in Rodinal. The images seen here were then scanned with an Epson v550 and converted with Negativelabpro.

Overall I am impressed with how they came out and happy I went through the trouble. I also wish you could see how much quality there is in these files too! It’s really quite impressive when you start to zoom in and see everything. I think next tim

Back in Telluride

There’s no better place to be played by the weather than here in the San Juans. If you’re looking to sprint down below treeline and get caught in cold rain actively turning to pelting bits of ice with wind that finds its way through your gore-tex shell then look no further. Luckily, town is just down below and you brought just enough layers to pretend you almost didn’t get caught in a bad situation. All I can provide to you is trusting the weather app on your phone is worthless and so is trying to predict what will happen when you are finishing you coffee at Bruno and itching for a long walk. In shoulder season you just have to be confident in your decisions and know when to run back with your tail between your legs. Oh and make sure to try it again tomorrow because the sun will definitely be out.

Good things only come if you are willing to take chances and the leave the door open. That was more or less my trip out to Telluride this September. Drive the Land Cruiser out just in time to pick up the new car, register it, spend a week or two in Telluride with Catherine and the roomates all to drive back to STL in the Lexus. With plans to return in the winter.

Quebec City - Canada with Catherine

I’m not sure I knew anything about Quebec City before Catherine mentioned how close it was to a buddy’s wedding this past fall. So instead of heading straight back to our respected places after Rueben’s ceremony at Lake George, NY. Catherine and I went ahead and planned a short road trip up from Lake George up to Quebec, Canada for a couple nights. Since she’s been there before I let her find a cool place to stay and all I had to do was find a rental car we could afford to get there with.

Luckily everything came together and we ended up staying in a cool B&B just outside the city’s wall near some college.

I’m not sure I have colorful language or stories writing this now (almost a year to date from being there). But the whole trip felt so welcome after being cooped up during COVID and feeling stuck in our normal places. I remember the feeling of being in a foreign place despite just a 5 hour drive from the norms of the US. Quebec was unmistakably European, from the architecture of the city, to the languages being spoken all around you I couldn’t help but think I was in France and not just a little further North than usually. Also, I can’t speak more highly of Catherine being able to walk into shops or restaurants and speak french well enough they just assumed I did too. Definitely the best way to fly undercover in a place full of Americans haha. Can’t wait to go back and maybe this time it will be in the snow (supposedly they get feet of snow in the winter).

Hiking the Peak - Telluride

Everyone knows where to find Mike Price after a day of work. Oak is only a door and a half down from his shop and the bartender pours us beers before we even walk in. It would be a problem if it wasn’t the place where you not only found him but his boss, often co-workers, and truly the rest of the town. Or the people in town you want to be around anyway. I’m telling you all this because it was one Tuesday night at the Oak where we happened to decide to do a Peak mission the very next day. Beers and the realization the mountain will close soon got us motivated to get after it that night and I’m sure glad we did!

The Peak that I am referring to is of course Palmyra Peak the tallest point at the ski area and one of the tallest places you can ski in bounds just about anywhere I suspect. It’s taller then 1310 at Loveland and for sure gets you higher then that silly lift people talk about at Breckenridge. Google informs me that the top is 13,319 ft and I can say after hiking from Chair 12 to the top it sure feels like 13,000 ft and the exposure you feel at the top is no joke either. To make it worse they give you a small snow pack platform to balance on at the top, not usually a problem unless you are sharing it with 3 other people…

I’m not really sure how far the hike is or how many feet we had to climb but all in all it could have been much worse than it was. It took us just about an hour to get up and in all reality the hike was scarier than the ski. It’s always funny to make jokes about falling into Ophir or Alta Lakes from the resort when you are doing the short hike-tos bellow the peak but when you are on a boot pack on top of skree in hard ski boots that possibility seems much more likely. There’s at least two places that got me a little spooked between the steep narrow shoot below and the chawsy wind swept boulder you had to scramble. And really once you pass through the gate the whole hike is a no fall zone, you probably won’t die but you might be wishing you had looked at the map longer.

Once at the top and you concur the last nearly vertical boot pack, you are welcomed by a bright orange toboggan (that some poor soul undoubtedly had to hike up there) and a bamboo rope line to remind you that you are still in the boundary of the ski area. It’s an important reminder given the terrain you are about to ski. It’s no baby hike-to-ski or palma lift to above treeline, it is just what you should expect when you look at the tallest mountain out the window of the Gondola. A variable, windy, and steep 13,000 ft peak that for some reason you are allowed to ski down just like any other run on the mountain. And that’s just what we did. We clipped into our bindings, pointed our tips downhill and went for it. I wish I could say we got a fresh powder line down the couloir but it was chopped, old north facing snow that was just interesting enough to get your heart to pump when your skis did something a little different then you wanted them to. But from there you can drop 4,500ft down to town have another beer at Oak and keep skiing if you wanted to.

For me I headed back down to town and retreated into the library to get at least a half day of work done. I’m sure going to miss the ability to walk out the door, hike up a mountain, ski with good friends and then just pretend it’s another day at the office. This may be a post for another time but being able to experience all of this in the context of what I do (for those who don’t know I spend most my days supporting the Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office at the US Department of Energy) makes everything just work.

On the far left side of the image if you look close there is a zig zag skin track and people hiking up from the uppers and into Ophir (my guess at least).

My "New" Yeti Cycles SB-150 (A Post on Buying Bike Used)

This was going to happen no matter what, ever since I saw the aqua blue, yellow, black full suspension frames designed in Golden CO when I was what 13? I knew I too, one day, would own a Yeti bike! Money aside Yeti has been on the forefront of bicycle design and geometry and this bike is the most recent iteration of their technology. So what can I say, I’m a sucker for local boutique outdoor brands from Colorado who like to push the bar a bit and do something different.

This summer I was lucky enough to work for Telluride Sports who rented many of the bikes for the mountain and supplied me with a bike park pass. Meaning every free moment, lunch breaks or days off, I was riding in the park or the trails that bisect the mountain. The best part of it all was that our premier rental shop carried many amazing bikes, both downhill and enduro trial. Though there were a whole list of amazing downhill bikes like, the Rocky Mountain Maiden 90, GT Fury Carbon 29 Team, and a custom built Devinci Wilson 29 carbon, I realized that an enduro bike was going to be the best choice for me. For the enduro bikes at the shop the clear winner was the Devinci Spartan 29 carbon, I rode this bike almost everyday for more than a month and absolutely loved it! Except one thing, it wasn’t mine and more often than not the bike felt different every time I rode it.

So long story short I knew I needed a bike of my own and I also had the privilege of knowing what bikes I liked and which ones I didn’t. As I may have given away I did go into bike shopping with a bias, a bias for buying a Yeti mountain bike. As I shopped it became clear my favorite bike company did possibly have the bike of my dreams and that was the SB-150. A bike that could absolutely hold its own in the park but also climb a hill like no other. It sounded like the perfect fit for me and I knew I had to try it myself.

After a search on the used market and convincing my brother to check it out for me I got the bike. I got it used for about half MSRP (still a frightening amount of money) with some upgraded components that should really pay off in the future. Nothing on it is perfect yet but with only three weeks left in the bike season I had to test it out. All I can say is the bike lives up to the hype. After a full day in the park of riding as hard as I usually did it proved to be just as solid as the Devinci Spartan and could peddle just as good if not better on Prospect Loop. Can’t wait for bike season next year and to get this bike running even better than before!

Fall in Telluride

Fall in Telluride could be a title for me crushing bones biking or hiking but in this case it does refer to the explosive color that happens just once a year. That fleeting last hurrah before white monochrome winter.

It almost felt like the whole summer I kept telling people, “oh yeah Telluride only gets better when the trees turn yellow and snow falls” having no real experience of this of course. That is until this last month when the season changed to fall, though now that I am a “local” in a mountain town, I know better. It’s a time when all the aspen leaf painters are hard at work and the snow dance is performed by every Telluride local only in the darkness of their basements (sheds work too) when no one is looking.

Anyway, regardless of how the leaves get their color and the mountains their snow I went out a couple days and took photos when I could. I wish that I had the leisure I usually have to plan compositions, choose the best weather conditions and load out with both film and digital. But this year between work and visiting with Catherine and friends in Chicago I took what I could get. Namly shots through gondola windows and snaps before beers at the Oak St. bar. While I’m happy with what I made happen with this constraint, I very much wish I could have just ran around all day taking pictures.

When I post I most often organize by when they were taken as it makes sense in my head, time unfolding. This time around I flipped my regular organization. That’s because my favorite picture came from the day I got back from my trip. Flying in that day I saw snow was here, clouds were still sticking around, and everything was at full peak. Sadly after +12 hours of travel all I wanted to do is see my new mountain bike (a post coming soon undoubtedly). But I did get this one snap through the gondola glass when everything was just right. Though to my disappointment after that one day all we got was blue sky and the baking melting sun… still wonderful but nothing quite as beautiful as my first day back.

First Via Ferrata (Telluride, CO)

Early morning meet up spot outside main street Patagonia. (Fuji x100s)

It’s about time I made it on the now popular via ferrata that straddles the back of Telluride’s box canyon. This route has been around for a long time but has grown in popularity as more via ferrata routes round the state (Ouray, Arapahoe Basin, etc.) and country are being installed. While these “iron trials” are relatively new in the states these routes comprised of metal steps, rails, and bolted cables are common in the European alps as a cross somewhere between rock climbing and scrambling. The idea is to have a fully protected route (or in the case of Telluride’s partially protected) that incorporates technical mountaineering skills and exposure that a hiking trail wouldn’t otherwise have.

As you may have gathered this was my first time clipping into the cables of a via ferrata and I’d argue that Telluride may offer one of the most stunning views so I felt like I had to share my experience for anyone who maybe interested in doing it. While you may not want to just walk up and do one of these things it is really meant to be accessible to most. In other words if you are comfortable with heights and are a hiker wanting to gain some crazy exposure then this is the trip for you and it won’t be a back breaking all day affair either! Just make sure you have the right gear. I’ll explain our experience so as to offer some local advice and cautions:

After hastily planning the day before, we met in front of the main street Patagonia store at 5:15 am just as the sun started to lighten the sky that morning. Piling into my land cruiser we headed down main street to drive up past Bridal Veil Falls on the lower switchbacks of Black Bear Pass (where there’s still two-way traffic permitted) to park at the via “trailhead” one turn from the falls pullout. After gearing up we headed up into the via ferrata and went out and back so as to get open our shop by 10:00am. This trail is technically one way so unless you’re the only group on the trail (we were) abide by the rules of the local guides, more information here.

Telluride’s via ferrata is known for its not entirely protected route with high exposure, loose single track downhill to cliff areas (no fall zones), and areas with climbers below. There are multiple places where some may want to clip in but there won’t be a place for it, test areas, there are two near the beginning of the trail that will filter out the people who may not want to continue. There is no easing into this trail but you’ll know if it’s for you early on. This via ferrata takes at most 3 hours but most could probably finish in about an hour in a half. Once you’re done with the ferrata you will need to hike back up the road to the car to get back.

Heading up the loose rocky switchbacks up to the first cable section. (Fuji x100s)

Looking back over at Black Bear Pass and my land cruiser parked at the “trailhead” from the first clip in point. (Fuji X100s)

There were only the three of us on this trip which made things very easy. The first person was Scott who is the local knowledge and guide in town and Erika, my boss and general outdoorsy person. They both had experience (and gear) that made me feel better on my first time out there.

Via ferratas are quite simple as all you need is a helmet, climbing harness, and some kind of leash or teather. Ideally the tether is shock absorbing with two locking carabiners (Petzl Scorpio Vertigo, below) or some places allow dynamic rope and wire carabiners (Scott’s set up to the right). Either way the two clips allow for a redundant system so that you can be secured to the cable at all times. Falls can happen but they should always be avoided if at all possible as this is afterall just protection not intended to be used. The advantage to having a designed tether is the shock absorber that would protect your body, in the case of a fall, from shock load which could be fatal. So if you are worried buy an approved tether or just make sure not to fall ; ).

Scott at the bench getting ready for the “main event” (Fuji x100s)

Petzl Scorpio Vertigo with locking carabiners, elastic leashes, and shock absorber. (Fuji X100s)

While this trip went quickly it was an absolute blast to start the morning on iron ladders with friends. If I could give any advice it would be to do it in the morning to see the light hit the peaks and to avoid windy weather. You also really don’t need a whole lot of other gear a backpack with more than water and snack is definitely not needed.

Summer Trip With Catherine

Summers go by quickly, maybe that’s from long hot days or maybe it’s the fact summer is treated as a retreat from the day to day grind. A long break between semesters or long work weeks; either way it’s a great excuse for an adventure of some kind. So this summer I knew I wanted to do something special and I knew who I wanted to do it with! Being that Catherine had never seen the desert west or tall Colorado mountains I quickly convinced her to come see me in Telluride for a trip to the mountains and a drive to the wonderful red stone of Moab, Utah. Like most things I do I took my camera with me and here are the images of us on our adventure at the end of July 2022.

The first destination after an evening drive from the airport to drinks at The Oak downtown was the ever stunning vistas in Moab, Utah. Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to explore a lot of the easily accessible areas in Moab and the most stunning is this spot. I usually share all my locations but this one is special and I worry about too many people getting here and messing things up. That said if you recognize the view and visit google maps I bet you’d find it on your own pretty quick, if not ask me personally and of course I’ll share it with you!

What I loved most about the day we had in Moab was the ability to experience all the weather had to offer. We started by lounging in the desert sun like reptiles and as we started to burn the clouds came in and the sun went down. So confident was I in the dry desert, I responsibly decided it wasn’t worth figuring out the rain fly that night and like all times one makes that conscience decision it promptly rained on us three short times that night. Though, as we awoke and packed up our site we were happy with the rain we experience because no later did we get down the road did we find ourselves in a torrential downpour. A rain not often felt in the desert, the kind that brings shivers down your back welling up a paranoid feeling with every washed out corner you turn. Luckily the dark clouds moved quickly as we headed toward Cane Creek road and Hole in the Wall.

Getting back to Telluride we were on a mission. We craved a mountain adventure and food so good that we could eat it the rest of our lives. We did end up finding some of the best food in Telluride (Wok of Joy) and while it may not make the cut for a true mountain adventure it was filled with creek crossings, water falls, barefoot bouldering, and romping trails less traveled. We saw the most beautiful wild flowers and as we climbed the canyon neither one of us could stop smiling. Joy at its finest, mountain inspired yes but seared in by being together every step of the way.

The trip was pure bliss. Obviously enjoying the beauty of all these wonderful locations. But I think for us, it was the time back together in person that made everything completely worth it, and memories that will live a lifetime.

Taking Pictures of Lightning

Some of the most striking images a photographer can capture are those that stop moments in time. To me one of the coolest examples of this is being able to “stop” lightning. Lightning maybe one of the fastest natural phenomena we experience and it’s impressively unpredictable, so how is it possible to get images like the one above? Well hopefully with these tips and tricks you will be on your way to creating cool lightning shots, that is if you can find a stormy of enough night…

The image above was taken from the porch of my brother’s place just outside of Norwood, CO. We were just getting back from drinking in town and made it just in time to see stikes every 1 to 2 minutes only a couple miles away. So I set up my camera and shot away. This is a composite of 4 strikes that happened in a matter of 6 minutes as the sky grew darker and the storm inched closer. Since this maybe my most “professional” looking lightning image so far I figured I’d share my experience and what I’ve learned.

What you will need:

1. Sturdy tripod or way of keeping the camera really steady. I’ve gotten away with propping my camera up with a heavy coat or even sitting it on a fence post or table. But a tripod is definitely the best option if you really want an easy workflow!

2. A camera of some kind with a manual or aperture priority mode. You can use a film or digital camera for this. Though I’d recommend digital because you will be throwing out a lot of images using this method. But, a film lightning shot would be portfolio worthy…

3. Intervalometer or shutter cable release. These days most cameras will have a built in intervalometer (or an interval timer, a device that measures short intervals of time for releasing the shutter). This is a really important tool to be safe as you will not need to be by your camera when images are being taken and it reduces motion blur. Again you could get away without it but it just makes life harder and the chances of a successful image slim.

4. A stormy night or evening with lightning. This is the place where I’m no expert - predicting weather is something I don’t deal with. Personally, when I hear lightning I just run out of the house and see what I can do. That said if there is a forecast or way to know when and where lightning will be please share it with me!

5. Lots of luck. As I may have subtly alluded to a couple times already, to get a great lightning shot you need to be prepared, find yourself in the right place as well as time, and literally hope something cool happens.

So How is it done?

I think there are many ways to go about making an image like the one above, but I use is what I like to call the “time lapse” method. This is where you set everything up as if you were going to make a timelapse, but your hope is that one of the X amount of photos captures a lightning strike. If you get a couple images you have an image. It’s really quite easy!

Here are my general guidelines I go through when setting up for lightning. First, find a composition that is in the direction of the most frequent strikes. I like to add a foreground element if I can but if there isn’t anything try adding more sky to the composition! After the composition is locked I will usually set my intervalometer to wait 3 seconds between each shot (enough time to clear the buffer) and use aperture priority mode. The secret sauce to getting lightning pictures is leaving your shutter open long enough for the lightning to strike. In a way you can think of the lightning as a flash going off (it actually functions like one too, left side is the original images and the right side is 100% zoom. Yes those white specks are the rain drops frozen in time, like a flask would), it is only an instant but it is bright enough to light the whole composition on its own!

To achieve this I will set my ISO and aperture so that the shutter stays open for longer than 3 seconds at a time. Your enemy now is overexposing the image as lightning gives off a lot of light. To prevent this I set the exposure compensation to -1 or -2 stops to make sure the lightning doesn’t overexpose the entire image. Also if lightning strikes more frequently then once during the time the shutter is open you can cover the lens (with your hand or a dark card) after the first strike so as to not double expose the frame. This is all trial and error for the most part so review your images every so often to make adjustments as needed. Missing one or two strikes is worth it to not get a memory card full of over exposed or out of focus images!

Once you’re dialed just shoot away. It can sometimes be hard to not change the composition a million times. But just point it in the general direction of the most frequent strikes and just be patient. I’ve lost more images by adjusting the camera then any other way. Another thing to think about is the ambient light. There is definitely a sweet spot between it being too light to see the stikes or too dark that only the strike itself is recorded. Again just trust something will happen and it probably will!

A note about SAFETY

There really is no way to be safe when taking lightning images as it is never advisable to be out in a storm with lightning. If you see lightning or hear thunder and there are no safe structures around find a low area away from trees or metallic objects. Stay there until thunder is 30 minutes apart. To take these images safely you have two options, take them out of a window in a safe structure (can still be a bad idea in general) or be far away from the lightning storm. DO NOT take these images if the storm is near or above you! It is also a good idea to always be with another person, make sure you are separated enough so that in the case of a strike one may help the other.

Tips and Tricks:

• Take that strap off your camera! This may sound scary, but given lightning only happens when it’s storming you really don’t want your foreground to be blurry due to the strap cating the wind and shaking the camera. Use the locking function on your tripod head and just be careful!

• Have a full battery. It’s not like a storm last long enough to drain all the way through a battery (at least not usually) but the worst thing to have happen is that a battery dies and you have no camera at all. If you only have a partial charge only shoot when the light is good or when the frequency of stikes increases.

• Be patient hope for the best. It can be quite defeating when you sit around for hours, take 200 pictures, and non are good. But if you don’t get out and try then you will never get an image worth having!

• Have an empty or spare memory card. You will be taking a lot of images when shooting lightning so make sure you have the space. It would be a bummer if you have to chimp pictures and miss the best strikes.

• Be safe! Always error on the side of caution. Live to shoot another day!

Wet Bowser and a Roll of Kodak Tri-X 120 Souped in Rodinal

There are so many things this last semester that made it feel truly special and one of the greatest was absolutely the Wet Bowser Concert at Ethan’s (blue guitar) house. It was the culmination of serendipitous encounters between friends, avoiding engineering homework on the weekends, and the exciting chance to place music with everyone we knew. As Marino (red guitar) would say the band wasn’t very good, but they were fun, I would probably say the band was good and fun. Either way they played a 2.5 hour set of +20 songs that night. We were all sauced up by jungle joose, Brian made hamburgers, all surrounded by crowd of friends. These are the things that you will always remember and for me it was even more special because I got to spend that night with dear friends as well as with wonderful girlfriend Catherine. We danced till 1:30am walked back to Westgate and woke up to find a beautiful day and some solid hangovers. A memory that will live rent free forever in my head!

Beyond the memories made that night I also knew I wanted to record the happening of that night in a special way. So I brought the trusty Fuji X100s for digital and my first medium format camera, the Mamiya C3, along with my under-utilized flash. That night without an appropriate light meter and being a bit tipsy I literally guessed every exposure and flash setting for the following pictures. Needless to say it somehow worked and now these memories are now baked in silver bromide.

Beer Brewing and Water Quality in St. Louis

This last semester was full of fun times with friends, building a beautiful new relationship, and graduate courses that really focused me into what I think I want to do. Between Physical and Chemical Processes for Water Treatment, Intro to Zymurgy (beer brewing), and my independent study that connected the two I really felt like I was doing something more than filling out scantrons and blasting through my calculator batteries. One of the deliverables for my independent study was another ArcGIS storymap. The purpose of the map is to be an informational guide to the water that the largest brewery in the world uses. Tracking from the Missouri River, through the Chain of Rocks Drinking Water Treatment Plants all the way through to the beer brewing process.

It was really special to be able to connect these courses together and to apply my knowledge from both to teach others around me. While this project may sound niche to some, being able to connect local brewers to the water treatment plant operators as well as actually brewing beer with my own hands really made this project worth while. I invite you to press the button below and explore this new story map. If you have any questions or comments please reach out to me here or through email.

Our Time in the Smoky Mountains

When I think back to the memories that will really stick with me forever from my last year in school, my time in the in Smokey Mountain National Park with Catherine will definitely make the list. It was a time of year where things were starting to ramp up, we were starting to feel the semester go by and all I could think of is running away to some mountains. So within a week we planned a three day trip to a national park I’ve always wanted to see with my own eyes. Staying in Smokemont Campground we enjoyed the soft trickle of the creek and people watching as the area filled with spring breakers from all over the U.S. My favorite thing was waking up in the morning, dunking our heads in the river and drinking the cool water through my new Lifestraw.

Connections made in places like these are special to me. I’m not sure if it’s from the clean air and natural sounds that envelop our senses. Or if there’s truly something mystical about being high in the air surrounded by the rugged life clinging to the mountain. Either way I’m sure I’ll make it back to with wonderful place someday and make even more memories. Looking back at these photos fills me with warmth and puts a smile on my face. I also shot a bunch of black and white film on my Yashica Mat 124G and Pentax 67 that I may share at some point.

Leadville Colorado

The last couple years I’ve had trouble finding myself a project, one of those projects worth putting a couple years of image making toward. My lingering dream is still a project focused on Idaho salmon, conservation, history of the sawtooths, blah blah. But last winter, and this last spring, has gotten me interested in Leadville Colorado. Leadville is one of those places most people have heard of but maybe never seen. For me it’s been a new place to explore, streets to wander through, and witness the eclectic aesthetic of a high altitude mountain town.

For this project I definitely want to focus on shooting film to hone in my workflow and discover what I need to do to get the look that I’m going for. The two images above are nearly exactly what I’m looking for in terms of warmth and tones. What I am really hoping for is getting into some DSLR scanning and really trying to pump out as much as I can without the Hasselblad X1. The biggest challenge for this project is that I want to do everything in the process, other than developing C-41 film, and I know this will take some decent trial and error. The final deliverable, I hope is a series of zines or postcards that can be sold in town.

Winter in Colorado

I was going through pictures the other day and realized that I hadn’t posted about my time in Colorado this winter or shared many of the pictures anywhere else. Not sure I’ll spend to much time explaining these just thought it would be fun to get them out in the world. Most of these shots were made on the trust Fujifilm X100s as ussual.

Red River Gorge on Film (Fall 2021)

Not going to lie this may have been my favorite trip of the school year thus far. It’s always easy for me to make excuses to not show up to climbing practice or to not take the risk to go on a trip with a bunch of people I barely knew. But it was by far the best risk I’ve taken and the memories made there will always stick with me. And as always and if you have been sticking with the blog then you know I wasn’t happy with the camera setup I brought as it felt a bit hindering. Now, however, seeing these images I am quite happy with what I got. All these images were taken on Kodak Portra 400 all the square images are from the Mamiya C3 and the Sekor 80mm F2.8 mostly wide open and the others are from the little Minox GL all scanned on a V550 and Negative Lab Pro.