Lilly and Carvers Gap

I had the pleasure of growing up in a small town in Tennessee as most of you reading this know. Growing up in Roan Mountain had its up’s and down’s as I suspect growing up anywhere would. It is still a small place in today’s average of community and being raised there led me to meet some of the most incredible people of my life. Growing up and having the blessing of a deep desire to play sports, and just enough athletic ability to fake it enough to play, and getting to do so with people like my friend Chad “Terry” Guinn is still a favorite memory of mine. Chad was a year younger than me in school but that’s close enough to keep us on the same team, almost our entire stint at Cloudland. I can’t recall which sport it was but it was obvious pretty early on, that Chad was one of the good one’s at the risk of sounding cliche. I bring him up because this post is about his daughter Lilly. I had only had the pleasure of meeting her, when I met the rest of their family when I did their family photos a few years ago. Never did I expect her to show up for her senior session and have such a connection to the camera, to movement, and to knowing exactly who she is. I have said this in the past, but this is the driving reason I love working with Senior’s so much. They are finding out who they are, and I get to have a small part in capturing that time for them, for their family, and for them to have a lifetime.

Lilly is a dancer, and though I have never seen her perform, I am confident she is very good at her craft as you can see in her movement, dancing among the literal clouds on top of Carves Gap, in Roan Mountain. We all know this is my favorite place, and sharing these moments there, with people I enjoy means so much more to me that I know how to express.

Fall is quickly adn thankfully approaching, and this brings the flood of work for those “fall colors'“ so if you like the images I have shared here with you, and you would like to discuss how we can create something for you, now is the time to let me know. Email me and lets start that conversation!

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Hey, I am still here!

Today is July 28th, 2022 at 8:22pm and I just sat down since being home for over 4 hours. This is my normal pace of late. This is not a complaint as I strive on staying busy, and getting things done as needed but after having my achilles surgery last Feb, I am noticing that these long days are coming at more and more of a cost to me physically. This is hard for someone who has been active for almost 4 decades! This does not mean I am slowing down however, as I’m just as motivated, dedicated and excited to keep pushing and to keep creating. I just wanted to take a moment and re connect with anyone who reads this. I wanted to remind you that I am far from finished! I also wanted to tell myself that. Photography is more than a job to me and the more I explore it fully, the more rewarding it has become. I am a photographer,

Thanks for reading and thanks for being here! If you read this, please let me know where “here” is for you!

New content coming- Please follow me on my socials but I am less active on FB than ever, but ill work on that.

Selfie with my Hasselblad 500c

The Backloaded by HEX Brand

MY FAVORITE CAMERA BAG EVER

I have been a photographer / creator for almost 20 years. In the beginning I was too busy trying to learn what the hell I was doing so what I carried my crap in really didn’t matter. I learned pretty fast though that it did matter. I should start by saying everyone has a different idea of what they need and preferences are like opinions. Everyone has one and you know what they say about opinions. I made a video that tanked a few years ago that all camera bags suck. While sadly this is still true in some part, some things have also changed with me.

I have several bags still and each for a specific purpose. This was part of my problem. I was always looking for one bag to end them all so to speak but once I opened my mind to the possibility that I need several bags to accomplish my goals, well that’s where things shifted. It’s like asking my camera and one lens to do all the things I see in my mind. Not gonna happen. I am not going to go into all the bags I’ve owned. If you are curious, I am happy to share that info but most people are here for todays bag. I will mention the 4 bags I currently own and why BUT the focus is on my newest edition.

I think it’s worthy mentioning that Im a “ bag guy” in all the ways. I have other bags for hiking, EDC, concealed carry but no Fanny packs here LOL. I do own a chest rig from Hill People Gear  but that is not the same. It’s like my knife collection. Each has a place and specific purpose it serves, well mostly. Sometimes I just like that new knife and new bag feeling.

Ok so the bags in my arsenal as of writing this.

For adventures, elopements or multiple day adventure shoots my go to bag is the Atlas Pack.  My youngest sons name is also Atlas so I do not pretend to not be a little biased.

For my video kit I try to keep this mostly to my pelican case.

My last daily backpack is great and is the OneMo by PGYTECH. I still have this but is currently for sale to fund the newest edition.

My go to bag for day trips, or just single camera and mostly film days is my Leather Ona Britton bag because leather is badass and always will be.

The bag we are mostly here to talk about though is my new addition to the collection.  The Backloader by HEX brand.

Things I want in a bag are pretty simple. I carry a laptop or IPad Pro with me everyday so I need storage for this. I also need a bag that holds all my gear but functionally to the way I work and shoot. This is an area where everyone differs. For example I never want a bag with side load options for quick access. That doesn’t work for me.  I do want a bag with a chest strap because some days the load is heavier than others. I need padded shoulder straps , and this is why the Vinta Bag did not work for me. I am a bigger man and need some padding.  I also need a water bottle pocket, and a place for a tripod to attach, even though this is something I use sparingly. Organization is super important to me as well. I love knives, and pens, and tools and need somewhere for them to live.

So how does the HEX Brand Backloader stack up? It’s kicks some ass. Thats how. I picked up the camo version ( I have a problem ) used from FB marketplace because I can’t ever buy a bag new because what if i don’t like it right? Buying used doesn’t hurt the wallet so much and also helps justify trying something I see potential in. So if I hated the bag this would have been much shorter, but I don’t.  I don’t hate it at all. I actually think I love it, and believe it is to date the best camera bag I have ever used or owned. Nothing is perfect so what would I change about this bag if I were a designer? The shoulder straps could be a tad wider and more padded and thats it. I am as “shook” as you are.

I love the fact that it has a front pocket for organizing my chaos. I love that it has a card spot for business cards or airline ID cards. It’s also handy to stash a little cash for emergencies. Hear me now, the laptop storage is sensual. Yep, I said that.  EVERY bag I have owned almost makes accessing my laptop or tablet to be a pain. Even if the placement was dialed in, they all offer similar padding. The Hex bag has a velvety kangaroo style pouch that I love using. It is soft but keeps my M1 MacBook safe. Its also accessible independently under the front flap. This keeps my camera gear in its place with no reason to disturb. The entire bag is customizable for your needs and gear and man it does this so well. This thing holds a ton. Whenever I sell a kidney or hit the lotto and can buy the Leica M11 and lenses I want, I’

ll have room for all the activities in this bag. It looks incredible, did I say its digital camo? So sexy. So how do I use it?

The list of everything I currently carry in this bag everyday.

* GFX 50s

*Mitakon 65 1.4

*MD to GF adapter and Rokkor 50mm 1.8

*GFX Grip

*FujiFilm XH1

*Sigma 18-35

*Fringer EF to XF adapter

*Mitakon Speedmaster 35mm 0.95

*DJI Magic Air 2

*Controller

*Spare battery

*Atmos Shinobi Monitor

All the spare batteries, my memory cards and business cards too. It’s crazy. It holds all of this but is still relatively thin which is a huge plus for me. This is one of my sole complaints with my last bag ( the PGYTECH ) and it is a positive shift in size.

If I had to work with a designer to create a bag with my name on it, it would truly be hard to create something that is this functional, mostly comfortable, and simply badass!

They offer others sizes, and options but for this guy, the Backloader checks way more boxes than it doesn’t.

If you have question’s please let me know in the comments. I am here to help,.