There is a vibrant community of river surfers in Montreal, Quebec...but they might not want you to know that. They worry about their secret surfing spots being shut down by the municipal government or the waves becoming crowded, the wait times too long, about the the 'vibe' being lost. The currents of the St. Lawrence, which are particularly strong near the island of Montreal, pair with the myriad large boulders (or depressions in the river floor?) beneath the surface of the water to create a constant wave that surfers have learned to take advantage of. The sport of river surfing differs dramatically from ocean surfing and consequently, does not get the same level of respect as big-wave-riding-Xgames-type surfing. But river surfers are proud of their skills, their community, and their own inland surfing spot.
Find more info on the Montreal river surfing scene here.
Montreal river surfing was written about in the New York Times here. The article includes interesting reporting, including info about the first person to identify and attempt to surf the endless wave behind Habitat 67.
Ladies and gentleman! Once again, I give you....The Columbus Flea!
The website for the Columbus Flea is here.
This was an engagement session to be remembered. Andrew and Nikki were both very excited by the idea of a sunrise shoot in the Hocking Hills region around Logan, Ohio, a scenic forested area 45 minutes from Columbus. We met at 430am to make the drive, and were in place to see first light. I photographed this couple that is very much in love in the most beautiful surroundings in this region, I couldn't have asked for anything more!
Mandi Caskey is an artist/muralist working in Columbus, Ohio painting many large scale artworks in raw spaces around central Ohio, in addition to her work making artwork suitable for the gallery or home. I had the pleasure of spending a day exploring some very cool forgotten spaces in Dayton, Ohio with Mandi a few months ago. After some hunting she settled on a blank wall...it had once been a basement wall before the building overtop was removed, exposing it to the elements. It provided the perfect surface for Mandi to paint a giant severed fish head. Find more of her work here and on Instagram here.
