Montreal River Surfers

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. 

Andrew and Nikki Engagement Session

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 muralizing in Dayton

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.

Filson Photographers Backpack -Update-

While I was visiting the Minister's Treehouse in Crossville, TN two weeks ago me and my Filson bag encountered a pretty serious rainstorm that just would not let up. I snapped a few pictures of it's exterior right before jumping in my car to escape the wetness. The bag performed extremely well in these conditions....I detected not a drop of moisture in the interior of the bag where my cameras were. I had even set the bag on the ground a number of times without any extreme absorption, which was a joy to see. I do have to point out the problematic design of the exterior pocket on the Photographer's Backpack (last photo). The structure of the pocket leaves it open to the elements on each end, allowing water to freely enter. I have to think Filson understands this because there are two brass eyelets at the bottom of the pocket, maybe to drain water or vent moisture. It's not a problem to keep sensitive equipment in other secure parts of the bag, but I have to wonder what a person would keep in there happy to have it get soaking wet. If the flap was just slightly larger, any water would be diverted. See my more exhaustive review of the Filson Photographers Backpack here.