Venture #09 - Travels, Dedication, and...

A venture to me is something that brings excitement with unfamiliar territory. It also makes me feel small in this 36 billion-acre majestic landscape we call Earth. I’ve traveled to some spectacular regions and along the way I was able to capture some perspectives that to me, are priceless memories I get to share with you. In the past years, I experienced some crazy adventures but always managed to rejoice with celebration. Here are some of those moments. Hopefully, it inspires you to pack your bags for an adventure of your own.

Chapada Diamantina, Brazil

My visit to Chapada Diamantina, Brazil was one of my favorite trips to date. "Shoes aren't recommended" said my friend in Portuguese. It turns out his crazy suggestion was more of a knowledgeable recommendation. Walking barefoot is a bitter sweet alternative to gain better traction on wet mossy terrain. We decided to take the 8-hour hike to Fumacinha Falls, which should have been simple on a normal day. Unfortunately we were pressured against time and high rapids from days of continuous downpour. The normal route was submerged underwater so we were forced to blaze our own trail, barefoot. We managed to finally make it and witnessed an incredible view all to ourselves.

The most valuable part was not the content I came home with but enduring fear, pain, exhaustion and celebration with my father every step of the way. It was nice to spend quality time and share a rare experience.

FoxFury Model Shoot, Las Vegas

FoxFury LED’s and Bikini Models seem to mix well! During the NAB electronic show at Vegas last year I had the opportunity to work with FoxFury at the Treasure Island pool. If you're ever looking for durable lights for your projects these are the guys!

UTVWolfpack Shoot in Glamis, CA

This was a UTVWolfpack shoot in Glamis, CA. UTVWolfpack made a custom Polaris RZR with a Mad Max theme for promoting the video game. Glamis is pretty notorious for heat and windy conditions. Nonetheless we were able to get some decent shots out of it. A word of advice for you “dronies" out there. If there are windy situations and you can’t beat it, join it! Fly with the wind and you will get better, smoother shots.

La Jolla, CA

A short 10-minute drive and I can get to sweet view of La Jolla, CA from my house. It has excellent topography with detailed reef that draws me in to this location. I’m usually using ND polarized filters here so I can get the underwater detail and lose excessive glare from the sun. Lately I get antagonized when flying around La Jolla. No, it’s not from people. It’s seagulls! I assume they feel threatened either by the noise or it being a UFO to them. I figured out a special tip if you are being bombarded by seagulls which has worked for me every time. Throttle up to gain altitude far above the seagulls and maintain this position. Eventually they won’t notice you anymore.

Big Bear Lake, CA

I was born and raised in Big Bear Lake, California. The plus side of shooting back home is that you know all the spots and where to be for golden hour. Big Bear offers many points of interest during all seasons. Here’s a couple selects I took over the last couple years Including a drone light photo.

Squamish, BC

A lot of my Canadian buds have one too many screws loose but that’s my favorite part about them. I took an opportunity to adventure Squamish with a good friend, Rory Bushfield (AKA @bushywayne ). Parts of the river in Squamish aren't necessarily catered toward Seadoos and wakeboarding. We got in some pretty hairy predicaments but ended the day with minor scratches and a half usable Seadoo. I also managed to shoot a couple drone light photos of dirt biking.

Wuss Productions Shoots

Here’s a couple selects of projects I did with Wuss Productions. They are a group of talented people with a laid back perspective. I’m a huge fan of their work and its always a pleasure collaborating with them. It turns out my personal drone reel has a good amount of content from their projects.

Well that’s it for now. Enjoy my friends and until next time, fly safe out there!