Another film in the "Off the Map" series for Yakima is live on the GearJunkie site now.  We traveled to Northwest Wisconsin to Lake Superior for a paddling trip.  We were there to exlore the "sea caves" near the Apostle Islands. 

We had a great time and were given a beautiful sunny day with mild winds and calm waters.  Filming this one was pure fun.  Look for our thrid in the series to be released around June 1st.

A few weeks ago I traveled once again to a far away place with my GearJunkie pals.  We set out for Northern California this time to begin another film series.  We are currently shooting a 5-film series for Yakima Racks entitled "Off the Map". 

Since we cannot truly get off the map anywhere, the goal is more about visiting less populated, harder to access, or little known places in North America.  Plenty of amazing adventures are accessible if one is willing to look past park boundaries, or touristy areas.  We're hoping people will enjoy seeing a video walk through a few that we like.  Watch for the next film to be done soon.  GearJunkie will release one a month through August. 

For a recent shootwith Fitsok, maker of running socks, we planned to do a beautiful shoot for the new catalog. The plan was to be runners in a prairie at sundown -- "magic hour" in photographer speak.  When the shoot day came, it was a gray as it gets and there was no sun to be seen.  My master plan was not working out.

But through spitting sleet and snow, we managed to get some beautiful images anyway.  I "created" sun with a strobe and on we went. I had a really great time on this project and love the feel of these images.  It makes we want to go run.

Check out FitSok for really nice fitting, long wearing running socks.

This week I met up with friend and fellow cyclist, L. Penn to shoot some photos.  If you don't know Miss Penn, she is one of the fastest bike-riding women in Minneapolis.  She won the All-City Alleycat Championship this summer, and has seen her fair share of podium visits.

Her latest battle has been with the big "C" -- cancer.  Aside from the missing hair, eyelashes and eyebrows, you'd never know there was anything amiss.  She rode right through the worst of the chemo weeks, commuting to work and even racing cyclocross this past fall. In short, cancer doesn't have a chance when its host is this strong and stubborn. 

The bike in the photos was built by our mutual friend, Mr. Erik Noren of Peacock Groove Custom Cycles (and the star of my recent film "Deep Custom").  It was dubbed the "Anti-Cancer" bike, as it was built for Lee to race this last fall.  It is a steel framed, Singlespeed Cyclocross flyer.  It weighs under 20lbs and is the kind of bike you wish you owned - sharp and sleek.

Any local ladies looking for cycling glory this next season, be forewarned --  Penn's hair won't be the only thing coming back quickly.

**Visit this link to see past images of another friend who showed cancer the door: Andy Thieman.**

A local bicycle shop commissioned me to shoot some promotional shots of people riding in the snow.

This is part of what makes Minneapolis the #1 bike city in the nation. We never stop riding/racing - no matter the weather.

Overnight we got a small dusting of new powder to make everything beautiful for me.

 So, I got paid to ride and run around the woods, chasing guys (and 1 girl) on bikes, taking photos.  This was my kind of job!

This week, the NY Times ran a story on how people are using Skype, Facetime and other video chat methods to connect with people.  These devices/programs are a pretty amazing way of connecting or sharing with those you love without having to buy a plane ticket. 

Of course, nothing replaces the real thing, but seeing expressions and hearing laughter is pretty amazing when you're missing someone.  I got into Skype when I began travelling Internationally.  I'm now thinking that I need to video Skype a lot more - it's so easy and cheap!  Check it out if you haven't and read the article: Video Chat Reshapes Domestic Rituals.

We had a blast making this and could not have done it without our cute, amiable, and tough model - Mrs Megan Ping.  Thanks for all your efforts, Megan.  Brian Klein from Stone Arch Creative handled the editing for us.  Big thanks for his hard work too. 

Does anyone else miss warm weather?!

DEEP CUSTOM, the teaser from RoyalAntler on Vimeo.

All summer long and into winter, Tony Franklin and myself labored on a film project that was born purely from a desire to create something beautiful and meaningful on our friend Erik Noren.  Erik is the owner of Peacock Groove Custom Cycles and regardless of what you may have or will hear, the man is a bicycle building genius.

Watch the teaser, (maybe even come to our film showing on Dec 12th) and then watch the complete film and you will get a glimpse at what I mean.  He's also got a big heart and was amazing to work with.  Tony and I hope that this little film will show the world that Erik, besides being a nut, is wildly talented and special at what he does. 

Peacock Groove Forever!

I had the good fortune of working in Germany last week and took a few days for myself to see the country.  I immediately hopped a train to the gorgeous town of Garmisch.  I had hoped to climb, but weather in the mountains degraded, and the guides all said "no". 

I hiked up a small moutain to shoot these photos and see what I could see.  I was not disappointed.