Awesome update!
Really, though, what other kind of update is there? I have started contributing as a photographer to the Denver Post’s music website, Reverb. Basically, I get to go to concerts and take photos of amazing musicians, and Reverb posts the images along with a review when there is one. Last night was my first show: The Last Waltz Revisited by Denver’s own Polytoxic, a really fun evening to benefit the Denver Rescue Mission. The music was great; the musicians played for nearly 3 hours! Late night, but so worth it. Check out the images on the Reverb website:
http://www.heyreverb.com/2011/11/24/last-waltz-revisited-ogden-denver/
And stay tuned for more crazy images and updates and tidbits of awesome. Also, if you are looking for a photographer for your event or portrait or album cover, shoot me an e-mail at cbridges86@gmail.com. Can’t wait!
A glimpse of winter
It’s November, but in Colorado, that means ski season has arrived. This past weekend I had the opportunity to stop in at A-Basin for a couple hours before they closed. I just took a few photos and mostly just took in the fact that everyone was so Stoked! about skiing and snowboarding. Winter is nothing new or crazy to this Midwest girl, but winter this early? That’s just nuts. Oh well; here we go!
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An unfortunate shortage of images
Dear Colorado:
I have been living here for five months, minus a few days. The handful of places I have visited so far have been beautiful beyond words, and I have not seen nearly enough outside of Denver. Life has this funny tendency of getting in the way of what I would rather be doing, like exploring and taking photos of everything. I moved out here with the vague notion of pursuing photography, but something (Fear? Ignorance? Laziness?) is keeping me from shooting anything more than recreationally. That being said, I still want to be a photographer; I still want to take pictures. I love everything out here, from the crazy, beautiful light to the fun people to the indescribable beauty you only find at 13000 feet, slowly spinning on top of a mountain and taking in the world below you. I am going to try; I am going to keep plugging away, not giving up, doing whatever it takes.
As for some actual photos, I had the opportunity and good luck to go hiking this past weekend with a friend. Suffice it to say that we rocked the mountains we hiked, the highest one topping out at nearly 13,700 feet. Again, breathtaking. It is also pretty close to peak fall at the higher altitudes – we were outside of Breckenridge. Driving through groves of Aspen at sunset, the world was literally golden. So, here are a few images from this past weekend. Please enjoy these glimpses of my first Colorado fall. Love.
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Vaguely photo-related
But mostly not. Remember all those awesome images you’ve enjoyed the past few months of amazing cancer survivors climbing and rappelling off of mountains and arches? Well, I have officially committed to running three races on behalf of First Descents! Their programs are beyond amazing (hopefully my images have at least grazed the surface of what these camps accomplish), and I want to help however I can to keep these programs going. So, I have signed up for three races before the end of this year:
1. The Colorado Relay - 192 miles from Breckenridge to Snowmass as a member of a ten-person relay team
2. the La Sportiva EverGold 10K trail race - 1900 ft. of elevation gain at nearly 9000 ft for 7 miles
3. The Denver Rock & Roll 1/2 Marathon - rocking and rolling through the streets of Denver for 13.1 miles
It’s crazy! I’m scared out of my mind and not really sure I can do it. But I need your help! I am trying to raise $3,000 for FD. I know it’s a lofty goal, but I’m running three races and would like to send 3 people to camp. Any amount you can donate would be so fantastic! Or you can join my team, run your own crazy race, and contribute in that way. Or you can cheer at any one of the races…. Either way, thank you for your help and support, and see you at the finish line!
my fundraising page: CLICK THIS LINK!!
Independents Day
I’ve stolen my title from a CNN op-ed piece, but this post has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with living your life freely and with abandon. I am blessed and grateful that I live in a country where, generally speaking, I am free. Yesterday, I tailgated at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado, with a group of new friends. We grilled, raised a flag, demolished a pinata, and watched the firework displays across the Denver metro area. As someone said, “Only in Colorado do you have to look down at the fireworks.” It was a great day, and here are a few of my photos of the festivities. I hope you’re enjoying your independence today and spending this day however you want. Happy Fourth.
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Northern Ontario nostalgia
I miss being in Canada. I am half Canadian and have spent every summer of my life but two growing up on the rocks and woods and in the waters of the North Channel of Georgian Bay. I miss it more than anything. Here are some images from 2009 because I just re-found them on my computer, and I would like to share them. Hope your summers are going well… Get outside!
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more Single Speed USA madness
The photographer who graciously afforded me the opportunity to help photograph the Single Speed USA race outside of Nederland, CO, two weeks ago, Barry Reese, put a ton of work into this awesome video compiling the video and images from the weekend. All of the video and many of the photos are his, but some of my images are scattered throughout. It was a wicked, out of control weekend, and I can only hope I’ll have more opportunities to photograph similar awesomeness in the near future. So great. Enjoy!
Drat.
Life keeps happening, and it’s all I can do to try and live fully in the moment. Six weeks ago, I up and moved to Denver, CO. Somehow, I made it happen, and it has so far been a super scary and totally amazing decision. Besides the daily awesomeness that is Denver, I have also had a number of different opportunities (already!) to photograph events I never would have seen in Chicago. Professional lacrosse at Invesco Field; burritos for my friend starting a burrito business; downtown eccentricities; and an awesome weekend of single speed mountain biking ridiculousness. Here, below, are a sampling of images from these events. More to come, and if you’re in Denver and are looking for a portrait, sports or event photographer, I am your girl! e-mail me: contactccbphotography@gmail.com
Thanks, and enjoy!
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Exciting news…!
Well, sort of. Basically, I have updated my portfolio, the links to which can be found on the right sidebar. Lots of new photos; check them out! I’ve put a few teasers below… Peace.
Not forgotten; never forgotten
I have been sadly remiss in maintaining this blog recently. I hadn’t been on too many photo adventures, and there has just been lots going on in my world lately. In the world at large, as well, there has been lots going on. This past week has seen two amazing photographers killed covering the conflict in Libya, Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros. I guess I’ve been sorting through a lot of thoughts about the whole thing… Is covering war worth risking your life? I think I would say yes, but I’m not sure if I have the strength to do it myself. Although if someone offered me the chance right now to go to the Middle East or Africa to shoot, I would say yes.
And then I recently came across the work of photographer Ben Horton, who has shot for National Geographic and has just done some seriously cool work. One of his older blog posts talks about what separates a National Geographic photographer from anyone else, and one of the points he made is the ability of your images to tell a cohesive story. This is a pretty fundamental starting point for photojournalists, and one that I had pretty much completely lost track of since graduating two years ago. Reading his post made me realize that even though I have shot a lot of photos over the past two years, I have not consciously tried to tell a story with any of them.
Perhaps this is an embarrassing admission; maybe this is another reason why I’m not really a “photojournalist,” and it is unfair to consider myself as such. Yet deep down, I like to think that storytelling remains at the heart of what I do. Even if I am not doing so consciously, and so probably missing something important, I try to illuminate a person or event with my images. Everyone has a story to tell; everyone gives off their own light, and it is my goal to be able to capture those essences with my camera.
So: moving forward, I am once again focused on the story telling, of finding the reason behind the images and conveying that to viewers. Two weeks ago I spent a glorious week photographing, once again, in Moab, Utah at the first climbing camp of the season for First Descents, an organization that provides outdoor adventure trips for young adult cancer survivors. I am (honestly) not satisfied with how well my images tell the story of these amazing people and the out-of-control-awesome week we shared together in Utah. But they are still great photos. We all still had such a great time. Some of that definitely shines through. Thanks for bearing through my long post, and now, enjoy some photos!! Thanks.
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