“The Unexpected History Lesson” (photo)

I watched this amusing scene unfold, and all I had was my cellphone camera. The light was decent enough, though in a perfect world the window would have been on the other side, you could have seen the second “student” looking away while wrapped in a cozy blanket, and the stack of books in the corner would have fit in the frame. But real life is always worth a shot. 🙂

Montana Sings

It is 3 a.m. I am exhausted and alone, waiting for just the right moment to let the shutter click. The vast Montana sky takes my breath away.

In these long days and sleepless nights, I see epic beauty, singing to its Creator.

My boots break through the crusty snow as I set up a tripod. It feels almost irreverent to break the thick silence around me. This is the photographer’s passion. I hope that just maybe, I can capture a fraction of the surrounding beauty.

If you’re a photographer, you know what I’m talking about. Every trek is not successful, but there is an insatiable drive to keep trying. Patience. Falling and getting back up again. It is 100 tries until you finally see a glimpse of success before the next mountain of challenge looms ahead.

To me, this journey is half of the reward.

Winter Flight

*drumroll* Finally, the FAA has created a licensing process for commercial drone operations!

Now I can say that I am a government-certified commercial remote pilot, operating under CFR Part 107. (That’s the fancy way of saying that passed the test and paid the fee to legally fly a drone for commercial purposes. However, the first sentence sounds cooler.)

With the help of Aero Drone academy, I passed my final remote pilot exam with flying colors, no pun intended! At the academy leading up to the Big Test, we learned the ins and outs of safe and smart flying, from airport interactions to weather patterns. It’s been a steep learning curve, but a fascinating one!

After being self-employed as a freelance filmmaker for several years, adding aerial video to my arsenal of skills has become a must-have for serving clients. Now, I am excited to bring my work to another level of excellence. …and I’m having a ridiculous amount of fun with my little “birds” that carry the cameras. It’s an unavoidable perk.

If you’re looking for video and/or drone services, shoot me an email! I’d love to chat about how I might be able to help you get some great video or drone work done. Of course, maybe you’re still brainstorming, or you’d just like to geek out with me about aperture settings and flight patterns. Yep, that’s cool too. 🙂

It’s a Beautiful Morning

– eating oatmeal, watching the sunrise, and feeling unduly epic –

Traversing the Cape Horn Loop (photos)

This week, a group of friends and I took on the Cape Horn Loop in the Columbia Gorge. The variety of views and terrain made for a crazy fun experience. I do wish I’d had more than a cellphone to capture photos on the 7-mile hike. My only other regret is wearing regular shoes… I knew it would be cold and windy, but I didn’t expect the amount of snow we ran into!

We started to see bits of snow on one hill…

Even with power lines, the view took my breath away.

At one point, the trail meandered through a park-like area. While the flatland could have felt out of place after the bits mountainous gorge terrain, the weather gave this flat area a fabulous wilderness-explorer vibe. (Think Lord of the Rings. Oh yes.)

Here we were almost at the end! We crossed under the highway, which added yet another dimension to the varied experience. I may or may not have stomped through the tunnel to make booming echo noises.

And, as is my usual, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the sky. There’s something mesmerizing about the amorphous beauty of clouds. The trees were pretty amazing, too. 😉

From the snow in my socks to the wind gusts that almost blew me off my feet, I’d do it again in a heartbeat! I am so thankful for great friends, a beautiful day, and God’s breathtaking wilderness that we have the privilege to explore.

River Feet

River Feet from Outside Communications on Vimeo.

It has truly been an honor to work with these incredible guys, and I am super excited to share one of my favorite projects I’ve been blessed to film and edit!

Leading the Way: Rylan Suehisa

Incight Gala 2015 from Outside Communications on Vimeo.