And we’re back!  A lot of time has passed since my last post, and in fact, this period has been the longest I have gone without posting in more than three years.  It is certainly not due to a lack of motivation or desire on my part, but more a reflection of just how busy things have been around here.

Besides being a photographer and everything that entails, lately I have been taking on the role of a writer, adventure model (more on that below), producer and overall crazy person with projects on all ends of the spectrum.  And what I have learned from all of this is that I wouldn’t want it any other way because when it is all said and done, we are all capable of much more than we know.

I am honored to show the clip below from today’s Wall Street Journal.  I shot the images for the project, but I also wrote the story.  That was a completely new challenge in it’s own and I am proud to share it in print and in such a prestigious place.

With a new sponsorship opportunity solidifying in January, I also spent quite a bit of time (between shoots in New Mexico and Death Valley) testing some new gear and working, as an adventure model, with a great crew to put a video piece together for the launch of the company’s newest product in late April.  Unfortunately, I cannot say too much about it right now, but will post about it as soon as possible.

Keeping up with the travel routine and forward motion, I spent a few weeks in Hawaii working with Red Bull and enjoying some family time and a birthday.  The islands recorded some of the heaviest rainfall in history during my stay, which made shooting very difficult, but in retrospect, spending time with my family and girlfriend for my birthday while shooting such a great assignment was truly special.  That is one birthday I will not forget.

(Red Bull Athlete Levi Siver shooting portraits and getting some air time.)

Since my return, I have been on 24-hour weather alert in order to finish up winter shooting contracts with Heavenly Mountain Resort and Northstar at Tahoe.  It's been one tricky season with wild weather, but it is all coming together and we've been blessed with a late season storm to kick off one last weekend of winter shooting!

Between shooting and riding the chairlift, I am also working out plans and logistics for potential summer stories in Alaska, Uganda, the central US, Haiti and maybe even Namibia.  More on that as those projects develop.

Also, TCP will be welcoming our first summer intern in the next month.  I'll write a separate post for his arrival and give the full introduction.

Lastly, here is an interview I had with the good folks at Pictureline.com.

The next few months look to be as busy as the last few, but I wouldn’t have it any other way J.

I promised some BIG news through Facebook and Twitter a week ago, and here it is.  I am extremely happy to announce that the good folks over at Jackson Kayak have teamed up with the Mexico Tourism Board and the Tourism Department of Veracruz to promote the area’s adventure travel potential.

Aurora Photos, having played a key role in the development of this partnership from the beginning, is at the helm for capturing action stills and motion to be used in multimedia stories by all parties, and has pulled me into the mix.  As if teaming up with Jackson Kayak, the Mexico Tourism Board and my own agency wasn’t already enough, I will also be heading down to Veracruz to shoot this project with my mentor, former employer and good friend, Corey Rich.

I really cannot think of a more fitting and exciting project to be a part of.

Having spent a lot of time on the road and in the water with the Jackson family across the United States, Mexico and Uganda (and even some time in my van in their driveway, haha!), I can say with full confidence that this will be one incredible project.  Nobody pulls it off quite like they do, and I can’t wait to be shooting, and dropping, more waterfalls in Mexico!

(Dane Jackson dropping in on Meatlocker on the Alseseca in Veracruz, MX during our last visit.)

On an unrelated, but newsy note, some of my work along with a story of my efforts in bringing studio lighting to outdoor / adventure sports were featured in the latest issue of Photo District News (PDN).

I always have a special moment when I see one of my images printed in a magazine, but this time it was a little extra special.  The images published, and the story that went along with them were not about someone else.  This time they were about me, and I don’t mean that in a narcissistic way, but I felt the story highlighted the effort and creative energy that I put into those images, which I hope is reflective of the effort and creative energy that I put into all of my images.

In a small way, I felt it shared a glimpse into what it has taken to get every single photograph that I attach my name to, and in that light, I hope it shared a bit more about me than I can attempt on this blog.

Thanks PDN!

(Online version)

            There have been a lot of good things going on at TCP lately so I am breaking a little from my usual reflections to post a news update.

            Last Friday I was honored to have an interview with me posted on The Adventure Chronicles for their Friday Focus series.  If you haven’t seen the website, the Friday Focus highlights different characters in the outdoor adventure world and I have to say that I am flattered to be featured in the company of adventurers like Stephen Kotch, Corey Rich and Barry Blanchard, among plenty others.

            On the outdoor theme, I was also very pleased to have this month’s cover of Blue Ridge Outdoors.  Having my roots in Georgia, it is really nice to have some of my adventure imagery circulating around the Southeast.

            Last but definitely not least, I am thrilled to announce that I have been chosen as one of Aurora’s newest Select photographers.  Differing from their stock image beginnings, Aurora Select is Aurora’s assignment division based in New York City.  Always up for a new assignment and a new challenge, I am really looking forward to collaborating on new projects with this amazingly creative group.

            As I mentioned above, this news post is a little unusual for this blog.  If you would like to keep up with the happenings at TCP, please feel free to sign up for my quarterly newsletter.  Just fill in your email address in the appropriate box on the homepage and hit enter!

            See you out there!

            “Nothing worth having comes easy.”

            It’s a pretty funny place to pull a quote like this, but I actually got it from Dr. Bob Kelso on the TV show Scrubs.  We won’t go into how hilarious I think that show is, but ole’ Dr. Kelso is right.  If you want something badly enough, there is no amount of struggle or discomfort you will not endure in order to get it.

            I was thinking about that earlier this week as I was spending 10-12 Red Bull induced hours a day cooped up in the van editing images.  In my opinion, that is not a bad problem to have, but when you live to be outside, it can be the less appealing end of the whole process.

            There is always work to do, and I LOVE that.  My brain and body have a really hard time being idle, and I should probably get that checked out because sometimes I even wake up in the middle of the night with a new idea, causing me to scramble and document it before it is lost.  I create more To Do’s than any one person could ever get through, and then brainstorm for more. I even have a “Must Do” list to distinguish gradations of importance.  What I am describing may seem a bit obsessive, but it makes the good really good, the bad still manageable and the sweet all that much sweeter.

This week was sweet.  This week I was honored as Trevor Clark Photography was featured on Patagonia’s blog, The Cleanest Line (www.thecleanestline.com).

It put all of the hours of eye-crossing editing, lost sleep and miles of To Do’s into perspective and helped me look back for a moment.  A lot has happened since this journey began, and I am happy and proud to call this my life.

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement Patagonia, and thank you my fictional TV friend, Dr. Bob Kelso, for a phrase that embodies my perspective.

            Kite training, trail runs, dollar showers, waterfall rappel, shooting, editing, planning, problem solving with software issues, hearing some bad news, uploading images to Aurora, dropping my co-pilot off at the airport, planning a surf-style bachelor party in SoCal, sleeping under the stars, sleeping in a city, driving, hanging out with an old friend, making random and not so random connections, the Apple store, being interviewed, learning new technology and upgrading.

            All in a week’s work.

            I’m not sure where my personal life ends and my work life begins, but I like it that way.  When I first sat down to type this, I actually thought I had a boring week, but I really didn’t.  A lot happened this week, even if I wasn’t on some ridiculous trip in some crazy location.

            Crazy, for me, is being on the other end of an interview.  I am used to being the journalist, so answering questions about myself and my pursuits showed me what it must have been like for all of the people I have interviewed and photographed over the years.  It was very humbling.  If you would like to read the interview, go to:

http://www.worldkayak.com/article_wk.cfm?newsid=862

            My answer to one of the questions made me think a bit about my past and my adolescent life spent wakeboarding.  It made me think about good friends and great memories.  Then I realized that I had the perfect way to pay tribute to my friends and the time we all spent together. 

Last fall, as part of a project to test some online storytelling software, I rounded everyone up for a day of hanging out and riding.  I photographed the day and got my buddy to record sound bites.  We took portraits and everyone donated some old pictures for the cause.  I put the project to together, but I never made it public as part of the agreement for testing the program.

Well now it is.  Check out the link to get a look at how one sport shaped one group of friends.  Be sure to click on the four icons within the collage to get a deeper understanding about how our lives came together through wakeboarding.

http://www.vuvox.com/collage/detail/0c921dae6

Enjoy it guys!  Can't wait to ride with you all again.