Shootapalooza II: a photographer's road trip across North America

abloxham

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Hey guys, just wanted to share this bit of exciting photography news. This summer, I'm embarking on a 50 day photography road trip across America and Canada. All total, over 7,000 miles. The trip is called "Shootapalooza II: The Sequel." I'm heading to Maine to teach photography for a month at the Maine Media Workshops, and I'm taking nearly the longest route possible. I'll be stopping off in major cities and interesting towns of both countries along my travel from Louisiana to Maine, making constructed fictional images for my main body of photographic work. I have a Fictions project that I've been working on for the past year, and want to finalize and complete it while on this trip. I'm also creating portraits of those I meet along my travels for a massive side project. I'm heading west, traveling up the coast, exploring the American midwest, and covering the width of Canada. Any advice or tips on the various cities I'm venturing into would be greatly appreciated! Also, I'm doing casting calls right now for talent in some of the locations. If there are photographers who have an interest in being an assistant in a city, perhaps if they're curious about seeing how photographs like this are built, feel free to get in touch.

Shootapalooza blog from 2010, to get a feel for what the original was like: Shootapalooza

The current list of cities/towns for this photography road trip are:

West Monroe, LA
Austin, TX
San Antonio, TX
Las Cruces, NM
Prescott, AZ
Las Vegas, NV
Los Angeles, CA
Santa Cruz, CA
Berkeley, CA
Chico, CA
Medford, OR
Portland, OR
Seattle, WA
Vancouver, BC
Kamloops, BC
Calgary, AB
Regina, SK
Winnipeg, MB
Fargo, ND
Minneapolis, MN
Ames, IA
South Bend, IN
Cleveland, OH
Toronto, ON
Essex Junction, VT
Montreal, QC
Quebec City, QC
Woodstock, NB
Rockport, ME

Thought I'd expose a little on what the backside of logistical organizing looks like. It started out with just a big collection of sketches based on story snippets. Each will eventually become a photograph.

shootplan1.JPG


Then every destination is listed out, and I have to factor in the geography of that city, who I know, what type of facility access they'd have there, what other resources might be available, and all kinds of others factors. Then I start plugging shoots into different cities as a first round... this all will probably still change around a little bit as I get into schedules and specifics with people all over North America for that nearly 2 month stretch of time...

shootplan2.JPG


But at least things are shaping up! It's a fairly unique thing to do for making photographs, thought some of you would enjoy seeing "the other" type of photography process, and perhaps even

Also, for those who are backing the project for prints, I'm excited to announce that all of the finished work from Shootapalooza II, including the debut exhibit, the 8"x10" and 13"x19" collection prints, and my new portfolio, will be printed on Harman by Hahnemühle's Gloss Art Fiber papers! Many often inquire about my paper choices, and this is the paper that receives the most inquiries. It's fantastic, and will be a great form of presentation to showcase the work made on this trip!

If anyone would like to back this project and perhaps even receive one or more of these images as finished photographs after the trip concludes and 200 hours of post-production wraps, there is a little less than 2 days left on the Kickstarter. This funding literally just goes to food and gas while on the trip. Everything else regarding the photographs, supplies, gear, etc, comes straight out of my pocket.

The link: Unfortunately, TPF policy does not permit the solicitation of funds for personal projects.

Once it's all done, the images will go into a project with other work, such as this:

001.jpg


Take it easy!
 
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I live in southern Maine and would be down for grabbing coffee and talking the trade.
 
Jingle me when you get to Ames...... We'll do lunch!
 
Atlanta needs to be on the map. :-(
 
I see the theme for Ames is "Class Cowboys". I'm thinking you'll need some students for that.
 
And I thought my 4,000 mile drive from Portland to Pennsylvania was extensive.

When you leave Medford and head north, take the first exit after the exit for Grant's Pass, and head west. That road will take you to Hellgate Canyon, which offers some excellent photo ops. It'll add a couple of hours to your trip, but it's well worth it. To be safe, stop and talk to the nice lady at the Visitor Center in Grant's Pass to make sure I've got the correct exit.

I'd recommend taking the ferry from Vancouver over to Victoria, BC. Take a morning ferry, spend the night, and then a morning ferry back. If you take your car (which is what I would do), buy your ticket early.

I can tell you this: Regina, Saskatchewan is one of the most boring places you will ever visit. Ever. If you were dropped inot the middle of a 500,000 square mile dirt parking lot, it would be more interesting than Regina could ever hope to be. Winnipeg's better, but not by much. It's just... flat. It's so flat, you could watch your dog run away for days.

Toronto is a cool town, but the traffic is some of the worst you will ever see. The stretch of the 401 freeway, that runs through Toronto, is one of the heaviest traveled pieces of asphalt on the planet. If you can, use the toll road; it's well worth the expense. If you're musically inclined, drive up to Richmond Hill (just north of Toronto) and visit Cosmo Music. It's the third largest music store in the world.

Montreal is one of my all-time favorite cities. The Vieux Port is an absolute must. Wear comfortable shoes, as walking if preferred (for me, anyway) to driving. I've spent far less time in Quebec City, but it has an "old world" flair that Montreal, for all of its good points, lacks.

It looks like one Helluva' trip!
 
I can tell you this: Regina, Saskatchewan is one of the most boring places you will ever visit. Ever. If you were dropped inot the middle of a 500,000 square mile dirt parking lot, it would be more interesting than Regina could ever hope to be. Winnipeg's better, but not by much. It's just... flat. It's so flat, you could watch your dog run away for days.

So you're basically saying you can see farther and still see less than anyplace else on Earth?

I noticed on an older copy of a tour map you were planning to swing down through Iowa, Illinois and then around the lake and up into Michigan to get back into Canada -- before re-routing and going south of Lake Erie.

I was going to suggest you take the northern route through the upper peninsula of Michigan as there are a lot of cool things up there (the Lake Superior lakeshore is beautiful). Head east across the UP (that's "upper peninsula" of Michigan. No, the UP is not actually it's own state, but they think they are. Don't tell them.) Cross back into Canada at Sault Ste. Marie (pronounced "soo" saint marie -- they throw in every letter EXCEPT the ones they want you to pronounce... apparently it's something the French do for fun.) Head east toward (but don't go to) Sudbury... instead turn south toward Espanola then head down to cross the one-lane (no... not one lane for each direction... one lane for BOTH directions. Cars have to take turns crossing the the old swing bridge.) The town there is Little Current on Manitoulan Island. You can drive south on the island toward the town of South Baymouth. From there you can catch the Chi-Cheemaun Ferry which takes you down to Tobermory (the tip of the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario which separates Lake Huron from the Georgian Bay). Really cool geology around there. While you could make a bee-line for Toronto from there, I think Stratford Ontario is a cool town... especially if you like live theater (it's a tiny town with a bigger theater crowd then most large cities.)

I have a sailboat and a few years ago I sailed up to the North Channel. There are places up there where I'd swear the nearest light bulb is seemingly 50 miles away. Anyway... I'm anchored out in some cove feeling like I own my own private piece of paradise and, in the middle of the night, I need to use the bathroom. The boat has a skylight. When I roll out of bed, I notice it seems kind of bright in the boat considering there are no lights on. I look up through the skylight and I see a lot of stars. I slide open the companionway hatch to walk back into the open cockpit, look up, and am overwhelmed by what I see... the Milky Way as I have NEVER seen it before (and I'm big into astronomy so trust me when I say I've looked up at the Milky Way a lot). This is the stuff of huge cocktail table books on astronomy photos. I go to some "dark sky" sites for observing a few times per year and if the weather cooperates, I see the milky way maybe a tenth as bright as when I was up there and I have to work at teasing out the details. This was naked-eye observing at it's very best.

Just remember... if you get to the middle of nowhere, it's dark, preferably moonless, and no large cities anywhere around... go have a look at the sky and make sure you bring a tripod and a VERY wide angle lens. You wont regret it (well... unless you get eaten by a large toothy animal with sharp claws -- that would certainly put a damper on the trip.)
 
In San Antonio, get some GREAT Mexican food at Tomatillo's (located on Broadway) and in Austin get some great BBQ at Franklin's (3 hour wait--get there 2 hours early).

Enjoy.
 
p.s. If you need a guide/assistant drop me a pm. I'd offer the use of my gear but I'm assuming you're taking a fair amount with you if you're going to teach a class.
 
...I'd recommend taking the ferry from Vancouver over to Victoria, BC. Take a morning ferry, spend the night, and then a morning ferry back. If you take your car (which is what I would do), buy your ticket early.
I second this! :thumbup:

I can tell you this: Regina, Saskatchewan is one of the most boring places you will ever visit. Ever. If you were dropped inot the middle of a 500,000 square mile dirt parking lot, it would be more interesting than Regina could ever hope to be.
This too! :lol:
 
I live in southern Maine and would be down for grabbing coffee and talking the trade.

I'll be in Rockport/Camden for a month teaching at the Maine Media Workshops. Swing up if you get a chance and check out one of the premier photo/video institutions in the world!

Jingle me when you get to Ames...... We'll do lunch!

If I can! Ames is a quick overnight drive-through between Minneapolis and South Bend, see some friends and make a photo. It's a pretty cool little college town. I visited there the first time on my last Shootapalooza three years ago.

Atlanta needs to be on the map. :-(

I'd love to just fill in that east coast map on this trip, but it somehow always evades my route when I do these trips. Fun city though. Had an exhibit there a year ago at the Hagedorn.

And I thought my 4,000 mile drive from Portland to Pennsylvania was extensive.

When you leave Medford and head north, take the first exit after the exit for Grant's Pass, and head west. That road will take you to Hellgate Canyon, which offers some excellent photo ops. It'll add a couple of hours to your trip, but it's well worth it. To be safe, stop and talk to the nice lady at the Visitor Center in Grant's Pass to make sure I've got the correct exit.

I'd recommend taking the ferry from Vancouver over to Victoria, BC. Take a morning ferry, spend the night, and then a morning ferry back. If you take your car (which is what I would do), buy your ticket early.

I can tell you this: Regina, Saskatchewan is one of the most boring places you will ever visit. Ever. If you were dropped inot the middle of a 500,000 square mile dirt parking lot, it would be more interesting than Regina could ever hope to be. Winnipeg's better, but not by much. It's just... flat. It's so flat, you could watch your dog run away for days.

Toronto is a cool town, but the traffic is some of the worst you will ever see. The stretch of the 401 freeway, that runs through Toronto, is one of the heaviest traveled pieces of asphalt on the planet. If you can, use the toll road; it's well worth the expense. If you're musically inclined, drive up to Richmond Hill (just north of Toronto) and visit Cosmo Music. It's the third largest music store in the world.

Montreal is one of my all-time favorite cities. The Vieux Port is an absolute must. Wear comfortable shoes, as walking if preferred (for me, anyway) to driving. I've spent far less time in Quebec City, but it has an "old world" flair that Montreal, for all of its good points, lacks.

It looks like one Helluva' trip!

Regina will be interesting. Western Canada will be new land to drive through for me. Regina is an overnight stop. Winnipeg might turn into a couple nights stay, due to the model/actor interest there. Some great scenes in store for there. I've driven into Toronto before, love that city. Traffic was bad, but I've also driven in 5 o'clock traffic in Manhattan before. Hopefully after 5,000 miles or so, bad traffic will just serve to be something interesting to blog about. Montreal is going to be another multi-day stop. Have a huge trio of images planned, and getting to work again with a fashion designer who has awesome creations. She was a model in a photo last time I was there, and will be an on-set assistant this time. Hopefully I don't get another parking ticket again there.

I can tell you this: Regina, Saskatchewan is one of the most boring places you will ever visit. Ever. If you were dropped inot the middle of a 500,000 square mile dirt parking lot, it would be more interesting than Regina could ever hope to be. Winnipeg's better, but not by much. It's just... flat. It's so flat, you could watch your dog run away for days.

So you're basically saying you can see farther and still see less than anyplace else on Earth?

I noticed on an older copy of a tour map you were planning to swing down through Iowa, Illinois and then around the lake and up into Michigan to get back into Canada -- before re-routing and going south of Lake Erie.

I was going to suggest you take the northern route through the upper peninsula of Michigan as there are a lot of cool things up there (the Lake Superior lakeshore is beautiful). Head east across the UP (that's "upper peninsula" of Michigan. No, the UP is not actually it's own state, but they think they are. Don't tell them.) Cross back into Canada at Sault Ste. Marie (pronounced "soo" saint marie -- they throw in every letter EXCEPT the ones they want you to pronounce... apparently it's something the French do for fun.) Head east toward (but don't go to) Sudbury... instead turn south toward Espanola then head down to cross the one-lane (no... not one lane for each direction... one lane for BOTH directions. Cars have to take turns crossing the the old swing bridge.) The town there is Little Current on Manitoulan Island. You can drive south on the island toward the town of South Baymouth. From there you can catch the Chi-Cheemaun Ferry which takes you down to Tobermory (the tip of the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario which separates Lake Huron from the Georgian Bay). Really cool geology around there. While you could make a bee-line for Toronto from there, I think Stratford Ontario is a cool town... especially if you like live theater (it's a tiny town with a bigger theater crowd then most large cities.)

I have a sailboat and a few years ago I sailed up to the North Channel. There are places up there where I'd swear the nearest light bulb is seemingly 50 miles away. Anyway... I'm anchored out in some cove feeling like I own my own private piece of paradise and, in the middle of the night, I need to use the bathroom. The boat has a skylight. When I roll out of bed, I notice it seems kind of bright in the boat considering there are no lights on. I look up through the skylight and I see a lot of stars. I slide open the companionway hatch to walk back into the open cockpit, look up, and am overwhelmed by what I see... the Milky Way as I have NEVER seen it before (and I'm big into astronomy so trust me when I say I've looked up at the Milky Way a lot). This is the stuff of huge cocktail table books on astronomy photos. I go to some "dark sky" sites for observing a few times per year and if the weather cooperates, I see the milky way maybe a tenth as bright as when I was up there and I have to work at teasing out the details. This was naked-eye observing at it's very best.

Just remember... if you get to the middle of nowhere, it's dark, preferably moonless, and no large cities anywhere around... go have a look at the sky and make sure you bring a tripod and a VERY wide angle lens. You wont regret it (well... unless you get eaten by a large toothy animal with sharp claws -- that would certainly put a damper on the trip.)

I experienced something like that once while driving from Houston to Austin. It's pretty majestic. Definitely plan on stopping during some of those wide open late nights of driving. When I was originally planning out the trip, I actually was considering staying in Canada that entire route, but I have an old friend from grad school in Minneapolis. A good chance to catch up, and also make a photograph in one of the lakes outside the city. He was an assistant on a lot of photos I made while working on the MFA.

In San Antonio, get some GREAT Mexican food at Tomatillo's (located on Broadway) and in Austin get some great BBQ at Franklin's (3 hour wait--get there 2 hours early).

Enjoy.

Good food definitely planned for both places! I'm giving a talk and workshop demo at UTSA, so I'm sure the students there would love to head over for a bite afterwards.

Hit me up when you're in vegas. Happy travels.

Las Vegas is currently a black hole for me, network and connections-wise. Looking for a long, winding staircase somewhere there that I can use in a photo setup. I'm just stopping in overnight, but should be a fun visit.

If any of you guys want to follow the trip as it's happening, I'll be maintaining a travel blog at Andy Bloxham. Everything is coming together, it's quite exciting... if not also daunting!
 
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Las Vegas is currently a black hole for me, network and connections-wise. Looking for a long, winding staircase somewhere there that I can use in a photo setup. I'm just stopping in overnight, but should be a fun visit.

If any of you guys want to follow the trip as it's happening, I'll be maintaining a travel blog at Andy Bloxham. Everything is coming together, it's quite exciting... if not also daunting!

Only problem with vegas is it's pretty much flat everywhere so the only stairs are in the casinos. Getting permission from the casinos might be a problem.

there are some stairs near the hoover dam, but I'm not sure if they're the type you're looking for.



http://www.singletracktours.com/linked/img_0365.jpg
 

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