I don't keep up with this like I want to. Too much has happened in the course of these past couple of months and I don't care about detailing the specifics. Sarah will be visiting Roswell for a little while. I'm leaving Saturday to go pick her up. A new aquaintence moved here a few weeks ago from Michigan and I have been helping him settle in... though he's managing pretty well on his own. The imposter syndrome that I experience fairly regularly along with an impending sense that I'm underperforming and about to be called into an office soon still lingers. Otherwise, I'm kind of excited for our scheduled rebrand this coming Thrusday evening. I have a new design that I am proud of and, if time permits, I'd like to unveil it with the new logo.

Well, I am thouroughly exhausted and sunburnt. Yesterday, a group of friends and an additional number of new associates floated the Pecos River from the Old Clovis Highway until just before 2nd Street for what I have been told is a total of 19 miles. We completed the journey in approximately five hours. Thank you Josh for lending your spare paddle board. It was my first experience piloting one and by the end of the trip, I felt comfortable standing and rocking.

In total, a mix of twenty-one or twenty-two seasoned and novice members of our relatively large group made it safely to the take-out point with few incidents and no injuries.

Today, Rüdi introduced me to an idea that we are going to implement in our photography together; to dispense with the post-processing workflow entirly. It goes something like this: A single prime lens, no RAW files, no cropping, no post-processing whatsoever. We are limited to what the camera produces natively with all of our choices baked-in to a single JPEG file. Eventually, our images will be compiled into a series curated around a theme and then, finally, published as a single contact sheet.

Another dimension that I want to add to my own process is a campaign to collect and properly dispose of whatever garbage that I find. Who knows, maybe I can enlist the help of other photographers and this can become a whole thing.

^^^ For context, my first theme will center around street garbage and other human-made detritus found in the urban and natural environments.

Yesterday, after work, our team gathered for an IT dept luncheon at a local restaurant followed by some introductory "jolf" practice. Normally, I lounge at home on Fridays, but I was feeling energized and so, after finally getting home, I decided to make a short camping trip... partly because I want to test-pitch my old trail tent and partly because I need practice using my RGND filter. The truck is usually packed with equipment most of the time anyway, so I only had to pick up schnacky schnacks and water. Apparently, there are abandoned missile silos, a remnant of the cold war, within driving distance of Roswell, and so I went to check them out. Plus, they are in the general direction that I wanted to travel anyway for a photo idea that I had been visualizing for a few days. Short story even longer, I didn't bother staying the night anywhere, but I did find a semi-cool composition of Capitan and the setting sun during the waning hours of a dust storm.

https://www.gtripp.com/portfolio/new-mexico?pgid=ldz57twr-3cb993_6adead0c525b44ea99516aa94bb447dbmv2.jpg

I needed to get away, so I drove out to the Old Frazier Schoolhouse to sleep under the stars and to practice my astro photography. One image in particular, I am very pleased with. The others are interesting in their own way. Also, I have added another section (above) to showcase some of my favorite images. You can scheck out the new astro photos from last night below.

https://www.gtripp.com/portfolio/astro-%26-nightscape

I made several changes to the site to improve functionality, especially on mobile. Currently, there is still a problem with the speed at which page loads happen on phones and potentially tablets. Among the UI changes are easier navigation to individual galleries from the 'Gallery' page; you no longer have to hunt for the tiny link after clicking on an image. I have also modified the layout for the mobile view from a mosaic to a stacked orientation so that the galleries can be more easily scrolled through. Also, there is a new menu in the bottom-left corner on the mobile view of the site that gives quick access to contact information, socials, and a way to return to the landing page. More improvements to come soon.

Just added a new playlist to celebrate turning 40 later this year: Nineteen Eighty-Four. 

https://www.gtripp.com/playlists