Jeremy Wade Shockley

Snowdown revisited....

2012-02-14T16:02:00.009-07:00

Photographs Jeremy Wade Shockley/The Southern Ute Drum

Inspiration, Visual Direction, Fuel...

2012-02-07T19:24:00.005-07:00

“Cuba. Inspiration. Tear sheets from the pages of National Geographic. Visual direction. Fuel.”

Instagram: Snowdown Festivities, Light Parade, and Fire Dancers. Durango, Colorado.

2012-02-04T18:01:00.005-07:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2012.

In the heat of the moment...an Instagram from the field.

iPhone reportage.

Visit Instagram HERE.

Instagram: Rising Phoenix.

2012-02-01T18:44:00.004-07:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2012.

The iPhone is the tool for interpreting your immediate surroundings. This construction site logo has caught my eye in passing more times than I can remember.

View image on Instagram. jeremywadeshockley

Instagram.

2012-01-29T09:20:00.007-07:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2012.

Instagram.

For those who love photography , social media, and real time updates...Instagram is a solid choice for sharing and consuming unpolished "slice of life" imagery!

Instagram is an iPhone app, where content creators share their images and thoughts within a small circle of friends, but not limited as such.

My handle is jeremywadeshockley and the instagram venue can be viewed HERE, simple, elegant, and above all addicting!

Become a follower...become a contributor. The best cameras is always the one you have with you!

Cheers, Jeremy

Protecting a Cultural Legacy.

2012-01-27T16:14:00.001-07:00

Photographs Jeremy Wade Shockley/The Southern Ute Drum

Protecting a Cultural Legacy...

Please take a moment to read the full story and image layout on page one and six of the most recent edition of The Southern Ute Drum.

Click HERE to view the photo essay as published.

Regards, Jeremy

Photographs Jeremy Wade Shockley/The Southern Ute Drum

Revisiting Waylon on the Benjamin Miracord.

2012-01-22T17:58:00.012-07:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2012.

Vinyl records have always been a part of my life, but never more so than in those eternal college years. A living room scatted with unsleeved records, liner notes and half empty bottles of Shiner Bock was not an uncommon sight come Sunday morning. The music was the fuel. The Miracord turntable with it's heavy wooden base said something about style.

This past weekend I had a great opportunity to visit the owner of that very turntable, a stand up individual and very close friend of mine, Dave Pike. Leafing through some of the very same records we played in our twenties, cold beers turned to empty bottles and the piles of music began to stack up as the night turned the corner into morning.

The warm sound of Willie Nelson and his Outlaws, crisp guitar cuts from Joan Jett, or the depth of each and every track from Pink Floyd's Animals....Vinyl is simply better.

So where am I going with this post, and what does it have to do with photography? Nothing, and everything at once I suppose. We as artists, photographers and observers can not underestimate the value and influence of great music. We can also recognize the recipe for a quality time, memories made, and the value of revisiting them throughout our lifetime.

The picture above took a few minutes, but for me it captured more than a decade of memories.

Thanks DP. Waylon would have done it that way.

The Power of Observation.

2012-01-19T18:44:00.016-07:00

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2012.

A full moon, or at least a nearly full pass, is what originally brought me and my wife Rachel to the lake edge near our home in the Vallecito valley. I with camera in hand.

The sound of the ice was what intrigued us. Hauntingly beautiful. Almost eerie. One moment you think you are hearing the sounds of the great whales communicating in song, and in a violent turn of events, the quiet is shattered by the sound... perhaps not unsimilar to metal cables, under pressure, snapping.

Events which are forcefully echoed around the valley. Cold silence remains.

Freezing temperatures combined with a partially frozen lake, and the general solitude of our rural environment. Amplified.

The photographs were a product of experimantetion. High ISO and low shutter speeds. Artistic in nature. An interpretation of the scene if you will. All made within a dozen feet of each other.

The experience itself...magic.

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2012.

Hawk High on the Southern Ute Reservation.

2012-01-13T18:27:00.018-07:00

Photographs Jeremy Wade Shockley/The Southern Ute Drum

Taking to the air in my first aerial assignment for The Southern Ute Drum via helicopter. A full five hours of non stop excitement as we made passes over remote regions of the Southern Ute reservation documenting elk and deer populations for a feature story in this weeks issue of the Drum newspaper.

Click HERE to the read the full article and see a few more pics!

The Southern Ute Drum: A Year in Review.

2012-01-09T12:55:00.002-07:00

Photograph Jeremy Wade Shockley/The Southern Ute Drum

Don't miss our final edition of 2011 with a full color spread highlighting the Year in Review with photography highlights! View The Southern Ute Drum online HERE.

Here's to new images in 2012! Cheers, Jeremy

Hangin' with the Maestro: David Alan Harvey

2012-01-05T21:45:00.002-07:00

Spending some quality time with David and his family over the New Year's weekend. Coffee and conversation, ideas and directions, Grist for the mill, as David himself would say!

Student and teacher, another coffee for the road.

David Alan Harvey is the Editor of Burn Magazine and a member of MAGNUM.

Surviving 2011: Schank House Fiesta.

2012-01-02T16:05:00.013-07:00

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2012.

Ringing in the New Year with good friends, plenty of tequila, and the legendary sound of Midnight Backhand at the Schank House Saloon...a stones throw from our own fiesta.

With 2012 we usher in the unexpected, and anticipate the best for adventures ahead!

Prospero Feliz Ano Nuevo!

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2012.

2012 Tribal Homelands Calendar Goes to Press.

2011-12-29T10:45:00.007-07:00

Photographs Jeremy Wade Shockley/The Southern Ute Drum

Rolling of the printing presses today, is a project that has been a labour of love for over twelve months, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe's 2012 calandar. This yearly project falls under the newspaper staff and varies greatly in context from year to year.

Setting out on many a crisp morning last winter I began to make images of the reservation landscapes, hoping to capture a certain timelessness in each photograph. That a viewer would in turn be able to make a very tactile connection with the familiar landscapes.

Titled Homelands of the Ute, this intimate look at seasonal change across the Southern Ute landscape is certainly worth a visit.

Happy New Year!

Best, Jeremy

Fresh Apples, Aged Whisky.

2011-12-10T18:29:00.015-07:00

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

Revisiting the last warm days of autumn, my friends Buck and Chelsea brought the community together for their annual apple cider press back in October of this year. Now if your looking for some good clean fun, this is it!

If you want to really enjoy yourself, just add whisky!

Guatemala: Fedora Photo Galleries Updated.

2011-12-07T20:55:00.005-07:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

Visit FedoraPhoto.com to see updated galleries, including recent travels to the interior of Guatemala, life on the shores of Atitlan, and cultural gatherings in the Colonial city of Coban.

Additional galleries and and a fresh interface on FedoraPhoto.com are all in the making.

Stay Tuned!

The Road to Bhutan.

2011-12-06T19:37:00.003-07:00

Photograph © Steve Conney 2011.

Another selection from Steve Conney's recent travels in South East Asia. Enjoy.

Kingdom of Bhutan.

2011-12-03T23:14:00.014-07:00

Back in the editor's seat, I have just a day and a half to help review, edit and publish images from Steve Conney's recent adventures in Bhutan and Nepal.

Vast landscapes and beautiful people make for some very striking images as this essay begins to take shape.

Enjoy.

Visit Steve Conney's website HERE to see more images.

Cheers, Jeremy

Celebrating Traditional Dance & Three Years with the Southern Ute Indian Tribe!

2011-12-02T15:46:00.011-07:00

Jeremy Wade Shockley/The Southern Ute Drum

The latest edition of The Southern Ute Drum hit stands today, with coverage of almost a half dozen cultural performances in celebration of Native American Heritage Month as recognized in the State of Colorado.

This image of a young dancer named Greg was immediately one of my favorites, but I ultimately chose another equally striking image that conveyed the sense of place and action more effectively. See the front page lead into our photo spread.

Still, I keep coming back to this image for it's composition, and the angle of the feathered bustle, as the dancer turns, catching a nice profile. This is conversely a fairly tight shot, which works to eliminate distraction from the background in this school auditorium. I used a few post production tools in Lightroom3 to make the dancer pop.

In short I think this is a rather quite image, that still captures the motion and vibrancy of the Fancy Feather Dancer in his regalia.

To view the DRUM online click HERE.

December 2nd marks three years for me as staff photographer for the Southern Ute Drum, with a new website in the making, record sizes in the bi-weekly print edition and a great lineup of stories and project ideas...2012 promises to be one of our most exciting years!

Cheers, Jeremy

The Truck.

2011-12-01T19:39:00.018-07:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

Throughout my younger life this "era" of truck has been a cornerstone of my character. I suppose it started with a truck my grandfather gave to me on my 16th birthday, an old warrior of a pick up, a "plain vanilla" 1974 Chevrolet. Not much to look at, but full of capable power, a work truck to the core. It nearly took my life and the lives of my two friends en route to a wilderness backpacking trip when high speeds turned to airborne theatrics worthy of early Hollywood film footage. I was just eighteen.

I replaced that truck soon after with a '77 that would be my main mode of transportation for the next decade. A beautiful metal flake maroon color, with wing windows and a cassette deck that never let me down. That was the truck. Since I spent most of my twenties either living abroad or commuting to work on a bicycle it served its purpose for fishing trips, dates at the drive in movie theater, and the annual pilgrimage from Boulder, Colorado to my home in the mountains of Southwest Colorado. This truck made countless memories across the two lane blacktops from Taos to Moab during those youthful college years.

Now you are probably asking what does any of this have to do with photography?

Early in my career as a photojournalist i made a trip to Jackson, Wyoming to study under a host of talented pros in a week long photography workshop. With fuel costs at the time, I had arranged to rent a small car, a plan that unexpectedly fell through at the last minute. Under the circumstances, I drove the truck. Camera gear on the bench seat, and a brand new Tom Petty album for company. A cooler in the back full of beer and soda and a sleeping bag as I was planning to crash at my friend's sisters apartment once I reached Teton county. I had it in my mind from the start to pursue an essay on cowboys and ranch life, with just under a week to make connections and create a portfolio of work worthy of the Summit's talented instructors.

The first day was a bust. Driving the back roads of a predominately closed community just before sunrise on the second morning, I pulled my truck over to inspect a Texas longhorn edging along a fence line when I heard the indistinguishable sound of working cowhands. The sounds of animals accompanied by sharp whistles and shouts pierced the early morning air. I pulled the old Chevrolet around and pointed the pick up down a two lane dirt track that led to some outbuildings on the backside of a ranch. Dressed the part, I stepped into the mud and crossed the large field to make the acquaintance of the owner and his crew who had just brought in their cattle from pasture for vaccinations. Brad agreed to be photographed, and gave me the run down of their operation before remounting his horse.

I spent the week working with that small crew. Gaining access is key. The truck might not have been what got me in, but as I rumbled down the road on that foggy fall morning, I think it might have been as instrumental as my well worn Stetson in being given the go ahead to stick around and photograph what then became my Ranch LIfe series.

Character and trust certainly do lead to access. Access as we all know is everything in journalism.

So what about the picture above? Living in the mountains requires a lot of your vehicles, and this past year I decided it was time to reinvest in a good truck. Something to haul wood, take on the occasional fishing trip, and of course a great vehicle for photographing the Western landscapes and communities neighboring my home.

Nostalgia has always played a role in my thinking, so when I saw this truck for sale, I offered eight hundred dollars to the rancher and hauled it home. Needless to say, it needs a new transmission before I can drive it to my first rodeo.

I guess having one more project on my plate won't hurt me - builds character right?

Setting the Stage.

2011-11-27T18:09:00.008-07:00

The only thing I love better than great light is a dynamic backdrop...such as this unexpected cement relic standing stream side in the forest near where Rachel grew up, now artfully reclaimed by the local youth.

After making a few nice portraits of Rachel and her niece, I handed the camera off and stepped into the scene.

Nice light, nice moment. Perfect setting. Happy holidays!

Finishing the Season.

2011-11-22T22:17:00.020-07:00

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

In a long standing family tradition I harvested a wild elk from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains near my home in Colorado.

Accompanied by my family and friends, we each set out to experience the land under our feet, drawing on tracking skills learned long ago and physical stamina just beyond our grasp. The terrain unforgiving and more so each year as the burnt stags fall to the earth feeding the saplings that now choke our way.

The photographs have represented my experience each year, recorded what my overloaded sensory perception could only interpret as a now distant idea. A burnt landscape in its natural flux. The images here are representative of each of us. The season ends, as surly as another will begin.

The Fourth Season essay is now in its 7th consecutive year as a photographic project, a personal essay of sorts. I have been following elk at the heels of my grandfather for many more years then I have been a photographer.

David Alan Harvey once put forth the question, when is an essay truly finished? I ask myself this as I head into the woods each year, inevitably seeking that which is new, that which is unique.

That said, perhaps nothing close to the heart is ever finished!

Enjoy the images, Jeremy

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

4th Season: First Light.

2011-11-19T23:11:00.005-07:00

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

4th Season: Mental & Physical Preparations in the Days Preceding.

2011-11-13T22:05:00.007-07:00

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

Love in the Lion's Den: Part II

2011-11-12T08:19:00.015-07:00

Love in the Lion's Den: Part I

2011-11-11T07:36:00.004-07:00

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

Colin and I have known each other since our early teens, forging new mountain bike trails in the hills outside of Durango, Colorado and exploring the limitless single track that was already intact. In those carefree years, I never could have foreseen that I would be shooting my friends wedding almost two decades later.

The pleasure was mine.

Set against the San Juan Mountains on a warm autumn day, we had fun with the formal portraits before the ceremony which took place in the famous Durango local, perched on the edge of the mesa - better known as the Lion's Den. Hewn of sandstone, graceful arches and aging beams make this a ideal setting for any event. Tricia and Colin added the extra touches that made this ceremony beautiful from start to finish!

Here is the best to our friends as they embark on the next adventure...

Best, Jeremy

Revisiting The Mountain Kingdom...

2011-11-09T08:39:00.001-07:00

Photograph © Michael Kircher 2011.

My good friend Mike just sent this photo in...The Mountain Kingdom calandars are making thier rounds with 2012 fast approaching!

See previous post for ordering details.

Portland at a Glance.

2011-11-05T16:59:00.002-06:00

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

Traveling to Portland, Oregon for the annual gathering of members for the National Congress of American Indian seems a bit surreal in retrospect. A metropolitan area, sleepy yet vibrant, perpetually wet, and clinging on to a gray autumn. All this in contrast to the ever blue skies of Colorado.

My trip was brief, and my photographs are simply a glimpse into the neighborhoods that I passed through in route to my destination...One train ride led me into town, less than 24 hours later another was bound for home.

Enjoy the imagery. Jeremy

Stripping Away the Darkness...

2011-10-17T23:39:00.000-06:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

High ISO settings in todays digital cameras not only bring back unseen light, but have the ability to create an artistic approach unlike any thing else I have ever used. Long exposures on a tripod could create such effects if your subject was unmoving, here I was able to walk the beach, in nearly complete darkness, and still frame up a few images using the lights of the skyline to set my manual focus...experiment, push the limits and you might surprise yourself!

Kodiak Bears.

2011-10-14T18:44:00.000-06:00

Photographs © Steve Conney 2011. All Rights Reserved.

Visit Steve Conney's recently launched photography webiste HERE.

Friends of Lesotho Fund Raiser: 2012 Mountain Kingdom Calendar.

2011-10-05T18:59:00.009-06:00

I am pleased to announce the arrival of the 2012 Friends of Lesotho calendar, a fundraising project that I recently collaborated on as a returned Peace Corps volunteer from the country of Lesotho. Each year Friends of Lesotho, a non-profit, raises funds through the publication of an annual calendar sold by the organization.

The proceeds are used to support various projects in the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho at a grass roots level. Lesotho (pronounced li-soo-too) is a relatively small country surrounded on all sides by South Africa. Being one of the most economically challenged countries in Africa, Lesotho can really benefit from small project assistance for education and economic development.

This year’s 2012 calendar, Lesotho: The Mountain Kingdom features some of my favorite images from travels throughout the ten districts, as well as intimate portraits and everyday scenes from the foothills of the Maluti Mountains where I was stationed from 2003-2005.

I encourage any one who is interested in purchasing one of these to contact Pete Neumann with Friends of Lesotho. The proceeds do not benefit myself or my company, but rather the non-profit and its development projects in the rural communities where many of these very same images were made. I have given the organization full use of these images for this project at absolutely no cost in an effort to give as much back to the Basotho people as I can at this time.

Beautiful calendar, good cause! Khotso-Pula-Nala.

Click on the IMAGE above for ordering details.

Best, Jeremy

Content Trumps Technical Aesthetics...True or False?

2011-09-29T23:20:00.013-06:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

It is safe to say that there were many approaches to this subject that might have rendered a more pleasing exposure, a technically correct exposure if you will. It is also safe to say that the moment would not have existed if I had taken a second more to rethink my approach, furthermore I can also tell you I was siting under the same blinding sun, with film loaded in my camera (probably with an ASA chosen for a completely different situation in another lifetime) and an instant to consider my manual settings, while the rest of my brain capacity was still concerned over the effects the warm goat milk I just ceremonially partook might have on my long term health.

The subject is a man who has just taken his second wife, a very young girl who is not pictured, and he is being attended to by his first. This quite moment is in contrast to the celebrations that took place in the days preceding our meeting. I was invited to share in their company and what food was left from the feasting.

The photo is a success in my eyes.

That notion was reaffirmed some years ago when TIME magazine photographer James Hill selected it from an array of working photographs of Africa for a portfolio review. Hill was clearly seeking the right moment, not the perfect exposure.

I fully realize a nice blend of the two aesthetics are core to most great images, and furthermore practiced by almost all working professionals. In reality we are often at the mercy of the elements, the situation, and our equipment, or lack there of.

My point is a great photo should not be judged at first glance by its technical proficiency, but rather its core content, the emotion, or spontaneity of the event captured in that instant. In the digital age we are furthermore inundated with well exposed, highly saturated images, aesthetic elements which in my mind play second fiddle to subject and composition.

Do you feel that the later is just as important, or can a good photo be soft, blurry, or poorly light and still deliver the same punch?

There is no clear answer, no single opinion, but instead I think this is a nice conversation piece, and a fundamental question we will almost always revisit as photographers, journalist and artists.

I welcome your input. - Jeremy

The Caprive Strip, Namibia's Northern Road.

2011-09-22T21:33:00.001-06:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

An Evening with Magnum Photographer Steve McCurry - Durango, Colorado.

2011-09-13T08:26:00.018-06:00

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

I recently had the pleasure of spending the day at the Open Shutter Gallery here in Durango, Colorado. Opening his own show and giving a photography lecture was Magnum photographer Steve McCurry of National Geographic fame.

Covering topics from Afghanistan* to the fall of the World Trade Center on 911, Steve's work spans decades photographing assignments across the globe for the Geographic, with a focus on South Asia.

Reflection on thirty plus years of life's great adventure.

2011-09-06T07:54:00.005-06:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

A palm in the wind, as the earth makes another rotation. An appropriate photo I should think as I turn yet another year older.

Toes in the sand, the image seems so distant now as the fall leaves turn on the cool breeze of a coming winter out side my window. Here's to feeling one year younger!

...and the journey ahead. Best, Jeremy

Bikers, Bulls & Brews...

2011-08-23T12:34:00.004-06:00

Jeremy Wade Shockley/The Southern Ute Drum

Working at a local newspaper, once can easily become accustomed to the ebb and flow of a year from the coverage that revolves as faithfully as a pendulum. The spring is ushered in with cultural events, big powwows and the ending of each summer with bike rally and tribal fair before the autumn colors show themselves with the coming of winter.

This shot is one of my favorites, the product of diligent shooting along the sidelines of the annual "Biker Bull Rodeo," an event that encourages non professionals to loosen up at the beer tent, sign a waiver and try their luck with the local livestock. Action packed to say the least!

This image is selected from coverage in The Southern Ute Drum in the fall of 2009. One from the archive! Next weekend I'll be back at it, always seeking another way to visually tell the story. Action lends itself to the event, for no two frames will ever be the same. Get creative, be patient, and the good things will happen!

Best, Jeremy

A Glimpse of Island Paradise.

2011-08-20T10:47:00.006-06:00

Photograph © Steve Conney 2011.

I was recently hired to help edit a friends work, travels as far reaching as Europe to our home state of Colorado. It was this image of youthful pleasures against one of Hawaii's magnificent waterfalls that really grabbed me. An image that reminded me just how full of life our world is, and how rare youthful moments can be.

I like this photo for so many reasons...so I decided to share it on Steve's behalf!

The creator of this photograph is now on his way to Alaska to photograph Kodiak Bears, and I am sure will return with many more striking images at adventures end!

Cheers, Jeremy

Exposure Opens August 12 - Durango, Colorado.

2011-08-08T17:03:00.009-06:00

Exposure

Don't miss Friday's opening reception at the Open Shutter Gallery here in Durango, Colorado.

The Second Annual Juried Exhibition titled Exposure is sure to impress with selected works from national and international artist juried by Magnum photographer Steve McCurry!

Hope to see you there!

Best, Jeremy

Adventures in iPhone Technology.

2011-08-07T14:53:00.005-06:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

I took, or rather in this case made, my first camera phone picture while waiting on an order of Phed Thai at my favorite local eatery, Sizzlin Siam. Siam is a real hole in the wall take out or eat in authentic Thai restaurant that never disappoints. The decor is as full of character, as the town of Durango itself.

My friend, photographer, Micheal Kircher recommended the Camera Bag app, which i used to create an aged feel to this basic image of a wall detail. Not bad for a phone. More importantly not bad for a camera that you always have with you – right!

Once I get the hang of it, I will try and post some more photo's...in the meantime get out to your favorite restaurant, bar or outdoor hangout and make some pictures before the summer fades away!

Best, Jeremy

State Games – Black & White Editorial Images.

2011-08-04T16:28:00.014-06:00

Photographs Jeremy Wade Shockley/The Southern Ute Drum

Garden of the Gods.

2011-07-22T19:43:00.004-06:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

At times one is better turning the lens on tourists to better illustrate the scene at some of our more popular destinations, such was the case this afternoon as I made a quick visit to Garden of the Gods, state park. Often the people add another layer of interest, or in this case a sense of scale...

Best, Jeremy

On the road again – Manitou Springs, Colorado.

2011-07-21T23:35:00.005-06:00

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

Highway Nightlife on the A1A.

2011-07-20T21:37:00.020-06:00

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

On Assignment: Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

2011-07-16T12:03:00.012-06:00

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

Seeking the American Dream – Fort Lauderdale Beach

Text & Photographs by Jeremy Wade Shockley

Foreign visitors, American tourist, students and local residents all seek to full fill an ideal long established with the American vision of surf and sand. A classic image of fitness, relaxation, and lifestyle all blend together as each individual pursues their personal role, seeking their own dream in the Florida surf, set against aging palms and retro architecture, established in a past era, the dream continues on.

Ed Richardson works for a contract company paid by the city of Fort Lauderdale, setting up shade structures. Richardson is a Florida local. College students work for NOVA patrolling the beach, interning with an organization that helps facilitate the protection of nesting turtles along the populated coastline. Two young girls take a break from schoolwork and their neighboring community to catch a tan on the city beach – a favorite among local youth. Bob Amis scours the ocean floor for lost treasure during an annual vacation from his Midwestern home state of Oklahoma. “I helped find a man's gold wedding band yesterday, he said, “ I always try to return things I find to their owners”. Weekend mornings are filled with the sounds of heckling on a seaside basketball court, the players come together weekly to compete. A group of Colombian women celebrate a birthday on the beach with friends and family. A friendly atmosphere, and an eclectic mix of cultural diversity proves that the idyllic beach still has the alluring power of if origins, which are now only visible in the aging coastline. Life fills the scene.

EXPOSURE – A Steve McCurry Juried Exhibit.

2011-07-15T21:45:00.008-06:00

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011. All Rights Reserved.

I have posted a number of photos here, Images that I put in for submission in this year's juried show at the Open Shutter – esteemed guest juror – Steve McCurry.

The deadline for submission has come and gone, but each year this prestigious exhibition draws high quality work to the warm brick walls of Durango's finest photography venue!

Enjoy the photos...Jeremy

NAJA Awards.

2011-07-12T15:31:00.008-06:00

Photograph Jeremy Wade Shockley/The Southern Ute Drum

The Southern Ute Drum will be bringing home at least four "First Place" awards from this year's Native American Journalism Association – media awards banquet. The week long conference will be held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida culminating with the awards ceremony on saturday evening.

Photos, first place: Jeremy Wade Shockley, for a Bear Dance photo of a little girl with a blue and white umbrella

News stories, first place: Ace Stryker, for "Legislators Withdraw Proposal to Cut Native Scholarships at FLC"

Best layout among biweekly and monthly papers (for Robert Ortiz's work)

The highest award of all, General Excellence!

Our paper is run with a very small, but equally dedicated staff. Each with their own vision, backed by hard work and determination. The outcome is a tribal newspaper that continues to hold its own across Indian Country.

Best, Jeremy

Crow Passion.

2011-07-10T12:55:00.002-06:00

Dark Canyon Teaser...reflection.

2011-07-08T01:25:00.006-06:00

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

Emerald Lake – Impressionistic Interpretation.

2011-07-05T22:26:00.001-06:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

Nikon 85mm F1.8 : Exceptional Portrait Lens!

2011-06-24T00:13:00.023-06:00

Spending a few hours at the lake, camp fire, beers. An an exceptional addition to my array of Nikon lenses...the famous, and infamous 85mm portrait lens. Often in life we will ask ourselves where have you been all these years! This is a wonderful lens.

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011

Into the Weminuche.

2011-06-23T21:06:00.008-06:00

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

One From The Archive...

2011-06-06T19:46:00.005-06:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

School children share a playful moment on the plaza during recess in the historic settlement of Stonetown. The port city is known for its role as a slave trading center on the island of Zanzibar- a short distance from the African coast.

Today the island communities are alive with cultural and ethnic diversity, Stonetown being the only developed city center on an otherwise quiet, rural island country.

I have always enjoyed this image for its playful spontaneity, the cultural differentiation, and the photographic tension created the the subjects themselves, and deep shadows.

Enjoy...

Dancing Through Time, This Tradition Remains.

2011-06-04T22:55:00.006-06:00

Photograph Jeremy Wade Shockley/The Southern Ute Drum

The Bear Dance Issue..!

Please visit The Southern Ute Drum for full coverage.

Click HERE!

Cheers, Jeremy

Durango Herald Features Southern Ute Culture.

2011-05-26T16:28:00.018-06:00

Photograph Jeremy Wade Shockley/The Southern Ute Drum

The Durango Herald featured two stories on Southern Ute Cultural events in today's paper, one highlighting the Southern Ute Bear Dance and another focusing on the Veterans ceremonies, also known as the Day of Remembrance.

The articles are well written and respectful. Please take a moment to view these links and read them for yourself.

As the bear does and Utes to hold event honoring all vets
both by Herald Staff Writer Heather Scofield.

Stormy Skies ~ Los Pinos River.

2011-05-25T12:14:00.004-06:00

Photograph Jeremy Wade Shockley/The Southern Ute Drum

A Night on the Town...

2011-05-17T22:54:00.016-06:00

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

Durango Lies Ahead of Me, Cuba to my Left.

Vivid imagery stands off the red brick walls of the open shutter like a visual beacon.

It is as if I am seeing these very images I know so well…for the very first time. David himself is highly impressed with the prints. Amsterdam. Toronto behind him, family time lies ahead. We are standing in the ambiance of Durango’s very own Open Shutter gallery in the midst of Divided Soul. David’s 91-year-old mother shoots me a quick, warm smile…a certain sharp, friendly twinkle in her eye.

The night has passed, and another. The work has been introduced, digested…the stories have been told, new projects unveiled. Tequila sits before me. David leans in close…your gonna write about this right? Coronas. Fresh lime splatters the lens on my Nikon; pump up the iso…no need for flash. Not tonight. I am all about the moment - it feels good. We have collected a large ensemble of friends, family, curators and photographers…the best kind of company. Tawny in the background, drowning out so many wonderful conversations is the sound of Dylan.

We, like Kerouac and Cassidy before us amble across the broad Colorado thoroughfare…common to each and every mountain town. The moon is full. We have lost a few friends, gained others. New seats, round table, we are at the Strater Hotel, and another round is poured. Historical reference. The show was a success. A Divided Soul has brought us together.

The Back Space theater- that was the venue. Small, comfortable…not withstanding the rough unfinished areas that such a stage requires. The marking of a classic loft, gallery, or otherwise artistic setting. David is nervous. Diligent sound check aside. High energy.

David smiles, the buzz is on. Burn.

David’s mother is front and center, sister at left, extended family either side, friends of family file in. Dean Conger takes an authoritive chair, and with him comes a certain presence. David is nervous. Did I mention his mother is in the front row. Energy rolls out like seawater, photographic escapism.

Rio.Scicily.Off For A Drive.Cuba.Nirobi.Women.Tell It Like It Is.

Back to Rio.

I am lost in the imagery, the narrative carries me on. Alert. Thought provoking, high octane, visuals storytelling. This is a one of a kind showing, a hometown repeat from Amsterdam…the Director’s cut in Widescreen. Lights on. A Magnum performance. Burn gets the spotlight. Conger applauds.

Back to the tequila, fast forward, the night rolls on. Headlights on the blacktop, a sleepy neighborhood greets David. Home.

Burnians Burn On….

Photograph © Amalia Dobbins 2011.

The Gallery.

2011-05-15T19:28:00.014-06:00

David Alan Harvey stands with his mother at the Open Shutter gallery in her hometown of Durango, Colorado. The gallery is currently featuring David's work from across Latin America. Divided Soul opened on Friday...

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

David Alan Harvey Presents...Divided Soul!

2011-05-11T19:20:00.003-06:00

Photograph © David Alan Harvey. All Rights Reserved.

I am pleased to say that my long time friend and mentor, David Alan Harvey, will be showing his work at the prestigious Open Shutter gallery right here in my home town, Durango, Colorado.

The show opens this Friday, May 13, followed by a formal lecture on Saturday. David is traveling to Durango to present Divided Soul as an accompaniment to the photographic exhibition of the same name.

Visit the Open Shutters site to see a preview of Mr. Harvey's work spanning decades of assignments working across Spain and Latin America.

David is a Magnum photographer, long time contributor to National Geographic Magazine, and the editor of Burn Magazine.

If your in the neighborhood, certainly don't miss this opportunity to meet David in person...Cheers, Jeremy

Gathering of Nations: Stage 49

2011-05-06T11:15:00.012-06:00

Photograph Jeremy Wade Shockley/The Southern Ute Drum

Please visit The Southern Ute Drum to view powwwow coverage...

I had the opportunity to cover the Gathering of Nations this year, along with the music venues held each year at stage "49"...

- Awesome experience!

One of my favorite performances came from Levi Platero, a Navajo guitarist of acclaimed talent. The show was impressive, and the stage lighting provided all that was necessary to capture this artistic moment...Enjoy the image!

Cheers, Jeremy

Snowdown: Voyeurism vs Interaction...

2011-05-03T21:00:00.016-06:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

There are post that are timely and those that are not. Simple fact of life. Photography. I want to open a discussion that is valuable to everyone. The idea of a moment; moments witness and those we create. No matter the venue, no matter the culture, we perceive, create and effect.

As photographers, photojournalist; we will ultimately represent the scene. No matter how much we choose to involve ourselves-we play witness.

A shutter captures the moment, our presence interprets history.

Period.

I chose these images because they reflect both sides of an intricate and interesting small town tradition.

Snowdown.

Durango is filled with characters of all background, but perhaps their is no match to that which the residents exude every winter in during the annual Snowdown celebrations in the heart of this historic mountain town...

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

The Society of Professional Journalists: Rocky Mountain Region Media Awards.

2011-04-22T18:14:00.016-06:00

Photograph Jeremy Wade Shockley/The Southern Ute Drum

SPJ Awards...

I am pleased to announce that the Southern Ute Drum newspaper pulled in five awards last week at the Society of Professional Journalists' annual awards banquet in Denver, Colorado. Please take a moment to read the full story on page 20 of The Southern Ute Drum.

Among those awards, I garnered one for this photograph of trout being stocked into the local reservoir, and another for continued coverage of Fort Lewis College and the expansion of its long standing Native American center.

Each of our staff members earned accolades in this years media contest, spanning four states ...see article for full details!

Jeremy Wade Shockley
First Place: Education General Reporting
"FLC Student Union Makes Room For New Native Center"

Jeremy Wade Shockley
Third Place: News Photography
"Lake Capote Opens With A Splash"

Here's to the spirit of journalism! Cheers, Jeremy

CASH

2011-04-16T21:29:00.002-06:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

Hard Work, Traditions on the Shores of Atitlan.

2011-04-12T19:59:00.013-06:00

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

In the Company of Friends.

2011-04-11T12:22:00.023-06:00

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011

Good friends, good memories. I had the pleasure to be one of the groomsmen in my close friend, Nathan Moffatt's wedding last summer, to be in front of someone else's lens for a change! An opportunity to photograph the intimate moments shared amongst old friends whom I rarely see year to year. I wanted to take a moment to share some of those frames right here...enjoy the images.

Here's to you Nathan and Ashley and all the adventures ahead!

Best, Jeremy

Skip.

2011-04-10T18:34:00.010-06:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

Our friend Skip Favreau enjoys the ambiance of a week night at the Schank House saloon. A stones throw from my doorstep, this cowboy bar has all the character and warmth that make photographs come alive. What remains of the 'Old West' has a place at the bar, night and day, from one season to the next!

First rounds on me...

Jeremy

Nikon D7000: It's Not About the Camera.

2011-04-09T09:19:00.019-06:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

The Virtue of Size

In my travels to Africa and Latin America for almost a decade I shot photographs exclusively on a Pentax K1000 Manuel focus film camera, light durable, and ever so small. To this day many of my portfolio pieces are ones I created with that very camera, a gift from my mother the week I graduated High School. Ironically enough it sat in a dusty green trunk for a number of years after, while I pursued my architecture degree. My enrollment in a darkroom crash course through the school's visual media department and a subsequent trip to Ecuador in the same year set in motion the career I so love and enjoy...

Back to the Basics

I have often debated with friends and colleagues about the virtue of size, functionality and what is truly necessary in a camera to create compelling imagery. As a travel photographer, with a pinochet for street photography, smaller is better-period. Today's cameras provide every necessary function in even the most mid range cameras. While many professionals seek the latest and greatest full frame digital masterpiece touted as superior by companies such as Nikon and Canon, I would argue for a respectable compact SLR and a few fast prime lenses.

Trickle Down Technology

We used to throw this term around in the bike industry when i lived in Boulder, with technology in the inspired state that it is, improvements to the latest model, inevitably drive last years features down the line. In other words, if they create a new sensor for the mid range camera, it is more cost effective to use that sensor in the subsequent models the following year, while continuing to focus the research and design department on the competitive front at the top of the camera line. As a consumer you will almost always win.

Ranch Life

The first frames I ever took with a digital SLR were from my Ranch Life series in Jackson, Wyoming on a Nikon D70s, a loaner from the Nikon support team, generously helping us with our assignment. I purchased the then, brand new, Nikon D80 before returning to Colorado that very same week. My wonderful Pentax film camera was set aside, but never forgotten. Soon after came the D90. I am now enjoying the evolution of Nikon's latest "compact" mid range digital SLR many assignments later. This camera is spectacular, and given the right circumstances I could not see too many professionals wanting for more.

Synopsis

Professionalism is, at least my mind, a matter of approach, not equipment. Perhaps the drive of this post is that the size of this camera is what sold me. I travel light. Less camera often means more access. Access is everything.

Please take a moment to scroll down through my recent posts and you will see that I have tagged numerous images with the D7000..brilliant colors, awesome clarity, and a lust for adventure!

This camera really is one for the books.

Cheers, Jeremy

Nikon D7000 equipped with Tokina 12 to 24mm F4 lens. Hoya Filter. Mack truck sold separately.

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

Celebrating The Denver March Powwow.

2011-03-25T15:10:00.019-06:00

Photographs Jeremy Wade Shockley/The Southern Ute Drum

Vist The Southern Ute Drum online to view full coverage of the 37th Annual Denver March Powwow held each spring in the Mile High City!

Enjoy the images...Cheers, Jeremy

Out of Africa.

2011-03-17T18:18:00.005-06:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

As I pack warm cloths, and mentally prepare myself to shoot the first big powwow celebration of the season in Denver, Colorado my thoughts turn to Africa.

Perhaps the winter storm warning and snowy mountain passes have something to do with it, perhaps the eight hour drive itself sends my mind to slower times. I am excited. The grand entries will be full of energy, the shooting intensifies, and the moments between are filled with life on the fringe of a great gathering of dancers and those who support them.

I pulled this image from the archive to reflect a slower pace of life. One which I dearly miss, a time in my life that perhaps I can never truly go back to, a cadence I may never reagin. Then again whose to say what the future has in store for all of us. If we truly seek something we can almost always find the way...I only hope that the peace in our world will continue to exist, and that troubled times will pass.

Take a moment for yourself this weekend, take a photo that reflects your idea of solitude, quite. Feel free to share in the process right here.

Best, Jeremy

Southern Ute Cultural Center & Museum.

2011-03-11T15:34:00.008-07:00

Jeremy Wade Shockley/The Southern Ute Drum

Visit the official website for the soon to be dedicated Southern Ute Cultural Center & Museum in Ignacio, Colorado.

The website can be found HERE.

The Southern Ute Drum has played a significant role in the contribution of editorial images for use on the website, and many more which will be on display in the museums permanent gallery when it opens the door to its state of the art facility this spring!

Best, Jeremy

The Southern Ute Landscape.

2011-03-11T15:29:00.004-07:00

Jeremy Wade Shockley/The Southern Ute Drum

Click HERE to visit The Southern Ute Drum online...

Enjoy the photos. Jeremy

Define Purpose...

2011-03-09T19:21:00.011-07:00

Photograph Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

I often ask myself...How do I do this? I find myself seeking what is sought. I often work for another.

How to approach a subject, how to appease an editor, a publisher?

Define success.

Tonight I shoot for myself. Tonight I define art. These are my moments!

Experience Photography.

Take Flight.

Photograph Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

Fire & Iron.

2011-03-06T11:00:00.013-07:00

Celebrating 2010.

2011-02-27T11:59:00.010-07:00

Photograph © Patrick Dobbins 2011.

Rachel and I travelled to Central America this past summer to share in our wedding vows and travel together under the Guatemalan sun. This image was taken on the morning of the ceremony by my good friend Patrick Dobbins sharing in coffee and conversation.

Photograph © Patrick Dobbins 2011.

Travel in Central America is often most beautiful during the rainy season, with storm clouds approaching each afternoon, we read our vows shortly after sunrise, fresh flowers and champagne compliments of the house!

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

Rachel and I navigate the beautiful gardens and terraced landscape of our posada on the edge of Lake Atitlan.

Photograph © Amalia Dobbins 2011.

One for the Books. A moment captured on film as Rachel and I toast to our friendship, marriage and all the adventures ahead!

July 17th 2010.

207th Post...

2011-02-27T10:34:00.004-07:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011. All Rights Reserved.

I have been directing so much energy in to my new PhotoShelter Photography archive and posting about it, that I simply overlooked the fact that we had passed the 200th post. A milestone that I am excited to share...over two hundred posts on photography, travel, and the ongoing projects surrounding my own photojournalism career.

So...with that said I present the 207th post!

I give a warm welcome to those who are recently stumbling on to the site, and many thanks to those who have continued to support this photography forum over the years! Stay tuned as we roll into 2011 and all that lies ahead...

Many Thanks go out to my readership, Jeremy

Steel & Steam.

2011-02-21T18:28:00.005-07:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

I have been working on the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad as a long term project since returning to my home in the San Juan Mountains, almost five years ago. I came across this image today while working on my archive...another ongoing project with no visible end! I choose to highlight this particular shot because I feel that it embodies the essence of what I hope to portray by photographing the railroad in the first place...a sense of timelessness.

There will certainly be more posts on this subject as I collect my images...and my thoughts!

Please keep checking in...Best, Jeremy

Lodo.

2011-02-18T22:28:00.003-07:00

Postcards in RAW...

2011-02-17T18:32:00.017-07:00

Arriving in Denver today I promptly checked into my room and slept through the afternoon, tired from travel. The cold bitter wind was sharp and unforgiving as I ventured out before sunset, settling into a book store for coffee, in an effort to warm myself.

Travel for me is about exploration, it's about seeing my surroundings with fresh eyes, and occasionally, indulging in solitude. Voyeurism and self reflection...street photography at its best.

The cold afternoon, was quickly giving way to an even colder night and the last of the storm clouds settled on the horizon. I turned my lens to the architecture of my urban surroundings in the last moments of the day.

Here's my postcard to you... Best, Jeremy

Spotlight on Gallereies: La Ruta Maya - Part 2

2011-02-16T20:26:00.016-07:00

Two young boys, near the village of El Remate, swim at dusk in Lake Petén Itzá, located in the Petén.

The rainy season at Lake Atitlan had dampened most of my clothes, but not my spirits. I shoved all my belongings back in my bag and was soon headed northeast toward Flores, Tikal, and the remainder of my time in Guatemala.

Photographs from the Tikal National Park in the Peten region of Guatemala, showcasing the massive archeological remains of the Maya, are intermingled with more human moments at El Remate on Lake Petén Itzá, and La Fiesta Nacional Indigena de Guatemala ( Festival Folklorico ) held in Coban.

Explore the experiences and imagery at my Photoshelter Gallery: La Ruta Maya II.

Spotlight on Galleries: La Ruta Maya

2011-02-13T13:22:00.010-07:00

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

Images from my third and most recent trip to Guatemala are available in a recently published Gallery: La Ruta Maya I

These images span travels throughout the Lake Atitlan region and the colonial city of Antigua.

Click HERE to enter the photo gallery! ...keep checking back! Adventures in Coban and Tikal are soon to be posted.

Regards, Jeremy

Spotlight on Galleries: Return to the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho.

2011-02-12T14:06:00.009-07:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

Returning to Lesotho in 2007 as a freelance photographer working on an assignment for Worldview Magazine, I had just under five weeks to cover several parts of South Africa and revisit the Mountain Kingdom. These select images are all taken using a Nikon digital SLR and a much looser photographic approach than my previous work there - limited only by time and the 100 GB backup drives which I had purchased for the assignment.

There are two galleries dedicated to this collection...enjoy the images!

Mountain Kingdom III and the corresponding gallery Mountain Kingdom IV.

Cheers, Jeremy

Spotlight on Galleries: The Mountain Kingdom

2011-02-11T22:41:00.011-07:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

I have recently created a final edit of images that I made during my two years of service under the United States Peace Corps. Serving in The Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho from 2003-2005. During those years I carried a manual film camera in my shoulder bag in order to document my surroundings on a day-to-day basis. I travelled through all ten districts of Lesotho in my time there, but the bulk of my images were made within a few minutes walk of my home in the village of Ha Mohatlane.

Film was scarce, and the money to develop what rolls I could afford to buy, was even harder to come by. The result was a very methodical approach to photography, careful composition, favorable lighting, and very few consecutive frames from any single subject. Very different from how I approach subjects now. I worked strictly with prime lenses, a 28mm f2.8 and a 50mm f1.7, during those first years in Lesotho. No flash, No tripod...simple-straight documentary style street photography.

This collection of images includes portraiture, landscapes and the small details that caught my eye as I passed my days under the African sun!

I have posted links to the Galleries featuring both my Color Film Images and the Black & White Film Images.

Simply click on the links...and enjoy the photographs!

The Southern Ute Drum: A Year in Review.

2011-02-03T09:43:00.011-07:00

Photograph Jeremy Wade Shockley/SU DRUM

Celebrating over two years with the Southern Ute Indian Tribe as a full time staffer for The Southern Ute Drum Newspaper. We recently sent the first issue of 2011 to press, covering a year of editorial content, highlighting news stories and photography from 2010 at its best...please take a moment to visit The Southern Ute Drum online.

Photograph Jeremy Wade Shockley/SU DRUM

Route 66: Longing for the Open Road.

2011-01-30T21:08:00.008-07:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

Simi trailers line the horizon on Interstate 40, crisscrossing the desert in each direction, hauling their wares around the clock. An icon of days gone by sits to the north, memorializing the historic road bed of a once parallel thoroughfare: Historic Route 66.

Speeding away from the setting sun, at a comfortable forty-five miles an hour, I took a moment to embrace the aging highway through the painted desert, wondering if America can ever return to its former pace, and the glory of its open roads, a country that perhaps better understood the freedom, that we fight for today.

Do you ever find yourself seeking the identity of lost landscapes, byproducts of iconic generations and way of life now forgotten?

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

A Night at the El Chapultepec.

2011-01-26T22:28:00.024-07:00

An evening at the El Chapultepec in old town Denver. A favorite of mine. I believe that Jack Kerouac and the likes of Neal Cassidy used to saddle up to this very bar.

Not many venues left like this out West.

We traded the crowded bar area, and live jazz performance for some reliable stick. My cousin Ben Shockley, his wife Shelby, Dave & Melina...and a guy named Lloyd. Spelled with two L's of course.

... and I believe pictures will speak for themselves.

....and the final edit. Just couldn't pass up on this portrait of my good friend Dave Pike.

Spotlight on Galleries: Ranch Life

2011-01-26T18:59:00.008-07:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

This is the first post from an ongoing sereis that will highlight various galleries within my personal stock photography archive. The archive serves to provide searchable, client friendly access to editors and art directors worldwide, while also serving as a robust website, with easy to use image download and print purchase features. Not a bad website platform either- mouse over features and a built in slideshow make it an enjoyable photography site!

The first of the galleries to be finalized are Ranch Life and Ranch Life II.

Ranch Life began as an assignment while attending the Photography at the Summit workshop in 2006 held in Jackson, Wyoming. The program is hailed as one of the most valuable and productive workshops in North America, drawing top level instruction from photographers and editors of National Geographic, Time, and American Photo.

My personal focus was an ongoing essay on cowboy culture and the life of modern ranchers in Teton County. I quickly made connections with a third generation ranching family as I developed the photographic essay. The Mead family has since welcomed me back on numerous occasions to continue my work in the valley.

Please follow the live links above to see the full photographic essay and license images from Fedora Photo.

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated as I continue to improve the design and content of this site.

Best, Jeremy

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

Urban Travel.

2011-01-23T17:46:00.007-07:00

The Photographic Book.

2011-01-16T21:19:00.007-07:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

The photographic book is perhaps one of the finest venues for a solid body of work, the product of a long term project, or one's life work.

Timeless.

I have stacks of National Geographic magazines loitering around the house, as well as books from my youth, read, reread lining the wooden shelves of my mountain home. Some novels remain unopened- awaiting a quieter time in my life. There is perhaps no such time in the foreseeable future... A deeper passion is my love of images, and the books that exemplify that visual journey - a collection that will see no end in this lifetime!

Some of my absolute favorites are pictured here, mostly image collections, but the artistic visions of photographers; Abell, Stanfield, Kashi, Allard, and Harvey are represented by their respective published works. To soak up a collection of photographic work is an education in itself...may the tea kettle often whistle!

Mentorship, Authorship, and the Words of David Alan Harvey.

2011-01-07T19:34:00.000-07:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2011.

I first saw the work of David Alan Harvey at an impressionable time in my life. I was in my early twenties, working and studying in Latin America. The books and literature I consumed revolved around Spanish culture at large. I clearly remember sitting in my small, barren apartment overlooking the colonial architecture of Cuenca sprawling out below me, a quart of mildly warm Pilsner at my side and a National Geographic magazine opened to an article on Cuba. The work was David's of course. I said to myself, this guy knows how to have a good time.... And he shoots for the Geographic.

I was inspired.

The intimate, colorful images stuck with me as I traversed the full length of Central America and Mexico, camera in hand, arriving some months later in a poorly lit bus depot outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico. I had completed my journey. I immediately sought out a lab to develop the film canisters I had been packing around, in a ragged ziplock bag. So began my passion for imagery.

In the following year I would return to Colorado and finish my degree in architecture. I wasted no time in unpacking an old Pentax K1000, given to me by my mother upon graduating high school, and made friends with the Universities' visual resource department. Hours washed away in the darkroom.

My love of photography, combined with a lifetime of travel, set in motion a career which I had not yet fully conceptualized.

In the years following my degree I found myself wandering the red earthen trails of Ha Mohatlane, generally just keeping myself busy, shooting as much film as I could afford to develop on the stipend of a Peace Corps volunteer working in Africa. This was not a large sum of money. Passion led to direction. I needed fuel. My time in Lesotho neared it's end, I had crossed every district in the Mountain Kingdom, photographed most of it, and desperately wanted to understand photojournalism to a fuller extent. I knew then that I wanted to make a difference through photography.

The words and images of David Alan Harvey came to me in a small field guide published by the National Geographic, where a dozen or so iconic Geographic photographers really speak from the heart about image making and the role of photography in telling a story. I soaked this one up- a couple of times. I related especially to David's intimate and honest approach. More about the moment-less about the equipment.

Two years later I was introducing myself to David Harvey and Jodi Cobb in a room full of photographers.

Back on American soil, my drive was fueled by the immediate desire to make a career for myself, the opportunities presented by a fist full of credit cards, and an open road. With that said, I packed my aging pickup, a nineteen and seventy-seven Chevrolet with the basics, a couple of film cameras and headed to Wyoming for a weeklong workshop led by some of the most respected and iconic photographers and editors of our time. I can't quite say "the rest is history" because that was only the beginning!

I took this portrait of David the other day at a cafe, not the exact photo I had intended to take just moments before, while sipping on my coffee. David, relaxed, pensive, his hands gesturing as his thoughts formulated. I missed that one. This will have to work.

David's advice...Sail your own Boat!

A short video segment produced by David's son, Bryan Harvey ...enjoy the film.

Bryan Harvey Films

Ushering in the New Year...

2011-01-06T16:24:00.001-07:00

Celebrating amongst friends and neighbors at the Schank House saloon. Toasting to the new year...drinking for the previous. Slow shutter, short depth of filed...no flash. Going for intimacy, and authenticity. This method will always yield missed frames, but when it works...well heres a few of my favorites!

Enjoy the images. Jeremy

Reflecting on the End of a Decade, Final Hours, Future Projects.

2010-12-31T22:29:00.000-07:00

Scenes from the desert and oasis of Africa, reflection of past images, distant travels and future projects. Here to the adventures ahead! Happy New year from myself, rachel and the Fedora Photo Team.... Jeremy

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2010.

Garrett & Claire.

2010-12-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2010.

This image was taken a few years ago. My cousin Garrett Ross and his girlfriend Claire paid us a visit at the Lake House in Colorado. The lake was frozen, and the sky was blue. Good for photos, great for memories.

Here's to you Garrett!

Best, Jeremy

The Indian Ocean.

2010-12-28T19:43:00.001-07:00

Timeless.

2010-12-21T20:42:00.001-07:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2010.

I took this photo of my close friend, Booms, on a return trip to the Mountain Kingdom in 2007. Booms is a kind, generous and loyal individual. He first came to me seeking help with some reading assignments for school, after some time we would pass the evenings together pitching horseshoes outside of my small hut in the village of Ha Mohatlane, sharing quarts of pilsner and a few stories. Booms is the silent type.

Near the end of my two years in Lesotho, Booms took as much interest in my photography it seemed, as I did, and became the closest thing to a fixer as I have known. We would spend hours during the weekend, visiting distant friends and relatives of his in neighboring communities, seeking subject material to put in front of my lens. Inevitably- my spoken Sosotho would reach apparent limitations-Booms was also my interpreter. During the week, he would often stop in to relax, particularly when any of my American Expatriates happened into town for a few days. Booms and I were friends.

This photo is a record of an afternoon spent at the home of Eddy Lesenyehoe, cold beers in the African heat, the sound of children and stories. I was content to be home, content to be back on African soil. A moment that no longer exists outside of this image.

Isis.

2010-12-19T10:49:00.001-07:00

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2010.

Isis - loving and equally rambunctious. A gift to Rachel when this pint sized kitten was just a handful of wildcat. A New Mexico stray with a deep thread of loyalty. Named after a song on Bob Dylan's Desire - Isis has quadrupled in size some where between the weeks of stacking firewood and shoveling snow here in the mountains of Colorado.

I now sit comfortably in my home office, a full day ahead of me. Snow falling heavily. Opportunity to rest, opportunity to achieve. Some tasks cannot wait. The professional life of a photographer has layers of responsibility. While some projects have deadlines, others are never finished.

Cheers, Jeremy

Rainy Days.

2010-12-18T23:20:00.003-07:00

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2010.

In travels, I would say that one can almost count on rain. Be it a steady drizzle or turbulent downpour -Streets, cafes, and cantinas are an ideal place to shoot. Find some shelter, buy a beer and set up for a good shot. The results will prove more interesting than your average sunny day! Enjoy the weather.

Cheers, Jeremy

Photograph © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2010.

Subtle Elements.

2010-12-16T20:08:00.000-07:00

Photo Jeremy Wade Shockley/SU DRUM

I posted two very similar images which I shot a few days ago. In this I thought it would be a great time to open up the conversation on editing. Most often we take a series of images where each photograph tells its own story, especially early on. I think that as one develops their own style, they become aware of elements and composition on a level that goes beyond the average photograph. As a photographer, I find myself lining up the elements, and often the layers, shooting similar pictures in an effort to bring the concert together, or simply all the elements. They must work together visually, while also adding interest to the situation, and if done right the photograph will also capture the moment as the artist/photographer intended it to be.

This is certainly not the most complex photo, but simple and beautiful for its own reasons. Each of the two images speaks differently against an almost unchanging background- which is the point of this post. While I love the lighting and emotion of the painters profile, there is also some attraction to the brush working canvas in the second shot-no personification needed.

Photo Jeremy Wade Shockley/SU DRUM

As photographers and journalist, we will always be editing our own work, even before we click the shutter. Most often we will be editing a number of similar images post capture, making decisions that will be final. It is in my opinion the pictures that are closest to each other, that will present the hardest edit. Photographs that are arguably beautiful, and even timeless, but subtly different. You of course must make the decision. One will be published, while the others fade into the archive, perhaps resurfacing in years to come.

Please lend your opinion here, is one of these two images clearly more meaningful, or attractive than the other? If so why?

Best, Jeremy

Making Friends.

2010-12-10T10:38:00.000-07:00

Travel photography is about relationships. Much of photography is. This of course is my opinon-others will certainly differ. The cliche travel photograph seems to be fraught with motion blur, as figures weave in and out of picturesque landscapes and popular restaurants. While the timeless images of our century are intimate portraits of people, their culture. The landscape is merely an environment, and the emotion of your subject will go well beyond the exotic nature of place.

I only say this in an effort to open conversation. Conversation perhaps being the most important tool you can equip yourself with as you travel foreign lands, and distant places with camera in hand. If you are open to the people and accepting of the culture, all doors will open eventually. This sort of intimacy is what separates the true traveller, and the most experienced photojournalist from the rest of the camera wilding tourist who most likely pack the very same guidebooks as you. Take your time, open yourself up, and explore. Making friends is the key to great travel images, and certainly the thing that will bring you back to same community for years to come.

Enjoy your travels-both near and abroad! Cheers, Jeremy

Photographs © Jeremy Wade Shockley 2010.

The Trade Winds.

2010-12-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

Lesotho: A Nation Looking Forward.

2010-11-25T10:05:00.001-07:00

Photographs Jeremy Wade Shockley 2010.

The Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho is on the road to progress. A road that is without a doubt going to be long and rocky. As with almost every developing country around the world there are growing pains. A difficult balance must be struck as any nation progresses; environment vs industry, traditions vs globalization, and tourism as an emerging economy. I have seen this in my travels across Africa and Latin America; East Germany was facing it's own similar struggles just ten years ago but on a much different scale.

The images above are representative of Lesotho in many ways. The Spiral Aloe; Lesotho's national plant is sacred to many and sought after by those who might turn a few dollars at the market. Protection is in place but rarely regulated. The plant is one of natures certain wonders; a cactus of rare beauty.

The second image of Peace Corps volunteers washing away their own worries at Malealea Falls is a key representation of tourism and the possibilities associated with this recently introduced economy. The lodge that serves to bring tourism to this remote area is run by white settlers who have made the Mountain Kingdom their home and employee Basotho as caretakers of the guest ranch. Young and old gain profit from working as guides, stable hands, cooks and musicians. The country is brimming with untapped opportunities for tourism. If implemented correctly this would create an income for even some of the most remote communities in years to come.

The third photograph is indicative of two things, often intertwined. Small business and sustainability. A solar cooker, in this case a bread cooker, is being polished by its proprietor at a trade school. Although an expensive purchase for many, in a country of little per capita, this invention can generate enough bread in a single morning to support a small family, and if used consistently it can also drastically reduced the carbon footprint in a country with fuel scarcity and abundant sunshine.

I hope that my thoughts in this post are readable. I hope to return to Lesotho in the near future in an effort to make images that go beyond culture and portraiture; imagery that can be published around the globe creating a certain impact to its viewers. Creating positive change through imagery. I hope to bring awareness to those outside of the small Mountain Kingdom in an effort to create hope and a better future for those whose livelihoods are tied to the fate of a nation.

To learn how to help the Basotho people please visit Friends of Lesotho.org

As photographers and journalist, we are all aware that imagery has helped to create change in recent history-perhaps now more than ever. Take a moment to give me your thoughts. Can we directly better the lives or environments of those we photograph through pictures? ....and if so how?

Feel free to share your thoughts, your projects! Have a great weekend.

Kind regards, Jeremy

Fourth Season: First Snow in Colorado.

2010-11-22T23:09:00.001-07:00

Fourth Season: First Frames

2010-11-18T20:56:00.000-07:00