Thailand Part 3: Khao San Road to Sky Bar

Leaving the river, we decided to see if we could cram 5 people into a Tuk Tuk. The Tuk Tuk's similar size as a golf cart, but we were successful! We held on tight as we zipped through the Bangkok streets to Khoa San Road. This is a long strip filled with street-side shops and food vendors. You definitely need to keep your head up for traffic. We took in the chaos and indulged in pad thai noodles with scrambled egg, shrimp and chicken. It cost about $1.50 for a plate that fed 4 of us. We made it back to our hotel and enjoyed a late afternoon soak in the pool with some cold beverages.

On top of our hotel was the Sky Bar, one of the world's highest open-air bars. We had to wait for the rain to pass but finally they let the masses that were gathered to go out to enjoy the views. When we finished taking our pictures and having a few drinks we made our way back to the streets of Bangkok. What better way to end a long day in Bangkok than a fish massage, where hundreds of fish would attach themselves to your feet and suck off all of your dead skin.

Thailand Part 2: Longtail Tour

We made our way through a small market to escape the heat of the Grand Palace and take a longtail boat ride through the back channels of the Chao Phraya River. The market was full of exotic fruits, vegetables and ready-to-eat foods. Arriving at the river we found our longtail boat. The boats are equipped with a very large engine and a long shaft that goes far behind the boat, which helps navigate in shallow waters. The channels were lined with lower-class housing and we came across a few locals. One lady in her "floating market" offered us her trinkets which we weren't interested in. Then she opened her cooler of beer. She knew exactly how to get our attention! Toward the end of the tour we stopped off at a temple that you can see in the background. Just seeing the daily life of some of the locals, relaxing with an ice cold beer, and enjoying the ride made for one of the best afternoons in Bangkok. 

Thailand Part 1: Bangkok

The long awaited, much anticipated Thailand posts have officially begun! I apologize for the delay, but I assure those of you (there's got to be 1 or 2 of you) who have waited patiently, it will be worth it. I originally planned on this being 5 or so different posts covering the whole trip. But after going through the first day (and this is not even close to all of it), I realized I was in for a much larger project. So on to the details...

After a 11.5 hour flight from Minneapolis to Tokyo and another 6.5 hour flight from Tokyo to Bangkok, we finally arrived in Bangkok around 2:00am. The following morning was followed by one of the best breakfast's I (and I don't think I'm alone on this) have ever experienced. Aside from that, it was free and included with our hotel. We then set out to the Grand Palace where we were lucky enough to have the greatest local (and easy on the eyes) tour guide, Oh. She helped us find our way and even though she herself wasn't appropriately dressed, she made sure we had donned proper clothing. The sights were amazing and the heat was even beyond that. I thought we were all going to melt!

Golfing with Dad

This summer I was able to spend a great morning with my dad out on the golf course. Golf is definitely not my sport. But taking photos is. And I thought it would be a great way to spend time with my dad and get some shots of something I'm not normally around. I got a new appreciation for the sport and it was a lot of fun watching someone who actually knows what they're doing out there. My dad was a good model and he put up with my shutter noise during his swing. Thanks dad!

Emily & Adam

This marks my first attempt at doing any sort of wedding or engagement photography. Emily and Adam were a great couple to work with. They had a few locations picked out that they wanted to take shots at and we did some improvising along the way. They added an extra element by bringing along their dogs, Coleman and Kalli. I must say that they were very well behaved and once they got over the initial excitement, they were natural models. Thanks you guys, for giving me this opportunity. We had a fun morning despite the sun not appearing and made the most of it.

Photo Notes: I now have a taste and appreciation for those that do this for a living. It's not easy to take photos and direct your models at the same time, but these two made it easy on me.

The Start of Summer

Yes, the summer solstice is actually June 21st. But with the long Minnesota winters and the warm spring we had, it's safe to say that summer officially began on Memorial Day.

We're lucky that we were able to spend such a wonderful weekend with some great friends at a great place. This is the first Memorial weekend that I remember the water being warm enough to enjoy. And we took full advantage of that! Thanks to all of you who made this such a great weekend. It really couldn't have been better.

Photo notes: I tried experimenting by utilizing the tripod on the boat. You're going to end up with the same old pictures if you are sticking to your same old methods of shooting.

The "Project"

Rock climbing is meant to be done outdoors. This past weekend, we finally got out of the gym and headed to Red Wing, MN to get a taste of what real climbing is all about.

Every climber has their nemesis. That one route that always gets the best of you. The one that you can't quite complete without multiple attempts and coincidentally, numerous falls. This is what becomes your "project." Sure, you'll climb other routes, but you keep coming back to this route until you can finally conquer it with a clean climb.

Here, Ryan Angelo works on his current "project." He reached the top, but it wasn't clean – with no falls and a single attempt. He'll soon get this route. But he'll always have a "project."