Anyhow, we’ll see. If I win, great. If I don’t that is totally fine too. Sometimes simply creating an image you are proud of can both the means and the end. This is one of those images for me.

Here are a few shots from an insanely fun Thursday night shooting at the Badlander. I can’t thank Chris, Mike and Abi enough for allowing me to a part of the fun. If you ever happen to be in Missoula on a Thursday night and want to max out your fun-o-meter, go to Dead Hipster.

On the evening we shot this photo, Chris was feeling kind of sick, but not enough to be deterred by my request to cover him in popcorn and dress him up in a Christmas turtleneck I have (don’t ask). After we worked this scene, Chris threw a few screwdrivers at a telephone pole, dressed up like a “questionable” boy scout and then put on a poncho and asked to have water squirted at his head. We got a few gems that night, but this one definitely takes the cake in my opinion. What do you think about it?

In fact, throughout this project, I have been reminded why I love photography so much. Everything I look at I try to figure out how we could rig a silk to it, where I would shoot from, what I would use for lighting, etc. It’s projects like these that force you to look at your surroundings a bit different (and crawl around underneath a bridge like a crazy person) trying to previsualize a shot.  A bridge becomes a great location, as does a tree or a building, and then the mind is off to the races. In so many ways, it is exactly like another lifelong passion of mine, skateboarding. Having looked at curbs, loading docks, handrails and transitions for decades wondering how I can ride them, this project feels familiar.

Here are a grip of images at the Bacon & Egg show, with a few shots of Mike & Rick, Total Combined Weight and Spirit Hole thrown in for good measure. They’re all untouched, uncut, unedited, un-anythinged. Just nice and raw.

Thanks to Edge of the World for throwing the event and making it the blast it is year after year. And thank you to my back, which somehow didn’t break after all that shoveling. Here’s a few pics.

I definitely have to give a high five to my buddies Bob and Aaron for agreeing to “model” for me on a dreary Saturday several months ago. This image was created in my garage studio and involved a bit of homework. First, I had to track down the yellow suit at a medical supply store, buy the gloves from Ace, purchase a Russian gas mask from ebay and rent a fog machine from the local rental center. My friend Lou has been into video games his entire life and I knew he used to have an Atari console. Turns out he still has it…in the original box, with the original receipt taped to it. This thing cost $129 in 1982. Ironically enough, this is the exact Atari we played as kids growing up. Once it was all roughly in place, the Atari was suspended from the rafters with a ton of fishing line. I shot a little over 200 photos trying to get the light right, the smoke pumping and the right “look” to the scene. At the end of the day I knew I had something to work with. Then, all it took was Photoshop and countless hours of cloning, enhancing, color adjusting to get to a finished look I was happy with. I usually don’t do nearly this much PS work to any of my images, but this was a special occasion. So I went for it.

Here is the finished image that was in the show. I am pretty stoked on the whole darn process and rather proud of it. I love the feeling of taking something from fuzzy idea to tangible result and then putting it out there and seeing where the world takes it.

The show opens on March 2, 2012 and I have a hunch it’s going to be pretty effin’ cool. From the bits and pieces I have heard so far, it sounds like artists from all over the country really rolled up their collective sleeves and got to work on this one.  I’m gonna have to really dig deep to find the patience to wait a month and a half for the opening. And, to answer the question in your head right now, no, I don’t plan on sharing the finished photo with the giganet until after the opening…you know….so as not to spoil the surprise.

I’ll do my best to post updates as the show grows closer. And then, you can join me for a beer at the gallery on March 2.