Places we used to farm

     I am happy to announce that for part of the summer some of my artwork will be shown at The Hive Taproom in East Troy, Wisconsin.  The series is called “Places we used to farm.” The project consists of farms and farming equipment that until recently were still in use. It was one of those things you didn’t notice it until they were gone.

Resting Peacefully

    I first move to the area full time in 2002 to attend college and never really left. When I moved down from central Wisconsin, there were a few more operational farms than there are today. While in college I had several photography classes and with them came projects. Because of these projects I quickly became acquainted with the backroads of Walworth and surrounding counties.  

     This spring I was out driving around the county doing a few bids for the aerial part of Vagabond Photography and started to notice some of the buildings I photographed in college were gone and with the looming reality of what is coming in the future on the family’s(uncle & cousins) farm in Central Wisconsin I decided I wanted to capture some of these farms before they are lost to the ages or swallowed up by bigger farms or turned into a dreaded subdivision.

Forgotten Barn

     In Wisconsin alone we lost some 300 farms from January of 2019 through May and 700 farms in the 2018 according to the Journal Sentinel in a recent story “Struggling to tread water: ...” published on May 18th. Much of this is because of the lower demand for milk and dairy related products and some of the trade war related matters. Its sad, but my hope is that even though those stanchions are no longer filled with dairy cattle, the farmers can transition to crop farming or beef. With the way the weather has been out west in the plane states this spring and early summer they may be needed.

   This is a project that I intend to keep after because it has meaning and I think it bears remembering where we came from. What is currently on display at The Hive Taproom is just farms from Walworth Co. Wisconsin as I have more time to travel an explore, I intend to capture more and more of these farms before they are lost.

     I want to thank Tim and Ayla owners of The Hive Taproom and M-Jai (manager) for giving me a place to showcase the more artistic side of my business which I feel I don’t get to show enough. The Hive Taproom is a great place to hang out at, meet new people and enjoy a cool alcoholic beverage made with honey(mead). They are open Thursday through Sundays and the art on the wall changes regularly with other local artists showcasing their work.

Flying for Farmers

     At Vagabond Photography we get asked to participate in all sorts of different projects some are big and grandiose while others seem small and simple but they all are a big deal to our clients.

     Earlier this spring we were asked to fly a burning silo for a client, they wanted to see the condition of the roof because they could not climb the ladder due to the danger from the heat from the fire being produced by fire inside and not knowing what it had done to the structure of the silo itself. In the video itself you can see a few puffs of smoke coming out of the cracks in the silo roof and its vents. Apparently from what the farmer explained a few days prior there was heavy smoke coming out of the top.

Tip:

     It was an interesting flight to say the least even though it only lasted for a few minutes but we learned something about our drone while we were in the air flying close to the metal roof on the barn and the steel silo. If you get too close it messes with the internal compass of the drone and asks you to recalibrate but the moment you move further away from the steel/metal objects everything goes back to normal.

Comic Cosplay - C2E2

This spring we took a little trip down to one of our favorite Comic Conventions C2E2 it is based in Chicago and this year they celebrated their 10th anniversary. It’s always great fun and for a photographer like myself it’s a great way to tickle our fun side and remind me why we stayed in photography in the first place.

     The people that go to these events and who dress up put so much time into their costumes and create beautiful works of art. It’s always a joy to see what someone can come up with for a costume. it may not be popular to you or I but to that cosplayer it means the world to have someone notice they are dressed up as Mal from Firefly (YES, it did deserve more that one season) or Sonoshee from Redline.

     This year Vagabond Photography for at least one day will be walking around the first Wisconsin Comic Convention, it something new and even though I am not there in any official capacity and I look forward to seeing what the cosplayers of Milwaukee and the surrounding area can come up with. I hope those convention goes over well even though it is competing with Summerfest’s opening weekend. I also look forward to finding some new comic books by independent writers.

    My other goal for going to this event is also to find some local cosplayers who would like to do some photo sessions over the next few months involving their characters and trying to fit them into scenes that fit their persona. Even though I am located just outside Milwaukee in East Troy WI about 35 minutes from down town Milwaukee, I work in town regularly and would enjoy the chance to create something new that both parties involved would love. Can’t wait to meet you and see what we can create together.

New season and I'm ready to go.

Paradise Springs the last time when its too cold 2014

     It’s been a long winter and we’re ready to get back at it. The winter time is traditionally slow for me at Vagabond Photography, it’s a time when I prep for the upcoming busy season and work with our clients to plan their dream wedding photos, senior portraits and generally have some fun in the snow.  This winter became a little bit too long though. In Wisconsin we ended up with almost a week at the end of January of -30* to -50* F temps and as fun as that may sound it gets a little trying after a while. In those temp’s camera gear and drones don’t last long. Though some interesting things happen when it is that cold to spring fed ponds that don’t freeze in normal winters.

    Winter is also normally the time where photographers go to conventions a learn about new techniques and where our printers, camera reps try to sell us on latest and greatest new tech gadget. This year we passed on the conventions in leu of being part of a long terms friend’s wedding in beautiful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic as groomsman. Towards the end of winter and a wet cool spring it was really nice to get away and go sit on a beach and drink some umbrella drinks.

Hard Rock Resort beach Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

     The Dominican Republic is a nice place to visit and there are so many photo opportunities there maybe I should of brought my camera out more but hey its vacation time. It was great to be on the other side of the camera for a change and to see how someone else runs the show. Nicole and Jamie’s photographer Milan Vasovic was astounding, watching him find beauty in something simple was a joy to watch and helped inspire me to try some new things that may have taken me a few more years to learn on my own. That is the joys of watching a photographer with 20 plus years of experience.

Now back from the DR and we’re still waiting on summer to get here, heck even a good spring am I right Wisconsinites? Though what I am really looking forward to is creating something special with you or you and your loved one. Remember at Vagabond Photography we do our best to bring your idea to fruition and have it be something you will love and cherish.