2016 Wrapped up in 24 Photos

2016 is over and I felt like going through all the photos I took this year and finding a few of my favorites! They are in a loose chronological order and there isn't any real reason why any got picked except I just really love these photos. 

Shatterproof Summer '16 Tour

I spent the month of July with Shatterproof on the road tearing up the Southwest and Midwest (which is actually East but whatever). We kind of had two tours in one tour this run (if that makes any sense). First we hit the Southwest, then had two days home and then hit the Midwest. So without further ado heres the tour poster Branson and I did and lets get started. 

Heres the gear that went with me. Since I was doing both photo and video, I had to bring along some extra stuff. All of this goes into a Think Tank Streetwalker Harddrive bag and I have one other bag for clothes and such. 

DAY 1 - GRAND JUNCTION, CO - MESA THEATER 

Day one was in Grand Junction, CO. An easy five hour drive from Fort Collins. We were only on the road for an hour when a tire on the trailer blew. Luckily the first exit we were able to take also had a tire shop on it, so an hour later we were back on the road. We played the Mesa Theater that night and it was a great first show. The theater staff was awesome and everyone there was digging the guys set.  

DAY 2: PHOENIX, AZ - PUB ROCK

We packed up that night and took off for Phoenix, AZ. I forgot just how hot Arizona could get and I was not ready for it. Luckily our buddy David of Never Let This Go let us come hang out at his place and jump in the pool and take showers, which pretty much saved my life that day. So after the necessary stop at In n Out we headed over there. 

After that is was time to head to the venue for the hottest load in I've ever done. 

I've been lucky enough to tour through Phoenix a few times and have met some really great people so it's always a highlight for me to head down there and see everyone again. 

When we loaded out that night, it was still pretty close to 90 degrees. At midnight. Thats just not right. Anyway my friend Danielle treated us all to iHop (thank you again!) (seriously if your reading this thank you) and then we took off for Las Vegas.

DAY 3 - LAS VEGAS, NV 

I think Jeremy and I had second shift that night so we pulled into Vegas sometime that morning and it was already scorching hot. Plus no shade anywhere made for a toasty nap in the van. Benji and TJ wanted to try their hand at Craps so we hit Caesars Palace and got ready to lose money. 

The show that day ended up getting canceled due to some things out of our control. So we made the best of the day and headed down to the strip to hang out and busk. The guys made enough cash to buy everyone in n out. Or at least everyone got a few dollars off their in n out. Either way still the best thing ever. 

DAY 4 - SALT LAKE CITY, UT 

Woke up in Salt Lake City. Our show here had a venue change and got canceled. Josh called our friend Jarrod of Harbor Patrol and asked if he had any way of putting a show together. He pulled a miracle and got us a show at a school and managed to even bring a good crowd of kids on a days notice. He even let us stop at his place and shower and nap. Seriously the best. 

DAY 5 - DENVER, COLORADO - THE MARQUIS THEATER

Ah hometown shows. Was kind of weird being home halfway through a run but was nice.  This is probably the 7th time i've shot Shatterproof at the Marquis, so I wanted to try to do something new with the lighting. I just set my flash up on a remote trigger and set it behind Ben. I don't use this for the whole show, just until I get some shots that work for me. 

Here was the tour crew. The guys. Chyna did merch and myself. Pic by Justin Urban. 

DAY 6 - ALBUQUREQUE, NEW MEXICO - DUKE CITY SOUND

It was time to head home for a minute before we started the long haul to Ohio. 

DAY 8 - CINCINNATI, OH - MADISON LIVE

It was my birthday. We celebrated the night before by hanging out at a hotel and having some drinks and hanging by the pool. The next day we explored Cincinnati and got some work done at a Starbucks. Benji bought a penny board right before we left and I brought my skateboard so I could ride with him. We explored Cinci on our boards and honestly it has to be one of my favorite things to do in a city now. Just riding through the streets and seeing a city for the first time. 

I think the venue was actually in Kentucky. But it was only a five minute drive from Ohio. 

DAY 9 - MASSILION, OHIO - HOUSE SHOW

The worst rain storm ever happened this morning. I remember because the door of the van was cracked open or somewhere was leaking in the van and I woke up to water in my bunk and a really wet pillow . Not fun but it happens. We had an acoustic house show that day. They were awesome enough to feed us and let us shower and even do laundry. Couldn't ask for anything better. 

DAY 10 - MICHIGAN - OFF DAY

We had an off day so we had planned on heading straight for Lake Michigan from Ohio that night. We got to the beach right at sunrise and I was able to walk out of the van and onto the beach and watch the sunrise over the lake. Was a really great morning. Those are the days that make me really remember why I love touring. We went and ate at this awesome little dinner and I had a breakfast burrito. The weird thing is they smothered it in gravy which was insane since being from Colorado means everything is smothered in green chili. Especially breakfast burritos. 

We hit this little beach on the lake and swam and hung out for a few hours. It was really awesome. The water was clean and clear and warm. Was a good day. 

We stayed at a KOA that night and did some camping. The KOA turned out to be a really nice one and they had trampoline basketball and a pool and everything. Branson kicked everyones ass at trampoline basketball. 

That night we just hung out and camped. It was a really solid off day. 

DAY 11 - GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN - THE STACHE

Next day is was back to work. We were in Grand Rapids, Michigan at The Stache.  It's a really cool venue. Benji and I got to skate around the city after load in. 

After the show, Scott from Hurry Home took us out to get a pizza and some beers. The street that the bar was on happened to be the smoothest, greatest street i've ever skated on in my life. Benji and I just kept riding up and down the street. Theres something about cruising on a an empty street on a skateboard at 2 a.m. thats just so relaxing. Solid last night on tour. 

DAY 12 - MILWAUKEE, WISCONSiN - STUDIO 200

Last day of tour for me. I had to fly home a few days early for some other photo work that I was already booked for. We pretty much go to a coffee shop every day for a few hours to get some work done and relax. Thats where I usually upload photos. Typically, we go to Starbucks since the wifi is always good there. But on that day we decided to find a coffee shop on the lake and it was one of the coolest looking coffee shops I had ever been to. The wifi was terrible so I had to run over to a Starbucks to upload photos but oh well. 

Busy work done then its off to the venue. 

And that was it for me. I got dropped off at the airport around 3 a.m. and hopped on my 5:30 a.m. flight for home.

Saying so long to Chad and the crew. 

I got to the airport and finished some photos and then got on the plane. I normally can't really sleep on planes. Its rough being tall on a plane. I didn't get to sleep until I got home around 10:30. Long day for sure. 

Solid tour though. I'm ready to hit the road again keep touring. Its just so much fun and I always feel like thats when my work is at its best. When i'm just engulfed in it 24/7. Plus you just never know what the day is going to hold and theres something about that, that is just a really exciting way to live. 

I hope you enjoy the photos. Let me know if you do! Or don't. Thats cool too. 

Warped Tour 2016

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