In pursuit of magic

Beautiful green eyes backstage #NYFW @costellotagliapietra @juliettedonatelli @janeiredale @milkstudios #MADEfw (at Milk Studios | New York)

Face 2 Face by @jr: “In 2007, during the Face 2 Face project, JR and Marco organized the largest illegal photography exhibition ever. For this project, portraits of Israelis and Palestinians are pasted face to face, in large format on both sides of the wall and in several Palestinian and Israeli cities. In a very sensitive context, we have to be clear. We are in favor of a solution in which two countries, Israel and Palestine would live peacefully within safe and international recognized borders. We can be optimistic.” (at Soho, New York City)

Sky Baby Freeze by dancer Christopher “Push” Costa

Push and I will be collaborating on a fun project this fall so stay tuned!

“When I was really young, it inspired me to see someone dance and do something which at the time I thought was physically impossible. So when I see someone do something that looks crazy and abnormal, I’m the sort of person who likes to try things that no one else can really do.”

- Christopher “Push” Costa, dancer

This image is from last weekend’s Instagram hashtag project #whptodayomet. Thanks @Instagram for inspiring me to photograph this series and get to know Push on a much deeper level. 

This weekend I received my first tintype portrait in the mail by photographer @gilesclement, and it was really special to open the box and hold it in my hand for the first time. I know this sounds cheesy, but I’m pretty sure I held my breath as I was opening the box just like a kid opening up a Christmas present. It made me realize how spoiled we’ve become in the digital age, and how we expect and demand things instantaneously all the time.

Tintype predates film and was widely used in the 1860’s and 1870’s, so it is quite a unique experience if you ever get the opportunity to have one taken of you. It is by far the most memorable photo that I’ve ever had taken of me, especially since I spend most of the time on the other side of the camera these days.

I’m obsessed with handmade crafts, and inspired by people like Giles that are able to make a living doing what they love, creating handcrafted goods that help create deep and meaningful experiences for us. I hope to give this portrait away as a gift one day and have it passed down from generation to generation.

“My goal is to find myself and figure out how to spread peace and love to all mankind. Right now dance is the most meaningful thing for me because I can show love and share positive energy through it. I like to move, I like to be physical, I like to release positive energy, and I can grab it from people and pass it to other people through dance.

Dance changed me. Originally dance was an escape from a poor childhood where I was busy taking care of my little brothers. I came from a poor family with an abusive step father, so for me dance was an escape from school, family, and everything I didn’t like about my life.

I really want to inspire other people to love everyone. Everyone wants happiness and love. If I can inspire some people, they can inspire other people, and that’s how it spreads. We don’t need much, we just need to understand how to be kind, happy, and spread love. It’s an ultimate goal and I might not ever reach it, but it’s definitely something to push for.”

- Christopher “Push” Costa, dancer

I’m really enjoying this weekend’s @Instagram hashtag project, because it’s forcing me to be creative and get to know other people on a much deeper level.

#whptodayimet #dance #makeportraits (at PMT Dance Studio)

I’ve really been enjoying watching the sun set lately, especially after not seeing a sunset in over 5 weeks #nofilter #nyc #beauty (at Williamsburg Bridge)

 Arctic Self Portrait

An Arctic self portrait taken less than 600 miles from the North Pole, while we search for polar bears near the pack ice. 

Thanks for joining me on this wild adventure. It’s difficult to describe my experience in the Arctic as a photographer in residence, but I definitely have a greater appreciation for our planet. I’ve learned a tremendous amount and had the wonderful opportunity to be part of a gracious, knowledgable, and talented expedition team. I’m excited to be back on the ship headed to Antarctica next February, which would mark my 7th and final continent. Antarctica has actually been on my bucket list ever since I did a school report on it in third grade. 

I will leave you with this quote by Paul Nicklen, a National Geographic photographer and biologist, that truly resonated with me:

“I want to bring back images of this remote, raw, unforgiving, beautiful, and yet extremely fragile world to you. I want you to care about these regions as much as I do, and I hope to inspire you to help avert the warming trend that is changing them quickly and irreversibly.”  

Live Adventurously,
Reuben

This Arctic Life

My favorite image of my Arctic series goes out to this mother and cub, spotted from our ship from over 8 miles away by one of our naturalists. It may not look like it, but this was my most challenging photograph. We had to race over in our Zodiacs in very rough waters to get within 125 meters, and shooting at a focal length of 640 mm from a bouncing watercraft is not very ideal. Water was spraying all over us in true Arctic expedition fashion, and some cameras even stopped working after this operation. 

According to a report published by the World Wide Fund for Nature, “A substantial reduction in the extent of the sea ice during the summer will undoubtedly have a negative impact on polar bears. Based on extremely conservative forecasts about the future extent of the sea ice, scientists have estimated that two thirds of the polar bear population could become extinct by 2050. If the sea ice continues to retreat at the speed witnessed during the last few years, the situation will become even more critical.”

MOTHERHOOD

Polar bears rolling in the deep at Hornsund, located on the island of Spitsbergen in Svalbard.

Filmed on location in the Arctic

Arctic Short Video Series 3 of 4 (15 sec)

A time lapse of our expedition ship navigating through pack ice less than 600 miles from the North Pole, while we search for polar bears.

Massive Arctic Glacier Calving!! Arctic short video series 2 of 4

A massive glacier calving at Kongsbreen glacier located in Svalbard

Filmed on location in the Arctic

I AM THE WALRUS
Part 1 of 4 of my short Arctic video series (15 sec each). Filmed handheld at a focal length of 640 mm so please pardon the camera shake!

Filmed on location in the Arctic

This Arctic Life \ Scenes from Diskobukta

1. Old trapper huts

2. Making nests

3. The Arctic fox is well adapted to living in cold environments, and has thick fur which is brown in summer and white in winter. 

This Arctic Life

We spotted blue whales in the Arctic at 2:30 am near the bow of our ship! Blue whales are the largest animal known to have ever lived on earth, and are much larger than the largest dinosaur. They can weigh up to 200 tons or 400,000 pounds and are currently classified as an endangered species. 

This Arctic Life

Polar bears dry themselves by rubbing their fur in the snow. We were probably around 100 meters away from this bear in our Zodiac.

This Arctic Life

An old trapper hut built in 1902 at Kapp Lee. The thick fog rolled in quick so we had to leave this landing site in case polar bears decided to show up.

This Arctic Life

The bird cliffs at Diskobukta

This Arctic Life

Kronebreen glacier moves with an average speed of 2 meters per day and has some of the most vivid blues I have ever seen in the wild