\ PHOTOGRAPHS \

Going through our analog family history with my brother was a fascinating experience and a reminder of how precious and meaningful photographs are.

It’s been said that if your house is burning down, one of the first material possessions you will grab are your photographs.

I hope you’re having a beautiful time creating meaningful experiences and memories with your loved ones as this year comes to a close.

#apictureisworthathousandwords (at Los Angeles, California)

\ HOME \

These are the colors of my youth
Shared with friends and lovers
They draw me back here
Where nostalgia finds me
And I learn to love more each time
This is where I discovered adventure
Uncovered hope
Dared to dream
And found my courage
Where my soul longed for the universe
Home is not where you grew up
But where you grow to find yourself

#reubenwrotethis

(at Dana Point, California)

Set your life on fire
Seek those who fan your flames

- Rumi

(at San Juan Capistrano, California)

This is Greg, who used to be my boss. Almost 5 years ago, I filmed myself tendering my resignation to Greg in a conference room, and here we are stand up paddling nearly 5 miles around Dana Point, my old stomping ground. The water is freakishly warm, and we’re pretty happy to say the least.

(at Dana Point, California)

\ summer’s gone \

I dare you to leave everything behind
This is your chance to start all over
Hop on a plane
I want to know seasons
I want to feel things I’ve never felt before
We will believe tonight, tonight
Tonight
Tonight
Tonight
This is our chance to start all over

#reubenwrotethis

I’ve decided to reevaluate my relationship with time going into 2015…  

(at Williamsburg)

12.13.14

Millions March NYC

The people, united, will never be defeated

“There is a community of the spirit. Join it, and feel the delight of walking in the noisy street, and being the noise.” - Rumi

(at New York, New York)

BlackRapid Double

I reached out to the team at BlackRapid and asked if I could try out their Double camera strap during my photo residency in the Arctic this past summer, and they were so kind enough to send me a strap. I was really impressed by how functional and comfortable the strap was, and it truly allowed me to take photos much more quickly and efficiently and made my job easier. You can miss a lot of shots in the Arctic if you’re too slow because the wildlife doesn’t seem to wait around. The right equipment can truly help make or break your shot!

I have a lot of friends and colleagues that shoot with 2 camera bodies without a double camera strap system, and it seems inefficient and challenging from what I have observed (one of my friends recently purchased the Double and another BlackRapid strap and is extremely satisfied). I’m excited to head down to Antarctica next month with the Double, especially since Antarctica is my final continent to explore and has been on my bucket list ever since I was in 4th grade!

I highly recommend the BlackRapid Double strap and outline some pros and cons below:

PROS

• The Double is extremely comfortable (much more comfortable than using 2 separate camera straps) and distributes the weight of heavy camera/lens combinations quite nicely. In fact, it is the most comfortable strap I have used when using a heavy DSLR camera and long telephoto lens combination.
• It is highly functional, easy to adjust, well built/designed, and lightweight. It’s a very secure way to use 2 cameras and allows you to access either camera body both quickly and efficiently.
• The Double can easily be transformed into 2 separate single straps if you only want to use 1 camera.
• It is very well priced, and worth every penny. Think of it as an investment into your body. Your back and neck will thank you for it.

CONS

• If you bend over at the hips, the camera bodies will swing forward with your body and can potentially bump into objects in front of you, ie, if you bend over a railing to look down.
• The metal carabiners (that lock the cameras to the strap) scratch easily but this is purely cosmetic and really a non-issue. It won’t affect the performance of the strap.

Live Adventurously,
Reuben

“Hello my name is Siobhan and I reside in Shanghai, China. I have also lived with a Masai tribe on the outskirts of Amboseli NP, Kenya. Despite the language barrier, what really touched me was how humble and kind the Masai are, and it made me realise that travelling isn’t just about scenery and wildlife, but also about understanding the diversity of human culture on our wonderful planet.”

Some of my polar essentials after returning to the ship from an Arctic expedition. I’m prepping to embark next month on a 2 month adventure and photo residency in Antarctica, which is my final continent to explore #thisarcticlife #antarcticaordie (at Somewhere Near the North Pole)

One of my favorite sculptures (at Storm King Art Center)

Hop on the magic school bus

Photo by @rurrnandez

#reubenonthings (at Austin, Texas)

Giving thanks for a photo that changed me:

This is Cecilia, one of our patients at a vision care clinic in Salinas, Ecuador. I had the opportunity to document stories for @onesight, an organization dedicated to providing free vision care for underprivileged individuals around the world. After Cecilia received her glasses and the gift of sight, her disposition transformed instantaneously.

The stories we documented were life changing and heart breaking, and I realized I had found my calling - to tell meaningful, compelling human stories in the most creative and beautiful way possible. This was a pivotal moment in my life.

Less than six months after returning from Ecuador, I somehow found the courage to quit my job, moved out of my house, said a lot of goodbyes, and took a nine month soul-searching journey around the world. It was a difficult thing to do at the time, and took all the courage I could muster up, but it was one of the most fulfilling decisions I have ever made. At the end of my travels, I fulfilled my long time dream of moving to New York City, to pursue a creative career and make a living doing what I love. I actually drove nearly 16,000 miles across North America to NYC and sold my car upon arriving. I haven’t looked back ever since.

(at Ecuador)

“Only from the heart
Can you touch the sky.”
- Rumi

(at Gruene, Texas)

Thankful to be able to explore, create, and do parkour.

Photo by @rurrnandez

#reubenonthings (at Austin Texas)

A 35 mm film scan by @mtmorgie (at Storm King Sculpture Park)

Pasting a @jr piece #unframedproject #jrartist (at Greenwich Hotel)

5 of 5 of the #blackandwhitechallenge

Nearly 5 years ago, I quit my job and relocated to NY from CA with hopes of becoming a photographer and filmmaker. Back then, the Holy Grail would have been to land an assignment for National Geographic, but I’ve since learned that I don’t necessarily need to shoot for Nat Geo to do meaningful work and tell powerful stories. In fact, one of my favorite photographers told me that he actually turned down his first assignment for Nat Geo. To be perfectly honest, I’m not even entirely sure if I could handle the pressure of such an assignment, and the thought of shooting 40,000 - 60,000 images for a single assignment is a bit overwhelming…

This year I had the incredible experience of being a photographer in residence onboard an expedition ship in the Arctic. I absolutely loved it because I got to explore such a beautiful and remote part of our planet doing what I love, and it was a meaningful and transformative experience because it helped me understand our fragile world a bit better and the importance of safeguarding the future of our earth.

I’m beyond excited to embark on the ship again in February for a month long residency in Antarctica, especially since Antarctica has been on my bucket list ever since I did a report on it in 4th grade. It is also my last and final continent to visit.

What kind of experiences transform and bring meaning to your life?

I nominate @andrewshepherd for the black and white challenge. I love working with Andrew not only because he is an overall wonderful human, but because his work is always unexpected, beautiful, and solid.

#thisarcticlife #neverstopexploring #notgeo

4 of 5 of the #blackandwhitechallenge

Well I suppose they don’t call it a challenge for nothing. A lot of images I thought would work well in black and white simply just don’t work, and there’s no point in forcing the issue. So I dug deep into the archives and found one of my favorite black and white images from Mt. Etna, Sicily. It was the middle of the winter, very cold, and there was so much snow on the roads I wasn’t entirely sure if our car would make it up to base camp. We ended up making it and I looked up and saw this beautiful picture of 3 people hiking in perfect formation on a ridge line towards the summit of Mt. Etna, and the rest is history. This is one of my all time favorite images that I’ve ever captured, for so many reasons.

I’m breaking the rules and nominating both @miahklein and @waterproject for the black and white challenge. I owe a lot of thanks to Miah for his guidance and for helping me along the way when I decided that I wanted to pursue photography professionally. I wouldn’t be where I am today had it not of been for people like Miah. I’ve since passed on some of that knowledge to @waterproject, who is part of the next generation of up and coming photographers

#payitforward

3 of 5 of the #blackandwhitechallenge

This is a portrait I took of Neil onboard our expedition ship in the Arctic this past summer. I looked out the window and saw Neil smoking a pipe by himself, out in the cold, on the port side of the ship. I immediately knew I had to get a picture of him, so I ran outside and captured one of my favorite images from my residency. In the Arctic, often times the most memorable moments occur when you least expect it.

I nominate @leifography, a fellow New Yorker who I connected with onboard our ship in the Arctic

#thisarcticlife