New Year, New Gear??

My favorite Medium Format camera to date is my Mamiya 645 AFD and the incredible 80mm 1.9 Lens

What camera are you eyeing for 2022?

As a constant victim of “GAS” I am always curious about the newest, latest, and greatest equipment coming out in the world of photography / videography. Im a nerd about cameras, formats and options. As we all know there is no such thing as a perfect camera. There are some closer than others, but that opinion can be found dissected, discussed, and dismissed on any photo forum on the World Wide Web. It’s the old Canon vs Nikon situation basically, but as we are now in a new year the competition is much closer than times past. I find this both interesting and boring at the same time.  Every camera produced by the major players, is a work of art in itself and therefore we are only limited to our skill, creativity, time allotment, and efforts. If you consider yourself a professional but cant use any camera on the market to create something wonderful then are you really a professional? I completely agree that some ergonomics are better than others ( Im looking at you Sony and your baby sized grips ) and then there is the camera that you started with that you invested time, money, and yourself to learn and use. So much to the point of maybe never even looking at the other brands. You simply keep your head down and do the work. I love that though. This is a monumental reason I adore shooting film so much. Its the polar opposite of what I do for work, and it puts me in a much different space to create. I have shot almost all the brands, and multiple bodies from each. The only brand I have never shot are Hasselblad's. So what’s the point and why am I still reading this? Because your like me perhaps. Maybe you found it by accident but your invested now and your like “ Get to the point already jerk”- I heard that and it hurts LOL but in all seriousness I have never been so confident in my work, and the equipment I have and will use in the future. Sometimes a new piece of equipment , regardless of who's label is on it, will undoubtedly grab my attention but thats part of the fun or it is for me at least. 

So I gotta know, what do you shoot now and what are you wanting to add to your collection this calendar year? Lastly I want to know the WHY behind it.  You can have more than one answer. 

For me I am hoping to add more lenses above more cameras but there are a few cameras that have my attention. All mostly film and all are medium format. I am trying to decide between a few because as much as I love having and trying new things, I don't collect them. This was a lesson I have learned as I get older. I am not a collector of things, I am a user. If I buy a camera, I am very pleased with “user” condition because I don't have to worry about the camera so much and can focus clearer. I have always dreamed of owing a Leica, and in the last year and a half, I have owned 3. My first was an M2, followed by a digital m240, and then to the camera I have dreamed of owning since starting into shooting film- my beautiful M6 TTL.  It is a work of art, which sadly makes me afraid to scratch it, or carry it as often as I should. This is why I have decided its time to let it go to someone less anxious about getting it dirty, and have recently added a Nikon F3 to my arsenal to be my one and only 35mm camera. My daily carry and I FREAKING LOVE IT ALREADY. It gets out of my way and lets me consider my composition, timing, and lighting much much faster. 

Ok so the list of film cameras on my radar are below in no particular order for anyone wondering where the Hell I'm going with this post. 

*Rolleiflex 6008

*Rolleiflex SL66

*Rolleiflex HY6

*Hasselblad 500cm

*Bronica SQA

*Fuji GA645

*Mamiya 7

( CLICK ON ANY CAMERA ABOVE TO CHECK THEM OUT AND BE SURE TO BOOKMARK THESE SITES- THEY ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITE RESOURCES FOR ALL THINGS FILM )

That’s it, a few 6x6 options and 2 point and shoot medium format 645 options for EDC. I wont have them all but this is where my thoughts are these days. 

The only digital option I might consider would be the new Canon EOSR 3 or maybe something medium format from Fujifilm as I have always been curious to try one.

Alright, that’s it. We made it and this is my first post for 2022. If you want to hear from me more often like this, just let me know. I only write to clear my head often which leaves this page collecting dust more often than not. Thanks for being awesome!

J

Daniel and Matt's Adventure Elopement

"Buzz" , my phone went off in my pocket.

It was an email from my website, "elopement enquiry". Fun fact, I get anxious if I don't reply to clients quickly. So I stopped what I was doing to give the email my full attention. This email was going to be more than I could have imagined. The email was from a couple looking for a photographer. Not just any photographer though, they need an Adventure Photographer. According to Gizmodo. com-" Adventure photography is simply the act of photographing adventures, typically in the outdoors. It's a niche defined by stunning landscapes, dynamic personalities, and challenging, ever- changing shooting conditions!”

This is The area I long to establish myself. I want all the adventures, hell I long for them. So when I realized here was another chance to do what I love, with 2 new people, in a landscape I've never seen. I was all in.

Some of the beauty in the Gorge. Trees touching the sky and waterfalls pouring into the earth.

Dan and Matt can tell you their story far better than I can lay my Apple Pencil to my IPad so I will save myself that shortcoming. I will however cover the best parts that involve me.

We emailed back and forth for weeks and scheduled a Facetime meeting. They wanted someone up for a challenging hike, with a moody Aesthetic, and who shared the love of the outdoors that they shared with one another. Hello! My name is Jeremy and I check all the boxes. All that was missing was the actual personal connection between them and myself but 2 minutes into our Facetime meeting and I knew.

I was going to Kentucky one way or another. LOL

They were engaged at a place special to them. Dan hung hundreds of light in the trees in the middle of the woods. He invited their families who hid until the big moment. Matt hiked in on this day with one foot in a boot which is a testament to his love for Dan in my opinion. Fast forward to October 3rd, 2020 (“year of Rona" ) and I find myself in KY. My favorite camera bag loaded full and ready. Yes my Atlas Pack (I know, I owe you a review of it), my Canon EOS R , EOS RP, Leica M3, Fuji GW 690iii, Canon 50mm 1.2L, Canon 24mm 1.4L, RF 24-105f.4 and my DJI Mavic Mini. We Are headed to one of the most breathtaking places I've ever had to opportunity to see. We are at the "Red River Gorge of Kentucky" 29,000 acres inside the Daniel Boone National Forrest- more specifically a trail aptly named, "Cloud Splitter”!

I know I cannot truly, or fittingly show you the topography of this hike. I can't express fully how intense the climb up was. Crawling on all fours at times, and traversing, hand over hand up a single climbing rope, tied to the only tree allowing the way up or down. I was ellated! Im talking so steep, my 40lbs of camera equipment had to be hoisted down alone. I always keep climbing carabiners, among other necessities in my gear. I took my carabiner, pulled the rope to myself where I connected my pack and lowered it down before climbing down myself. This was before I met the guys for the actual elopement.

So all of that and I haven't even met Dan or Matt in person ever. That's what it takes. Long days, little sleep, dedication, preperation, and refusal to fail. I want this life, and will not stop until its how I'm known. Watch this VLOG for more, and most importantly.

Thank You to Matt and Dan. I wish you a long happy marriage, full of adventure, full of love, and plenty of ALE 8.

I spoke to Matt and he and Dan graciously agreed to allow me to share a link to their entire gallery. If you would like to see that please click HERE.

Hursts party of 4

History- "the whole series of past events connected with someone

or something."

This word history, thats what I think of

when I think of this family. You see, Natasha and Jennifer have known each other for years. Im guessing here, but I would say 20 plus years so yeah, there is history there. I have had the honor to shoot for Jennifer & Todd before. We have ventured to the top of the Roan and captured her maternity images while she was carrying Wilder. We met up again after he was born and took family photos at Grandfather Mountain. Fast forward a few years and this family of 3 has now bumped up to a party of 4. So when I heard it was time to meet Eva-Woods AKA #lilvoovoo- I couldn't help but get excited.

I'm selfish in my excited though. -these people make beautiful children! I think it's safe to say that we share a mutual love and respect for nature which makes my work so much More!

So history. We make it everyday.

We are living in a global pandemic for crying out loud. But we make history when we make memories together. I have the extreme pleasure and task of capturing those and documenting this new history. For my children for these children below and all of those who come next.

We made new memories and documented moments for our legacy and history. We sent our ripples through time one shutter click, one smile, one moment at a time!

So as a reminder, life is short so play in the creeks, walk barefoot in the grass and love. Love above all else. - J

Craggy Pinnacle Trail 2020

Adventure, or as we call it around my house “adventure” is most welcome for me and my family. I often venture out on my own, or maybe with Atlas and then depending on our find we may then plan a trip back with the rest of the family ( minus Jaryn this trip unfortunately ). You may have seen my images from Craggy Pinnacle Trail the first time Atlas and I visited on your way to Asheville to drop off some film at Ball Photo. We even made a vlog that day. I shot mostly film that day with a mix of digital but surprisingly only took the Canon Eos R and 50mm 1.2L lens. I am usually not a 50mm fan but man this glass is something special. This is not a gear post though so back to it. We had to make a pit stop before our hike and on that journey Natasha noticed the abandoned prison and made sure I stopped by there on the way out and I am very glad we did. How cool is this find?

As you can see the skies were blue and the clouds were full, but that would quickly turn to rain but we were determined to find some time outside together. We planned ahead and had our rain jackets so nothing would stop us.

These are the things that I remember most. These are the tales I want to recall one day. Days full of smiles, dirty Chaco feet and time outside together. This is a super short, simple hike but so worth the drive. You pass through several tunnels which we always hold our breathe until we clear the exit side because Atlas loves to do it and that’s enough. These images may look familiar in some way if you saw the first gallery but this was a different day. A day we celebrated the little things again. Time together, time in nature, time to remember how strong we are as a family.

Tim + Brooke Downtown JC

I am very lucky in the fact that I get to do something I am so very passionate about while capturing passion for others. I start these blogs with high hopes of words of grandeur but always feel like my words fall short of the story I am trying to unfold for anyone reading. Thats because its not often, my story to tell so coming from me just doest’t feel right to me. My work and my vision that I infuse with these stories are a different tale all together. I don’t want to write here and tell you the love story between Tim and Brooke, but rather know that when you see these images below that you can not deny the way he looks at his soon to be wife, and how she lights up when he takes her by the hand. I always feel my visuals are my way of speaking the best that’s typically why I keep my entries so short. I want to respect the narrative of the story I am blessed to capture and record.

Brooke and I have be friends for a little while now and I was delighted when her sister emailed me to ask about my availability and especially when she stated I was Brookes first choice. This is why I get so excited to work with people. When I can get past my own doubts, I can see the world a little differently and then I can not help but create. With all the nonsense that 2020 has delivered on a sliver platter, I am so grateful that love wins. I am so glad that among the hurt in our world, that we can still find these pockets to of wonder to hold on to and to fuel our hope for a better future.

Brooke and Tim live 2 hours away and we planned this session several times but weather and pandemics spoiled our plans a few times, but I am confident that only happened to make this day so spectacular as a result.

The Things That are Left -

“The world made me cold. You made me water. One day we’ll be clouds.”

Iain S. Thomas

Tony + Summer

Every now and then you have a session that is just stupid fun. I mean the kind of day that makes you smile until your face hurts. Thats what happened while hanging out with Summer and Tony on this day. Summer was quick to let me know that I could include the out takes as they love them and she would post them, so I have included a couple here but that may give you a window into the overall joy of our time together. Tony and I have been friends for a few years after we met at the gym. At that time he and I both attended Crossfit Melee, which is now Mountain Top Crossfit and if you have ever tried Crossfit you know how quickly it is to make friends who are sharing the same sucky experience as you LOL. Fast forward to this session and all its greatness. They asked to meet up at Steele Creek Park in Bristol, TN and I was happy to oblige.

Back rides and forehead kisses for his lady.

Even in this first image above you can see the affection they share, but you can also see the laughter and how much we cut up for the entire session. We walked and talked and I got to know them both a little better. We avoided anyone that may be out ( be smart people ) and made our way around the lake. The lighting was a little tricky in the beginning but by the end of our session the light was looking pretty incredible.

I always want to leave my work for clients, and hope that above all else it creates a feeling. Stirs emotion, brings back memories of wonderful times they shared, and act as a reminder that its ok to slow down and be present. Its ok to be still and wait. Its also ok to laugh like children, and sneak those ever so subtle looks at your person while they are unaware.

Be safe, show someone you care, and sneeze into your elbow LOL

Colby Senior Portraits

As we are just 3 months into 2020, I can say for the first time in a very long time that I am pleased with my work. I am pleased with the fact that my artistic vision is pushing past my insecurities. I am so humbled that my work is being printed and shared. That alone will mean this calendar year is a success as far as my work is considered. That also means, I only have to create bigger goals starting now. I am very blessed to work with some of the most amazing people in different settings. I have made so many friends because of my photography, and vise versa, meaning I have friends that have also allowed me to capture moments for them, and their families. This post is about that specifically.  I had the pleasure of shooting some of my favorite session this weekend, a senior session, for my friend Betty. Her son is soon to graduate and I was honored to be asked, and even more so to have been apart of this milestone for her son Colby. 

Rocking his Dads belt buckle for his session.

I am persistent when getting to work with high school seniors. I know its not always comfortable to have your photo taken. I know that 17-18 years of age can be a difficult time for some. I always want to make our sessions relaxed but more importantly I need them to be genuine. Genuine to the individual. I want to capture them for who they are, not how the parents want them to look. I know this is a touchy area since parents are paying for the session but I need to capture the real personality. Lucky for my people, I am pretty laid back but also have a vision once I have spent a few minutes getting to know them. Colby is a great young man from where I stand, and even though guys tend to be a little more rigid in front of the camera, it wasn’t long before he was relaxed enough to make some amazing images. I will start below with my favorites, and then share more than usual as well. I never want to over share but I think its time I turn off some of the nagging voices in my head and just create. Whatever that looks like to me. So lets toss our mullets in the wind and Let Freedom Ring. ‘Merica

Make sure and scroll through those images of the Mullet in the wind HAHA.

Imagination Mountain and being outnumbered

It is currently Tuesday and we are back from another weekend in nature. This was back to back weekends of camping with friends. The weekend before last was spent in Hot Springs, NC with Wes and his family, and this past weekend was spent in Cosby, TN at Imagination Mountain with the Terry's. We stumbled upon this campground a few years ago and Natasha and I loaded up our 2 boys at the time for the weekend. It rained most of the time then but we still had a great time. Since then our family dynamic has changed for lack of a better word. We are foster parents if you didn't know and currently are only days away from adopting Austin who is 17 and currently annoying me by playing Fortnight. Garbage game in my opinion LOL.  We also have a 10-year-old girl and I know nadda about raising a girl.
But this isn't about that.  This is about spending every second of the weekend with friends and cramming as many activities as physically possible into 3 days.  We have known Brittney forever, and Derek and their boys are more like family than friends. I could probably write an entire blog about knowing Brittany but I'll save that for another time maybe.  Between our groups, we were 4 adults vs 6 kids plus we ran into one of Atlas' best pals from school, Aiden. He was allowed to hang out with us most of the day as well. So the kids played in the creek, made friends with neighbors, terrorized the playgrounds, heated up the b-ball court, played putt putt, watched a movie, played chess, swam, had ice cream, and even visited the arcade. I'm still tired.  So tired in fact that I will stop writing and do what I do. Tell our story via imagery. Hope you enjoy and as always feel free to comment below your thoughts. All images below shot with my Fuji Xpro 2,  my xf16mm, xf 90mm, and vintage Minolta lenses. 

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As always, I also took the film cameras but those will be shared another time. :)

Grayson Highlands Adventure

The clouds where heavy and everywhere all day! 

It's Monday morning and the beginning of July.  I have been up for over an hour, had a shower, and have my coffee made so far, so good. I'm writing this as I wait for Wes to drive up. Today is the first official shoot of Throat Punch Productions and I am excited. We are shooting a product that you will know more about soon if you follow us. If not well, your loss. As I sit here considering what and how to shoot today, I also finished pictures from a hike my family and I have been trying to do for months, Grayson Highlands, VA. I have always heard how beautiful it is, and how unique it is seeing as how its inhabited by wild ponies.  After many failed attempts to make it, last Saturday was our day. We loaded up the kids after breakfast at home, and planned our route to have lunch prior to hiking. We found a great gas station/ dinner just a few miles from the entrance to the park. We filled up on double bacon cheeseburgers, chicken salad, corn dogs and fries. FUEL. Then we were ready.  I will plan better on our next trip as we didn't get to see many ponies, other than the ones walking by the side of the road on our way out and the lighting was not ideal for the photographer inside me. Nevertheless, it was a pretty amazing day with those I adore. Jaryn almost died, because as much as I love that child, he's hella clumsy. I watched in slow motion as he bounded from one rock to the next, where he lost his footing and disappeared off the edge into the forest below. My heart sank, and I immediately yelled to him. He was quick to assure me he was fine and laughed it off. He was extremely lucky that he landed between to large rocks below his fall from about 6 feet above.  Luckily this was the worse part of the day as we collected our selves for the multiple overlooks and beautiful park that it is. We did get turned around once which led me to walk an addition 1.2 miles to collect "Valak" ( our Sequoia ) but it was a  walk I would gladly make again for my crew. We explored for over 4 hours and our Chacos where starting to leave their mark. We decided to try and drive down to the campground looking for ponies as the older boys and I opted for the additional mileage here again. I can't wait to explore there again with my motley crew, but next weekend we are off to Hot Springs, NC!  Stay tuned for those pictures next week, but below you will find the images from our last adventure! I'll post some from the Pentax 645n to my IG soon as well.

Different Approach

I just finished up prom season here in East Tennesee and moved right into wedding season. I'm writing this as a part confession, part growth.  I will start with the confessing. I hate prom season.  I did in the past is a better way to word that. I found myself feeling that prom season was something I was expected to do but often found myself feeling constrained by it.  Young adults dressing up in clothing they would usually not wear,  wearing flowers that make their movement cumbersome, and some of them are together but others are not. The latter also present's it's own issues in posing and making them comfortable. I don't feel that I charge enough for the service I offer but I also know these prom photos may turn into senior portrait session's and I can't get enough of those! So this year I made a point to myself. I made it a goal to find a better way to shoot prom. I promised myself, that I would provide something different for my clients, and I'm glad to say I crushed that goal like a boss. What did I do differently you may ask?
 
Ok so if you have ever read any of my blogs, or any of my Instagram post's ( come on are you still not following me? Really? Go on then. www.instagram.com/jeremy.gouge )  you may know that I love portraiture. I love all lighting and finding the light in every situation.  So I took some time to myself and decided that prom pictures are simply high fashion portraits. Then it clicked! Approach these sessions like I would a fashion session. I didn't concentrate on the clothing the same way but I wanted to shoot every couple as I would a model. I took this approach to every prom session I booked, and hope every gallery expressed my new method. I hope this new technique was evident in the final products. I hope that we made Prom memorable and unique. I had the extreme pleasure of working with new people, returning clients, and made future clients as well. One client was eager to book again, the moment she saw the first sneak peak. This is what makes what I do worth every second.  I'm not flooding this post with images, flip back to my Prom Season is bringing heat blog or my IG ( because you actually went and followed me right? ) to get a glimpse at those. I'm simply writing this to remind anyone else that reads it, there is always another way, a different approach, but always stay true to who you are. I hope everyone has an amazing Holiday Weekend.
J

Hungry Mother State Park and Love!

I have had the pleasure of speaking to Sarah for months, planning her wedding to Leonard and getting to know them along the way. I was actually blessed to be referred to them by my friend Jeremy, who was unavailable on the big day. They live over an hour away from me and we had never met, that is until Sunday before last! We tried several times to plan the engagement session, and with the crazy weather we have had here in the South, it was harder than it should have been to put into works. We finally found a day that worked for us both and in the books, it went. I started the day at Church, followed by a meeting also at the church by our media director to plan some volunteer opportunities.  My family went their separate ways, so I headed on toward Virginia, en route to my session. I had a little time on my hands, so I swung by one of my favorite places and took a few photos for myself. Those can be seen here.

After a short relaxing walk in the woods, off to Chilhowie, I went.  This is exciting for several reasons for me.  I was meeting them both for the first time, and hoping to visit Hungry Mother State Park for the first time as well. All the first's! I was pleased to drive up to Sarah's parent's house and there were jeep's everywhere. My kind of people. Leonard even had an axe mounted on his roof rack, and I took this as a good sign.  A good sign it was as we talked music and the park and they really are like minded people and enjoyed being outdoors as much as I do. At one point during the shoot, Leonard's son ran his hand across the bridge and ended up with a nasty splinter. Leonard was quick to pull out his trusty pocket knife and free the debris caught in his son's hand. This may seem like a silly detail to include but, if you know me at all you know I have a passion for knives myself and have done this same thing for my own children ( and clumsy self ) multiple times, so the moment resonated with me on a deep level. 

We easily got lost in our journey and our mission to capture the love between them while exploring the beautiful park that it is. We overlooked the lake, waited patiently for the wind to work with us and not against us, and then ducked in behind a wall of kayaks and canoes. I truly enjoyed meeting and working with them both and look forward to capturing their wedding in a few short weeks. 

CLICK THE IMAGE TO SEE MORE

Devils Bathtub

The journey begins here!

I have talked about how much I love to travel, and venture into nature. Atlas and I ventured the this marvel by ourselves 2 years ago and ever since I have wanted to take the entire family back to see it for themselves. Pictures and stories don't come close to depicting the wonder that this place holds and the beauty it embraces. The water is so clear in some photos its hard to even realize your looking at water and not glass. It flows down the valley, carved away with splendor.

The Bathtub is absolutely breathtaking and thought provoking but the walk to and from is just as amazing in itself. From the multiple crossing through the tail waters that flow from the tub, to the amazing sights of nature all around. The roots of the trees seem to reach out to welcome you and the salamanders are rich if you take the time to look. Below are a few images of just those things.

Alive!

Nature was alive all around us!

We took our pup Cinder with us and although it was tricky at times he did a fantastic job. We passed a multitude of people coming and going but once we made it to the end of the walk in, there were only a few people there to impede the view and for that I was beyond grateful. We watched as a few people waded and tested the temperature to see if they had what it takes to make the plunge and before we left, 2 of our 3 boys did just that! I found footing above the pool and gave them the countdown and in they went. It was epic. Cold, it was very cold they both kept saying but with giant smiles on their faces. It will be something I remember always and through my images, hopefully they will as well!. I leave you with the option to follow the link below to see our trip in full but I didn't shoot near as much as I probably should have but sometimes I cant help but to lay the Fuji Xpro2 down and see all I can see and just be still

THE LINK