2011 has been a phenomenal year for me… two major international trips in 6 months (Perú & China), a new house and a great job have blessed me. Here are some of my favorite images from the past year!

Short highlight video produced by my friend Bryan Lemon of my pics and video from the Cordillera Blanca Environmental Expedition in Peru. I can’t wait to get back to the mountains!

View from Ishinca

Just a quick note to say that I’m back from Peru and have spent the last week recovering and trying to gain back the 12 pounds that I lost. What a wonderful and challenging trip! Wow, I have never embarked on anything so physically demanding! But the rewards were worth the effort and I have definitely been bitten by the alpine bug. I will post a few stories soon, but in the meantime, here is the loose edit of photos on Picasa!

Clinton

I am also very, extremely excited to be travelling to Peru next week. I will be photographing one of our WKU professors on a scientific expedition in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range, which is part of the Andes. I’ll be learning the fine art of mountaineering and documenting the American Alpine Club’s efforts to conduct pollution and climate research at 14,000-17,000 feet elevation. I should have access to WiFi every few days, so be sure to check out my FaceBook and Twitter pages for updates!

I have been blessed to document some really touching weddings this year. Each one has meant something personally to me, and I am honored to photograph such important days! On this cold April afternoon, my friend and fantastic climbing partner Stuart married Meg in the backyard of a family friend’s house on Owensboro. Enjoy!

To kick off a spree of blog posts (yes, it’s been a ridiculously long time) I wanted to post a wedding that was very dear to my family. Melissa, the bride, has been a family friend for years and her mom & Kelly work together at church. Factor in the appearance of Melissa’s father, who is battling ALS (or Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and it was an extremely heartfelt and emotional day. Enjoy.

Cover Image!!

So I entered one of my photos of my good friend Stu climbing at Kings Bluff in the Southeastern Climber’s Coalition photo contest, and they chose to use it as a promo for the contest on their website! I thought that was pretty cool, now go vote for my image on Facebook!

And thanks!

Me shooting in the cave. Photo by Vickie Carson/NPS

I spent Wednesday afternoon & night with my friends at WKYU-PBS shooting a segment for their weekly TV show Main Street on the Wild Cave Tour at Mammoth Cave. We spent nearly 9 hours underground highlighting some of the best features of the tour and getting really, really dirty. I split my time crawling around as a “tour member” and shooting some production photos. And after 2 days, I’m still cleaning dirt out of my 5D. Be on the lookout for many more collaborations between me & WKYU. We have a great working relationship and the creative possibilites are endless!

BGRF Logo

A few other changes have been in the works, too! I have talked about the Bouldering Project previously, but at the beginning of the year, things really jumped ahead. I have teamed up with two fantastic guys to bring the renewed whitewater park and mountain bike trails together with my bouldering park to form a foundation to transform the riverfront in Bowling Green. By bringing all three sports together, we will have one of the most sought-after human-powered recreation areas in the Southeast!

The Bowling Green Riverfront Foundation meets once a month at Mariah’s, and we could use any and all input the community has. So far, the response has been fantastic and we are moving in the right direction. I serve as the foundation’s VP and am leading the bouldering aspect. Right now, I am talking with climbing wall companies and getting estimates on the design of the park. It is so much fun!

Keep in touch with us through our active Facebook page, and I hope to see you soon climbing, paddling and biking all in one spot soon!

Clinton