Michigan to Oregon

The lens is on its way from Michigan to Oregon to Skyler. Here is a bio from him and an example of his work!



My name is Skyler Hughes and I am a true Oregonian,born and raised. Oregon is the perfect place for me to be creative. From filming snowboarding to taking pictures of the beautiful waterfalls, Oregon has it all. I hope at some point to branch out in life and move around, but for now Oregon is my home. I enjoy being creative whether it is sketching with my friend Chris or hitting a jump on my snowboard, I try to make it my own. I am a very active person and love exploring what Oregon has to offer. I use top of the line equipment to bring you videos, photos, art, and graphic design to share with you what I see through my eyes. I am excited for what the future holds and very thankful/appreciative for my life.

Spring Disney

I received the lens from Alessio in Italy and planned 2 trips with it, one into the woods where i found a young buck and one at Lake Michigan. We have beautiful lighthouses around our Great Lakes, so i had to go visit one with the lens! I've been helping Craig out with the blog some too and i love the idea of it!  I've had a great experience with the lens and cant wait to see how everyone else does!

Italy to Michigan

The lens is on its way to Michigan for Spring Disney. She specializes in nature photography. We met through Flickr a few years back. Here is an example of her work, her favorite subject to shoot is birds!

Alessio Andreani

Alessio is the first Nikon user to contribute to the project. He noticed with FF Nikon bodies, the old Manual lens will not focus to infinity, which is a spot of a problem for a landscape photographer :S. He discovered an adapter that contained a corrective lens that can be fitted between the lens and the camera body. He ordered it, it fixed the problem, and he has kindly included this in the box that is being posted around. Thanks for that Alessio, very kind - and I'm sure it will come in useful again before the project is complete. Alessio has delivered his imaged and the glass is on it's way back to the US to complete it's scheduled tour.

Alessio Andreani with the lens in Italy

California to Italy

Not the intended route!  The lens was supposed to do a bit of a tour of the US, but due to contributors circumstances and availability, we are back in Europe.  The lens is currently in transit on it's way to Loreto, Italy, to meet a young landscape photographer who's photographs I first viewed in a local newspaper, and then on the front page of 500px, and then in a million blogs since.  This is the first image I saw of Alessios ... one of many jawdroppers.

Enjoy your trip by Alessio Andreani
br/>
Alessio's personal website can be found here

Alan Sailer

I can confirm Alan met up to all expectations and delivered a beautiful looking high speed image for the book. It was also very nice to talk to Alan online, who is elite in his niche field, and donates all the money he makes from his hobby to charity. I forgot to link to his Flickr before ... here is the link I would very much recommend an hour or two browsing through his stream, and viewing all the photos in high res. I think Alan may also be winning the "most creative portrait" competition. The bar has been set now!

Alan Sailer and his new monicle

Canada to California

Super excited about this next leg!  The lens is on it's way to meet Alan Sailer in California.  I love niche types of photography, Alan specialises in super high speed images.  Inanimate objects, blown into smithereens by one of many methods, usually involving high speed projectiles.  Colorful explosions frozen in time.  His flickr is just jam packed with amazingness.  Here is a nice example.

Mutant Strawberry Death by Alan Sailer

Shayna Hartley

Shayna was also nice and snappy in getting the lens shipped on.  Thanks Shayna.  Hope you enjoyed your time with it.  Your portrait shot made me laugh a little bit .... either the lens has grown during it's travels, or you have really small hands ;)

Please check out her blog.  She has a fantastic collection of nature photos
http://shaynahartleyimaging.tumblr.com/

Shayna with the lens in Ontario

Iceland to Canada

That's enough Aurora for one project. Well, I could quite happily just look at Aurora pictures all day long, but I am a bit weird.  Larus was super snappy in getting the lens shipped out.  Thanks Larus, we might have had a little trouble getting the lens into Iceland, but there was no trouble getting it out :)  Next up is a young lady named Shayna Hartley, a nature photographer from Ontario in Canada.

As usual ... a photograph by Shayna.


And a paragraph written by Shayna

Hi! My name is Shayna Hartley, I am a 22 year old photographer from Ontario, Canada. My passion lies with wildlife and nature related subjects, although I do venture in to other genres from time to time. I have always been interested in art, but hadn't really delved in to photography until my late teens. My camera has brought me close to the things I love most, wildlife and the outdoors, and has created some amazing opportunities and memories that will last forever. In the next five years I would like to find myself finished a degree in photojournalism, travelling, and enjoying life and the beautiful things that I find along the way.

Best of luck!  Can't wait to see what you track down.

Lárus Sigurðarson

Well ... although not the original plan, a lucky clearing of the weather in Iceland occurred at the time that Lárus had the lens, which exposed the Aurora, so he took the opportunity and went out to shoot it. Not only did he deliver a great looking Aurora image for the book, he also managed to take a picture of himself with the lens under the Aurora.

Lárus with the lens under the Icelandic Aurora

It was nice to get a quick turnaround on the lens for one leg.  I still very much doubt that the project will be completed in under a year.  Lárus was also speedy in shipping to Canada where the next photographer awaits its arrival.  Cheers dude!  Thanks for participating.

Iceland Round 2

I really wanted to get someone from Iceland on the project, as it is, in my opinion one of the most scenic and beautiful places in the entire world.  I follow two photographers form Iceland on my Flickr, so I contacted them both, expecting to increase my chances of securing at least one of them for the project.  Both contacts accepted the invite.  So Tony Prower did his time with the glass and then met up in Reykjavík with the next photographer Lárus Sigurðarson and made a manual, postal service free handover.

Here is a recent image created by Lárus



and a few words from the man himself.

My name is Lárus Sigurðarson, but I usually go by "Lalli Sig".  I am full time professional freelance photographer living in Iceland.  I mostly photograph people, both for advertisements and fashion but also for private parties, like weddings and traditional portraiture.  I am 35 years old and was quite late to getting into photography, I didn´t even own a camera until I was 22 years old, and got my first DSLR in 2003.  I am what you could call a "digital photographer", film has never really interested me, I tried it for a short period but it wasn´t my style.  I have been working full time as a photographer since 2006, and now I am mostly interested in photographing people, but I occasionally photograph landscape and other subjects just to "mix it up" a little bit.  I both shoot in the studio and outdoors and love getting out in the Icelandic nature, making the most of living here in this exotic landscape.

Tony Prower

Tony had the lens for a little while.  We were hoping for an Aurora image for the book, but the weather did not cooperate.  We are not far into the project, but already most people have ended up taking an image that is entirely different to the idea that they had.  Not in a bad way!  the images I have filed are all lush.  Tony took the lens with him on a few tours, I assume in a 4x4 filled with tourists.  I hope you enjoyed your time with it Tony, thanks for participating.

Tony with the lens in an Icy spot in Jokulsarlon, Iceland.  Check out the black volcanic sands, contrasting with the white snow.  What an incredible place to live.

I talk about visiting Iceland all the time.  I think maybe I need to stop talking about it and actually go.  Seeing Tony's images, before, during and after the projcet only made me want to visit more.  I doubt I would be sporting a t-shirt if I did visit, but maybe I'll invest in one of Tony's 4x4 tours at some point in the near future.

UAE to Iceland

Next up is Tony Prower in Iceland.  We had a bit of a struggle getting the lens to him as Icelandic customs decided to keep hold of the lens for a while pending further research.  A DHL receipt from Yousef and this blog hopefully helped out, but Tony now has the lens safe at his home.  He also tells me he managed to get a DHL worker to pose for a photo and sign a release (go Tony) so maybe we can get that on the blog soon too.

Tony is an Englishman currently living in Reykjavic, offering tourists the opportunity to go on guided tours with him in his posh jeep to photograph incredible landscapes.  I've watched Tony's Flickr stream for a while as Iceland is high on my hitlist of places to visit soon.  There are so many stunning scenes in Tony's stream.  Hopefully Tony will be able to capture the Aurora through the 50mm lens.  I'm starting to get a little jealous of this lens now, it's seen more cool things than me!

Here is a recent Aurora photograph by Tony from his Flickr stream (thanks for sharing)


Also a little more information on Tony in his own words.

 Hello, I am Tony Prower. I have been living and working in Reykjavik, Iceland for the last 7 years. It was the stunning colours and diverse nature of Iceland which revived my love of photography and the evolution of the Digital SLR which drove my enthusiasm even further. Photography is a journey of discovery I have been published world-wide in books and photography magazines. I have been a teacher for the last 9 years. I am passionate about landscape photography especially night and aurora landscapes. I am passionate about Iceland’s incredible nature and fascinating history. I set up this Tour Company to formally invite you to directly experience what I do on a weekly basis. Maybe you are a beginner or a seasoned professional, it doesn’t matter, you are welcome as long as you share the same interests as me: photography and nature.

 How sweet!  good luck with the project.

Yousef Al-Habshi

Yousef has now completed his contributions to the project. I have had a sneak preview of the unfinished works he has produced. They are very impressive, unique and show the diversity of what can be done with a single focal length lens very well. Also, wow - these images are so sharp it made my eyes bleed. I don't think the quality of this old lens should be any issue for any contributor.

Yousef with the lens in front of The Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi, UAE   

Awesome work Yousef, thanks for your contribution.  The lens now makes it's way to Iceland, I have been told, depending on conditions, it may be possible to capture a glimpse of the Aurora.  I'm super excited about this next leg.