Final Embers – Pastel clouds drift by mount Nebo in Utah reflecting light on to the snow capped peaks.
We camped for a few days up on the Nebo Loop, enjoying the late Fall color and the crisp sunny weather. On this particular night I had a plan for the mountain, but the sun did not do what I expected. I was about to give it up when I realized the clouds were reflecting the fading light back down onto the mountain from above.
I remember looking behind me, seeing the glow and thinking. That’s Ansel light! Backing up the truck, I hopped out and quickly set up, prepped and made a long second exposure that would convey the pastel clouds whisking over the mountain tops. I got this one frame that conveyed just what I wanted, but that was all I needed. Soon after I made tthis image, the light faded away and the mountain slipped into night.
Gav
Release details: Prints Available.. Order Open Edition originals above.. Master prints and Signature Limited Editions are listed below and can be ordered by contacting gallery.
Released prints….
60 inch Master Original on Canvas – Limited edition of, 1 (contact the gallery)
50 inch Signature Canvas – Limited Edition of, 35 (contact the gallery)
41 inch Signature Canvas – Limited Edition of, 100 (contact the gallery)
by Gavin Seim: I am an American. I will travel my highways freely – I will work protect my family from assault and intimidation by criminals, be they badged or a hooded – I am American – I will speak freely, move freely, worship freely and take a stand to keep my children free – I refuse to comply. Why? Because my government has no right to stop us on the road without cause. I’m standing up for freedom before we lose it and I believe everyone should do the same.
This is one of those that we experienced yesterday while on the 2013 Early Tour. Sondra always records our encounters. If she didn’t these might end differently.
I don’t say American Pictorialist for nothing. I love Jesus, freedom and the Constitution. and I’ve had enough with armed guards trying to take that away. I make no secret about my values and I can be pretty adamant. This is America and people have a right to disagree with me. But when it comes to my government and the US Constitution I have little wiggle room.
These Border Patrol road block checkpoints dot the Southwest on public highways and interstates. They are not border crossings of any kind. In fact this one is about 80 miles inland. They stop innocent people without cause to question them. Papers, Please!
This is in direct violation with the constitution and we need to stand up. I don’t give them respect because their “just doing their job”. They are thugs the moment they violate our rights. I do not cooperate. It’s not so much about the questions being asked. It’s about freedom. The moment they said I was being detailed they broke the law. The Border Patrol has a tough job, but bullying free citizens does not earn them respect.
This is not Nazi Germany. My government does not have the right to stop and question me in the middle of the road without cause. I don’t care what crooked judges or made up laws say. The highest law of this land is the Constitution. Many died so I could have freedom. I won’t dishonor them by refusing to stand up for that freedom.
To those who feel I simply disrespect authority or that I’m just making a fuss about nothing. Consider that we live in a nation where some Border Agents go to prison because their do their job. But when they detain, intimidate and even arrest citizens driving their own highways it’s accepted. That is tyranny my friends.
Free nations do not force their citizens to stop in the road and be questioned folks. Not at all. In America the government does not get permission to stop and detain us with cause. Not for ANY reason. The moment they do they are criminals and should be treated the same as any other criminal.
Our Border Patrol has done far worse. They harass and detain visitors to our country without cause. The beat and arrest Americans for doing things like I just did. The list goes on. These people say they are stopping terrorists. I say they are the terrorists. This is not freedom folks. This is tyranny.
I should note: Sometimes people believe that I pick fights because I just like to make trouble.
The truth is that my stomach is in knots every time I pull up to one of those. It feels good to take a stand. But I can’t say I like being the guy to do it. It would not take many rising against these checkpoint to render them useless. If we all refused to answer, held up the line and stood up for our freedom, the Federals would likely back off.
This is the America you live in. What are you going to do about it?
“Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety” – Benjamin Franklin
It’s Easter. A day of freedom. I am Gavin Seim and I would be free.
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The Fourth Amendment:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Once upon a time there was a guy, his family, a bunch of cameras, a Super Camper and lots of passionate ideas. No sponsors. No backup team – Just the open road, a sense of adventure and three months to take full advantage of.
I’m Gavin Seim. We’re out to explore as we attempt to make images and film that do justice to the beauty America. There’s lots of projects on the menu so we can pay bills and keep gas in the tank. We live mostly by the seat of our pants and enjoy the ride.
On Feb 2nd 2013 we set out for the road trip of 2013 – It’s a tad intimidating but quite amazing. We don’t hang out in RV parks or campgrounds. Months on the road in the Super Camper with my wife Sondra and our kids, Cyrus (5) Ariana (3) and Asher (1). There’s new products to test, new images to make, new stories to tell. Last year the big project was the EXposed Light Workshop. This year we’re working on a brand new film called Photographics. By the way, you can learn more about our rig and tips on how we camp in this article.
With Facebook pages becoming less effective and the fact that I can’t send out the Light Letter every day, I wanted to share our journey with you in more detail than ever before. So rather than clutter up the journal with endless micro posts, I’ve decided to try something new – A Road Trip Journal.
This journal details our adventures by reverse date. The stuff you normally don’t see. The snapshots, clips, odd happenings and craziness. The things I’m sometimes reluctant to share, being such a perfectionist. That’s what you’ll find here. I hope you join in this adventure. Bookmark this page and come back because we’ll keep updating as long as we can still pound the keys. You can also join my Light Letter below for more updates and stories. Lets roll.
[xyz-ihs snippet=”newsletter”]
FINAL UPDATE: What it’s Like Coming Home – Day 89-91 05/01/13 – 05/03/13
Cy likes the shooting gallery at Cabela’s. Teach them early.
It’s bittersweet as I drive down the hill towards familiar grassy slopes and familiar cities on the map. We watch a Spring sunset and flowers spattering green hills. Three full months on the road we’ve been. An adventure of that won’t be forgotten. Yet a part of me feels somehow less for it coming to an end. Like my spirit of adventure is fading because I long for that slow hot shower, a bed where my toes do not hang over the edge and where my wonderful wife’s elbows do not hit me in the side every time she rolls over.
The last few days lacked the grand adventure you look for at the end of a long trip. The kids got a stomach bug and did what you do when you have that. Sometimes we had two going at once – The miles were long and we needed to get home soon for Wall Portrait Conference. We drove hard that final day. Perhaps longer than we’ve ever done. Over five hundred miles from Twin Idaho to Ephrata WA. It took us about twelve hours between breaks, gas and pauses to clean up the mess from sick kids in the back seat.
“What a lousy way to end such a grand adventure” I thought – But somewhere along the road I stepped into the sunlight and realized it was not. Sometimes we get sick, but it passes. Sometimes things go wrong, we have to make repairs, or we come in late. All of those things happened on this trip. More than once. But they’re part of the memories, part of the adventure. They’re surrounded by moments of laughs and wide eyes glistening at the wounder of creation.
The moment I pull in I’m starting a new vacation. We worked hard on this trip. We played hard. It was a gamble too, but our new film PHOTOGRAPHICS is already showing in the black and the trip is all but profitable both emotionally and fiscally. All that time on the road, but so happy to have a place to call home.
We walk in after 91 days on the road and switch on the lights. The house is still here, warm, waiting. Nearly as we left it but for a few extra cobwebs. A bed, a shower, a late night movie with my wife after the kids are finally asleep. We really are home. Next it’s time to process the film, repair the gear, make the prints and get organized.
On Sunday we’re off for a week again to learn and teach at Wall Portrait Conference. But really we’re home right now. It’s only a couple hours away and among people we know. That home feeling is back. It’s odd. Truly surreal to walk down the isle at the store and for once in so long see people you know. Get a hug from your mom when you walk thru a door, or see neighbors wave as you drive down the street. I honestly feel strange not being the stranger here. But that passes and fades into tales of the adventure and silent longing for more.
As the sun shines on our first day home, a breeze blowing, spring flowers popping out, I realize that the world is still alive and that both home and away are something grand. Appreciating your adventure is how you look at it. There’s nothing like a place to call home, but there’s also nothing like the open road, your wife riding shotgun and kids kicking the back of your seat as the road rolls by. This is living, all of it.
Until the next trip, Gavin Seim.
Coming down from the Death Road new Zion. Amazing views.Picked up a hitchhiker from France named Tebu who’s roaming America. He’s headed for Moab. No room in the truck cab, but he fits in the back and his gear in the camper. This guy is hauling way too much weight.
An evening at the Salt Flats. It’s a stark place. but grand none the less.
The kids are hams. Just like dad.The last sunset, overlooking the hills neat Pendleton Oregon.
A portrait of Gavin and his family by Ken Whitmire. Made while they were camped out for Wall Portrait Conference 2012. It hangs as a sixty inch print on canvas in Gavin’s living room.
There’s nothing like miles of open road and your beautiful wife riding shotgun. Like giggling kids in the back seat with camera bags and cracker crumbs. Like the warm wind that whips in the window and tosses your hair. There’s nothing like the feeling of adventure and uncertainly. Of going somewhere you’ve never been before, tasting nature on the air, and doing something that, just maybe, no one else has ever done before…
A photographer and family road tripping across the USA? No easy task, but it teaches you a lot. About versatility, family, and of course, photography. In fact, many of my most advanced techniques and studies come from the zero deadline environment of road tripping.
In 2011, we spent around 3 months on the road. In 2012, we’re spending nearly that just for our Winter tour and probably 4-5 months in total. To be clear, we’re not just heading to snowbird hideaways and hunkering down. We travel, thousands upon thousands of miles, exploring the US and all it has to offer an American Pictorialist seeking the very best views in the world.
How It Works:
The long trips start months in advance: planning the direction of travel, lining up workshops or events to help pay the hefty gas bill. We’ll be up around three thousand dollars just for fuel for our Winter tour. That part can be a real burden, and it really makes you think about what’s happened to costs and the economy in this country. But let’s not get into that just now; I’m having fun here.
Next, I work like crazy around the studio in preparation. That also involves making sure sessions are scheduled for our return or out the door before we leave. I run a low volume studio that focuses on high end wall portraits, so I can be flexible regarding when and how I organize sessions, but it still takes planning. I don’t want to lose too much business. I make sure the house is sewn up, too, and try to leave things tidy. We make sure the maintenance and latest upgrades are done on the Super Camper. Back at the studio, I tie up all the loose ends, put out a sign that says, back in three months, turn ON the print spotlights, and lock the doors.
Here’s an inside look at The Super Camper. A few upgrades have been added since this, but you’ll get the idea.
Snapshot of the the crew hiking in White Sands New Mexico, March 2012.
Time To Roll: The wife and I load up everything we can fit, including the our three kids, and off we go To The Wild. The main thing that gets us out there is the Super Camper. It’s a 2011 Forest River 21SS that’s been tricked out as a boondocking machine. Still, It cost $20,000 brand new and we’ve probably only put another 5k into it. It’s pulled with our 2001 GMC 2500 Crew Cab 4×4 running a Duramax diesel. For those interested, this little trailer and all the upgrades we’ve installed run up to about $25k. No chump change, but not so much considering what we can do with it.
This is one of those that we experienced yesterday while on 
Once upon a time there was a guy, his family, a bunch of cameras, a Super Camper and lots of passionate ideas. No sponsors. No backup team – Just the open road, a sense of adventure and three months to take full advantage of.
