Burning Man 2018: Portraits of a Camp

Burning Man 2018: Portraits of a Camp

Burning Man 2018: Portraits of a Camp

Twenty-six. The only integer that is one greater than a square and one less than a cube, the number of spacetime dimensions in bosonic string theory, and the number of faces in a rhombicuboctahedron (thanks, Wikipedia). That’s how many people were in our Burning Man camp this year — double our numbers from burns past!

Despite our camp’s monstrous growth, however, we managed to keep our important camp traditions intact. Nightly camp dinners, the Da Vinci bar, and our biannual camp photoshoot all brought us together per usual, and some awesome new additions made 2018 even more special.

Could we have done without our recycling queen, that handy megaphone, or our unplanned (but ridiculously delicious) Sunday meat feast? Of course — but it sure wouldn’t have been as memorable without each and every campmate that made up this year’s Prosciutto Bay.

Continue reading “Burning Man 2018: Portraits of a Camp”

Burning Man 2016: Portraits of a Camp

Burning Man 2016: Portraits of a Camp by Diana Southern and Ian Norman

Burning Man 2016: Portraits of a Camp by Diana Southern and Ian Norman

I say this every year, but I say it because it’s true. The people are what makes Burning Man such an incredible experience — friends and strangers alike. I don’t know what my Burn would have been this year without that group spiral hug at the Hug Deli, the helpful strangers who lowered me back down from that MAGIC artpiece I climbed, or the hilarious nude portraits we captured of some of our spontaneously sparkly friends.

In my three years of burning, I’ve found it’s the people closest to you — your campmates — who have the biggest impact on your Burn. You camp together, eat together, explore together. You experience Burning Man together. So this year we again turned the spotlight on our campmates for a sunset portrait session in the open playa.

With 14 Burners, ample booze, and a brief appearance by “El Guaco” (I still can’t believe I missed that), Ian and I did our best to capture the spirit of our Burner family on camera.  Continue reading “Burning Man 2016: Portraits of a Camp”

Puffin Watching on Iceland’s South Coast (Dyrhólaey, Iceland)

Puffin Watching on Iceland's Southern Coast (Dyrhólaey, Iceland)
Puffin Watching on Iceland's Southern Coast (Dyrhólaey, Iceland)

So you’re dying to see puffins on your trip to Iceland, eh? I’m no bird watcher, but that was me, on our inaugural trip to Reykjavik this summer. Unfortunately, we discovered, they’re not as common as horses and sheep, and we almost went our whole 6-day trip without finding them.

Once we did, however, it was magical! We saw upwards of 80 birds swimming, fishing, flying and waddling, and there were always around 10 of them a short 3-5 meter distance away. If you’re visiting Reykjavik during puffin season and don’t mind a 2+ hour drive, read on for our simple tips for locating these beautiful birds and the photos we captured once we (finally) found them. 

Continue reading “Puffin Watching on Iceland’s South Coast (Dyrhólaey, Iceland)”

The Magical Landscape of White Sands National Monument: A Photo Journal (New Mexico, USA)

The Magical Landscape of White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, USA

The Magical Landscape of White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, USA

This year Ian and I checked a HUGE item off our bucket list. We can both now officially say we’ve visited all 50 U.S. states. (Hooray!)

We’ve explored a LOT of the U.S. this year — even amplifying our goals to include visiting all 50 states in one year’s time — and every time I tell people about our epic quest, I always get asked some version of the same question: Which place was your favorite?

Well, if you limit me to a certain number, I’ll have trouble answering, but White Sands National Monument is absolutely 100% somewhere on my list of favorites. (Funny, because our visit there was completely unplanned.) And while I could go on and on about how amazingly surreal and magical the scenery is there, I think the photos will give you a better idea. So I’ll let the scenic photos do most of the talking… Continue reading “The Magical Landscape of White Sands National Monument: A Photo Journal (New Mexico, USA)”

Where Men Become Gods: The Pyramids of Teotihuacan, A Photo Journal (Estado de México, México)

Piramides de Teotihuacán, Teotihuacán Pyramids, Estado de Mexico

Piramides de Teotihuacán, Teotihuacán Pyramids, Estado de Mexico

Last week we sat down to plan our final week in Mexico City. With the unstable political situation here, we weren’t sure how soon we’d return. So we made a list. All the places we wanted to be sure to visit before we left. Obviously Los Pirámides de Teotihuacán were on the list.

I can’t believe we didn’t visit the pyramids of Teotihuacán sooner, because it was definitely one of my favorites of our whole Mexico City trip. If you’re planning a trip to Mexico, you DON’T want to miss this.  Continue reading “Where Men Become Gods: The Pyramids of Teotihuacan, A Photo Journal (Estado de México, México)”

Aerial Views of Mexico D.F. from Torre Latinoamericana’s Mirador: A Photo Journal (Mexico City, México)

Torre Latinoamericana: Views from the fifth tallest tower in Mexico City

Torre Latinoamericana: Views from the fifth tallest tower in Mexico CitY

As one of the city’s tallest buildings, Torre Latinoamericana is an affordable must-visit if you travel to Mexico City. Though it’s only the fifth tallest building in the city, it’s still quite famous, as it withstood the violent 8.0 earthquake in Mexico City in 1985 without damage. And it WAS the tallest building for almost 30 years (if you count the height of the TV transmitter on top).

Here you’ll find a brief overview plus our favorite photos from our visit to the top — the “Mirador” — of Torre Latinoamericana.  Continue reading “Aerial Views of Mexico D.F. from Torre Latinoamericana’s Mirador: A Photo Journal (Mexico City, México)”

Los Perros de Xochimilco, The Dogs of Xochimilco: A Photo Journal (Mexico City, México)

The Dogs of Xochimilco, Perros de Xochimilco, along the trajinera canals (Mexico City, Mexico)

The Dogs of Xochimilco, Perros de Xochimilco, along the trajinera canals (Mexico City, Mexico)

Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Mexico is a time to stop working and spend time with family and friends. With a shortage of the former in México, we spent this day (Holy Thursday) with new friends! Seven of us in total hired a trajinera in Xochimilco — a popular activity for locals and visitors alike —  for a fun, relaxing afternoon… Passing the time floating up and down the canals with delicious grilled meat and veggies to eat… a plethora of alcohol to drink… and observing one particular species that kept stealing my attention…  Continue reading “Los Perros de Xochimilco, The Dogs of Xochimilco: A Photo Journal (Mexico City, México)”

Desert Street Art: 20 Paintings in Twentynine Palms, an “Oasis of Murals” [PHOTO BOOK]

Desert Street Art: 20 Paintings from Twentynine Palms, California, an oasis of murals

Desert Street Art: 20 Paintings from Twentynine Palms, California, an oasis of murals

Located just north of Joshua Tree National Park in California’s Mojave Desert, Twentynine Palms is a city characterized by three things: tattoo parlors, military haircuts, and murals. (Barbershop signs advertise two haircut options here: military and civilian.) Okay, so maybe there’s more to Twentynine Palms than what’s immediately apparent when driving through, but it’s obvious that this town is highly molded by the fact that it’s been home to a US Military base for over 65 years.  Continue reading “Desert Street Art: 20 Paintings in Twentynine Palms, an “Oasis of Murals” [PHOTO BOOK]”

Burning Man 2014: Portraits of a Camp

Burning Man 2014: Portraits of a Camp on northtosouth.us

Burning Man 2014: Portraits of a Camp on northtosouth.us

It’s been one week since our return to the Default World, so it’s high time for some Burning Man photo sharing here on the blog. Our fellow burners are mostly what makes Black Rock City feel like home, so it’s only appropriate that our first Burning Man recap highlights the people.

Sunset photo shoots with our burner friends have become tradition after a second successful year of playa portraits. When the light’s just right, Ian grabs his camera and we round up anyone in ear shot. From year to year our camp roster may change but never fails to express its wild and friendly spirit during these spontaneous photo excursions into the dust.

Burning Man 2014 sunset portraits on the playa on northtosouth.us Burning Man 2014 sunset portraits on the playa on northtosouth.us Burning Man 2014 sunset male portraits on the playa on northtosouth.us

So, from Ian and I to our fellow campmates and friends (and our fondly yet peculiarly named camp), this one’s for you.

To everyone else, meet the 2014 cast of Prosciutto Bay. Continue reading “Burning Man 2014: Portraits of a Camp”