Adventures with Benn: Blog

Beach Time!

Sat, 08 Aug 2020 19:15:00 GMT

Uncle life is the best. Photos of my nephew on an impromptu trip to the beach.

Nephew #2 on the Way!

Thu, 21 May 2020 03:00:00 GMT

Some of my favs I did of my brother's family in anticipation of the birth of my second nephew.

Girls On The Run

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 03:34:00 GMT

What an inspiring and empowering event for young women. Was an honor to capture this event for the non-profit Girls On The Run, learn more at The Girls On the Run.

Dirigo Collective

Tue, 30 Oct 2018 19:15:00 GMT

Dirigo Collective is a Media Company based out of the greater Portland area. I had the honor of documenting their office space (which is in a super rad mill with lots of rich textures) and doing some headshots for them for their new website. Check out some highlights below.

Reconnecting

Wed, 25 Jul 2018 15:00:00 GMT

I have a close friend I met during my campaign days that I try, though I'm not always super good at it, to keep in touch with. Every couple years or so we get the opportunity to reconnect and spend a day or two at her parents cottage on a lake in New Hampshire. This recent trip I decided I wanted to bring my camera along, just to get a few photos of her family for her. Something that has been impressed upon me in the last year is how quickly things in life can change and how much we really need to savor every moment we have with the people in our lives that we love, especially when we don't get to see them often. I think I only shot about a dozen frames max, but in there I did snag some cool shots of the sun breaking through the clouds and one of the most vivid rainbows I've ever seen. The photo I took of the rainbow was just as it was starting to fade, I almost didn't even run to grab my camera at all, my impulse was to be present and bear witness to nature's show. While my camera missed the best part, I got to soak it up. Some moments are meant for enjoying, not capturing.

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon

Tue, 10 Jul 2018 11:30:00 GMT

After watching the Sunrise in Bryce, we ventured down to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was noonish that we were there so the lighting is less than ideal, but its still an impressive view!

I love Utah! Photos from Bryce Canyon

Tue, 10 Jul 2018 03:30:00 GMT

Back in 2014 I came out to Utah for a campaign, to help out on a nondiscrimination campaign to protect the rights of trans and LGB folks in the state of Utah. After the campaign wrapped up, I had two days before I had to fly home and I spent them with friends exploring southern Utah's Arches and Canyonlands national parks. So when my folks wanted to cap our roadtrip off by returning to south Utah to visit Bryce, I was all in!!! The sunrise photos below are from our last day of our trip. What an epic note to end on! I can't wait to make it back to Utah!!

Death Valley

Sat, 07 Jul 2018 02:30:00 GMT

Whew! Was it steamy!! You can feel the heat radiating up from the earth like an oven, it felt like my legs were burning! I guess that's what we get for visiting one of the lowest elevations (I believe -200 feet from sea level) in July! The outside air topped out at 120 degrees that day! Whew! That being said, I def want to come here in cooler weather and do some serious exploring. There is something magical about the desert...

Yosemite!

Tue, 03 Jul 2018 14:45:00 GMT

We were pretty fortunate to score some great weather for the few days we spent in Yosemite. I even made some friends with a couple local deer up at Glacier Point.

Passing through the Mojave National Preserve

Sat, 30 Jun 2018 04:45:00 GMT

On our way to Yosemite from Bryce we did a slight detour to the Mojave National Preserve. I also just had to include a pic of my folks cause they are so dang cute.

National Park Road Trip! Photos from Zion

Fri, 29 Jun 2018 03:00:00 GMT

I'm a total national park junkie. I love how accessible they make the outdoors and how they inspire people to get outside and move and most are accessible to virtually all abilities and fitness levels. I just had the good fortune to spend a week with my folks, which is a rare treat in and of itself, road-tripping out west for 10 days visiting some of the most incredible offerings of the national park system. We spent time in; Zion, Mojave Desert Preserve, Yosemite, Death Valley, Sequoia, King's Canyon, Bryce, and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I'm definitely itching to get back to some of these places to do some serious backpacking, this trip felt like just a quick sampler of each, of which I savored every moment.

Zion National Park Zion National Park Zion National Park Zion National Park Zion National Park

Zion National Park Zion National Park Zion National Park

On the Trail! The AT with LLB!!

Sat, 12 May 2018 04:30:00 GMT

So it was an epic 102.5 mile hike from New Found Gap to Devil Fork Gap. My body was sore and tired but my spirit was renewed and energized. I didn't carry my professional photo setup with me on this one, instead I had the iPhone and GoPro both provided by LL Bean. Great for lightweight fast travel and snagging a quick shot. I guess its true what they say, the best camera is the one you have with you. Some highlights from the trail below. LL Bean even edited together some of our footage into a pretty sweet little one minute video that they posted to instagram. I've posted that below too. This was definitely an experience of a lifetime and I feel honored and privileged to represent LL Bean on the Appalachian trail. Note that I did not take all the photos, its a mix from both my hiking partner Nicole Cochran and I. Also, they are not necessarily in order...

We landed in Asheville and needed a place to crash for one night before we hit the trail the next day so we stayed at the Sweet Pea hostel, highly recommend staying there if you need to crash while passing through or spending time in Asheville. Not to be confused with the images below, which are from the first shelter we stayed in on the trail.

This was the first shelter we stayed at and were greeted with a gorgeous morning sunrise.

This is my classic, explosion that happens when we reach our destination each day.

31 miles in!!!

Walking through the town of Hot Springs.

Max Patch - we were here just in time for a lovely thunder storm! Check out the photo below, you can even see the faint line from a lightning strike just above my head. Yop, we hustled out of there pretty quick. So much for a lunch break....

Charlie's Bunion!!

Looking back at Hot Springs after we ascended out of the valley.

We camped out on top of Snowbird Mountain, pure magic to setup/packup camp and eat dinner/brekky while watching the sunset/rise. LLB provided us each with our own microlight 1 person backpacking tents. These things were awesome, especially for only weighing in at only 2 lbs and 4.5 oz. They also pack super tiny and take up very little space. These tents were loaned to us for this trip, but the two person version is on my wishlist for sure (I gotta have room for Remy, my doggo!!). Also, in the photo below you can see one of the hiking poles we used. Those were also on loan to us from LLB, the antishock hikelite poles. They were amazing and it was also my first time hiking with poles and now I will never hike without them. I've since bought my own pair, I love the crud out of them.

This is what happens when you hike in the rain all day. My Oboz hiking boots held up though! Feet never got wet once and I stayed nice and dry in my rain pants and jacket.

Note for next time, don't forget to duck when you charge under a fallen tree... the Smoky Mtns left their mark!

Portland Without Paid Sick Days is Prehistoric!

Sun, 29 Apr 2018 19:15:00 GMT

A rally organized by The Southern Maine Workers Center for paid sick days. A very clever way to deliver a very important message!

LLB AT Relay

Fri, 09 Feb 2018 15:30:00 GMT

I work nights part time at LLB, a brand I love, and new for 2018 as part of their Be an Outsider campaign they are organizing a relay of the entire Appalachian Trail. My co-worker Nicole and I applied, and I am happy to update this post with the information that we have been accepted! I added to this post a map of our section in the smoky mountains! Below are some photos I took while we shot our application video which I've also included.

LLB AT Relay

A seat with a view

Mon, 18 Dec 2017 23:43:00 GMT

Went out again for sunrise this morning and gave myself the assignment of looking for benches with a view. Of course, I got a little distracted from the goal, but here's what Remdog and I found. I also threw in a fun team photo because, why not, life is short.

Sunrise Adventures: Yarmouth & Falmouth

Sun, 17 Dec 2017 23:43:00 GMT

I've been working to shoot more, even if it means just going out exploring with just my pup, Remy, and me and my camera. This particular morning we went meandering around the coastal areas of Yarmouth and Falmouth, Maine. Here's some of what we found.

Marine Media Partners

Fri, 13 Oct 2017 04:30:00 GMT

Had the honor and privilege to spend the afternoon photographing small business owner Chris Marine and some of his associates in and around downtown Portland. Chris works hard to support the growth and success of local businesses and small businesses all up and down the eastern seaboard with his marketing and media buying knowledge. Check out his site to learn more about Marine Media Partners.

Chris Marine of Marine Media Partners

Walk in the woods

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 06:58:00 GMT

I was recently asked to give a talk for a non-profit organization at a camp outside of Waterville. Of course in an effort to shoot for pleasure more I brought my camera along with me and went for a walk along a local nature trail once I was done speaking. It was good for the soul. Here are some highlights.

Winter in Acadia

Wed, 08 Feb 2017 04:26:09 GMT

The empty roads, the closed businesses in Bar Harbor, one would think Acadia shuts down completely for the winter. Sure, the visitor centers are closed, but the beauty is still here and this time of year you can have it all to yourself. This was from a little adventure with friends poking around the park in the off season.

A walk with an old friend

Thu, 08 Dec 2016 13:00:00 GMT

While visiting one of my good friends and previous business partner, Megan, we decided to bust out the cameras and go for a little hike just to experiment and play around. I chose one lens to take with me, a lens baby 2.0. Its a cheap tilt shift lens that is a lot of fun to play with. Here's some of the fun.

The Pacific Northwet

Thu, 28 Jul 2016 11:59:00 GMT

Recently was out in the Pacific Northwest and of course I had my camera in tow.

Childhood Dream Come True

Wed, 27 Jul 2016 02:35:00 GMT

For as long as I could remember growing up I was obsessed with Orcas. Whales more generally speaking were my favorite animal and I went on countless whale watches to see the large giants of the Atlantic. My family and I saw humpbacks, grey whales, right whales, minkes, and even a blue whale. But my dream was to see Orcas in the wild. On this trip to Washington, a childhood dream was complete.