When was the last time you used a single use (disposable) camera?

There have been a few weddings where they put the disposable cameras on every table. That was super cool. The photos they got from people just taking snap shots were better than the hired photographer. 

What did you decide to shoot with your camera for this project?

Originally I had a bunch of trips lined up, some for play and some for work. And I was excited to take the disposal camera along. Then every trip fell though and I wasn’t going to go anywhere. I almost sent the camera back to you guys. My wife and I had a baby girl in October. We named her Adler Beau. She’s the best thing to ever happen in our lives. But I had basically been at home for almost 3-4 months. My wife could tell I was getting antsy not traveling and getting out there not used to sitting still. Leica camera gave me a new camera to test so I decided to go out to Joshua Tree for a few days by myself, do some climbing and try out the new camera.  

Did you have any interesting experiences along the way?

I taped some pink gel over the lens of the disposal camera. I wanted to give the photos a pink tint. Not sure if it worked all that well. Anyway, I took off one morning at about 4:00 AM. I mostly just walked around the desert thinking about things. This alone time is something I’ve been used to having my whole life – just taking off and disappearing for a while, reading books, writing in my journal, etc. But that’s going to change now that we have a kid. So I thought mostly of Adler, how now when I leave I kiss both my wife and baby girl goodbye. My wife and I are always grappling with whether or not we want to continue living here in the California rat race or disappear somewhere remote, off the grid, I don’t know, raise animals, get a job at the local library… And that’s mostly what I though about while taking these photos. I was reading a great book by Lionel Terray called Conquistadors of the Useless. While sitting by a fire one morning I read this quote: “To live in society at all means by implication a certain submission to the will of others…” I thought about that.

What was the biggest challenge (if any) you had with the project?

No real challenges. I wanted to shoot in sequence to tell the story of leaving and returning. I couldn’t see the photo count in the little window so I never knew how many photos I had left, so I don’t even think I shot the whole roll. One shot didn’t come out that I wish did. One night during the trip I heard that Lemmy from Motorhead died. I’ve been a fan of his since the early 80’s. My best friend Mike Kennett turned me into them. Mike was all about Motorhead. He went to a ton of shows – even had a huge tattoo of the Motorhead dog on his arm. Mike died of cancer a few years ago. So I went to this weird bar in Joshua Tree and did a few shots for Lemmy and Mike. I took photos but it was too dark.  

What was your favorite image from the roll?

I’d say my favorite shot is of my wife and little Adler. I just can’t get enough of them.