Kevin Russ caught my attention through his Tumblr blog – you can find his portfolio here: kevinruss.com and his tumblr blog here: kevinruss.tumblr.com. He travels the country taking photos with his iPhone 5 and makes money selling prints online. How cool is that? This sort of work inspires me – taking something simple like an iPhone, a love of travel, and turning it into something beautiful. A lot of his work features the western part of the country – a part I really want to visit. Check out some of his images:

Here is Kevin’s 2012 photo map – places he went in 2012 on the west coast! Let me just wonder in envy.

The way the digital revolution is headed, it definitely makes photographers rethink their equipment and approach to their work. As iPhones rise in the growing trend of “iPhoneography,” a photographer may need reevaluate whether the top of the line DSLRs fit their business needs. Kevin Russ is an obvious example of a photographer who can get his vision across using just a phone camera. I know that one reason I still employ my trusty Canon AE-1 Program film SLR is that not only is film photography beautiful in its own way but it also does not cost me an arm and a leg to shoot a roll every once in a while and then develop it in a bathroom. It is not an instant process like digital, but there is a nice suspense about waiting to know what you captured. My Canon film SLR is also less bulky than my Mark II, less expensive to replace, and sometimes it can be an interesting conversation starter.

I so have wanderlust right now. There is so much that I want to see around the world. One of my biggest interests within photography is street photography and photojournalism. They both have a documentary candid approach to seeing the world that fits with how I want to share what I see. I have designated two weeks this summer for travel. My first choice is the Students International missions trip that I applied for. I have traveled with them before and I love combining community service with my passion for art/photography. If that trip does not pan out, I am still going to use those two weeks to see somewhere new – potentially the west coast.