Jesse Driftwoods Favorite Book | Stoke-Ness
In Montana, fall is the shortest season.
For a few brief weeks every hike, paddle, and ride are all new. Everything looks decorated and the urgency to be outside is in the back of my mind.
In this issue, Jesse Driftwood shares his favorite book, I have deep music, a light video, and a 1-year review of my tent.
Be stoked,
Isaac
New Places
West Virginia
If the only thing you know about West Virginia is that song that says something about “Mountain Mama” then you are like I was before last week.
I usually research the heck out of the places I travel, but when Visit West Virginia flew me out here I decided to go in blind.
Oh, and before I forget, this is a sponsored post on my newsletter! Yeah! Confetti and stuff, I’ve made it!!! After 16 months of writing these letters, I’m getting paid to do it. As with everything else I do, I’ll tell you if it sucks (check out this months gear review).
Back to West Virginia:
I’m not really an East Coast guy. I mean it seems great, but I live in the west and I’m nowhere near finished exploring it, so I was a bit “arms crossed waiting to be impressed” about West Virginia.
Here’s the thing, it’s not the East Coast, it’s Appalachia. The people are kind and excited to see you. They love to talk about how great the life is out here, how they don't lock their doors and everyone comes out for the community apple butter festival.
All of this is set in the mountains and it feels familiar to Montana, but a whole new vibe. I barely scratched the surface and next time out this way I'll be spending some time riding mountain bikes and going even deeper in the mountains.
Learn more about West Virginia Here
See it on Google Maps Here
Gear
NEMO Losi 3P Tent
Last summer I bought a NEMO Losi 3p tent and after a few months and over 20 nights in it I recommended it here. What I loved about it was the ease of setup, relatively lightweight, and huge interior space. It did well in the minor rain storms I had it in and I had no complaints.
I’m back with my one year review and sadly, it’s not good.
I still love all the original high points about the tent, but I’ve found a glaring Achilles heel. In medium to high wind storms, the tent is unlivable. Even with all of the stakes pounded into the ground, the tent will flatten on top of me. Even with all the guy lines tied off and secure the tent will bend and buckle. It bent one too many times on my last trip and the wind broke a pole. This caused the broken pole to rip the rain fly, and I was forced out into the storm to fix it with duck tape and string at 4 am.
Not fun.
I’ve emailed NEMO’s warranty department, but as of writing this, I have not heard back.
I’ll let you know how they handle it, and if you have a recommendation for a solid tent let me know, I’m looking.
Who I'm loving on Instagram
@avery.sass
There is something timeless about good western photography. I'm always drawn to it. When I see a new take on the old genre, I can't help but look over the photographer's entire account.
Avery Sass is one of the best new photographers I've seen. She is an intern at Ranchlands (@ranchlands) and I expect her work is just getting started.
Give her a follow Here
Music I'm Diggin'
Sensible Heart - Live in Saint John's - City and Colour
"Sensible Heart" came out when I was ending my music career and burnt out on music in general. The clarity and oxygen of Dallas Greene’s voice was refreshing then and it still calls to me.
This live version is even more stripped down than the original, letting his voice carry the weight. It’s just the right amount of nostalgia and newness, I’m loving it.
Give it a spin on Spotify here.
Videos, Movies, and TV
Bowling Ball VS Bulletproof Glass
I've become fans of this western Aussie trio. They might seem similar to other experimentation/trick shot accounts, but lack the "douche bag" factor (I'm looking at you Dude Perfect).
If you like a fun positive vibe that makes you laugh then these guys throwing stuff off a 45 meter tower will hit the mark (pun intended=)).
9/10 would recommend.
Watch it here
Reads
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
This month's book recommendation comes from my friend @jessedriftwood
"The War of Art is about the resistance you feel towards making your shit on the daily, but what makes you a professional, is being able to confront and defeat those resistances. I know several Creators who read this book every year. If you are trying to make the transition to a professional creative, just buy the book." - Jesse
P.S. Isaac here again, I just bought the book as I'm reading Jesse's recommendation. You should too.
Buy the book Here
Photo Technique
Shallow Depth of Field at a Distance
Getting a shallow depth of field is a cool way to create a visual spotlight and simulate the way that our eyes actually work. It can take the focus off of a busy background and make your image about your subject rather than the entire scene. It's simple to do but you will need a long lens and a few settings.
Most lenses over 50mm focal length will have a shallow DOF (depth of field) at 15 feet or more. I shot the image above with my 70mm-200mm at 200mm F2.8. I couldn't have created this kind of depth with my 16mm-35mm, it would have been focused at infinity at this distance.
Set your aperture (or f-stop) to a low number. I shot this photo at f 2.8 but I like anything below f 4. Try a few different settings to see what you like best.
You got to nail your focus here. Because you are shooting at such a shallow DOF, a missed focus will make your entire subject blurry and the image unusable. I like to shoot through my viewfinder with a spot focus setting and focus on my subjects eye.
If nailing focus is still hard, set your camera to a high-speed continuous shooting mode. Then shoot in short bursts and check the image review to see if you got an image that's sharp.
Practice this technique in a variety of conditions and see if it can create a new and creative look for your photos. I use it as one of the tools in my kit and an option when I shoot.
I hope this was helpful! Let me know if you have questions about the process.
I'm considering making the jump to Youtube with my IG videos. I'm not sure I can do both. What is your platform preference for watching my videos?
Thanks for reading this far, I appreciate you.
Be stoked and have a great month,
Isaac
