Portland, Oregon: Monday, June 21 through Wednesday, June 23

Seattle, Washington: Thursday, June 24 and Monday, June 28 through Wednesday, June 30

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After nearly 6 weeks of hard work my brand new portfolio is finally finished. I owe a great deal of thanks to those who have helped me along as I truly could not have created something of this caliber on my own. One thing I have learned over the years is that you can only get so far with your own knowledge/expertise. So when I set out to create a new book I knew I wanted to work with the absolute best in the industry.

Prior to starting the project I decided to hire a consultant to help me with image selection. I knew taking my personal connection to the images out of the equation would ultimately allow for stronger body of work. Little did I know how much the experience would push me. After tons of research and preliminary conversations, I decided on Suzanne Sease since I felt a strong connection to the way she thinks and liked the fact that she had tons of real-world experience working in high-profile ad agencies. Suzanne challenged me throughout the process to let go of images I was emotionally tied to, making way for stronger images that more adequately conveyed my vision/style. Although difficult at times, I honestly cannot say enough enough good things about the process and the way she thinks.

Knowing I wanted my book to stand out from the crowd, I hired Scott of Mullenberg Designs to build me a one-of-a-kind custom portfolio and slipcase to display the new body of work. I’ve been a fan of Scott’s for a while so I was excited to finally get the chance to work with him. He is a true craftsman and artist in his own rite. The internal pages were beautifully designed by Cheryl at Isaacson Design and printed on Moab Entrada paper by Lincoln at PushDot Studio out of Portland, Oregon. The end results far exceeded my expectations and I could not be happier with the team I assembled to help me take things to the next level.

This summer I’ll be hittin’ the road with my brand new print portfolio in hand. I’ll be posting updates on the blog with specific dates and locations at a later date. For now plans are in the works to be in the Seattle/Portland areas in June, Denver/Boulder in early August and Chicago/Milwaukee/Madison/Minneapolis in mid-August. If you are in one of these cities and are interested in meeting up shoot an e-mail to mike@miketittel.com. I’d love to buy you lunch and share my latest work.

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This week marks the start of the annual Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race in Southern Chile. Without a doubt it is one the most amazing adventures and awesome displays of athleticism I have witnessed. It’s location in the heart of Patagonia at the Southern tip of South America is hard to beat as well. For the past two years I’ve had the privilege of covering the race. Sadly, conflicting projects/schedules will not allow me to return this season. Although I will not physically be a part of this year’s event, there is a huge part of me that will be there in spirit. Make sure to check out the race website for updates on this year’s event and keep an eye out for fresh images from my good buddies, Michael Clark and Tony Hoare, who will be covering this year’s race. You can also read more about my past experiences in Patagonia here and here.

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Transform by Atlanta-based music photographer Zack Arias was one of the most talked about video posts in the photo community in 2009 for good reason. It’s deeply honest, heart filled and inspirational. Anyone in a creative field can relate which is likely what made it so popular. It spread like wildfire in the photo community and beyond. Although the video came out almost a year ago, I’ve sent the link to numerous people this week and thought it was worth bringing back into the spotlight. If you haven’t seen it, check it out. Zack does an incredible job of putting things into perspective.

Also worth mentioning are the follow-up posts by Zack on his blog and the responses from his readers almost 6 months after Transform hit the web. If you enjoyed the video above and haven’t done so already, I would highly encourage you to check his related posts here (1st) and here (2nd). Make sure to read the comments as well. Powerful stuff for all.

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