Elmer Long's Bottle Tree Ranch is exactly the kind of roadside attraction that makes the California stretch of Route 66 such a fun drive. Featuring practically every color of glass, old hubcaps and rusting tin signs, this quirky art project, in the same vein as Salvation Mountain, has made an attraction out of the seemingly ordinary.
This folk art forest of glass and metal is a fascinating place to explore. The colors, textures, and novelty of the display pull you in to investigate. Hummingbird feeders hang all over the Bottle Tree Ranch, and I must have seen about twenty hummingbirds during my brief visit. It's a memorable place to "get your kicks" and it was a lot of fun to photograph.
From Barstow, California to Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch I continued my journey heading south. My next stop along "the Mother Road" was at the Wigwam Motel in San Bernadino.
What an eventful year that 2015 turned out to be! It was a year of rebuilding, a year of embracing Editing Luke as my full-time career, and a year where I finally had the freedom to chase more of the opportunities that really mattered to me. Editing Luke reached millions of people in 2015 - yes, millions! From videos and photo essays to blog content and instagram posts, I saw my content thrive this year in some incredible ways.
Here are some of the things that made my 2015 memorable:
January 2015 - I officially launched my Roadside California photography series. Over the course of the year this lead to numerous travel shoots around the state and some amazing new contacts and followers. Although the collection has already grown by thousands of images, much of what I shot has yet to be released. As a result you can expect some exciting posts coming up in 2016. View the Roadside California series (so far) here.
January 13, 2015 - My reveal of the former Earl Kitchener School transformation into a private residence went viral locally. Capturing my hometown of Medicine Hat, Alberta has lead to some incredible opportunities in previous years, but this one lead to tens of thousands of hits in only 24 hours. In only 3 days it had acquired over 2.1K likes/shares on facebook and over 25K hits on its own momentum.
February 2015 - I photographed the Tongue on the Post Folk Festival. I didn't realize music and concert photography would become such a major part of my year, but this was the event that kicked it off.
March 3, 2015 - I repaid my student loans in full.
March 16, 2015 - I released a brand new video project in collaboration with Medalta and the Medicine Hat College called, Bits to Atoms.
March 2015 - I took a "working holiday" to Hawaii with my family and photo journaled the entire experience. From exploring Honolulu to sailing on the ocean to hiking Diamond Head, one of my personal highlights was renting a Bentley and road tripping around Oahu. This is the photo series that followed.
Oahu, Hawaii
From hula dancers on Waikiki Beach to surfers on the North Shore, there's nothing quite like getting lost in some iconic scenes around Oahu, Hawaii. These are a few moments I captured while shooting my Aloha Hawaii photo series earlier this year: http://goo.gl/BDRZxE
Posted by Editing Luke on Thursday, October 22, 2015
April 30, 2015 - I released a new video I shot for the Travelling Exhibition Program, highlighting an experience between professional artists and kids in an elementary school classroom.
May 13, 2015 - The former / abandoned I-XL brick factory in Medicine Hat's historic clay district was opening for tours for the first time and I had the chance to explore it. Check out the images here.
June 4, 2015 - I released a new video for the Sunshine Skillet highlighting the vibrant culinary scene emerging in downtown Medicine Hat, Alberta.
Roving Dinner, Downtown Medicine Hat
Earlier this year the Sunshine Skillet Food Festival put on this really cool event in downtown Medicine Hat, Alberta. Guests were treated to 3 courses at 3 unique downtown locations - Twist Wine & Tapas The Cypress Club Madhatter Roastery. Here's a quick look at how it all went down. http://goo.gl/ThrpWA
Posted by Editing Luke on Monday, October 26, 2015
July 1, 2015 - I photographed the fireworks around the Saamis Teepee during Canada Day.
July 2015 - From postcards to a travel guide, I did some really cool work with Tourism Medicine Hat in 2015.
August 5, 2015 - Approved for a media pass, I attended the incredible Shambhala Music Festival in British Columbia to photograph the experience. This is the photo series that followed.
August 20, 2015 - I had another viral blog post on my hands when I released my 7 Wonders of Medicine Hat.
August 25, 2015 - I was hired to create the launch video for the brand new Canalta Centre in Medicine Hat. I had shot the project over the summer, and had the privilege of getting to see the video debut on the jumbotron.
September 2015 - In what became one of my most ambitious road trips to date, my friend Mike and I took his brand new BMW on a coastal drive from Seattle down to San Diego over the course of 2 weeks. It was another incredible "working holiday" where I photo journaled everything. Lots and lots of pictures from this adventure are still to come in 2016.
September 29, 2015 - One of my favorite video projects of the year was finally released called, "If These Walls Could Talk". Highlighting the originality and cultural impact of Medalta Potteries, this video got a lot of buzz online.
"If These Walls Could Talk"
How much do you know about Medalta or The Market at Medalta or Medalta International Artists in Residence? Earlier this year I had the opportunity to explore this historic site in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada with the goal of creating a video to showcase what makes this place tick. I can tell you one thing for sure - as cool as the history is, it's a lot more than just a museum today.
Posted by Editing Luke on Thursday, October 15, 2015
October 5, 2015 - After nearly 2 years of waiting, I was overjoyed to see the permanent art installation featuring my photography unveiled in the brand new Medicine Hat Airport Terminal.
October 17, 2015 - I was nominated for Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
October 30, 2015 - I released a brand new video celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre in Medicine Hat, Alberta.
Esplanade@10
This month I had the pleasure of being asked to help create a video to celebrate the Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre's 10 year anniversary in Medicine Hat, Alberta. There was no way I was going to be able to incorporate all of the stories I heard during the shoot, but in the end I think some really genuine moments were captured.To create this video, we connected with Esplanade Staff, Volunteers, and Esplanauts (Discovery Centre art class participants) ranging in age from kindergarten to retirees. Each participant was asked to share a memorable Esplanade story, moment or experience from the past ten years. From over three hours of interview footage, a very honest, thoughtful, and emotional seven minute video emerged, capturing the essence of the Esplanade’s impact on this community.And what about your stories? I'd love to hear about some of the positive memories / experiences you've had at the Esplanade too!
Posted by Editing Luke on Wednesday, October 28, 2015
November 1, 2015 - In addition to photographing the annual Black & White Gala fundraiser at Medalta, I was asked to create a custom design to showcase on 12 sets of vintage Hycroft dinnerware to be featured in the live auction. My plates ended up selling for over $3000 with the proceeds going to help fund Medalta's community programming.
November 20, 2015 - My portfolio site got a massive overhaul.
December 1, 2015 - With some big strides made in 2015, I put together a list of 8 things that I figured most people didn't know about Editing Luke.
December 2015 - I closed out the year much the way I began it with another "working holiday" in California. Focused around Los Angeles and San Diego this time, I came back with some exciting content that will feature strongly in 2016.
In looking back it's pretty incredible to see what a significant year it really was. This site has afforded me the luxury of keeping track of my time and accomplishments, and once again it's provided the motivation to keep reaching for those new challenges. Thank you sharing your time with me in 2015. Let's make 2016 even better!
I continued my road trip through Joshua Tree National Park this summer in California. It wasn't that I really needed more pictures, it just seemed like a great backdrop to break in the Jaguar I'd rented for the road trip. I always see something new when I'm back in Joshua Tree. Perhaps it's that the desert landscape is still a novelty for this Canadian. In any case, it was a blast as usual. It made for some great additions to my Roadside California series.
