Jeff Simpson
With the Spring Nationals stretch officially upon on that means one thing: It’s time to hit the road and log some serious miles. While that’s not out of the ordinary for this sport, for members of the “media” it can get a little tricky.
Initially this trip was suppose to start in Georgia then work its way over to Alabama for the second stop of the Shred Tour (presented by Maxima!) followed up by the illustrious JS7 Spring Championship at Freestone. Alas, I had the opportunity to secure a credential for RCSX so I figured f*ck it, we are going to Daytona!
I’m sure some of you (probably not) read my column from Loretta’s 2020 where I slept in a tent for the week, it wasn’t that bad, but the journey since that point has been nothing compared to how it all began at Loretta’s 2019.
In 2019 I also slept in a tent, much smaller than the 2020 version, though. I showed up with no credentials, very few clients, and a prayer I could make a couple dollars to at least break even on the whole deal. On practice day I managed to talk the Specialized Bicycle guys into trading me an infield pass for photos and they went for it. The rest isn’t quite history but more of the beginning of taking this seriously. Smash cut to today and I’m about to embark on a moto photogs dream trip. Holy sh*t if this actually is a dream please don’t wake me up.
Even pre-COVID, this time of year in Michigan can get brutal trying to secure work to keep things flowing until spring hits and everyone’s seasonal depression wears off. Heck, I even worked a little stint in the cannabis industry to bridge the fall to spring gap. This is the third time this winter I’ll be traveling to Florida following the work (poor car) but that’s what why we do it! Countless cups of coffee, endless miles and some hella good times.
Now I’ll be honest with you, I purchased my first camera (Canon 6Dii) a little over two years ago and all of this seemed like a pipe dream. My fiancé and I joke about it all the time. Had you told me when that camera arrived I would be chasing dirtbikes across the country I’d call you a liar. On top of that, if you had told me I would be working for the website I grew up on getting all of my moto content from I would of laughed at you. Yet here we are. Dreams do come true.
Now is not the time to let off that throttle, you have to keep that sh*t pinned, not only to stay relevant in the sea of content creators within the industry but more importantly grow as a creative. This will be the second time I will have been fortunate enough to be working with the best in the industry, learning from Wes and the crew every step of the way. That’s what drew me into photography and videography, the literal endless pursuit of perfection. Now I’m a ways from that don’t get me wrong but I try like hell to bring a new piece of the puzzle to every trip be it new gear, new style I want to try, or even just trying to streamline my workflow to bring you better content quicker. I learned a TON from the Imagination/Ponca trip (check your audio kids, otherwise you will have a ton of footage you can’t use because of the mic pop) and I look to further that progression over the next three weeks.
So that brings us to this exact moment, sitting in a Starbucks parking lot close to the Michigan-Ohio boarder frantically typing this because I didn’t have the time to do it before I actually left my house this morning. It’s not the first time and won’t be the last that work is getting done in the front seat of the car while on the road. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ll be updating as the trip progresses with both words along with some Vlog life type stuff.
Until then,
✌️
