This summer, two friends and myself all left our comfortable jobs of six years to spend two months traveling across the country and teaching photography workshops along the way. We all felt that it was time to take a risk and get out of our comfort zones... adventure was calling us. It was a trip filled with endless hours cooped up in a van, exploring breathtaking landscapes, sharing stories and laughs, meeting some of the nicest people, making new friends, getting to meet old friends from around the country, and sharing our love of photography with others.

This trip was a constant test for me, as we had such short and limited time in nearly all of the spots we visited. In most cases, I'd have to hurry out of the van with all of my gear and find a decent composition in a very short amount of time as soon as we would arrive at the location. It was a constant race against the light.

During those 2 months, we traveled across 32 states , visited 13 national and state parks, and drove nearly 13,000 miles in a (somewhat) trusty old Dodge Caravan... with no cruise control. It was an adventure that gave us many memories that we will all hold onto for many years to come. I think that everybody needs to take a trip and have their eyes opened to just how beautiful this world is and how much is really out there.

A big thanks to Coca-Cola and Flickr for helping to sponsor our trip. Thanks also to everyone else that donated, attended our workshops, and gave us places to stay!

Music:
'Signaling Through The Flames' by 'The American Dollar'
http://www.facebook.com/theamericandollar
Download a free compilation of 9 of their best tracks here: http://tinyurl.com/freeAMD
119 Song Discography in Any Format just $20 @ http://bit.ly/XiwDFs

Motion Control System:
Dynamic Perception Stage Zero Dolly http://www.dynamicperception.com/
Vixen Polarie Star Tracker (used for slow panning)

Camera Gear:
Canon 5DMKII
Canon 5DMKIII
Canon 24LII
Canon 16-35LII
Canon 70-200L ISII
Canon 85L
Nikon 14-24 f2.8
Lee Filters
Manfrotto Tripods

Processing:
Adobe Lightroom 4
LRTimelapse
Adobe After Effects

You can find more of my work at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/shaneblackphotography
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shaneblack/
500px: http://500px.com/shaneblack
Instagram: @shanemichaelblack
Email: shaneblack300@gmail.com