Memphis, its been amazing!

I'm almost out of time in Memphis, but I've had a blast!  


This afternoon I toured the Gibson Guitar Factory.  They don't allow photos on the tour and I had to sign a non-disclosure agreement about what I saw there, but I'll say that it was definitely impressive.  After the tour, I spent some time checking out the guitars in their store with a brand new respect.  These are some serious instruments!  Fortunately, I was allowed to take pictures in the store... so here are some snazzy guitars!

So many guitars... if only I knew what to do with them!

The striping costs more because it's pretty. :-)

After some joyrides on the Memphis trolleys (which I took every time I wanted to just rest my feet for a while) I went back to Rendezvous for an interview with my favorite waiter Robert Jr. and some grub.  Robert Jr. has been working there since 1981 when he was in highschool... so he definitely had some amazing insights about one of the city's most popular BBQ restaurants.

People with ADD will go wild at Rendezvous... there's just so much to look at!

After my delicious dinner (Chopped Chicken sandwich with baked beans and slaw) I took a quick photo with Robert Jr.  He guaranteed me that if I send him a copy he'll put it on the wall next to all of the other celebrities.  :-)  I'll have to go back and check if it's up!

I'm hoping I'll replace Justin Timberlake as Robert Jr.'s favorite customer.

Beale Street at night is insane.  There are just crowds and crowds of people.  I took the opportunity to take some photos of the incredible neon signs and crazy awesome bikes that decorated the street after dark.  


Because I was going to have a long, hot day in the city, I didn't want to schlep my massive, full-size tripod around, so I packed my Gorillapod and hoped for the best.  Once again I was impressed with its performance.  Over the past few days I've had several people strike up conversations with me about the Gorillapod.  Non-photographers always ask me what it is.  I tell them it's a tripod, but in truth, its a life-saver.  Who wants to carry around a bulky tripod in 90* heat?  The Gorillapod has allowed me to shoot video from trolley windows, stills in low light situations, and it serves as an AMAZING conversation starter.  I've never felt so confident about leaving a tripod at my hotel.  I can't wait to see all the other ways the Gorillapod will come in handy on the trip!

When the sun goes down, the party shows up!

Tomorrow is a crazy early morning for me -- its time to catch a train to NOLA for the next stop along America By Rail.  It's bedtime over here, but I'll leave you with an epic/baller shot of a gorgeous motorcycle in an amazing place.  Thanks, Memphis!  It's been incredible!

Oh hi, gorgeous!

Check back tomorrow and every day after that 'till June 12 for my exploits on the road!!!

CHI to MEM

I've got a train to catch at 8:00pm...

My last day in Chicago was rainy, but still charming in that special Chicago way.  I visited the Magnificent Mile, took a nice drive down Lake Shore, and devoured a delicious lunch at Dolce Casa Cafe up in Ravenswood.

Now, after three lovely days in Chicago I'm heading out to Memphis, where I'll visit Beale Street -- home of the blues -- and the Orpheum Theater.

As my final act before packing up my gear to head to Union Station, I present to you... the last 24 hours in Chicago...

See you tomorrow in Memphis!

America By Rail: Photowalk Chicago

Today was our first America By Rail photowalk!  Our Chicago crew for the day was a fantastic bunch -- some were frequent photowalkers and some were participating on their first photowalk.  

New photo friends at the Wrigley Building in Chicago, IL.

Photographer Steve Gubin led us on an excellent itinerary featuring iconic Chicago architecture.   We talked to him about his views on the expansive community of photographers on Google+ and the many reasons he loves to photograph Chicago.  I had a great time talking to everyone about photography and hearing their perspectives on gear, Google+, and the city.  Some of today's group is already posting photos on G+!

If you are a photographer or a photography lover and are local to one of our America By Rail Photowalks, you can't miss these events.  We've got 8 more -- and lots of prizes to give away!

Today's events left me completely jazzed about the whole project -- the next 42 days are going to be AMAZING.

Here are a few of my quick edits from today's walk...

Thanks again to Steve Gubin, and to everyone we met today, for coming out.  I still have 2 more days in Chicago, so check back tomorrow for more shots from the windy city!

Many things to celebrate on Friday the 13th

Happy Friday -- even if it is Friday the 13th.  While you're busy killing time till the end of the work day, check out these exciting updates for America By Rail...

Almost 2 weeks out!

The details for the Chicago Photowalk with Steve Gubin are in!  For the Photowalk start time, meeting location and other important information, visit: 
 http://www.jordanawright.com/photowalkchicago.html

We are already expecting over 20 people for Steve's walk... people who will not only have an amazing time exploring, shooting, and meeting new friends, but people who will WIN PRIZES!

Steve Gubin, looking much how he will look on April 28th.



What sort of prizes you may ask?  Well, all kinds of stuff!  A big box of amazing arrived from Google headquarters today containing goodies for our Photowalk participants...  Super exciting because it's not just swag... ITS PHOTO SWAG!

GOOGLE+ STICKERS AND CAMERA STRAPS!?!?! DANG!

Proving once again that they are the coolest ever, Google+ donated swag to our project that is related to our project!  Take that, twitter and facebook.

So what else is exciting right now?  We just opened up an Instagram account so that everyone at home can follow along with multiple updates per day while we're out on America By Rail.  Our user name is: jordanawright.  Follow us on Instagram and see snapshots like this one: http://instagr.am/p/JTLSjAsjh3/?ref=nf.  

In other spectacular news, the Best Western Plus Olympic Inn has donated our accommodations in Klamath Falls, Oregon.  Many thanks to them for their fantastic hospitality, and to Brian Gailey Photography and Design for setting it up! 

Our new best friends at Olympic Inn!  They are super supportive of our project!

That's about it for now, friends, followers, and cohorts!  More updates coming next week!!!  You can still RSVP for any of our Photowalks or contact us to get involved!

America By Rail

I know, its been a while since our last post.  A lot has been going on around here.  A couple of weeks ago we announced our next big project, America By Rail.  

Last week we went to New York City via the Amtrak Lake Shore Limited route.  With several shoots lined up in NYC we took the opportunity to do a test run on the train to gear up for the America By Rail project.  At this point we have over 100 photographers who have RSVP'd for our photowalks, and we received our first gear donation sponsor.  JOBY has given us a pair of the amazing Gorillapod Focus with Ballhead X.  They arrived today and we can't wait to put them to good use on the trip!

After enjoying the journey to NYC on Amtrak, we got super excited about the trip in April.  Check out a few of the photos from the trip to NYC!

To get more information about America By Rail, or to RSVP for a photowalk, visit the America By Rail website or contact us!

Thanks for checking in!