Hoodie Weather

July 14, 2015

Photographs provided by Neil Mortensen & Ryan Wilson

I went out to shoot with my good friend Ryan last Thursday. All in all we covered Muir Woods, Mt. Tam, then to diversify the day a little bit more, we ended at Treasure Island. The weather was overcast, it was raining off and on, and I was exhausted from getting up at 4am for work that day. Despite everything, it was one of the most rewarding days of shooting because of these challenging circumstances. My editing style has been pretty dark lately so the dramatic clouds and foggy landscapes we encountered were perfect subjects. The drama of these dark landscapes looked like something straight out of a movie which resulted in some very cinematic photographs. Honestly, I’ve been a bit sick of the hot weather so a day like this was perfect to cool down for a change. I’m more of a cold weather guy myself so it felt great to be able to wear a sweatshirt with the hood up all day.

My main goal with photography is to create photographs that people can feel instead of just look at. When taking a photo, I try to involve the viewer as much as possible by making them feel like they were there when I took the photo. Sit back, relax, and enjoy these visuals from this moody day in the Bay Area. Until next time.

Photo by Ryan Wilson — Photo by Ryan Wilson

Mount Tamalpais

June 26, 2015

Photos by: Neil Mortensen, Michael Casatico, and Sasan Sayyar

Words by: Neil Mortensen

I went up to Grizzly Peak last Wednesday the 10th after it had rained to catch the sunset. I knew it’d be a good one because of all the cloud cover the rain had provided. When it finally stopped raining I took the opportunity to go shoot some photos, and up to Grizzly Peak I went. The sunset burned for at least two hours, however the area where the sun went down was blocked by the Berkeley hills and proceeded to set behind Mt. Tamalpais. I checked my phone to look at the weather for the weekend and luckily it said that it'd be cloudy in S.F on Saturday, which was just what I was hoping for. When the day came, Sas, Mike, Griffin and I rolled out to Mt. Tam and I was able to see exactly what I was anticipating. To me, having a vision of what you want to create is one of the most important aspects of photography. Before I set out to shoot somewhere, I have a subject matter in mind whether it's city, nature, or sometimes something even more specific depending on what I’m inspired by at the moment. It’s so satisfying when I envision what a place will look like, have everything work as planned, and be able to capture my vision when I get there. To put it short, it was one of the most breathtaking places I’ve ever been to..

Mike & I have no additional words after Neil's, we mutually agreed that what he said above is a solid representation of how we all feel. It was just another solid day down in the books, and we're looking forward to all the rest that are on the way. - Sasan

Photo by Michael Casatico — Photo by **Michael Casatico**

Coastal Gems

June 16, 2015

What’s up everybody? This post has been long overdue, and it feels great to finally say that school is out for the summer. After a long semester full of business calculus and sleepless nights studying, it really is refreshing to be able to go out and adventure more often. For the last two weeks since school has been out, I’ve been spending some time back home with my family and friends in the Bay Area. I know it sounds weird to say, but I couldn’t be happier to get a break from San Diego and all the damn palm trees.

One of my favorite parts about Northern California in comparison to Southern California definitely has to be some of the beaches. I think a lot of people reading this would argue with me, but I’m personally just a bigger fan of the coastal overcast weather that's native to Northern California and the Bay Area. Last week my buddy Kenny and I hit the road early before the sunrise to drive down to Santa Cruz and check out some of these beautiful beaches. It turned out to be a legendary day full of adventure and exploring. After getting to Santa Cruz, we drove up Highway 1 North the whole way back to the Bay and pulled off the road whenever we saw something that looked cool. Here are some photos from the day, and all the spots we came across on our drive along the coast. I apologize in advance, because these photographs simply do not do these locations any justice, but I tried my best. I also want to mention that I managed to enjoy a sandwich inside of an old military bunker from World War Two. I was starting to get worried about not being able to cross that off my bucket list. Cheers to the beginning of summer and more days like this!

This is where I ate that legendary sandwich.

Leaving on a Mission

April 30, 2015

My name is Neil Mortensen. I’m twenty years old and I live in Concord, California. I shoot everything from street photography to nature. I frequent San Francisco to go shoot and explore the most because of how much it has to offer to a photographer like myself. On May 20th next month my parents are moving to Houston, Texas for my dad’s job. My four brothers, parents, and I are extremely sad to see our beloved home of twenty-three years, where we spent unforgettable times of our childhood, sold. I’m so grateful for my parents, for how much they’ve supported what I love and for providing me a place of refuge for the twenty years I’ve been alive, in the beautiful Bay Area of California. Shortly after the move, I’ll be serving a mission for my church for two years at a location that’s currently unknown. For all I know I could end up on the other side of the world. I couldn’t tell you that I’m not scared but I’m also very excited for this opportunity to travel, see new things, immerse myself into a different culture, and ultimately meet new people, learn their stories, and teach them about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This blog post is very special to me because my good friend Sasan has played a huge role in inspiring me to shoot more photos and has had an impact on the photos I produce. This post; these photos are truly a testament of how far inspiration can go. Photography has changed my life. It’s given me a reason to get out and go do something, explore new things, and create. Photography has helped opened my eyes to the world and show it in a whole new light that most of our society is blind to. I remember talking to Sas about Tribe a little over a year ago before the website started and just being so stoked on the idea, knowing it would have endless possibilities and a very bright future. Not only do I feel it will be a thriving brand but like Sas inspired me, I believe this company will inspire many around the world to create and to do good. As people like me are inspired, we will inspire others. That is why I so heavily back this brand. For this post I’ve selected my favorite photos taken over the last two years. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have a post on Tribe’s website. I hope you enjoy the photos and can get inspired by them. Until next time.

Bay Bridge/SF Skyline shot from Berkeley, CA

Mikolaj x Dan Nguyen

April 14, 2015

Around this time last year I was up in L.A. taking some photos with my good friend Brittany. After Brittany and I were done shooting, we split up, and while I was walking back to my car I saw this guy on the side of the road painting this massive mural. Long story short, I walked over, snapped some photos and met the artist, Mikolaj. Coincidently, here we are almost a year later of the exact date I met Mikolaj on the side of the road, and I’m taking photos of him and his good friend Dan Nguyen (DEMON SLAYER) painting another mural.

Here are some photos that document the whole process of the painting from start to finish. Personally, I've never done anything like this before, so I thought it was really cool watching Dan and Mikolaj go back and forth painting together. It was crazy because I initially thought they were going to paint two separate pieces, but instead, they essentially just worked on the whole mural together. The open communication and teamwork paid off and eight hardworking hours later, the blank grey slate canvas, nine floors up on the Hayward Building in DTLA, had turned into a masterpiece.

“It’s about time... Same person, same place but at different ages, like a time warp that took us from from kicking a ball at the playground to staring at a late hour of flashing 11:11 on the alarm clock. We find our selves projecting into the future and looking into the past.”

— Mikolaj Wyszynski

Tribe Blog

Contributors:

Filter by category:

Hoodie Weather

Mount Tamalpais

Coastal Gems

Leaving on a Mission

Mikolaj x Dan Nguyen