A solo summer road trip through the midwest by Kristen Blanton. Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and back. 

Canon AE-1 

Ektar 100 // 35mm film

A spring fed river buried in the central panhandle of Florida. We could never tell you where it is, because it is sacred to us. Once a year we float the river with some of our closest friends.

Canon AE-1 - Lomo LC-A

Ektar 100 destroyed with lemon juice // 35mm film

3 days of climbing, biking, drinking, and smiling. A hidden campsite up near Big Bear lake hosted Hello America and our amigos as well. 

Canon AE-1 - Lomo LC-A

Ektar 100 - Lomo 400 // 35mm film

Home to every different type of landscape you can think of, California is a one stop shop for everything outdoors. Hello America has started to lay some roots on the west coast and you can expect more as we explore this amazing state.

Canon AE-1 - LC-A

Lomo 100, 400 - Ektar 100 - Portra 400 // 35mm film

There comes a time in every man's life when he's gotta put his Ninjasuit on, grab his hatchet, and cut down a Christmas tree for his woman. Too bad Matt's a perfectionist and the perfect tree happened to stand over 2 miles down deep snowy trail. Luckily Kristen was there to drag it out.

Canon AE-1

Ektar 100 // 35mm film

We spent two weeks traveling Vietnam from north to south by train, bus, and motorbike. Eyes wide open and stomachs bubbling from exotic foods. Vietnam was an experience that only being there, in that moment, could explain. We will be back.

Canon AE-1 - Disposable Cameras - LC-A+

Ektar 100 - Portra 400 - Lomo 100,400,800 // 35MM

Colorado has been Hello America's Winter hideout for the past 5 years. The friends and memories we have collected over the years are unparalleled. This home away from home (or tent) is a key part of the seasonal photography we get to deliver to you. Enjoy

Canon AE-1 - LC-A

Ektar 100 - Portra 400 // 35mm film

To some, three weeks in Thailand may seem like a long time, but to most, it's not near long enough. Thailand has a deep culture that is so rooted, you may feel more human here than anywhere else. We rode trains, tuk tuks, songthaews, longtail boats, and motorbikes all around the country. The quiet sleepy villages in the mountains of the north are heavily contrasted by the bustle of the south. Kristen and Matt felt right at home sleeping outside and sitting on their butts, eating amazing street food off of boats and carts. 

Canon AE-1 - Disposable Cameras - Underwater Disposable - LC-A - Nikonos V

Ektar 100 - Portra 400 - Lomo 100,400,800 // 35MM

For seven days we sailed around the Andaman Sea and Phang Nga Bay with our friends at The Sailing collective. This culturally rich region in Thailand offered more than just great sailing. From floating muslim fishing villages in the north to the crystal clear water and vertical limestone islands of the south, there is something different to see and experience every day. The Sailing Collective did more than just get our feet wet on this Thailand experience, we dove right in.

Canon AE-1 - Disposable Cameras - Underwater Disposable - LC-A - Nikonos V

Ektar 100 - Portra 400 - Lomo 100,400,800 // 35MM

A random backpacking trip in early Fall brought Kristen and Matt to Big Pine Creek - North Fork. 2 Nights, 17 miles, dried noodles, and 9 lakes. To our surprise, we managed to catch the Aspen foliage change at it's peak.

Canon AE-1 - Lomo LC-A

Ektar 100 - Portra 400 - Lomo 100 // 35mm film

We told Eddie Bauer that we were making a big move from Florida to Colorado to bunker down for Winter. They told us to invite some friends and make a trip out of it. Check the video from the trip out here. Florida to Colorado. Austin, Big Bend, White Sands NM, Santa Fe, Great Sand Dunes, Denver.

Canon AE-1 - Lomo LC-A

Lomo 100, 400, 800 - Ektar 100 // 35mm film

Hello America is laying down some roots in San Diego. We took to the westbound road in early spring with both cars full of everything we own, but that didn't stop us from calling every friend along the way and camping for 7 nights. Colorado to Utah. Rabbit Valley, Moab, Bryce Canyon, Zion NP, Joshua Tree.

Canon AE-1 - Lomo LC-A

Lomo 100 and 400 - Ektar 100 // 35mm film

Before Hello America existed, Matt was a working boat captain and dive master. He still contributes to that line of work in the heat of summer, but when we can, we get in the water for fun and bring our Nikonos with us. We camped in Key Largo on a hot November week with friends and family. This part of The Keys is a protected marine sanctuary and full of life, unlike other parts further south.

Canon AE-1 - Nikonos V - Underwater Disposable Camera

Lomo 800 - Kodak 800 // 35mm film

Hello America was raised in the south. Being Florida kids, we love the water, but the thick pine forests, tall oak trees, and humid nights will always remind of us of home and everyone that we love there.

Canon AE-1

Lomo 400 - Portra 400 // 35mm film

Sperry invited us to be apart of their Odyssey Project. We happily accepted and were told to block out some dates in July. A week prior to the trip, we received a box with a pair of Sperry shoes, a dive mask, and two tickets to the West Coast to swim with the largest animal on earth, the Blue Whale.

Nikonos V - Canon AE-1 - LC-A

Ektar 100 - Lomo 800 - Portra 400 // 35mm film

Camp Brand Goods was one of the original kickstarter doners when Hello America was first launched. Thanks to them and many other wonderful people we've been able to keep this storytelling platform alive with fresh imagery. We were happy to put together this series for them on a cool sunny day in the Florida Panhandle.

Canon AE-1 - Lomo LC-A

Ektar 100 - Lomo 100, 800 // 35mm film 

A series from our first time exploring the Pacific Northwest. The greens, the wet, the misty mountains. Our friends Josh and Megan stayed with us while towing their 70s camper around the country. Northern CA, Oregon, Olympic Peninsula, Washington.

Canon AE-1 - Lomo LC-A

Ektar 100 - Portra 400 // 35mm film

Hello America only shoots film. There aren't many companies out there that still heavily invest in the film community. Lomography is one of those few. We use their wide selection of cameras and film for all sorts of shooting. One of our favorites is the LC-A.

Lomo LC-A

Lomo 100, 400, 800 // 35mm film

Hello America went to Iceland during the month of November 2014. Knowing we would be road-tripping the "ring road" in one of the coldest months of the year in a camper car with no heating element, we lived in a perpetual state of worry leading up to the trip. Ninjasuit threw a couple of their wool suits our way and said have fun. We did.

Canon AE-1 - Lomo LC-A

Ektar 100 - Portra 400 - Lomo 400 // 35mm film

When Hello America first saw the Jokulsarlon lagoon in photos, we knew we had to get there. For Matt, just seeing the lagoon wasn't enough. So we got in touch with Folbot Kayaks. They put 2 kayaks on the plane with us and gave Matt the opportunity of a lifetime.

Canon AE-1 - Lomo LC-A

Ektar 100 - Portra 400 - Lomo 100 and 400 // 35mm film

A lot of people love Moab. Who wouldn't? It is a giant adult playground. Hello America frequents Moab more than a few times a year. It's kind of like that itch you get and it won't go away until you scratch it. 

Canon AE-1

Ektar 100 // 35mm film

For 14 days, Hello America rented a camper van and slept in various locations around the ring road in Iceland. With little daylight during the month of November, we mostly drove at night battling 100mph winds and subzero temps. The result was an adventure so full of life, we cried.

Canon AE-1 - Lomo LC-A

Ektar 100 - Portra 400 - Lomo 100, 400 // 35mm film

For 14 days, Hello America rented a camper van and slept in various locations around the ring road in Iceland. With little daylight during the month of November, we mostly drove at night battling 100mph winds and subzero temps. The result was an adventure so full of life, we cried.

Canon AE-1 - Lomo LC-A

Ektar 100 - Portra 400 - Lomo 100, 400 // 35mm film

We are good friends with the owner of a clothing line called Mile High Clothing Company. He approached us about doing a fun shoot with friends. We told him to get a cabin far back in the mountains, and enough booze for Kristen's birthday weekend, and we had a deal. The result was good fun on the lesser traveled sides of Pike's Peak.

Canon AE-1 - Lomo LC-A

Ektar 100 - Portra 400 // 35mm film

After one of the wettest winters California has seen in years, Spring came and colored the mountains and desert of Southern California with wildflowers. This big of a bloom only comes once every couple of decades or so. The desert and its wildflower bloom has been our home while the waves of different species of flowers open up there pedals to the sun over the course of a few weeks. We have been overwhelmed with the beauty of it all and can only hope we get to see this kind of color again in our lifetime.

Canon AE-1 - Nikon L35 AF

Ektar 100 - Portra 400 - Lomo 100 and 400 // 35MM

The American southwest is the inspiration for any road trip. Long roads, big skies, and everything in front of you. 

Canon AE-1 - Lomo LC-A

Ektar 100 // 35mm film

Urban outfitters sent Hello America in to the desert to dance and play in some of their latest styles. This was our first time in White Sands NM. We caught a rainstorm and retreated to the tent. Marfa TX was next and we stayed in the "Royal Mansion" at El Cosmico pictured here as the green trailor.

Canon AE-1

Ektar 100 - Portra 400 // 35mm film

Poler was a big supporter of Hello America's first big road trip. We had a lot of fun driving around the country and playing cards in the Poler Tent.

Canon AE-1 - Lomo LC-A

Ektar 100 - Portra 400 - Lomo 100, 400, 800 // 35mm film

Summer 2014 in the Midwest. Montana, Wyoming, Colorado. Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Glacier National Park, Rocky Mountain Nation Park.

Canon AE-1 - Lomo LC-A

Ektar 100 - Portra 400 // 35mm film

The way we saw it, we had two choices to drive up to Oregon from LA. We either stayed Coastal on Highway 1, or we took the mountain route with the likes of Yosemite, Death Valley, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon in the Sierras. We are happy with our choice, but you can't go wrong either way.

Canon AE-1 - Lomo LC-A

Ektar 100 - Portra 400 // 35mm film

Our arrival to the Northeastern part of America was met with tired eyes and the desire for a bed. We had driven over 20,000 miles and had been on the road for 4 months straight. Though we thought we'd had enough, we didn't. We swam in every lake from Ohio to Maine and it woke us right up. 

Canon AE-1 - Lomo LC-A

Ektar 100 - Portra 400 // 35mm film