Mitch Allen Photography

Winter Fly Fishing

For some reason I decided the other day that it was a good idea to get back on the river and do some winter fly fishing. Although bitter cold, the sun was out and I was excited to do some winter midge fishing. Since starting to fly fish in the spring, I have learned a lot about this sport and I wanted to learn more with this new season upon me. With each change in the year a new hatch is happening, forcing me to learn about this new insect that the fish are feeding on. It feels like every time I sort of figure out the current hatch it is ending and a new bug is on the fish's radar. Winter is no exception with midges being the prolific hatch on the water. These tiny insects keep the fish going all winter and anglers occupied during the cold months.

I was the only one out there this day as you can see from my lonely tracks.

First catch of the new year. I remember these fish being much fatter in the fall.

On to the next spot.

I found a new problem. Ice buildup.

Solitude.

On the way back to the car I quickly took a couple quick shots of my snowy boots as my fingers and toes were about to fall off.

Touring in Utah

The snow has been great these past couple weeks and I lucky to get out and enjoy it. Below are two days that I went out last week to hike around and stretch my legs with my new split board.

The first day was with Tim Lewin and Ravi Altman where we started our hike from the White Pine lot in Little Cottonwood. Tim had an app on his phone that recorded our elevation change and all types of other things. For this particular tour, we climbed around 4,800ft. I was definitely feeling the burn towards the end but it was nice to be outside enjoying the great weather.

Tim and Ravi cutting a cornice to check the stability of the snow, everything held.

Not very scenic but we'll take what we can get.

Run 1 was a quick one but still really fun.

Heading to the next run.

Run 2 was a nice mellow run all the way to that little road in the background.

Day 2- Rachael Burks and I headed up little cottonwood again to gets some more runs.

If you look at Rachael's lack of tracks behind her, you'll get a good understanding of how bad the snow was in this spot. At least it looks pretty.

Rachael checking out our next run.

The climb back up for our final run back to the car.

Infinite Scale Design Group-Sundance

Recently I was fortunate enough to work with Infinite Scale Design Group on their Sundance Film Festival project for 2011. They designed everything from street banners, theater signage, and window dressings. For each theater, they had the task of custom designing graphics that integrated and blended into the existing structure, converting the usually quiet Park City and Salt Lake City into a lively place. Thousands of people flock here each year to see some of the best independent movies made that year.

Silver

Brand new Silver restaurant will be opening just in time to wow the Sundance crowd and regular customers that will surely become regulars. With a sheik and hip look, this restaurant not only aims to please visually but through taste buds too. With tempting items such as Smoked Lobster Cavatelli, New York Minute Steak, and 20 Ounce Dry-Aged Bone-In Rib Eye, the customer will surely find a dish to satisfy. This was a really fun shoot with the amazing decorating and layout of the space. It was a pleasure to explore and light each space and let it reveal itself to me.

Cocktail area with custom mohair seating that wraps over the client.

Stairway headed down to the main level.

Dubbed the atrium, this seating area offers the most outside views.

The main lobby with a comfortable seating area to enjoy a cocktail.

Main lobby where the customer is greeted by Silvers friendly staff.

Custom tables adorned with silver veins fitted into the wood.

Workers Compensation Fund Corporate Headquarters

I was recently asked the opportunity to shoot a project for EDA Architects to cover the new WCF(Workers Compensation Fund) Headquarters that was built over the summer. It was an honor to be chosen by such a reputable firm such as EDA and I was excited to take to project on. This brand new building has beautiful interior design features that help give the customer and employees a better overall experience. With rich wood paneling, sandstone accents and modern furniture, it was a really enjoyable project to shoot and I feel like the images below capture the essence of the design.

This lobby area was great to shoot. I added several supplemental lights to accent the design features.

This atrium area has several seating areas that overlook the dining area. Several lights were placed downstairs while even more were brought upstairs to fill in the details. This roof element was a really neat design that added another focal point.

The main dining area with several options for seating. As with the majority of the images here, supplemental lighting was key to creating the mood and accentuating key features for this shot.

Here's to You

I was fortunate to have met Vanessa Aadland last season and be able to be around her amazing energy for a couple shoots and just hanging out in general. Early this season, we were starting our preseason hike from alta and from no where we see the big smile of Vanessa stoked to be out and ready to ski. She joined up with us on the hike for some early season snow and it was nice to have such a positive person around. Below are the shots from that day. Unfortunately only a couple weeks later she broke her back skiing. With time Vanessa will recover to send herself off huge cliffs and spread her amazing zealous for life in the mountains. Send your good energy and Get well soon Vanessa!!!

Maryland Architecture

Although my intended purpose for visiting Maryland was for pleasure, I couldn't help fitting in some business. Below are some samples of the architecture Maryland has to offer.