Aspen, CO

Fourfiftyone is going to look a little different for a while. I've moved from my Durban suburb to the highlands of Aspen, Colorado for a few months, and I'm looking forward to shooting images that transcend the skim/skate/music themes I've been focusing on.  I've also been asked, repeatedly, for updates on how everything is here, so this first post will be a double threat, covering some details of my travels thus far.

The cheapest possible ticket I could find to the states bought me a forty-odd hour trip, on three planes, with stop-overs in Dubai and New York. International travel is strange; everyone seems to have a mutual yet unspoken agreement to shut the windows at ten thousand feet, so no matter how many hours you're in the air, the sensation is more like hovering inside a beach ball than traversing any lateral distance. Landing in Denver, I caught a five hour shuttle to the Ritz Carlton where I'm working for these months, and finally made it into bed at 3:30AM, two days after I originally left.

JFK INTL











I'm living in what could be a swingers' house from the '70s, complete with burlap wallpaper with a pattern resembling something between a topographical map and a water stain. There are four Americans here, and two other South Africans. Aspen is a beautiful place. It's cold as cuss what with all the snow, but before long  I rectified bringing only fingerless gloves, and it doesn't take long to get used to the chill.

Like most popular fiction I'm prone to bouts of sentimentality, which made it surprising that I only felt certain marked differences between home and here, rather than an overwhelming sense of new or other. That said, there are some icons to take note of. The main ones in bullet point are Americans are loud; buy or die; every plane leaves a visible jet-stream; it's easy to talk to strangers; free public transport is a requisite for end-of-history status; the grass might not be greener but the sky is definitely bluer; snowboarding is socially acceptable, and thus can never be as cool as skateboarding; and maybe the most affecting surprise, everyone's the same.

Aspen Highlands









I may need to learn Spanish.



Aspen







The trees here are fine. I'm told there are Douglas Firs around.





Aesthetics is a definite focus in the construction here.



















Terrifying.

















Seconds after taking this shot I saw a bird like this dead on the floor. I felt like I stole its soul.













A cool looking design studio.













I don't plan on indulgently travel-blogging about the wide world. Pictures say it better anyway.