The Black Hills, June 2019. Photo by Rob Salem. Copyright 2019-2021 Rob Salem/The Stormworks There's a saying in the firefighting community that I think has broader applications to life, and especially pursuit of goals and dreams. "Risk a lot to save a lot; risk little to save little." For firefighters, it basically means, "We'll risk... Continue Reading →
I'm currently working on a music video. It's... heavy. Musically, yes--it's for a metal song after all. But that's not what I mean. The content--some of it shot by me, some provided to me for use in this video--has an emotional gravity to it that is making it tough to work on. I can see... Continue Reading →
I'm currently working on a project that involves going through the several thousand photos I've taken the last few years and figuring out which ones I like enough for commercial use while keeping in mind the purpose of the end product and the probable consumer demographic. It's a project that's been on the back burner... Continue Reading →
Let’s start with a cliché: El Salvador is a country of stark contrasts. Cliché, but true. I suppose that could be said about most places in the world but given its status as one of the most dangerous countries in the world that isn’t an active warzone, I’d say it’s particularly true of El Salvador.... Continue Reading →
Something that's been bothering me lately is the tendency of others to always make art about money. Before I go any further, I want to clearly state that I'm absolutely in favor of artists of all mediums being compensated fairly for their work, and that the above statement is relevant to a specific phenomenon I've... Continue Reading →
Just a short video I made from the footage I shot of the total solar eclipse over North America on Monday (Aug 21). This was filmed under mostly cloudy skies in north central Indiana, outside of the path of totality, so it's only a partial eclipse from this viewpoint. The clouds worked both for and... Continue Reading →
In 2012, the US Department of Veteran's Affairs estimated that an average of 22 veterans committed suicide every day. Recent estimates place that number closer to 20 a day, and while that represents a decline, it is still 20 too many. The -22- project is something I was invited to participate in as a photographer,... Continue Reading →
I've made this "Valkyrie" (or Norse female warrior) t-shirt design available on Teespring. (The mock up above is different in scale than the actual shirt, due to print limitations, but I like the Teespring link better.) The text on the back is a bit of verse from Darraðarljoð, or the Weaving Song of the Valkyries,... Continue Reading →
The Sanctuary of the Storm 