The brand-new Shotgun House Coffee Roasters in San Antonio is a beautiful addition to the city’s ever-expanding craft coffee scene. Located in Warehouse 5 just outside of San Antonio to the west, this gorgeous gym turned coffee roaster is worth a try. And did I mention that it's dog-friendly?

I visited with my parents, younger brother and his wife, and their pup, Skadoo. Our group spans the spectrum of ‘coffee obsessed,’ and there were drinks on the menu for every taste. We ordered a mocha, almond milk latte, regular latte, and a triple shot of espresso (it was Fiesta, and we’d been out late…what can I say?) One of their specialty drinks is a Dirty Iced Horchata. This house made, non-dairy horchata was a treat, and the lovely bitter espresso cut the sweetness of it in the yummiest way.

Owners Eddie and Jess share the origin story from their website. 

"Once upon a time a couple of coffee lovers bought a 1kg shop roaster and began roasting and (illegally) serving coffee out of their Tobin Hill Shotgun House. From there they leased a 1,500 sq ft space in Warehouse 5 (West SA), and - with literally one friend, a pile of tacos, and a little credit card debt - spent the next six months transforming an old gym into a beautiful coffee roastery/shop."

With plenty of street parking close to Warehouse 5 and just a stone’s throw from downtown, make some time to check out this fantastic addition to the San Antonio coffee scene.

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The Checklist is your weekly guide to travel inspiration, tips, and recommendations from around the web.

Last night I got out for a bit and took a photo walk, a practice that I've not been very good at lately. The image above is from Lee's Fried Chicken and Donut's, a pretty great place to get a donut in the morning, or at night. 

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The Checklist

Photographer Alain Cornu captures the magic and beauty of rooftops in his series "Over Paris". The images are captured in a 4x5 large format that really brings out the unique charm of the Parisian skyline and all the intricacies that it can sometimes hide. (via PetaPixel)

I've long been a Gear Patrol reader and their recommended lists are some of my favorite. Now the GP staff shares what they never leave home without when they travel. (via Gear Patrol)

Buzzfeed writer Alison Wilmore talks about the "church of traveling light" and how, for her, it's not all it's cracked up to be. I don't particularly agree with all her ideas, but it does raise a lot of questions about why someone would choose to travel light, which I most often do. (via Buzzfeed)

I'm excited to read the new book from Sally Kohn, "The Opposite of Hate: A Field Guide To Repairing Our Humanity." Before it comes out on April 10, check out this interview with Afar about the idea behind the book and Kohn's travels around the world. (via Afar)

Ever heard of fika? In Sweden, it's a coffee break that is designed to slow down life and promote the connection between people. Sounds like something I need more of in my life. Learn more about fika via the Huckberry Journal.

The new video from Glen Hansard keeps me watching all day long. Check out Time Will Be The Healer below. 

Let's start off by wishing one of my favorite photo/video/magic geniuses, Peter McKinnon, a happy one year YouTube anniversary. If you've not seen any of Peter's videos, you're missing out on some great knowledge and an even greater guy. Check out his channel here. 

Still got Black Panther on the brain? Check out Travel Noire's list of 5 African Cities You Should Visit If You’re Dreaming Of Wakanda.  

For all those not wearing an Apple Watch, this great timepiece from Form•Function•Form is on sale, as is this one from Armogan.

Gear Patrol takes a deep dive into a fourth generation bootmaker in New Hampshire's White Mountains. 

This map covers all the bases for the fan of English Premiere League football in your life? 

Finally, this look at the New Cathedral in Linz, Germany continuously mesmerizes me. Shot with one of my favorite cameras, filmmaker Martin Lachmair really captures the beauty and solitude of walking through churches in Europe. 

I've always been fascinated by the sacred arts of religions from around the world. From the Sufi whirling dervishes to the intricate prayers of Shintoism, the dedication and beauty is something to behold. The Asia SocietyTexas Center recently hosted Tibetan monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery in India as they constructed a White Tara (Buddha of longevity and success) mandala sand painting. the event was part of the 2017 Mystical Arts of Tibet tour. Formed with millions of grains of colored sand, the art of mandala is intricate, painstaking and ultimately breathtaking. Accompanied by ceremonies of sacred dance and chants, the construction of the mandala took four days before being deconstructed to symbolize the impermanence of life. 

The word mandala comes from Sanskrit meaning sacred cosmogram. Although they can be performed in different media, including watercolor and woodcarving, the colored sand mandala is  widely known as the most popular form. 

Camera Info

Nikon D750 FX-format Digital SLR Camera Body

Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED Vibration Reduction Zoom Lens with Auto Focus for Nikon DSLR Cameras

Press the button.

In 2005 I bought my first personal camera. It was a tiny HP Photosmart digital camera that I carried with me everywhere. It had no manual settings whatsoever but it could fit in my pocket. All I knew is that I wanted to take photos like the ones I saw in books at the library. Nevermind that those books contained pictures from the likes of Henri Cartier-Bresson, Arthur Rothstein, Gordon Parks and more, that didn't matter. I just wanted to capture the world from my little eyes.

A Walk In The Park

Taken with a HP Photosmart digital camera.

Within a week of getting that camera I grabbed a few friends and headed to a local park. For some reason I was obsessed with black and white photos so pretty much every single shot I took that day was monochromatic. Most of them are pretty poorly composed, lack good depth of field and generally fall short of what I would now consider publishing, but I love all of them. One picture stands out to me in particular, mostly because of the story behind it. My friend Jen was standing in some type of almost torn down structure and the way the light came across her body was intriguing to me.

See, the whole thing was a ruse. The reason we were there wasn't to take pictures, it was to give my friend John some time "alone" with her. I was a matchmaking photographer and I'd only just got my first camera. The whole thing smacked of inauthenticity, but we didn't have a whole lot else to do in southwest Missouri at the time. Still, every time I go back through my photos, this one stands out to me. The sharp contrast between shadow and light really captures what was going on that day. two people, pulling in opposite directions but still trying to walk together.

Castles and Catching Light

My next stop with my camera was in England, where it captured quite possibly the best photo that it could take. I'd had the camera for a while now and knew how to manipulate it enough to take some decent images but on a summer day in Warwickshire, it came alive.

Taken with a HP Photosmart digital camera.

We were visiting Warwick Castle in the West Midlands of England and most of my shots were pretty typical ones of friends trying on armor or all the girls posing with the rugged looking archery performer (I'm looking at you Kate), but this one shot stood out. It was a prefect summer day and I found myself standing alone looking at the massive walls of the castle. I didn't do anything special, it just kind of happened. Some of the best photos you'll ever take will be spontaneous and probably not technically correct, but they'll be perfect.

Carillons and Campuses

Taken with a Pentax K110D DSLR camera.

The very next year I purchased my first DSLR camera, a Pentax K110D. It was the cheapest DSLR I could find, and the most I could afford at the time. Transferring what little about photography I'd learned from my HP point and shoot to this new camera with buttons and knobs was daunting. And fun. I found myself always carrying it with me, trying to find the perfect angle and shutter speed to expose the sensor.

At this point I was taking photojournalism courses and had the opportunity to have my work critiqued. The initial thought of having others tell me what was good or bad about my photography was frightening to say the least, but it pushed me to consider what I was looking at through the lens more.

This picture of the carillon tower on the campus of Missouri State University was one of the first that I took with my K110D and it's probably one of my favorites. I spent a good few years walking that exact path to class and had never seen the light come across it at that angle before. The truth is, I probably had never looked. That's what photography does for me. It's a mechanism to slow down and see the world around me and revel in its beauty and grandeur.

How To Take A Picture

I did a workshop a few weeks ago on taking pictures at events for a local church and the one thing I stressed was that the best camera is the camera you have with you. For most people that's their smartphone. It may not have all the capabilities of a DSLR or something else, but it's almost always close at hand. Learn to use it to your advantage.

The only thing you need to know to start taking pictures is "Press the Button." In the digital photography world, you're only constrained by how much storage space you have so take as many as you can. Experiment, have fun and show the world how you see it. Photography has taught me that every perspective is unique. We all bring some preconceived notions into the world that inform how we see it. That's what makes your photographic eye unique.

I'm going to leave you with an assignment today. Go out and take a picture of someone you don't know. Notice how freeing it is to capture the essence of someone else. Slow down and think about what you're trying to say and then press the button. That's the biggest step.

Featured image taken with a Fujifilm X-T20.