BVI

The British Virgin Islands. If you've been there, I really don't need to say much more. Just recently I had the incredible pleasure of enjoying much of its beauty while circumnavigating the island of Tortola on a 43 foot catamaran.

For a very long time now I've had a dream of piloting a sailboat around the islands. Any islands would have been fine, but now that I've seen them, the BVI takes the cake. Well, my dream came true last week. Alongside my father-in-law, mother-in-law, sister-in-law and my wife and our oldest daughter, a voyage was launched.

Let me describe the mood. The weather was perfect. Wind blowing about 15 knots, easy seas, and a light overcast. The provisions were managed, the beer was cold, and Buffett was playing over the speakers. Our lines were cast at about 10:30 AM and we were off. With my father-in-law at the helm, The Batida was underway and within minutes under sail power. Our trip had begun.

For six days we had incredible sailing, swimming, snorkeling, and good times as a family. We experienced new culture, great locations, gorgeous reefs, perfectly clear water, and wonderful food. It was a trip of a lifetime. A dream come true like no other.

Normally this might be where I leave you and say thanks for reading but there's one more personal note to add. The water is where I feel closest to my father, a man that spent over half his life in the Coast Guard and on the world's seas. He died when I was 16. Though we did spend some time together on the water, I never had the chance to sail with him. It's something I regret.

So as I took the pilot's wheel the end of our last day, I thought of one thing, my father. I steered The Batida home the last few miles and I heard his voice. I listened carefully as he directed me to the docks. Our trip had been a successful one and the last few miles were an incredible gift.

Until next time Captain Carroll, if the course is hard, still steer.

And now I'll say thanks for reading. Have a great voyage.

Slowing Down

As we all become more digital and we begin to use more tools to speed us about, I think we're loosing sight of what's important. Slowing down, though, is a conscious decision that takes some effort. Smelling the roses first takes finding the roses.

I may be preaching to the choir on this one but here I go: Slow down please is my message today. Look up and say hello to the person in front of you. Stop texting. Stop tweeting. Stop Facebooking. Just stop. Say hello to your children, to your spouse, to your mom, to your dad. Just say hello.

Okay, the preaching is over. How do we slow down? How do we stop even if it's for 2 seconds? It's tough, I know. We all have deadlines and we all have so much to say. Oddly enough, when I sat down to put this entry together it was not meant to be a message about slowing down and what ties me to this message will be odd to you for sure.

As I drove around today looking at locations, meeting with my producer, grabbing lunch, picking up my daughter and my taxes, I discovered that I was going a lot slower. Want to know why? Because I was driving a new car. That's right, a new car. Well, new to me. Why slower? Because this morning, after much debate and consideration, my good friend Michael Brawely decided to finally part with his 1977 Mercedes 240D. Let me tell you, it moves methodically.

And as I drove around to run these errands I noticed that I was present. I had the windows down to enjoy the great weather. I didn't pick up my phone to check email or even to text. I just drove. Maybe that's what life really is supposed to be like. Maybe that's what life was like in 1977. I think that's the ticket.

So this is my request to any of you that read my BLOG. Join me in slowing down and if you see me tooling around in my new 240D, please don't yell out HEY MICHAEL BRAWELY.

And now, a word from Rosemary

Rosemary has been working as my producer for nearly 5 years now. She joined the team after working at The Light Factory as their office manager and events coordinator. She's been a natural addition to the team here and has grown to be so much more than a producer. Let's just say without her I'd likely need 10 calendars, a couple of bookkeepers, a digital tech or two, and a bunch of interns.

With all that said, it's time for us to introduce her to the BLOG as an occasional contributor. I look forward to her upcoming posts and can't wait to have a view from her perspective.

These are a few images of Rose hard at work. As always, hope you enjoy.

Latest Travels

Just last week my crew and I, along with an art director, headed to DC. What a trip. My previous visit to our nation's capitol was about 6 years ago. It was a road trip and with every road trip there are special moments. A friend and I found ourselves touring monuments at 11:00 o'clock one evening. The first thing that grabbed us, no trouble parking and no lines. We roamed through the Lincoln memorial, around the Capitol steps, and visited Pennsylvania Ave. Other than the eerie alone feeling we had, we were blown away by how each monument stood out in the darkness with incredible lighting. Let's just say, I took a lot of pictures.

On this most recent trip, things were very different. First of all, I was there to work. There was scouting to do, logistics to manage, and crowds to control. Scouting was easy; we rented a cab for a couple of hours. Logistics, also easy. We were told by the Office of Public Information (tax dollars at work) that we could photograph anything we wanted to, as long as we shot from the sidewalk. Crowds? No way to control this, so I just didn't try. Two out of three ain't bad.

All in all my shoot went well. More on that in a latter post. For now have a look at these images from my time scouting and roaming around. DC is an amazing place. Please take time and visit. You won't be disappointed.

Yes, I have a new hobby

If you're a commercial photographer, it's likely that your hobby has turned into a career. This is true for me. One day I'm just playing around with a camera I purchased for 10 dollars at a yard sale, and the next moment I'm doing it for a living.

Well, not exactly. It's been about 30 years since I purchased that Yashica Mat 124G from the yard sale, but it feels like yesterday. The journey began that day and slowly photography became my passion. From shooting for my high school to studying at The Art Institute of

Atlanta, photography became my life. During late nights in the dark room with only the smell of fixer and really loud music to accompany me, I honed my craft. I was hooked the first time I watched a black and white print appear magically in the developer. Now I'm 99% digital and I have to tell you I really miss those times.

So, onto my new hobby, sailing. From the moment I was asked to crew on a J24 in The Key West Annual Regatta until today, I have slowly become a sailor. With the guidance of a few great guys I have learned the difference between a casual day on the lake and the feeling of 8 foot seas, racing within arms length of 20 other boats. Intense moments that make sailing what it is to me.

In the past few weeks the crew and I have been training for The Charleston Race Week. Never before have I been exposed to so much instruction and brutal repetition. From tacking to flying spinnakers I have found new muscles. And let me tell you, they ache with joy. There is nothing like it. I have to only hope that by April all the hard work pays off and we show well in the waters off of Charleston, SC.

I want to thank my fellow crew members Michael Brawley, Joe Corriher and Paul Zarbatany for all their patience and leadership. These guys are my friends. Here's to ya. Here's to ya.

Sweet Summer Memories

This past week looking out the studio windows there was an insane amount of ice and snow.  Blinding and cold.  Summer was far from thought.  Well, until a client was kind enough to send me a printed piece from images I shot back in August.

My team and I spent 4 days documenting owners of Bennington Boats for use in their 2011 brochure.  Bennington makes a high end edition of what's best known as a pontoon boat.  These vessels are far from your typical pontoon boat, they are just the opposite. Bennington uses the finest aquatic materials and technology to build a pleasure boat like no other. These boats are fast and comfortable. An industry leader. 

As I looked through the brochure, thoughts of winter quickly subsided and the warmth of the summer sun and summer wind filled my head and heart.  Memories of long days riding around Lake Norman on floating party decks took over and all of a sudden I heard in the distance Jimmy Buffett and a blender.  Thank goodness for this short reprieve from my least favorite season.

Take a look at a few images from the series and take a journey with me back to summer and back to the warmth of a days past.  Let's all go to a place where the only ice is the ice in frozen concoctions.  Enjoy and stay warm!

Snow. Round 2.

As Carolinians, we are just not used to all of this snow.  I'm not sure if the powers that be got the e-mail, but we like a little snow once every other year and we like for it to come and then go.  And go quickly.

Obviously our request hasn't been accepted.  Here we are in the midst of our second snow storm in a matter of weeks.  Roads are icy, grocery stores are packed, kids are restless, and I'm indoors, just eating.  How in the world will I ever get out of the holiday mode of snacking and then snacking some more if I can't get out of the house?

I need to mountain bike.  I need to go for a long walk with the dag.  I need to swim. All this in good time I guess.  So for now, I'll work and be happy with the slightly pudgier Mike.  Speaking of work, thankfully I work from home.  My commute takes me all of 10 steps downstairs to my office.  The light is gorgeous, the furnace is one wall away (=  warmth), and my kids have decided to take naps.  Perfect time to BLOG and catch up on my to-do lists.

Item 1.  Write thank you cards.
Item 2.  Find a location scout in NYC.
Item 3.  Post images from last snow.
Item 4.  Call my mom and wish her a Happy Birthday, one day late.

The list goes on.  Let's take care of item 3 right now.  Hope you enjoy.

The Boob Tube

About 4 years ago my wife and I decided to leave the world of TV watching.  We bestowed the 42 inch flat screen upon a family member and embarked on a journey that eventually was very telling.

All of a sudden we had time.  A lot of it.  We read, we played games, we had conversations, and we listened to music.  A lot of music.  Pandora became our best friend.  It played nearly every waking hour from our family computer in the den.  Eventually, as our daughters grew a little older, we began to download movies and television programs for them to watch.

So much is available online.  From the likes of purple dinosaurs and worlds built with letters to adventure movies and documentaries about the ocean, we had plenty to watch.  But the goal, we felt, was still in tact.  We controlled what was being watched and when.  Our family found, eventually, that we didn't really care that much about sitting for hours and staring at a box.

We made it nearly 4 years without television and cable and 150 channels and local news and, well, you get the idea.  Now fast forward to present day and you'll find, again, a television in our den.  At first it was greeted with reluctance.  But we've softened our views now, and we are again enjoying movies and the occasional PBS special on a 32 inch monitor connected to the world via the internet (Apple TV) and a modern day set of rabbit ears. 

I have to say that the past four years have been awesome without television. We learned to live without it and our lives were better because we turned to other, richer ways to spend our time. Now that Lauren and I have introduced a TV back into our lives, we have discovered that we really don't turn it on. I did watch the weather the other morning and the kids watch a PBS show some mornings, but otherwise it's just sitting there. 

I encourage anyone who reads this to try a week without TV. It's a nice thing to do and I promise, you won't miss it. During your week of no TV, take a look at this article: http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tv&health.html. You'll be blown away.

The New Age of Picture Taking

It seems that there are now just as many photographers on the planet as there are cell phone users.  And I'm stoked by it.

These days, you will find a camera in the hands of nearly every man, woman, and child.  The number of photographs being taken must be in the millions.  And for me that transfers to the real joy of creating an image.

Thousands of people each day photograph life.  Sometimes the photographs represent great joy and sometimes, unfortunately, great sorrow.  But still, images are being created and these images form a bond between us.  As humans we see that our lives are very similar because of these images.  And if we take a moment to think about that, maybe these feelings of likeness will create an atmosphere of kindness.

For me and my family, we turn to the iPhone and a couple of our favorite photography apps.  Once the shots are taken we all pick our favorite filters and off the images go to the world wide web.  We're sharing our lives more and more these days.  From a run down the beach to words painted on a hotel room wall, we are recording life.  What a joy.

These are just a few of the hundreds of images we took just in the past week.  Enjoy having a look and please please please get out there and take photos.  Life is happening.

The Process

From the very beginning of my journey through the world of commercial photography, I’ve preached one thing: production at the start brings you the image you hope for at the end. Let’s produce a job the right way from the very beginning and I guarantee everyone will be happy. A recent client took this to heart. I think you’ll agree, as they have, that there’s no trading great production.

The following set of images takes you through a bit of the process. The first image is from my website. It’s the reason I was chosen for the job. The second image is a test, keeping in mind the criteria set by the client. And finally, the last few images are from the shoot.It’s all about the process. From start to finish, the most important thing in mind was great imagery.

Charlotte School of Law Viewbook

As a commercial and advertising photographer, I most often create photographs that fit into a much larger puzzle of imagery for my clients. It's always nice when I have an opportunity to work with a great organization and art director to capture all of the images for an entire product line, a whole website, or a complete piece of collateral.

Just recently, I had an opportunity to do just that. I was asked to capture images for a new admissions book. The outcome of that shoot landed in my inbox a few days ago: the final PDF version of a printed Admissions Viewbook for the Charlotte School of Law. It is a great feeling to see a piece that is well designed and image-driven, especially when all the images are ones that I shot. I'm proud of this work and thoroughly enjoyed the process of creating it.

With about a dozen students standing by on shoot day, we were able to put together scenarios that made sense and made great photographs. We rolled from one scene to another using minimal lighting and just the right gear and camera angles. I'm really happy with the outcome. And I'm really happy to have had the opportunity to work with a killer art director.
Have a look.

A day in the Apple Orchard

It's apple season in the North Carolina Mountains. It's also a great time to hit the higher altitudes for a little relief from the heat and for a preview of what the weather will be like for the next few months. Cooler temperatures and lower humidity are just around the corner!

Along with great weather, you'll find two of my favorite things in the mountains - apples and home grown music. Put the two together and now you're talking about a perfect weekend. That's exactly what my girls and I did this past weekend.

Two hours from Charlotte and five minutes off the Blue Ridge Parkway, I find bliss. The apple trees and the music halls are absolutely full. So, take a drive, pick an apple, and listen to fine music.

Nice Surprises

Almost every time I hit the road on assignment, I find something that calls out to me "Photograph me." It can be something that has nothing to do with the assignment and very often it has to do with a life lesson.

On one very recent trip to South Carolina to photograph farmers, I was taken by the number of businesses closed and abandoned. With growth to blame, a large number of hotels, gas stations, and restaurants have been forgotten. Among the many I passed, I had an opportunity to stop and photograph just one. Looking back on the trip I wonder what it might have been like to live in the 60's. Traveling the back roads at a gentle pace, stopping occasionally to refuel or to grab a bite must have been very exciting.

In today's world we seem to want things quicker. We want more for less and we want it now. As parents my wife and I have discussed many times how we might make our children's lives more meaningful. One thing we agree on and that we sometimes have control over, is pace. So, let's all make a deliberate choice and sometimes take the slow road. I feel certain, we as a human race will find more gratification and more peace on the slower road.

It's probably too late for an entire generation of these old businesses and the buildings they occupied but it's not too late for us. So, get off the Interstate and take a path that, given the chance, I'm sure you'll love.

Skyline: Charlotte, NC

I remember the very first skyline I shot about 25 years ago. It was a summer night, hot but clear. I was a student in Atlanta, GA at The Art Institute and I was looking for the ultimate spot to catch the city known as The Big Peach. Hotlanta.

After a couple of hours of driving around, I finally found THE spot. A bridge just out of downtown with the interstate running beneath. It seemed like a perfect place. On the night in question there were about 20 other photographers standing by tripods. The bridge was famous for catching the right shot.

I jockeyed for position. Set my tripod in place and put my new 35mm FM2 on top of it. That night I must have shot 4 rolls of film (Remember film). It was gorgeous and somewhat reminiscent of a recent attempt here in Charlotte.

Same sort of night - hot, but thankfully clear. My position: a bridge just out of the city with an interstate running beneath. Among a few of the obvious differences, such as I'm 25 years older, on this night I was alone on THE bridge. Oh, and I shot not with my trusty FM2, but with a Hasselblad outfitted with a 40 megapixel back tethered to a laptop.

Though many things have changed, one thing remains the same, a gorgeous shot of a skyline can always excite.

Caring for My Soul

The days - if we let them - will get away from us. Before we know it, we will have given them to things that really don't matter much. We'll give them to worry, to stress, to pain, to boredom, or to waiting. Freely, we just give our time away.

Beside my desk, or bed, or favorite chair, or even in the car, I try to keep something close to me that helps me remember the importance of time. These things can be photos, notes that I've written, or a book.

One of my favorite books, given to me long ago by a friend, is a book of hours. It's a simple set of pages separated into days of the week and then into specific hours of each day. I've had the book 10 years now and haven't started or finished it. My practice is to pick up the book when I think about it and turn to the page that represents the day and time best. Today, I picked up the book and turned to Monday, Noon. There I found a piece written by John Burroughs.
An excerpt that means a lot to me:

Nature-love as Emerson knew it, and as Wordsworth knew it, and as any of the choicer spirits of our time have known it, has distinctly a religious value. It does not come to a man or a woman who is wholly absorbed in selfish or worldly or material ends. Except ye become in a measure as little children, ye cannot enter the kingdom of Nature - as Audubon entered it, as Thoreau entered it, as Bryant and Amiel entered it, and as all those enter it who make it a resource in their lives and an instrument of their culture.

John Burroughs, American (1837-1921)

What inspires you?

This nation has been suffering some fairly bad times for a couple years now. Not only in the financial markets, but also environmentally. We've seen earthquakes, floods, and now an ocean bleeding hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil a day.

When will it stop? When will we just be able to take a breath? For goodness sake, my 3 year old wants to know if she'll be able to swim in the ocean this summer. She wants to know why the oil is in the Gulf.

It breaks my heart to listen to the reports each day. It's one of the reasons my wife and I long ago rid our house of cable and TV. We get all the news we need from reports via the internet or the newspapers. Even that is overload at times.

Back to my title for this entry - with all of this bad news, how do we keep going? Why do we keep going? For me there are so many reasons that I keep hope close to me. These are the same reasons I get up each day and have a cup of coffee and try my best to do my bit to make this life meaningful. It's not a simple time but my reasons are simple:

House 4 Sale

For the last month, I've spent every spare second getting my family's house ready to put on the market. I've got one thing to say, much respect for Realtors.

I've been a painter, a builder, a lawn mowing nut, a garage organizing wild man. You get the idea. If I have learned anything it's this: live in your house the way you want it from the very first day.

With this said, my wife and I, along with our daughters, live in one of the coolest houses I've ever seen. We're thankful we've had the experience and time to get to know mid-century architecture and the lifestyle that goes along with it. When we bought the house 4 years ago, all of our family and friends said the same thing, "This house is so you." I guess it is. We've had a blast here.

But, it's time to move on and we're so excited that somebody - the right buyer - will decide to take over where we're leaving off. We've created a vibe here that permeates through you and brings on relaxation and the desire to drink a martini, or mojito, or a great big robust red wine, or for me, a hop-injected beer.

Part of readying the house for the market has included photographing the structure and the rooms inside. I have a new respect for architecture shooters. It's something I do once in a while, but for the folks that do it day in and day out, you rock.

Check out some of my selects. And if you're a mid-century lover, come buy my house.

A Day in the Foothills

My love for mountain biking was rejuvenated just recently while on assignment for Mountain Bike Magazine. I can remember a time that mountain biking and trail riding were pretty much the center of my life. Lunch breaks were spent on local single tracks dialing in technique. Vacations were scheduled around weekend long trail rides. And if I spent a dime it was for a new jersey or bike part.

I'm not sure why my passion for such a killer sport eventually waned. Perhaps work got in the way, maybe the transition to having a young family gave me less time for play, or maybe, like anything, I just needed a break.

Well, my break is over. It's time for my next epic ride. I can't wait to sling a little mud. See you on the trail. Until then, please enjoy a few shots from the assignment.

AIGA 20X20

How does design affect me on a daily basis? What do I see as items of design? What are the things in my life that create a vision for my work, and how do I let that permeate my world?

These are all questions that I asked myself while developing a slide show for a recent AIGA event. Along with several other presenters from our local design and advertising community, I was invited to present a series of images related to design that speak to me. My presentation would consist of 20 slides that would remain on the screen for 20 seconds. What a great idea. I have to admit, though, that it was an idea that at first terrified me.

When it comes to public speaking, so many people have the same thought: NO WAY. It’s an understandable response. I admit it was my first reaction. But after deeper consideration and a little prompting from the event organizer, I was IN! Thankfully so.

As I thought about my presentation it came to me that I’m touched by design from the first moment that I wake. From the alarm clock beside my bed to the chair that I finally fall into at the end of the day, each item in my series demonstrates design in my life. Below are my 20 slides. It’s a grouping of images that somehow spells out my daily interactions with design. Enjoy!

Sharan

Sharan told me that her father was the reason her name was spelled with two a's. She told me that her father did it so she would learn to stand up for herself and not take crap from anyone. As a father, I think that's a pretty good idea. We,as fathers, want our daughters to be strong. Tough even. We want them to succeed and be beautiful people.I met Sharan at The Light Factory Shoot Out. We were both volunteering. At first sight I thought to myself, I have to photograph this girl. She's different. Just the way she carried herself caught my eye. SO, thankfully she accepted my offer and here are some of the images.

I shot nearly 300 exposures. It was tough to narrow it down and select these but I did it with much thought. Also, I rarely release images straight out of the camera, but these have not yet been touched. I think I like them this way. Just Sharan. No retouching.

Thanks Sharan. Brilliant job.

-- Mike