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)

Open House

It has been one hell of a month. Not only has it been business as usual with work and family, but I've had to add to my list preparing the house for an open house and showing.

I've moved thousands of pounds of river rock and mulch, planted a number of trees and bushes, painted in and out, stained concrete, pressure washed, etc. You get the idea. It's been grueling.

BUT, it has really paid off. The open house went incredibly well. The biggest comment: "How on Earth could you and your family ever move out of such a spectacular home?"

The truth is, it's home and we love it, but we have projects to do, places to go, things to see. So change is necessary.

The most rewarding part of the open house evening for me and my wife was welcoming into our home many lovers of mid-century modern architecture. Among them was Alan Ingram, the original architect of our home. What an incredible pleasure it was to see his reactions to all of the updates, especially the 1500 square foot addition designed by Bruce Berberick. Bruce and Alan got along famously. Alan loved Bruce's addition to "his" creation.

Below is an email from Alan I received after the showing. Thanks Alan and thanks Bruce. AND thanks Shonn for being our Realtor.

The soiree held last night by Mr. and Mrs. Mike Carroll, owners of ‘the Mann House' in Charlotte was an outstanding success. Some 50-60 guests attended and toured the house, a mid-century modern tri-level.

The house was designed by Alan Ingram, and has a beautiful studio for Mike Carroll’s very professional photography practice, designed by architect Bruce Berberick. Striking as the house is, it serves as a display platform for the beautiful furnishings selected by the owners.

This is one you really should visit. I was knocked over by the sensitive design of the interiors and careful placement of objets d’art.

Regards,
Alan Ingram

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: