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.

A Year of Attorneys

It's been an intense beginning to the New Year. Travel, productions, horribly cold locations, some of the best food I've ever eaten, and of course shooting.

The year started with a contract to photograph 12 attorneys in 12 different cities over the course of 12 months. The portraits that I'm shooting will highlight an attorney per month selected by LexisNexis for a BLOG created to honor attorneys in the US who do great work.

So far I've photographed three attorneys. One in Wilmington, NC, one in frigid Rochester, NY, and one in Botson, MA. The story goes like this: an attorney is chosen by LexisNexis by the 5th of every month. I'm notified and I have until the 15th to deliver an image. From notification until shoot, my producer and I do Google scouts, interviews with the attorney, phone meeting with the art director, and booking of assistant and stylist. Once we have a few concepts and location ideas, we book travel and head to the shoot a day early for live scouting and final location selection.

We've been fortunate to find some great locations. For the most recent shoot, in Boston, we had the pleasure of shooting in the Boston Public Library. This was such a gift. We nailed the location about 12 hours before the shoot time. Much thanks to our new-found friends at the Boston Public Library.

These are a few of my picks from the shoots. Hope you enjoy.