the dirty dirty south
ah there is nothing like the redneck games to make a pennsylvania boy feel like he is back at home. i was lucky enough to travel with “melissa lyttle” and “sara naomi lewkowicz” to east dublin, ga to cover the madness. the day consisted of drunken games like redneck horse shoes (using toilet seats in [...]
death of a citrus salesman
from time to time i get to shoot something for the new york times. not too long ago they ask me to spend some time at some road side citrus stands in central florida for a story on how few of these stands remain in the area. here is what i ended up with. Tweet
i’ll tell you what i’ll grab my boobs, you take the picture
as i entered her house there was no warning that soon i was in for a boob grabbing fest of epic proportions. i thought i was there to make images for a story on a lady who was having difficulty getting insurance coverage because a doctor once diagnosed her with fibromyalgia, which she claims she doesn’t have. while [...]
one happy guy
florida, land of retirees who love to drive way to slow. i know i have a few grey hairs that i can attribute to more than my fair share of screaming at the little old lady in front of me. at times it seems the highways and byways in the sunshine state are covered with [...]
no one ever said i was smart
as i have for the past three years i traveled to homestead over the weekend to cover three days of the NASCAR championships. it is always a weekend filled with some cool people, long days, and throbbing ear drums. this weekend, however ended with with a twist. sunday was the big race. i was the [...]
I’ve Been “Raped”….Well Not Really
about a week ago i got an assignment that i was stoked to shoot. the story was about bars that held karaoke nights that catered to the spainish speaking population in south florida. i figured drunk latinos singing on the beach while their friends danced had to make for a good time. and it did [...]
the boots with the fur
hoochies, high cars, and malt liquor. that’s what filled two days of my life on the set of atlantic records artist “flo rida” videos “right round” and “shone”. there is a lot of hurry up and waiting on video sets. grips buzz around like army ants getting everything in place, only to be told by [...]
fishing for images
last month i got to work with a new client, golf magazine. they asked if i would like to spend the day on pga tour member robert allenby’s boat as he fished for most of the day. gee let me think about that….YES PLEASE!!!! the goal was to document him fishing and make a couple [...]
grand old time
ah the islands. warm sun, the sand beneath your feet, a cool drink in your hand as the warm breeze runs through your hair. i i wish. a few weeks ago i traveled to grand cayman to shoot a financial story for der speigel. the idea was that the caymans tend to be a haven [...]
kids are fun
i love kids. they always seem to bring a smile to my face with their innocence, their endless amount of energy, and their ability to not care what others may think of them. this little guy was no different. alex manzanares was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder, similar to autism, at age 2. he was [...]
aquinas
anyone who knows high school football in south florida knows that saint thomas is a power house. granted they are a private school which allows them to recruit some of the best players around, and one of their coaches is former nfler cris carter, but that doesn’t take away the fact that they play some [...]
lest we forget
i am always amazed at how children seem to know intuitively the right thing to do at the right time. most adults i know either are too busy with daily life, too jaded from everything that life has thrown at them, or have many excuses to not care about things the way a lot kids [...]
the silent majesty of a sunrise
there is something that happens to a person when the sun pokes it’s head through the waters of the atlantic. something renewing. something primal. as the sky becomes a canvas for a solar painting the world’s inhabitants stop in awe of the shear beauty. it’s the earth’s promise that each day will bring something new, [...]
a near miss
hurricane gustav had everyone in new orleans on edge. everyone was fearing the worst. i heard reports that some of the levees on the western edge of town may fail and there may be some significant flooding in the city again. i got a call at 10:30 on sunday night from a client saying they [...]
carefree and loving it
i had one of those days. you know the ones where you get to an assignment and there is literally nothing going on. no one there to make an image of, and just nothing to really explore. then my eyes caught these two girls. while their mothers were cooking some great food for the caribbean [...]
the storm that wasn’t
today i covered fay. there wasn’t much to shoot. some wind from time to time, rain off and on, but nothing more than a big thunderstorm. i tried to find something different, but there wasn’t much going on other than the typical person on beach watching the surf and clouds. i had fun chasing stuff [...]
like a kid again
i got to shoot what was probably the most amusing assignment i have had in a long time yesterday. the harlem globetrotters came to a hollywood elementary school after the students won a campbell’s soup contest. these guys were awesome so ethusiastic and authentic. they reminded me of how important it is to think like [...]
in a mexican state of mind
over the past couple of months my brain keeps taking a trip back to mexico (i only wish my body could follow). so much so that it resulted in a tattoo of a sugar skull (see post below). back in late october i traveled with great friends (melissa lyttle and john l white) to oaxaca [...]
the day the dead rise again
thanks to a lyttle (hahahaha) prodding from melissa lyttle, i spent a few moments doing an extremely quick edit of my dia de los muertos images. last october i wondered through the cemetaries of oaxaca as families spent the days surrounding halloween celebrating the life and death of their loved ones. i was amazed to [...]
yet another death of another titan
last night i witnessed an end of an era. hollywood mayor mara giulianti was voted out of office after 20 years of service. i didn’t know her, nor can i say whether she was a good or bad mayor. i can say i admire how passionate and heartfelt the emotions were as she spoke supporters. [...]
guys turning left
nascar. what can i say. i just got back from two weeks in mexico (images to come once i have time to look through them all) and the first thing i shoot is three days of guys making left turns. it wasn’t/isn’t a terrible assignment, but it is a long hard three days of work. [...]
my crazy life
life has been crazy latley. kinda like this shoot. atlantic records needed some stills on set of the flo rida’s (yes that’s florida with a space between the o and the r) “low” video in miami. like every hip video the booze, apple bottom jeans, and rides flo’ed like wine. not only did i get [...]
death of a titan
as if the bso haven’t had enough on thier plates with two deputy shootings, killing one, in the same week. now the sheriff has been brought up on federal mail fraud and tax evasion charges. crazy. i always liked the guy in my brief encounters with him, and it was a bit of a slap [...]
our first wedding
my friend and new business partner rhonda and i shot our first wedding together about two weeks ago. it was nice to shoot images that we knew would be cherished for a long time to come. this was one of the groomsmen keeping a sharp look out for the bride so the groom wouldn’t see [...]