Big Guns

Back in March I went upstate to photograph a story for Field and Stream about a woman who won an essay contest they were having on being a female hunter. Now, I may have grown up in the country, but I've never been around guns. Ever. Let alone people firing them so close to my head. I must have looked nervous, so they gave me the big ear phone type things that block out the noise. There was also no snow when we left New York, so when we arrived at the shooting range we found that we were not only under dressed for the cold but not wearing the proper footwear for the snowy/muddy conditions. Thirteen hours later, we arrived back in New York, dirty, soaked and tired, but I got some great shots so I can't complain.

Eddie Adams Workshop, Part 2

I also went to a local trailer park and took pictures during the workshop, and I've included some other random photos and portraits I took around the farm. I think I got a total of 2 hours of sleep a night, and by the last day I was pretty much delirious from exhaustion. Once I got back to New York (after missing the bus because my phone/alarm was on vibrate) I made an attempt to catch up on sleep, although I didn't think things through enough in advance and had bought concert tickets for the night I got back. I survived (somehow), and in my delirium purchased tickets to Costa Rica for the upcoming weekend. I'll be posting photos soon!

Eddie Adams Workshop, Part 1

I was fortunate enough to participate in Eddie Adams Workshop XX at the beginning of the month. I was on a team lead by photographer Vincent LaForet, along with Michelle McNally and Josh Haner of the New York Times. Our project was "the decisive moment", which was a lot trickier than I thought! The same night I arrived I was lead off to start my assignment, photographing the local strip bar with a guy they called "Big Sexy", and following up with them at home the next day. Unfortunately I was only able to catch up with one of the girls, but the following are the images I took that night and the following day.

Working Stiff

Back in August I photographed Grant Stoddard, author of Working Stiff, whose spent quite some time experimenting (sexually) with a great number of women. The article was for Australian Marie Claire, and it proved to be one of the strangest photo shoots I've been on. Why? Just look at the table. One pair of legs belongs to the Penthouse Pet of the Month (an ex-girlfriend of Grant's), the other a computer programmer, not to mention the contents on the table, some of which we were unable to really figure out entirely. Oh, and word on the street is nipple clamps only hurt coming off. Go figure.

personal project

Last weekend I went driving around upstate New York photographing different family members. First stop was Lyons Falls, a little town up by the Adirondacks with a population of about 600. I photographed two of my father's brothers, one of their wives, and my cousin.

Next I went to Auburn, which is west of Syracuse, NY, and photographed some of my grandmother's sisters.

I finally ended up back in Rochester, where I went to school, and photographed a friend of mine as well as visited with more family there.

Overall it was a very exhausting but fun long weekend, it was nice to breathe some clean air and see the leaves changing colors!

Time Out NY

I photographed a story for Time Out NY a couple weeks ago about dating in New York. First I shot dating columnist Julia Allison who does a weekly column for Time Out. I was surprised at how easy it was to find strangers to get down on their knees and beg her for love advice. The other shot of the lovely gentleman in the smoking jacket is of a man looking for advice on what he's doing wrong finding women. We shot at 230 Fifth, a busy rooftop bar in Manhattan, who were nice enough to tolerate us moving furniture and generally taking over for an hour and half.

College Humor

I photographed the guys who started College Humor for Business Week. They and their fairly large staff had just moved into their new Manhattan office complete with beer pong table, a Nintendo Wii, and shades that go up and down by pressing a button. All very exciting things when you're 26 and the head of your own business.

Peggy Drexler

A couple months ago I did a shoot for Newsweek's "My Turn" section. The subject was Peggy Drexler, a psychologist who has done quite a bit of research on boys raised without a father figure in their lives. It's raised quite a bit of controversy by trying to redefine what a "normal family" is, and she's quite a poised, intelligent, and well-presented woman. Plus, she has the sweetest office I've ever seen. When I hear the words, "you can photograph them in their office" it's usually followed by a feeling of anxiety... white walls, bad paintings, a big oak desk cluttered with papers. There's a reason I became a photographer, the thought of being stuck in an office all day terrifies me. Usually there's a lobby/stairwell/toilet stall with a little bit of character that will make for a good picture, but Peggy's office was a dream, with the exception of the folding mirror behind the couch. I think I'm only in one or two frames, ducking and hiding with my hand on the shutter.. not bad all things considered.

Time Out NY

Last week I had a story in Time Out NY in the "reiventing the hipster" issue. It was about True Originals, and I had 3 amazing subjects for the shoot. First up was Danny Simmons. I set up the shot, and began chatting with him while I was shooting. I asked him what he did, and after listing several books and art ventures, he mentioned he was Russell Simmons brother. Against all advice I have to admit, it didn't particularly click who that was. Maybe an actor? Musician? Yeah. I think I should stop there.

Next was Henry Baumgartner, dance critic, followed by Stephanie Stone, an 86 year old jazz musician. She used to take pictures in the clubs in New York in the 40s... on wet plates. Now, I'm not much of a photo nerd, but you should really click that link. Amazing stuff. She plays piano and sings, and seems to know just about everyone in the Jazz community. And she still plays shows at 86. Wow.