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I recently took a few head shots for a friend of mine, Travis Stanford. These were shot in my bedroom against a white wall with the aid of a Speedlite 430exII.

These five photos are pleasant surprises. Untouched there was nothing worthwhile in these frames. To quote Busta Rhymes I went “flip mode” on these pics in post and was pleased with the result. Stuck with a very high contrast theme.

This is a collection from a shoot I did with Aisha Praught and www.getinthetrailer.com back in October. The article can be found here: http://getinthetrailer.com/2012/10/otc-elite-week-day-6-the-year-of-aisha-praught/. With very little direction as to what we were going to shoot, Aisha and I took an adventure to a gravel pit. Unfortunately we found ourselves getting the boot by some workers for the state of Oregon (not before we got a coupwww.getinthetrailer.com back in October. The article can be found here: http://getinthetrailer.com/2012/10/otc-elite-week-day-6-the-year-of-aisha-praught/. With very little direction as to what we were going to shoot, Aisha and I took an adventure to a gravel pit. Unfortunately we found ourselves getting the boot by some workers for the state of Oregon (not before we got a couple of shots). In the end, it was a challenging shoot. We weren’t afraid to get a little weird (the photo of Aisha playing in the trash is evidence of that.

Back in October I was hired by Jon Gugala of www.getinthetrailer.com to shoot some editorial photos. The photos I shot were truly collaborative as Jon would debrief me on the piece he wrote, It was then on me to capture a visual that adequately supported his writing. A unique challenge as it was my goal to create a vision parallel to Jon’s. The photos I shot were of  Hassan Mead, a transplant of The University of Minnesota to Eugene, Oregon as a member of The Oregon Track Club www.otcelite.com. My goal was to capture Hassan’s physical stature in a casual environment. Hassan is Somalian born and built like a rail. I needed to capture his height. Make him look big, intimidating. I decided to shoot Hassan in a grass field under the cover of darkness. I used a 17mm lens to exaggerate his size and a remote flash to create a high degree of contrast against the evening backdrop. The shoot was over in ten minutes. Bottom line, Hassan has got some serious swag.

Yesterday I took a few head shots for my friend Kevin Ralston. Kevin is an aspiring filmmaker and actor. The two of us have collaborated on a few projects. Yesterday’s shoot was a big learning experience for the two of us, but I think it yielded some positive results.

I spent the past few days traveling for work. Wherever I go I make an effort to bring my camera along. It’s not that my travels are so exotic that documentation is necessary. My motive is opportunity. Having my camera around gives me the opportunity to practice new techniques or photograph new subjects from new perspectives. It’s an opportunity to practice in a no consequence environment. Once my craft is refined I will be experienced and capable enough to capitalize on the opportunity of a unique photo.

These photos were taking palin’ around with my dad. A pilot by trait (and design? His name is Sky, short for Schuyler). Upon his return from Maine (his most recent flight destination) my father, the pilot, insisted upon cooking his newly acquired, pet (temporary) lobsters. Dining on the fruit of the sea? Do I mind it? next question. The next day he offered to take me up in the Cessna (a small, 3 seat, prop propelled plane). I took this as an opportunity to try some aerial photography. Ill equipped (with a 50mm and a 7mm lens) I jumped on the opportunity. Upon take off I realized that the time of day and the weather were as unideal as possible. Mid day casted some harsh light on the Finger Lakes and downtown Syracuse. In addition it was very humid and the lens picked up all of the moisture between the lens and the earth. That being said I’m in the market for a 70mm-200mm L Series lens. I’m interested in taking that up over Syracuse at sunset with the lake and horizon in the background and the city lights illuminating the foreground.

The Sherwood Inn located in downtown Skaneateles hosts an annual seafood and music festival. The light was great to couple with my flash and soft box. Unfortunately with a pair of Labatt Blue’s my social skills were not elevated enough to approach strangers for photos. Despite my mild social anxiety I snapped a few photos of the musical talent, pearl snaps and all.

The photos that I took aren’t by any means my strongest, but they are equally as valuable. My intent is to show my process. Looking at these pictures may give some insight to how some of my stronger photos (past and future) are created. The past few days have created a creative stimulus in my mind. I encourage others to share their process as it creates not only self, but a communal, creative stimulus.

Went out on the boat with my family last weekend. I decided to snap a few shots while we were out on the water.

For five years I have worked at Five Star XC Camp (www.5starxc.com). This year we experienced a down year in enrollment. To combat that we have been attempting to create a stronger social media presence as a form of marketing. I was hired to take some pics and shoot video. Here’s a small snippet of my favorites images from the week.

For a few years I’ve been looking for the best sunset and Binghamton view time-lapse op. The search ends today. I’m super excited to come back and do a time-lapse. It has all the elements that I’ve been looking for. Here are a few pics from location scouting.