model for me...

I recently photographed Lianna at my new studio in SLC. It's been so long since I have spent much time in a studio and I am having so much fun.

I have all sorts of stock shoots planned for the new space and I'm looking for a wide range of people as well as seasoned models to work with. The types of people I am looking for range from people with tattoos and piercings, mechanics and Dr's to young kids and soccer moms and everything in between. If you have ever thought about modeling or if you model regularly and you are interested in working with me and don't mind signing a model release, send me an email with an image of yourself and a brief description of who you are. You may be wondering what's in it for you... good question. Everyone who models for me gets a proof cd from their shoot and up to 5 touched up hi res digital images so please send in those emails.

Here are some images from Lianna's shoot, let me know what you think.

Dew Tour SLC: BMX Dirt

I have been really busy lately so hanging out with Ayden at the Dew Tour in SLC was a lot of fun! We had a blast watching the action from the front row and then walked over to the Gateway mall and had some dinner. It was some long awaited father and son time that I cherish so much.

Here are some shots of the action as we saw it.

The sun was setting behind the building (Triad Center) and shining right through the atrium.


James Foster, last years SLC Dew Tour winner.

The man... Ryan Nyquist!

Here is a shot of Mike Aitken, the local rider who took the #1 spot. The light you see in the top of the image is from a huge flood light mounted on a crane and yes, that's the moon in the top right.

Check out this video to see how crazy good Mike is.


Another shot of Nyquist after he crashed on his second run. He didn't have a good night and he wasn't happy. Ayden was able to get is autograph on the back of his shirt.

This image is a prime example of why I LOVE my Nikon D3! It was taken on the street corner at 9:30 PM with available light (no flash) at 1600 ISO as we were leaving the BMX Dirt venue.

sneak peek: Savannah

What a treat it was working with this beautiful little cheeky. She was so good during our shoot and you can't deny how darn cute she is! Her aunt Jackie is one of my most loyal clients... love ya girl!

vacation: Sun Valley

I apologize for being a bad blogger, I have been busy and blogging is always the last think on the list to do. My family and I took some long needed R&R and went to Sun Valley, ID. If you haven't been there you should plan a trip and go. We go regularly I recommend visiting in the winter if you like to ski or snowboard and the Summer if you like to mountain bike, fly fish, etc...

Anyway, here are some shots from our travels. To all of my clients who are waiting on their images, I am almost caught up so you should be getting a call very soon! Thanks for your patience.

Here's Bentley jumping on the bed our first night there.

Ayden clowning around in the pool.

Some images of the beautiful new church in Ketchum... I'd love to shoot a wedding at this church!

baby: Kieran

The first time I met Kieran's parents was before he was born. They called me and wanted to schedule a maternity session. I knew from the moment I met them that they were going to make AWESOME parents! Their enthusiasm boiled over as we spoke about the little one in the oven. I have to say... I was impressed with Dustin, most guys don't want anything to do with getting their portraits taken... Dustin was rockin it... they had so much fun together!

Now fast forward a couple of months and meet my new buddy Kieran. This little guy has so much love surrounding him. It's such a pleasure to be invited into peoples lives to share their most special moments! I am so blessed to do what I love! Thank you Dustin and Sarah for sharing your AWESOMENESS with me!

If you want to see more of Kieran, check out his cool blog!

bands: Wayne Hoskins

Dustin's band just added two new members and they are getting ready to hit the clubs again (this weekend they will be at Kamikazes in Ogden) so they asked me to photograph them. We had a blast and found an amazing location that I'm hoping to use for future sessions!



Here's Eric breaking the rules!


Dave

Mike

Carl

Eric

Dustin


We had some fun with this one... Dustin playing tough with Ogden's finest!

calendar : July

In recognition of Independence Day I felt it appropriate to use one of my images from my recent trip to NY.

challenge : have a sincere converstation with a complete stranger

It was 1:30 AM on the corner of 45th and Madison in midtown Manhattan as we strolled hand in hand talking about our day. Becca and I were heading back to the hotel after a long night of sight seeing when we heard a soft voice speak to us. We looked up to find an middle aged man with gray beard toting a ragged old rolling suitcase with 6 balloons - 3 red and 3 white - wrapped around the extendable handle. His small wooden cane held his fragile hunched body as he asked us if we could spare some change. As I reached into my pockets to retrieve my one dollar coins that we were handed by the cashier at the Empire State Building just hours before I asked him for his name to which he replied Jay. I then asked Jay how long he has lived in NY and he told us that he has lived here for 32 years. We proceeded to get to know Jay as I dug through my pockets, I knew I had some money in there somewhere. I finally found what I was looking for and handed him a couple of dollars. I asked Jay if I could make is photograph and he kindly obliged. In our short 5 minute conversation with Jay we learned so much from him about his family, how he became homeless and that sleeping in the shelters is more risky than sleeping on the streets. As he walked away, I snapped one last image of him. I asked him to meet us in the same place the next night and we would bring him some more money. Although he didn't show up and more than likely we will never see Jay again the impact of that conversation will stay with me forever.

I challenge each of you to take a minute and have a conversation with a complete stranger... they don't have to be homeless just take some time out of your busy life and have a sincere conversation with someone that you normally wouldn't have spoken with. You never know... you might enjoy it.

These images were taken at 1:30 AM on the mostly empty streets of NY.

New York Day 2

After being up for almost 36 hours straight we were able to get a good night's sleep last night. This morning we started another busy day in NY, this time we headed for Greenwich Village, Ground Zero and the Statue of Liberty. I can't believe how many things there are to see and do in on this tiny little island. I'm in a conference for the next two days so we wont be doing much during the day so I'll be getting some night shots for the next couple of days. I think we are going to try and make it to the Empire State Building tomorrow night at sunset so that should be fun.

Here are some images from today.
Us on the ferry on the way to see the lady.

Here we are with Lady Liberty.

Another one of us... but hey... it's our vacation right?

Here she is in all her glory! (no photoshoping... this is how I shot it)

This is what lady liberty wakes up to every morning. The NY sky line from Liberty Island.

This is an image Becca took of a memorial that some kids put together across the street from the hospital where the wounded were taken on September 11th 2001.

This is part of a memorial on the exterior wall of the building housing Ladder Co. 10 directly across the street from Ground Zero.

Home of all the great men and women that make up Ladder Co. 10

I don't even know what to say about this one. The feeling that came over Becca and I as we walked up to the empty hole is indescribable. I didn't even want to photograph it, all I really wanted to do is pray for those who lost their lives and their loved ones on that dreadful day.

Right as we got off the ferry after returning from Liberty Island it started pouring rain and hail. If you look closely you can see the rain still falling in the next images. These are grave stones in a church near Ground Zero.