Though I very much writing, I've started to notice over the years that my short stories and essays had become so short, that a photograph became a more efficient way of telling them. Growing up in the shadow of RIT, a top photographic arts and sciences university, and my dad's success pioneering all manner of weird imagery, it's only natural that I always seemed to have a camera of some odd shape or size to play with. I love chasing light and observing the innately human and real through the lens of a Leica or Bolex motion picture camera. I would like to continue to develop opportunities to turn my natural curiosity and thoughtful process into visual narratives that can affect people in meaningful ways.
PHOTO TIMELINE (of sorts):
1967 - 1985 : Growing up in front of the camera.
From day one, I have been the sometimes unwilling subject of some pretty neat photographs taken by my father, as well as doing more formal modeling jobs for RIT photo students and local professionals. I remember getting paid in Wacky Package trading cards and stickers.
1980 : Boy's Life Magazine
I was first published at the age of 13, when I produced an article on high speed photography for Boy's Life Magazine. The article involved taking high-speed flash-synchronized polaroid photographs of my electric race cars jumping a ramp and popping balloons. I made $75 for it, and the admiration of two girls in my homeroom class.
1982 : Rochester Democrat & Chronicle
A photograph of mine from a big professional wrestling event at the Rochester War Memorial ran on the front page of the morning paper. The picture shows Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka jumping off the top rope onto his former manager, Captain Lou Albano. This was a huge WWF drama for my friend Kurt and I at the time. I was probably using a Canon A1 at the time.
1977 - 1987 : Assistant to Mad Professor
Assistant to a mad photo professor is perhaps over-stating things quite a bit. Though my personal creative interests started to lead me away from photography, I would very often accompany my dad on all manner of astronomy expedition, watching the box the wasp was supposed to fly out of and trigger the synchronized flash, setting up the launch pad for numerous rocket launches into the ceiling, or trying not to look too bored stuck in a darkroom with him for hours on end. Oh, and there was the time I brought my cheerleader girlfriend, Sharie Platt, to his lab to do high jumps for his stroboscopic camera.
1991 : Home Darkroom
Though I wasn't shooting much, I still had the urge to build my first darkroom in my Seattle apartment for which to do my black and white processing and printing.
1998 : Girlfriend's Wedding
Had the bitter/sweet pleasure of shooting my first wedding, that of a dear ex-girlfriend. It was nice they trusted me and my ability enough to ask me to do it, and the results weren't half bad.
2003 : HP Image Library
Created an entirely new image library for Hewlett-Packard, with more than 300 exclusive images that could be used by partner design and marketing agencies and inhouse departments around the world. The project required a deep understanding of HP's business and all of the relevant messages and communication needs it had, as well as understanding how images actually get used in design across a wide variety of media. My work included an initial photo strategy, target photo style and guidelines, selecting and working closely with five different world-class photographers, and planning shoots in five different countries, and making the final selects that would populate the new image bank.
2004 : Rolleiflex: 6x6 film
Start shooting with a Rolleiflex, a camera I quietly salvaged from one of the gear closets in my dad's lab. My natural affection for the process of actually making pictures started with some of these early images.
2005 : Leica: 35mm film
Dad sent me an old Leica IIIb in 2004. I took it on a quick trip to San Diego and proceeded to take some pretty bad b&w pictures with it. The stars must have aligned in some strange way at that point in my life, because this ridiculously inconvenient method of making pictures suddenly made perfect sense to me.
2005 - Present : Buying & Selling
Over the past seven years, I have bought and sold over $100,000 in Leica, Rollei & Bolex cameras, lenses and accessories on the second hand market. I have accumulated a deep knowledge of Leica history and gear, and the surrounding marketplace and ecosystem. While I am first and foremost a user, because of this buying and selling experience, as well as my broader design, marketing and business expertise, I have managed to turn a small overall profit in the process of enjoying them.
2005 - 2007 : Sunriver Realty image library
Did numerous shoots for Sunriver Realty advertising and marketing programs while living in Bend, Oregon.
2007 : Maine Wedding
Shot my second-ever wedding, though without the pressure of being the primary. It was all in black/white film, and I believe it offered an unexpected and candid perspective that the bride and groom were very happy with. This is something I like being able to do as a "gift" for friends.
2010 - 2011 : On The Road documentary
Took a 6 month, 24,000 mile long road trip around North America and shot thousands of stills and more than 15 hours of digital video. I was shooting with Leica MPs and a Panasonic Lumix GH2. Many of the stills are posted here, and I'm currently editing a full length movie about the journey.
2011 : My Egyptian Revolution
Went to Tahrir Square just after the Egyptian revolution broke out in February. I was shooting for an Egyptian media agency during massive demonstrations in Tahrir Square and interviews with several government officials.
2011 - Present : 16mm Motion Pictures
Built up a comprehensive 16mm motion picture film outfit with Bolex cameras, top Kern c-mount primes, and other sound and editing gear with an eye towards producing a series of short movies during the winter of 2011/12. I am also writing a feature length film which I am working towards producing next year.