I have been very absent from the blog this summer! I have quite a few things that would be fun to post here. I’m going to start with the cover I shot for Old Dominion University’s Magazine called Monarch. It’s an appropriate time to post this photo with the hurricane that just went through Norfolk and flooded many parts of the east coast. The cover story is largely about how rising water levels will impact the region.

The school used to have two separate magazines, but recently combined them into one. This issue is actually the inaugural issue. The creative director gave me these rain boots and total creative freedom. We took the photo on a stormy day, and slowed down the shutter speed to capture the movement of the water. My assistant and the model were really good sports about the rain and slipperiness of the surfaces.

If you have read past posts, you know that back in early March I was hired by NBC to shoot stills for the Ed Schultz show. I took photos in between takes of a commercial Spike Lee was directing in Norfolk, Virginia. Below is the final ad running in Newsweek, The New Yorker and a few other magazines this summer.

I’m sitting here in Bangkok’s Airport with my buddy Gordon on our way to some beautiful Thai beaches. Thought I would post a photo from Angkor Wat that I took two days ago. It was an amazing place to visit but hard for me to relax because I wanted so badly to make some unique photos. This place is photographed so much! I finally let go of that and just made some photos. On the third day I was able to relax and enjoy the temples. Going for a bike ride from temple to temple was lovely!

Here is another photo I took while waiting for the TV crew to set up its shots on the Ed Show commercial. We were at Colonna’s Shipyard in Norfolk on a real work day. The place was so loud! Metal banging around and people welding. I approached this gentleman, and through some basic hand gestures he agreed to pose for a portrait. We tried talking but it was so loud. I wish I had gotten his name. It was so interesting to be around people working with their hands in the outdoors. So much of my photography revolves around people in offices.

A few weeks ago, I got a call from NBC to shoot stills for a TV commercial they were making in Norfolk. The ad was directed by Spike Lee to promote the Ed Schultz show. Everyone was super nice including Ed, who attended Maury High School. I went to Cox HS, which according to Ed, is the first team against which he threw a touchdown pass.  On the second day of shooting, we worked at Doumar’s Cones and Barbecue, a local drive-in eatery. It was tight quarters, so I spent some time outside in-between takes. While roaming around, I found this spot and waited for the crew to move through in a way that created an interesting composition. You can see some of the gear that goes into a production like this including lights, fabric scrim and a ladder.

Tonight is the opening of Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes at the Contemporary Art Center. More details are in the previous post. I just wanted to share the story behind one of the photos in the show. Let’s start with how I got selected for the show. Through my wife’s volunteer work at CACV, I was asked to do a one night program with a group of talented high school art students. I brought in my print portfolio as an example presentation format for their own work. Heather Hakimzadeh, the co-curator at CACV dropped by, and flipped through the book. She liked it and as I found out later, she tacked one of my print promos to her wall. A few months later when she was planning this show she saw the photo on her wall and thought I would be a good fit. She called me up and asked to come by my place and look through more work. I had a lot of prints and digital files ready that spanned several years of photography. After an hour, she selected four photos, including this one. I took this photo in 2001, while still a graduate student at the University of Florida.  When I was a student at UF, NFL scouts came to the school and tested the size, speed and strength of college football players hoping to go pro. This event was the 40-yard dash. Perhaps I am too attuned to race issues, but I was struck by the overwhelming whiteness of the scouts and the predominance of black athletes. There is also the issue of power: the power of the scouts, and the power of the athlete’s body. I discussed the photo with Scott London at London Square Gallery and he helped me come with the title starting block / auction block (NFL Scouting). Too obvious? Let me know what you think. You can see it much bigger if you come by CACV.

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be part of a group show at the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia. A promotional piece is below. I hope all my friends can make it to the opening on March 24 at 6pm. There is a small fee of $5 for non-members, but I’m sure you don’t mind supporting the arts. This is one of four photos I’ll have in the show. There are a bunch of other great local artists showing in a variety of mediums. Read more below from the official Press Release. Click the image to see it larger.

The Contemporary Art Center of Virginia highlights the face and body in an exhibition designed for the young and young at heart. Contemporary artists in a variety of media explore the human form and the idea of “identity.” All the works will be hung at eye-level for children, but we invite art lovers of all ages to view the exhibition and learn to look at art with a fresh perspective. This is also an opportunity to meet many of the artists in the exhibition! Virginia Beach Visual Arts Academy students will be giving spotlight tours of current exhbitions: Ultra-Realistic Sculpture by Marc Sijan; Eric Lindbergh: Faces; and VBCPS Youth Art Month in the Fleming Gallery.

Featuring: RJ Clark, Matt Eich, Derek Eley, Jason Hanasik, Christine K. Harris, Jason Levesque, Elizabeth Levesque, Glen McClure, Amanda Outcalt, Deborah Rogers, Susan Tolbert, John Rudel, Roberto Westbrook

Believe it or not, I have been working. But a lot of the work has not been published yet, so I can’t share it here. Instead I am sharing this excellent image that a few friends were sending around. I’m told it was taken in Paris. If you have read my bio, you know I have a soft spot for Lionel Richie. Look closely at the tear part of the flyer.

I have not posted in a while. Got busy and distracted. Anyway, today I was going through my archive, and I found this photo I had forgotten about. For anyone wondering what is going on here, I slowed my shutter speed to 2.5 seconds so I could ensure that I captured the flash when this little girl took a photo of me. The direct light into the camera caused some odd colors, so I converted it to B&W which I like better. I like how her face is a big burst of light and her arms seem to be flapping. It’s like a mysterious fairy is trying to catch me. I wish I knew what her photo of me looked like.

Occasionally I just like sharing something inspirational. I just discovered this site and  it is so cool!

gotopublicschool.com

This photo is part of a project they featured by Chris Engman