I photograph one or two assignments per quarter for a local glossy magazine called Distinction. Below is the photo that ran and two other images I liked. The image that ran in print was shot in front of the Jewish Mother restaurant, a local institution that was torn down a few weeks later. Craig Beecroft at Beecroft and Bull provided the clothing and the sweet Vespa. I love Vespas.


I was a featured contributor in the Fall/Winter 2009 issue of Distinction Magazine. It’s a relatively new, high-end magazine in Hampton Roads. It’s a beautifully bound, glossy that will be inserted in newspapers quarterly. It seems to be very targeted, which I think is the only way for a magazine to be successful. I photographed two well-known, local chefs during a convivial interview. You can see more at distinctionhr.com


I discovered a new trick today. You’ve probably seen those big light boxes on which doctors view x-rays. Well this office, had a huge panel of 6 of these light boxes on the wall. I turned them on to discover they make a nice side light and they are color balanced with the overhead fluorescent lights. No need for strobes or gels! After I got this tight portrait of Dr. Britt (right), we did one more photo outside the entrance to Eastern Virginia Medical School. It was a pretty dreary day, but the cloud cover was light enough to create a nice soft light. The assignment was for Health Leaders magazine through Getty Images.

The day after the Nov 2 election German magazine Der Spiegel hired me to photograph a nice Virginia man who normally votes Republican but voted Democrat in this election. He works for a home renovation company that has this great wood paneled meeting room with a tiny American flag tucked into a ceiling tile. Unfortunately, I don’t think the magazine ever published the story. Germans probably would have gotten a kick out of this little sign of American patriotism.

I got a call last week to photograph a guy who works in insurance. Could have been really boring, except that he insures a short line train company and the magazine wanted a shot of him with the train. Unfortunately, no budget for an assistant. I used my new Elinchrom light with elinchrom radio slave allowing me to control the power output from the camera. Luckily, the subject had a friend to make sure the light did not get blown over. This is Mr. Cunningham at the front and back of the train.
