Nick is a freshman Wildlife Management major. He’s also an avid rock climber, a competition archer, and an all-around nature lover who is definitely at home in the outdoors. He can start a fire and setup a tent and, I think, knows something about hatchet throwing. Without a doubt the sort of guy you want along on your next camping trip. He’s also my brother, which is probably the only reason that he agreed to don his coonskin cap, grab his bow, and trek out into the woods for a portrait shoot.

Like most guys, Nick isn’t wild about having his picture taken. We’ve worked together a few times before, for his senior portraits and some sports/band shots. It’s one of the perks of having a photographer in the family; the photos experience was more fun for him, and mom got off cheap! But even so, there was always mom in the background. She’s the client because she’s (in theory at least) the one paying for the session, and therefore calling the shots.

This time was different. I wanted the photos for a personal project, but also for the sheer coolness factor of what I had in mind. Which was great, because it meant that there was no one to answer to; so long as Nick and I were both having fun, the shoot was a success, and he was free to just be himself. No traditional poses, no collar shirts – just him in the woods with his gear, looking badass.

So that’s exactly what we did. And it was a LOT of fun! We drove up to Lefferts Pond and hiked about twenty feet into the woods, with Nick on one side of a frozen creek and me and the lights on the other. And I made photos while Nick stalked imaginary game through the woods and shot arrows into the ice in, you know, my general direction. (NOT something I’d agree to with most models!) The we switched sides and let Nick climb up onto a rock, while I shot from below.

Totally badass stuff, and nobody was there telling him to smile, or look at the camera. I let him do his thing because he’s the wilderness guy, he knows how he should look. And the photos came out great because of it. I’ve got some awesome portfolio shots, Nick has some very cool portraits for Facebook, and mom has prints on order to frame and hang at home. Can’t beat that!

For those of you who weren’t able to attend, I’ve posed my presentation online with my narrative on each slide. You just have to remember that in real life, these slides were automatically advancing every 20 seconds, and I had to keep up with them! (Believe me, that makes the whole thing more interesting.)

We were lucky enough to spend some time with Brad and John, the folks who brought Pecha Kucha to to Scranton, after the presentations were over. Mandy was their contact on the ground for this, and both she and I had so much fun that we’re looking to take over and keep Pecha Kucha Scranton going. Keep an eye out here and on her blog for more details at some point in the next couple of months. Of, if you think you’d like to present (and it really is a blast!), drop one of us a line and we’ll give you more details!

This was an image shot for my dear friend Paul Sevensky (who has just signed on as my first staff writer at my other site, The Roving Photographer). The gentleman in the portrait is Paul’s grandfather as a young man, and his resemblance to Paul has always been very strong. Which is something we wanted to celebrate.

A reflection portrait is unusual – from a photographer’s point of view, I’m normally battling reflections, trying to keep them out of my images. So the chance to create one intentionally, and emphasize it, was an interesting challenge. We shot this image in a studio setting, setup in Paul’s living room (Unexpected Photographer’s Skill #3: expertise in furniture relocation). It took a few test shots, a few reorganizations of my setup, but we finally got the photo we wanted.

I have strong family ties, so it makes me happy to take on projects like this one; I like to see family history and connections perpetuated across generations. And I like knowing that I’ve had a hand in it.

My presentation is entitled “In Pursuit of Light,” and will focus on the essential, and generally overlooked, importance of light in photography. At least it will, once I finish it. (For those of you who aren’t able to attend the event, I’ll be posting it here afterwards.)

Pecha Kucha Scranton will run from 7:30 to 9:30 pm at The Vintage Theater in Scranton. You can check out the event’s Facebook page at: Pecha Kucha Scranton.

Just don’t ask me how to pronounce it…I still haven’t figured that out.

Lauren rocked each outfit she brought and I couldn’t imagine things getting any better, but then she finished the set in her black gown, which was nothing short of stunning. I always like ending on a strong note, and it doesn’t get any better than this!

Lauren has appeared here on the blog a lot this year, and several of her photos are in my portfolio. She has been an absolute joy to work with, always up for something different, with an energy and a presence that comes right through to the images. She’s confident in front of the lens – although her years of cheer-leading in front of packed stadiums no doubt helped. I’m going to miss working with her as she heads off to college, but I wish her all the best luck!

Although the previous version was only about a year old, I’d had some style issues with it since the start.  It wasn’t really me.  A little too vanilla compared to my photos.  Yeah, I know, it’s not like I’m super edgy or anything, but maybe just a little.  But more importantly, the old site wasn’t able to show off my photos the way I wanted.  They were too small and constrained.  I’m a photographer, after all, and this site is all about photos, so they ought to be the primary focus.

Well, now they are.  And they’re everywhere.  I love it!

The update ate up this past weekend and, while the site is live again, it isn’t quite finished.  There are still some final touches I’ll be adding during the next few days.  Also, it seems that visitors who use Internet Explorer as their browser may experience some issues.  I’ve spoken to the theme developer about them and am waiting for a solution.  But really, Internet Explorer is pretty awful.  Just because it came with your computer doesn’t mean you have to use it.  Be adventurous – try out Google Chrome or Firefix instead. Both are great and will dance circles around IE.

I digress.  What I really want you to do is take a look around and enjoy the photos.  Fall in love with them.  Then hire me.

Yeah, that would be great!

In addition to the country look, we rocked a few glamour style shots as well.  This was a bit of an experiment for both of us, but definitely shows potential.