US Bank...

..... Last week one of the shoots we did allowed us to work on some portraits for US Bank. Simple. Clean. Quick. Photographing executives in a more corporate setting sometimes means working with talent that does not have a lot of time. Producing good photos that help define a brand and tell a story means you need to figure out your light quickly, and still make your subject feel at ease. I love shoots like this and had a great time shooting a handful of people in and around their downtown setting. Here is just a taste of the results...

Chastity Brown...

..... Some recent still images from a shoot with Chastity Brown. Last year we began working with Chastity on a library of images for her recently released album Backroad Highways. This year, we got on board for a hybrid shoot of both video and stills. With a backlog of work at the moment, we are hoping to get underway on the edit soon and would love to share it as soon as it becomes available. There is some really great stuff in the can to go through, stay tuned for a peak in the upcoming weeks...As for now, re-charging the batteries to get out the door bright and early in the morning for another library shoot....

Kentucky...

..... Just back from a great shoot in the blue grass state of Kentucky. For the third year in a row, I have had the opportunity to shoot a climbing assignment and for the third year in a row, it has produced some great photography. This year I was shooting motion along side of the stills and we'll share that edit as soon as possible. The Red River Gorge was the backdrop for this years project. One of the premier climbing spots in the United States, the gorge welcomes climbers from all over the world to its 1,600+ routes. We shot in and around the area documenting the sport with as many shots in as many locations as we could squeeze into four days. A sneak peak into what we captured with more to come. Keep posted, June looks to be a busy month with some great shoots and travel ahead...

Taking Time At The Tap...

... Thanks to a recent motion & stills project, we ended up at The Town Hall Tap. A great Minneapolis brewer, we got a first hand look at how to Tap makes their awesome beers and made sure to document the consumer side of it as well. At first glance, both the stills and the motion came out great. Hope to have our motion out soon, we're getting a nice back log of work to post as it gets the finishing touches. Till then, sit back, relax... and have a cold beer?

An International Affair...

Recently was brought on by the International Institute of Minnesota for another project. This time, capturing stills and motion for one of my favorite events on the year, The Festival of Nations. Some 90 communities participate sharing their food, customs and language with the tens of thousands that pass through the event. A visual treat, there are faces that beg to be photographed. I walked away with cards full of images, not to mention a belly full of treats too...

Gearing Up...

Production of a new motion project is under way. Although there is still a few days of shooting left, I thought I would share a few still from the first day of shooting. Not going to spill the beans on what the project is, but stay tuned more the motion portion in a few weeks. Gearing up for a shoot today, can't ask for a better day to make photos...

A Master Of Craft...

Mallachy Kearns is as famous of a bodhran maker in the world as there is . There traditional Irish drum is most commonly used in Irish music but has been used and adapted in many other types of music over the years.

While on a motion shoot with Mallachy in Roundstone, in the west of Ireland, I snapped a few stills of the instrument maker as he stretched goat skin over a new drum. It was really interesting to learn about the process, one that has not changed a whole lot even with the advent of new technology. He has become so well known in his drum making, that a letter from President Obama was delivered while we were shooting, thanking him or the drum that the Republic of Ireland sent him as a gift, made by none other than Mallachy. I can't wait to hear some of the President's Irish songs that will be coming out soon...

Annie's Key...

It is with great excitement that the short motion piece Annie's Key is ready for it's debut. A concept I came up with while on a train out of Norway a few weeks ago, my goal was to show the process that a pianist goes through, complete with struggles and joy, while learning a new, challenging piece of music. This was a collaboration of talent, location, musician, DP & editing that came together in the end to produce a great piece of motion.

More motion is under way and there will be sneak peaks as they become available. Stills and motion continue to work as one and projects are seeing the potential of the two more and more....

Brining The Game To Life...

A quick motion edit from the 2012 Bauer MSHL event...
Thanks to RJD2 for the music.
And many thanks to Stevie Kane of One Light Collective for the help on the edit...
Enjoy!

When Words Won't Suffice...

I have always been amazed at the power music has over us. No culture is free from it. We all relate to it in different ways, it is an expressive medium unlike anything else we have.

A recent motion shoot explored this a bit. Working with a young pianist, we shot in the Lower Town area of down town St. Paul in a really neat space. That's all I'll share for now...
We're underway with the editing process and hope to be able to share soon.

A motion project next month will take us to the blue grass state of Kentucky. Until then, a few projects are under way being estimated and some cool spring shoots are starting to come up much like the flowers outside...

Sights & Sounds From The Emerald Isle...

Ireland is full of things that inspire us. Sometimes, still photographs only begin to tell the story...
While shooting stills on location in Ireland last month, I took the opportunity to shoot some motion
that could show off some things that sometimes a still photo can not capture as well. It was a blast shooting
and hopefully at the end of the day tells a story of both traditional and modern stories in Ireland.

Quite a bit of motion going on at the moment, all of which will be shared as it becomes available.
Thanks again to everyone who helped out on the shoot and to Stevie Kane from One Light Collective

Stay posted for more soon...

Telling Stories...

Proud to say that the International Institute of Minnesota has launched a new website.
I have been able to work with them over the last few years telling stories of immigrants coming to
the United States for the first time from Burma to Somalia and beyond. Still images can keep our attention
in a unique way, allowing us a quick insight into their lives & stories. Which is why I love doing what I do. Shegitu who is featured on the home page is a perfect example of an amazing story that is more common than you would think. We pass these stories on the street every day.

The Institute is well worth checking out, especially their marquee event the Festival of Nations in early May. We'll be working on a still & motion project at the Festival this year, stay tuned for updates...

The State Of Hockey...

Minnesota really is the state of hockey. One of the biggest youth hockey tournaments in the world happens every spring in St. Paul. The MSHL tourney is really a unique event to be at, to shoot & to experience. I had the pleasure of shooting with Bauer again this year capturing the event and moments that make this tourney so special. As always, it was a great time and an awesome shoot. Just a few stills from the event...

Keep posted as we are getting close to debuting some of our recent motion shoots. Check back, they're really starting to take shape...

Hot Off The Press...

New books are in! Should be out on the town soon. Really happy with how they turned out, you'll have to see for yourself...

Till then, getting some estimates out and getting gear in order for a shoot at the end of the week...

Getting Back In The MPLS Groove...

Back in the Twin Cities after a couple of great weeks on the road. So many people to thank for their help... thanks Ja, Finbar, Malachy, Tommy, Kristen, basket guy, Lisa, Eilén, Sam, the 40 foot crew and those helpful people staying above me in Oslo.

Starting to rummage through a lot of images, just posting a quick taste of a shoot in Dublin at a place called the 40 foot. Great humor, scenery and people were a plenty there, making for some great stills. Located just south of Dublin, the 40 foot is home to swimmers year round who take in the salty sea water to jump start their systems...

Hoping to get the motion on this project rolling soon, will be posting in the next few weeks as it becomes available.
As for now, back shooting in Minneapolis again... new portfolios are off to the printer today too...