The 2011 International Photography Awards just gave my Electric Avenue series a first place award -- and the Minnesota State Fair hired me as the Official Photographer for a couple of steamy days.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Sticky Fingers... and more
The 2011 International Photography Awards just gave my Electric Avenue series a first place award -- and the Minnesota State Fair hired me as the Official Photographer for a couple of steamy days.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Mortgage Payment in the Sky
Whenever I drive past this billboard, located at the interchange of highways 35W and I-94 (arguably the busiest place in Minnesota), my daughters point up and say: There's Daddy's beer ad!
Friday, October 14, 2011
The Time I Met Steve Jobs (sort of)
I was living in Sausalito, CA, with my wife, baby, and dog -- sharing rent with my wife's mom and teenaged sister. We all lived together on the edge of a cliff; A crowded little house where the bedroom walls touched our mattress on three sides, leaving about 2 feet to maneuver. But the view was amazing. At night we could hear seals barking. And the searchlight from Alcatraz lit up the walls every few seconds.
I was starting to land my own shooting jobs. I had recently returned from a 10 day trip, photographing a William Least Heat-Moon travel piece on the North Shore of Lake Superior for Gourmet magazine. Prior to that, I'd mostly been working for other photographers, as an assistant. I was happy to get whatever work I could.
Someone called and asked if I might drive down to Apple and help another photographer shoot a portrait for an international magazine. Perhaps they mentioned Steve Jobs, I'm not sure. I wouldn't have recognized his name if they had. Yes, I owned a couple of Macs. But I never thought about the guy who invented them, any more than I thought about Henry Ford when I drove my car across the Golden Gate Bridge.
I met the photographer at his hotel in San Francisco. He'd flown up from Los Angeles the night before, where he'd been shooting some ads. His main thing was fashion, and the editors figured he'd make an interesting shot of Steve Jobs with his latest product: the iPod. (something else I'd never heard of).
We drove down to Cupertino, about an hour along the coast. All the while, the photographer chatted on his cell phone with his publicist, pitching his idea for a reality show about himself. Eventually, we arrived at Apple, and set up equipment in a conference room.
Steve Jobs walked in, holding an iPod with the headphones in. The photographer tried to say hello, but to no avail. Jobs was listening to music. He couldn't hear a word. During the shoot, Jobs didn't talk -- or turn it down. He just stood there with the iPod, nodding his head to the music, ignoring the photographer's gestures. And then he left.
I was starting to land my own shooting jobs. I had recently returned from a 10 day trip, photographing a William Least Heat-Moon travel piece on the North Shore of Lake Superior for Gourmet magazine. Prior to that, I'd mostly been working for other photographers, as an assistant. I was happy to get whatever work I could.
Someone called and asked if I might drive down to Apple and help another photographer shoot a portrait for an international magazine. Perhaps they mentioned Steve Jobs, I'm not sure. I wouldn't have recognized his name if they had. Yes, I owned a couple of Macs. But I never thought about the guy who invented them, any more than I thought about Henry Ford when I drove my car across the Golden Gate Bridge.
I met the photographer at his hotel in San Francisco. He'd flown up from Los Angeles the night before, where he'd been shooting some ads. His main thing was fashion, and the editors figured he'd make an interesting shot of Steve Jobs with his latest product: the iPod. (something else I'd never heard of).
We drove down to Cupertino, about an hour along the coast. All the while, the photographer chatted on his cell phone with his publicist, pitching his idea for a reality show about himself. Eventually, we arrived at Apple, and set up equipment in a conference room.
Steve Jobs walked in, holding an iPod with the headphones in. The photographer tried to say hello, but to no avail. Jobs was listening to music. He couldn't hear a word. During the shoot, Jobs didn't talk -- or turn it down. He just stood there with the iPod, nodding his head to the music, ignoring the photographer's gestures. And then he left.
How I Got That Shot
PDN magazine features an interview with me in their October issue, describing my photoshoot with Brian Setzer for Guitar Aficionado. You can read the story here.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
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