Personal Work

Boots optional…

Why wear your shoes when you can feel the grass between your toes?

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James: An MPW Outtake

I’ve been in Clinton, Mo., all week for the Missouri Photo Workshop. Describing it as intense would be an understatement, but it was an amazing experience and I met and photographed a very gracious family for four days. Whoa.

Here’s just an extra frame from the workshop. James decided to play under the blanket one afternoon after school. He got tired for a minute.

Doggy Door

Passed this while walking back home after a Vietnamese dinner. Thought it was fake at first, until it growled at me.

Dog Days

Just an outtake while working on a story about a World War II veteran from earlier today.

Main Street, Shoshoni, Wyoming

Ode to Summer

I hung out at a county fair for a couple of days earlier this week for a small project I wanted to shoot. While I was hanging out with these kids, I made this frame, and thought of Amanda Lucier.

Jeffrey City: The Split Rock

I’ve started working on a project with our energy reporter, Jeremy Fugleberg, about Jeffrey City. I’ve driven through the old uranium mining town a few times before and always wanted to do something long-term there. We’re not quite sure yet the angles we’re going to cover, but for now I’m content with just hanging out with the (50) locals. Last weekend, the Split Rock Bar and Cafe (the town’s only establishment) had a grand re-opening and I decided to go down to hang out, make a few friends and eat as much as I wanted.

Everybody was great. I helped barbecue, fill water balloons and managed to have a couple beers and snap a few frames while there.

Here’s one I liked. Cliche reflection? Sure. But it’s hard to focus on photographing when I’m running around introducing myself.

More to come, I promise.

Ol’ MacDonald’s Farm

I love the county fair.

It stinks, it’s hot and the carnival rides always rip you off.

It’s summer.

This year, I decided to bust out an old Zenza Bronica and shoot portraits of the kids competing in the 4-H and FFA competitions. Not entirely sure why I decided to pursue this subject, but I figured that kids would be pretty eager to show off their animals (which they were) and I’d be able to work with them a little when shooting portraits. I found myself posing the kids a few times, but often just sat and waited until they looked “portrait-like” on their own.

I rarely shoot portraits, let alone on film, so this was a fun challenge. Maybe Dan Cepeda is rubbing off on me.

Abby Faxon, 12. // Wilson Stewart, 14.

Spencer Cuthbertson, 12. // Ben Campbell, 12.

Matasha Hock, 15. // Korina Potter, 14.

Taya Steffens, 10. // Hayden Loflin, 14.

Leland Mooren, 11. // Savannah Housholder, 12, and Ben Steffens, 12.

Windows #4

From our room at the Sheridan in Denver. Kind of a random spot for a sculpture, but nicer than looking at a empty roof.

789 South, Wyoming

Last week Jackie and I took a road trip to Thermopolis for a story, and on the way back we drove through the Wind River Canyon.

Early morning light, Bon Iver on the iPod. Doesn’t get better than that.