Back to Earth

Hey Everybody!!!

I returned to Rochester Friday night concluding a whirlwind tour that brought me through 3 countries, 8 cities, 5 weddings, countless shoots and even more hotel rooms & complimentary shampoo and conditioner bottles. Needless to say, I am psyched to be home sleeping in my own bed!!!

My shooting schedule is slowing down considerably in November so I am devoted to marathon photo processing and blogging to get you all caught up on what's been going on. My goal: at least 3 blogs per week during the month of November. There is no particular order or theme to these blogs, just random visual ramblings of images and insights that I've picked up along the way. As an incentive to my loyal friends (and readers), I am running an itunes gift card giveaway to the reader who is most interactive during this marathon. That's right, a $20 itunes gift card to whomever is most present (via comments) during the month of November. So get fired up y'all...leave your comments, send your shoutouts. ...this is gonna rock!!!

First things first...
Seeing as how I've just returned from the Rockstar Wedding Photography Workshop hosted by Corey McNabb in Asheville, NC, I will start there. My last post covered the arrival and first day there, this one tells the rest. It was such a great week...I was bummed to wake up this morning and not have it to look forward to.

Day one was an e-shoot with photographer Jon Leidel and his girlfriend Anna. It took place in the Botanical Gardens in Asheville. Thank you guys for your patience and energy...it was such a great afternoon:
tired photogs heading back to camp after a long afternoon (except for Sophia that is...she still has some spring in her step!!).
The next day was a wedding-type shoot at the fabulous Biltmore Estates in Asheville...the largest residence in the USA. If you haven't been to the Biltmore, do it and follow the link above to learn more before you go. It's easy to get lost!!!


Adam Linke was fired up!!!
...and so was Larry Crandall.
Jeremy Russell looked dashing in gate-framed 80's glory. What a handsome fella.
a special thanks to Hadley and Kevin for all of their hard work. You guys are stunning!
Wednesday brought about the night shoot. What a blast we had wandering around downtown Asheville on Halloween looking for light. A big shout out to Eric and Courtney for being out models that night.
Thursday was suprise headshot day.
Here's my new photog friend and fellow rockstar, Elizabeth Myers.

Ty Miller. Check out the amazing slideshow that Ty put together from the workshop.
Jon Sanderson
Christy Hatley
Sophia Jeckic
Amber Holritz
Amber again!!
my headshot taken by the talented Amber Holritz
time to move on...plane shot taken on my cell phone just before takeoff from Asheville.
another cell phone shot from inside the Charlotte Airport during layover.
and this one wraps it all up. An enthusiastic 'welcome home' from a boisterous troupe of boy scouts at the Rochester Airport. It was quite the homecoming!!!
There are some workshop buddies who are not mentioned above. My apologies for not having photos...but here are links.

Aaron Hogsed
Regina Holder
Vicki Kendall
Jill Schwarzkopf
Zac Thomas
Christine Tremoulet
...all awesome photographers...all awesome people.

Alright, so there is #2 of the November Blog Marathon...check back often. I hope that this finds you all well.

All the Best,
t

Destination: Asheville

Hey Hey!!

October is quickly coming to an end and thus concluding one heck of a two-month stint. Last stop before some much needed down-time...Asheville, North Carolina for my good buddy Corey McNabb's Rockstar Wedding Photography Workshop. My flight out here left super early Sunday morning which was bittersweet in that I had to get out of bed early (bitter) but I got to see the sunrise from 30,000 ft. (sweet) and arrived in Asheville early in the afternoon, which gave us time to go exploring (sweet). Corey, myself and my new photog buddies Amber Holritz and Zac Thomas loaded up in Corey's budget automobile and took a cruise along the majestic Blue Ridge Parkway. It was a beautiful afternoon spent with beautiful people. I'm really excited for this experience. Here are some pics from that morning and afternoon. The first two were captured using my state of the art cell phone camera:this one i call slanted sunrise #4...






what are they shooting at???

Tara Jordan put on a killer opening party at Corey's Studio. Her attention to detail was impeccable. She even brought in a rock n roll "rockstar" ice sculpture for a centerpiece...it was rad!!!

Looks like Parker Pfister is ready to get into the vino! This could spell trouble.

Time for fun with ice. Here's Sophia Jekic giving me the googley eye.


I told you that this could spell trouble! What is up with this??
This last one is worth sharing. It's from this afternoon's modeling session at the Asheville Botanical Gardens. I decided to go with the ol' lensbaby to shake things up a bit. A big thank you to Jon Leidel and the lovely Anna for giving us so much of yourselves during this shoot.
That's all for now. I hope that this finds you all well.

All the Best,
t

Into the great wide open

Hey Hey!

I've been away from the blog for a bit as the last few weeks have been a whirlwind. I hope that you've all been able to go on with life in it's absence. So much to write about...so many amazing adventures. I'll start with a few images from a senior shoot I did back in late September. Hard to believe that its been a month since!!

For those of you who don't know, I cameo as a bartender a couple of nights a week at a restaurant/bar in Rochester's Park Avenue Area called Hogan's Hideaway. I've been there for over three years now and cannot begin to express how grateful I am to have such an encouraging and supportive community on my side. The staff and patrons there have become cherished friends and an integral part of my life. Thank you to you all for your continued love and support.

Joe Spencer is one of its owners and an indispensable presence within the restaurant. Joe is a fair man and a great leader and-whether or not he knows it-has taught me a lot during my tenure there. Back when I started Joe's son, John, was a freshman in High School...kinda quite...reserved...awkward as all 13 year old kids should be.

Well...all of that's changed. Over the past few years I've watch John blossom into quite an incredible young man. I'm proud of him in an 'olderly-brother sorta way'. He's grounded, intelligent, humble and witty - quite a combination going forward. Don't ever stop growing John...I'm excited to see what the world has in store for you!!

Here are some images we captured during his senior portrait session behind the Village Gate Mall in Rochester's Art District.

All the best, John...now and forever.

In other news...

I just finished a design for an upcoming music book featuring the music and lyrics of Tony Cavagnaro. Tony's untimely passing last month has resonated throughout the community, leaving us all feeling a huge loss. The book, along with other cool buddhahood memorabilia, will be on sale at a benefit concert at Water Street Music Hall on November 18th. It's going to be a groovy day with killer live music all day long by giant panda guerilla dub squad, hypnotic clambake, the park avenue band, the buddhahood and more!!! Please swing in and get down if you have some time on that Sunday. All proceeds go to Tony's wife, Jan and son, Calvin. C U there!!!

Here's a preview of the book cover:

Other than that...life is Rock n Roll. I just got back from a 5-day stint in the Bahamas where I had the opportunity to shoot with the incredibly dedicated, talented Kenny Kim at the Atlantis Resort. What a blast!! Wait'll you see those images...pretty cool (if I don't say so...). I'll be down in Ashville, North Carolina next week at the Rockstar Wedding Photographer bru ha ha hosted by Corey McNabb. ...can't wait to see you all!!

I'm gonna run and get the details of my Brett Michael's costume finalized as I have to party like its 1999 (or better yet, 1987!!) tonight at my sister Ali's place. If you read this in time and want to come by, all are welcome...costumes are mandatory. In the immortal words of Brett Michaels:
"I grab my hat and I grab my shoes. Tonight I'm gonna hit the streets and cruise." ...what a poetic genius?!?!? (not) ...or another shining example of why the 80's were just plain bad news. i don't want to get into it.

All the Best,
t