Published :: Montana Magazine :: Buffalo Cafe

I shot this feature on The Buffalo Cafe last year for Montana Magazine. You can find it in the current issue on stands now. You can't go wrong with nice people, great food, and a location I can ride my bike to in the summer.

:: montana commerical editorial photographer:: napa valley beauty

In January I took a trip to California to primarily shoot this wonderful wedding. Afterwards a good friend and I drove out to Napa Valley. Saying we enjoyed ourselves is an understatement. Unseasonably warm weather plus the whole no snow thing made for a wonderful trip. One stop we made was at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery. It was beautiful and the mustard flowers were in bloom. A great start to a new year full of possibilities -- and now a good reminder of how close we are to Spring here in Montana.

montana photographer :: portrait :: nick spear

Yesterday I did a shoot for friend and musician Nick Spear. I'll have a more inclusive post once he finishes the project he's working on but for now here are a couple shots for the day.

2011 End of the Year Wrap

Oh hey. I haven't been posting here much lately but it is more because I've been working and shooting and traveling and basically -- not blogging. I sat down to do an end of the year wrap up and I don't have much to post. I have several stories that people are sitting on till next year. Until they are published I don't have tons that I can post here....so...this will be a short wrap up.

In more ways than one this was a growth year for my business as a photographer. I'm still growing in my shooting but if I could show images of how much more organized my business life is it would be boring but accurate. Oh -- and the whole getting married thing was kind of a major part of things -- but I didn't take photos of that. So instead I'll just show you neat locations ... does that even out?



View of Glacier National Park from a helicopter ride in June.

Bikers -- East Glacier, Montana.

View from St. Mary's -- East Glacier, Montana



Two images from the Lorraine Motel in Memphis where Martin Luther King Jr. was killed.

Those were some of the more memorable locations I visited this year that I can show without spoiling publications for next year. As things move forward there should be more work on the blog but till then Happy New Year!!

September 11, 2011

On September 11th 2001 I was living in the Oglethorpe dorm on The University of Georgia campus. My friend Katie and I had gone to breakfast at Espresso Royale in downtown Athens. While we were drinking our coffee a random person ran into the coffee shop and shouted to everyone that a plane had hit the World Trade Center and then ran out. We all kind of looked around, commented that it was strange, and assumed he was just a crazy person. It wasn't until we got into the car where NPR was reporting the attack and playing live audio from Ground Zero that we realized the man who ran into the coffee shop wasn't crazy.

My friends and I watched the news together on the TV in our dorm later that morning. We ate lunch together in the O-House dining hall where they were playing the news over the radio so we all would know what was happening. Everyone ate in silence as we listened to the news. Class was canceled the next day and I have a distinct memory of going to sit out on the quad, sun shining, to take some time away from the radios and T.V.s that were continually giving us the news. I remember thinking how strange it was for everything where I was sitting to feel just like every other day but knowing that it wasn't the same at all.

I wasn't a photojournalism major yet, but I did take a point and shoot disposable camera around town in the following days. A group of us took candles to light at The Arch and I took a photo of the memorial set up there by students, teachers, and community members. I took the second photo of The Georgia Theater a couple days later. I'm grateful for these photos now. They represent a time of unity in a place I love. That time of unity seemed to dissolve so quickly to the divisive place our country is today.

As I step back to reflect on September 11th today, I hope we can remember a time when we came together as people despite our differences. It is one of the strongest impressions I was left with from this time.

Published :: Rick Bass for Smithsonian Magazine ::

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of shooting author Rick Bass for Smithsonian Magazine. It was late spring in Montana which means it's still a hell of a lot colder here than most other places in the country. Mr. Bass had written a piece on why he loves living in Missoula, Montana for the Smithsonian. I spent a couple of days in Missoula shooting places he particularly liked before our time together for portraits.

Bass is known for being an author particularly enamored with place. Originally from the South he has been out West for the majority of his career. His most recent book focuses on the controversial movement of oil from Canada into the U.S. on highways running through rural Idaho and Montana. He was a pleasure to talk to and we discovered he takes yoga classes at the same spot as my assistant. Always a good way to start off a session. Despite the freezing temps and gusty wind Mr. Bass was more than happy to spend some time with us on the banks of the Clark Fork River. The fish were just starting to rise as we left.

You can see more of the images from this shoot and read the accompanying story on the Smithsonian website here.

Echo Lake Cafe - Extra Serving

Earlier this week I posted about a shoot I did for Montana Magazine about Echo Lake Cafe. Echo Lake Cafe sources local organic food and is a favorite among locals. These were some outtakes that didn't get used. Makes me want a cup of coffee right now.

Shooting food is something I've been doing more of over the last couple years and I really enjoy it. Here's to hoping there's more shoots like this one in the future.