CHMURA - 2009

This was SuperBowl sunday, held in Tampa, and Ben Chmura wanted to stay in his backyard so we wouldn't have to get caught in the traffic gridlocking much of the town. The girls were tired from a runway show the night before yet performed here admirably.

Coats and Bags - 2005

One of my first jobs of heavy editing. I won't spoil it by saying much.

Katrina Andry - 2007

This is the first time I nearly gasped when a model came into the studio after dressing. KA isn't a model and we didn't know exactly what we wanted. When I saw her, she looked so amazing that I knew I just had to make sure the lens cap was off.

A.M. KNIGHTS - 2006

I was getting sick from then undiagnosed cancer at this time, not realizing it. I didn't understand at first what Bryan was doing with his fingers, it just seemed weird and great, he just did it. I liked how much he resembles Vincent Gallo here. Normally I think leaving eye color in a black and white portrait is sorta cheesy, but I was compelled here, as well as a few other times. It's OK to being risk being cheesy.

Terrible - T - (2008)

I had a pair of gold boy shorts, an aviator's cap and sunglasses. Tara had the jacket, shirt and cowboy boots. We had a couple hours to hang out. This is how Tara and I hang out. I love the late 70s / early 80s rock album vibe this has. I don't know how it has it, for me, it just does.

Head Dress Shot #10 - (2008)

Another fav shot, this time I wanted a detail of a bigger shot and cropped in. I loved the play of the green and white, topped off perfectly by how Mitzi held her shoulders and arms, the direction of her one visible eye. Mitzi can be effortlessly regal and strikes me as feeling very powerful here with really doing little to try seeming so.

80's Fashion Show - 2008

Everybody wanted to photograph the models before taking the stage. I didn't want all of my shots to look like everybody else's, so I tried shooting what they weren't.

Terrible - T #2 - (2008)

I was having a heart attack. Sometimes a model does the perfect thing and you are totally ass backwards from where you need to be. So this was me like an action hero shooting rapidly like gunfire as I got to where I thought I should be, probably pleading that she not move.

Dirty Rainbow - 2007

One of the many images I've done for the Vera Violets. This probably was our most successful shoot, concept and glitz. I got really into the idea of dirty colors, color noir, and seedy light. I love the posturing with Mitzi's faux disgust and hautiness being the cherry on top for me, helping make this a less traditional kind of publicity shot.

Two Women - (2005)

Shot with film with a Contax RTS II. I was stranded for at least a month at my house after a car accident. Mitzi and Amanda came up one night to shoot and keep me company. Still probably the most fun I've had shooting or doing anything. Some of my favorite shots came from that evening.

Matthew Pasquarello - 2006

Clearwater based painter shot for a profile interview I wrote for Orange Magazine. Sometimes the simple ideas are the best, hence I put him infront of his own painting.

CHMURA #2 - (2009)

Same design series as the previous set of Chmura models, this time shot the Sunday after the Superbowl in a church parking lot (holding service at the time) down the street from his home.

Dustin - (2005)

Long time artist and friend who appears in two narratives I've been part of. Always a reliable face.

Dirty Rainbow (cover) - 2006

I shot this hoping that it would become the cover to the Vera Violets record, Jonathan Beadle and I already discussing the album concept. Took a while for him to cotton to it, I think. Another collaboration with the Terrible-T.

Two Woman #9 - 2005

I like looking at fish at the supermarket, frozen on ice cubes. The skin here reminds me of a fish's silvery white belly in a light, which I find beautiful. The strength you can sense in her to me is what makes this more than just a beauty shot. The simplicity and mystery of the framing. Color with stark black all cut by the red lipstick. I could be happy with these details alone in separate images.

Katrina Andry #2 - 2007

I wish I could have known Katrina better before she moved away from Tampa. Look at her spirit as well as her effortless confidence and I can spare you a further explanation. Another example of beautiful skin that I hope for another opportunity to photograph someday. I am excited when I get these kinds of images from people who do not normally act or model because I know I'm getting something less diluted or less jaded than those more experienced. Though most amateurs don't make it as easy as Katrina did that night.