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This is where I share the stories behind my images. You’ll find posts about specific photographs from my galleries — the ideas, inspiration, and process that shaped them — along with reflections on photography itself as I continue to create new work. The galleries and print store will grow over time, and so will this blog. I hope you’ll explore, leave your thoughts in the guestbook, and return often to see what’s new. Travel Stories: Sydney Opera House Lightning Strike – Australia Photography
November 21, 2025
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Welcome to another entry in Travel Stories—a series where I share images captured during our travels around the world. My wife and I love to travel, and I try to marry that with my love of photography. And sometimes, you get lucky. One of my dream destinations was always Australia, but the distance, travel time, and cost made it feel out of reach. The idea of 13+ hours on a plane kept the Land Down Under near the bottom of our list. But when my day job required me to spend two weeks in Melbourne, Australia, I jumped at the chance. My wife was able to take time off and joined me—exploring on her own while I worked—before we both headed to Sydney for a weeklong vacation. As a photographer, I knew I had to capture the Sydney Opera House, with its iconic sail-like design, and of course the Sydney Harbour Bridge nearby. Looking at a map, we found a park across the harbor that would give me both landmarks in one frame. We drove over and set up, and that’s when things got exciting: a storm began rolling in behind the opera house and bridge, setting the stage for something truly special. At the time, I was still shooting film—mostly slide film—so there was no instant preview of what I was capturing. I set up my tripod, dialed in the longest exposures I could calculate, and started chaining 20–30 second shots with a remote shutter release, hoping to catch lightning in frame. While I worked, my wife noticed a couple of other photographers nearby. Unlike me, they were shooting digital and checking their results instantly. Their excitement told me they were getting some amazing strikes. I could only hope my film would reveal something similar once I got home. I fired off two full rolls—48 exposures—and sent them for development as soon as I returned. To my delight, two frames captured clear lightning strikes over the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. That moment also turned out to be the tipping point for me: I bought my first digital camera soon after and never looked back. If you’d like to bring a little lightning into your home or office, both of these images are available as prints. Just click on the photographs to view purchase options.
Photo Stories: Film Noir Photography – A Three-Image Noir Story
November 05, 2025
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Welcome to the first in a series I’m calling Photo Stories. My goal with these posts is to take you behind the scenes of a carefully set-up photograph—or series of photographs—whether shot in the studio or on location, each with a specific concept and intent. One afternoon, a couple of friends and I decided to try our hand at a film noir–inspired photoshoot. I had the idea to tell an entire story in three images—a triptych—that would need no captions or written explanation. Naturally, since it was film noir, there were a few essential ingredients: a dangerous dame, an unsuspecting victim, dramatic and controlled lighting, and of course, black and white photography. My friend John created a pane of glass lettered to mimic an office door window. We clamped it to a light stand and fired a snooted light—a narrow beam—through it to create the effect of a hallway light shining through the “door.” The rest of the scene was lit with multiple small, precisely aimed lights: one for our friend Leah’s face and chest, one for her legs, and one for my friend Jeff’s face—he played the victim perfectly. Leah, meanwhile, absolutely nailed the role of the femme fatale.
Image 1: The Beauty Arrives For this shot, I positioned a stand-in just off to the right to cast a menacing shadow. Leah held up a glass of whiskey, matching the pose I had in mind. This was our first clue that she wasn’t the helpless damsel she claimed to be.
Image 2: The Beauty Acts Here, our poor private eye has been completely duped. The lighting was carefully aimed to highlight her legs, the gun, and the lifeless body.
Image 3: The beauty wins In the final frame, the femme fatale enjoys her whiskey—having dispatched her victim.
If you’d like to own one or more of these noir-inspired images, prints are available—click on any of the photographs to explore purchase options. Into the Light — Vampiress Beauty Portrait
October 27, 2025
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Sometimes an idea comes not from a plan, but from the wardrobe itself. When Leah Siren stepped onto set in a striking black and red latex dress by Phoenix Latex, the concept of a vampiress seemed to take shape instantly. The bold colors, the sharp sheen of the fabric, and the mood it carried all called for something dark, elegant, and just a little dangerous. This was one of several images we created that day, each with different lighting patterns. But this particular frame struck me more than the others. Lit with a single beauty dish placed above, Leah tilted her head upward, catching the glow and leaving strong shadows beneath her chin and chest. In my mind, she wasn’t just a vampiress in latex — she was looking up into the light of the heavens, caught between darkness and radiance. That duality, both mysterious and transcendent, was what made this image stand out. The look was completed with an intricate woven neckpiece and matching earrings from Muses Well, tying together the styling with subtle texture. Hair and makeup by Shauna LeMay of PYP Makeup brought the character to life with precision and creativity, echoing the balance of beauty and shadow. Together, the elements created a portrait that felt cinematic — a scene frozen in a single, dramatic moment. Credits
ReflectionThis portrait also marks the beginning of Beyond Beauty, a new series of images where makeup artistry, wardrobe, and light come together to create portraits that go deeper than surface beauty. Each image in the series will explore a different mood, lighting pattern, and collaboration — from fantasy-inspired concepts to high-fashion styling. For me, this first entry set the tone: beauty as transformation, beauty as collaboration, beauty as something beyond the expected.
Photo Story: Whiskey in Focus: A Story of Color, Light, and Reflection
October 19, 2025
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Welcome to another entry in Photo Stories, where I share the ideas, setup, inspiration, and process behind some of my favorite images. I’m a whiskey drinker at heart. At any given time, I’ve got around thirty bottles in my bar — everything from unaged Poitín to a 14-year-old Scotch to a 20-year-old Bourbon. Some are special sippers that I’d never dream of mixing, while others are perfect for cocktails, each bottle carrying its own unique character. Whiskey typically gains its rich color during the aging process. Stored in wooden barrels, it develops deep caramel hues that darken over time. One day, while cleaning and organizing my home bar, I noticed just how wide a range of colors these bottles held. That sparked an idea: why not create an image that showcased this beautiful gradient? Something I could hang right above the bar. I selected five bottles that best represented the spectrum and poured them into tall, slender shot glasses, carefully filling each to the exact same level. At first, the setup was nice — but something was missing. To add more depth, I placed the glasses on a clear acrylic sheet layered over white paper, which gave me a gorgeous reflection. Then I hit it with a strong backlight so the whiskey itself glowed, letting the color take center stage. The result? Clean lines, a seamless gradient of amber shades, and a striking minimalist look. The whiskey practically glows against the white background, making the image a perfect balance of simplicity and warmth. If you’d like to bring a touch of whiskey-inspired art into your home, this photograph is available as a print. Just click the image for purchase options.
Before and After: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – Turning Architecture into Art
October 07, 2025
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On a trip to Cleveland with a friend—partly to see the Indians play at Progressive Field and partly to add another ballpark to my list—we made a stop at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I’ve always thought the exterior is almost as fascinating as what’s inside, so I set out to find an interesting angle or perspective of this famous building. That search led me to the photo on the left. At first, I didn’t think this image was particularly exciting. Still, something about it lingered in my mind, even if I couldn’t quite figure out why. It felt like the image had more to say, but the message wasn’t clear. Eventually, I set it aside for nearly a year. When I came back to it, I saw it with fresh eyes. Through some tinkering and experimentation, it clicked: the building’s basic shapes reminded me of the basic chords of rock and roll—simple, strong, and foundational. I decided to focus entirely on that geometry, stripping away the sense of place. Rotating the image to a horizontal format emphasized the shapes, and suddenly, it begged to be in black and white. Now it was speaking my language. After a bit of digital darkroom work, I arrived at the final image you see below. For me, it’s a reminder that a camera doesn’t always capture the image you see in your mind right away. Sometimes, it takes time, play, and exploration to uncover the photo you were really after. If this piece of architectural minimalism speaks to you, the final image is available as a print—just click the photograph below to view purchase options.
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