Author: Mike

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As we begin to wind down 2017, I thought it would be a good opportunity to look back on some of my favorite images I captured throughout the year.

It was a year that saw me take on big challenges and explore new photography styles. It was also a year that helped me further define the connection between my career helping companies tell better stories and my passion capturing those stories with my camera. That intersection is something I’ll be focusing on in 2018.

What were my favorite images of 2017? Let’s look.

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My town has a vibrant and fun cycling community of which I am a (slow) member. Each year, roughly 100-200 cyclists get together for a leisurely five mile stroll through the neighborhoods to see the holiday decorations. I couldn’t make it this year, but was able to catch Santa and his pedaling reindeer coming through the center of town.

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A quick list of links to some of the content I’ve been reading this week (and have queued up to read this morning over coffee).

1. Flexibility and informality could be the way of the future
2. The Desirability of Storytellers
3. Why We Need Art
4. Humans Have Reached the Peak of Our Height, Lifespan and Physical Fitness
5. Estonia, the Digital Republic
6. (30) Principles of Technology Leadership <— This is a must-watch talk given by Bryan Cantrill at this year’s Monktoberfest
7. Creativity Is the Next Economic Revolution
8. What Made Freddie Mercury the Best Vocalist in Rock
9. David Lang’s “Symphony for a Broken Orchestra”
10. The Responsible Company by Yvon Chouinard & Vincent Stanley
11. Eugène Delacroix

Sunday morning, a thin blanket of snow on the ground, hot coffee in my favorite Herb Ritts/Bruce Springsteen mug, Premier League on the television in the background, and a bunch of saved tabs from the week open in my browser.

1. The Fractured States of America
2. The Story Behind “Money For Nothing” by Dire Straits
3. Why China Is Emerging as a Tech Superpower to Rival the U.S.
4. Flexibility and informality could be the way of the future
5. The Nationalist’s Delusion
6. Don’t Stop the Presses! Why Big Tech Should Subsidize Real Journalism
7. A panda who was “really, really, ridiculously good at sex”
8. Time to release the internet from the free market – and make it a basic rig
9. The Curious Case of August Engelhardt, Leader of a Coconut-Obsessed Cult
10. The secret tricks hidden inside restaurant menus
11. 5 Reasons to See Morocco By Motorcycle
12. Should Public Transit Be Free?
13. A Master List of 1,300 Free Courses From Top Universities
14. Hear What Literally Every Genre of Music Sounds Like With This Tool
15. 50 Of The Best Screenplays To Read And Download In Every Genre
16. Has the Silicon Valley Hype Cycle Finally Run Its Course?
17. Trust Fragments

Where I live — Bucks County, Pennsylvania — is often accurately described as a charming area nestled along the mighty Delaware River in between the bustling metropolises of New York City and Philadelphia. It’s been home to people like James Michener, Pearl Buck, Oscar Hammerstein, Stan and Jan Berenstain (yes, those bears), Justin Guarini, P!NK and my favorite hometown celeb, Timothy Stack (aka Notch Johnson). It’s also home to a place called Aldie Mansion. Aldie was built in 1927 by William and Martha Mercer. William was the younger brother of Henry Mercer, Bucks County’s renowned tile maker, concrete sculptor and amasser of one of the world’s largest collections of tools and machinery from the Industrial Revolution.

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A few months ago, I kicked off a project that had been bouncing around my head for awhile. I called it “This is Our Town.” It’s an ongoing series of portraits focused on the humans that make up my hometown: Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The project is generously supported by my friend, Mike Markowitz, owner of the restaurant where they are displayed.

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Just started reading David McCullough’s book, “The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris.” McCullough tells the stories of people like Samuel F.B. Morse, James Fenimore Cooper, Charles Sumner, Elizabeth Blackwell and others who sailed to the City of Lights seeking to learn. Many of those who made the journey went on to achieve great things for both America and the world. I was scrolling through my photo catalog and this throwaway shot from my last visit to the city on the Seine fired up my wanderlust.