Category: Photography

This is not a Bruce Springsteen post (okay, maybe it is a little bit). I was going through my newsfeed this morning and this interview with Bruce popped up. It’s a good interview and an interesting subject, but I was more drawn to the portraits in the piece. I went to the photographer’s website (a fantastic lensman named Bryan Derballa), found his email, and shot him a quick note to say so. That’s it. Just a simple “Hey, you don’t know me, but I really liked the photographs you made in this story.” And you know what? He wrote back and told me a little about how he felt shooting The Boss. I had no ulterior motive. I just wanted to let him know his work was appreciated. So, my challenge to each of you is to do the same: find someone’s work you like — maybe it’s an artist or a writer or a philanthropist or a mentor…whoever makes you feel inspired — and send them a note to let them know their work matters.

A lot of photographers will tell you it’s the camera that makes great pictures. Others will tell you it’s not the equipment, but the eye behind the lens. Both have their detractions and merits. Do you want to know what really allows a photographer to make a great image? The discipline to wake up before the sun rises, load your camera bags into your car and drive to a pre-scouted location in order to capture that magical light as it first crests the eastern horizon. Huge gratitude to my friend, Mike Rubillo, for doing the early scouting of this field in New Jersey. He not only provided the exact GPS coordinates, but also had incredibly accurate advice on when to be in position.

(Want to buy a print for your wall? Click the image to go to my online gallery.)

Morning Sunrise Over a Field of Sunflowers from Mike on Vimeo.

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To most people, a photograph is a two dimensional thing. To me, the good ones have depth. They tell stories that bring out the texture of the subject within the frame. The really good ones make you want to know the rest of the story.

The images below are a small sample of the people that make the Gluecon technology conference special. Each has its own story to tell, its own history, its own struggle, its own triumph.

Music and the arts are an important part of education. Study after study has proven that access to a quality music education program improves a student’s brain — not just while they are playing an instrument, but throughout their life.

I’m fortunate to live in a school district that takes music and art seriously. I’m also fortunate to live in a school district where teachers go above and beyond for their students.

Late last week, I had the privilege of shooting the annual Central Bucks VH1 Save the Music Concert Series at Holicong Middle School. On their own time, the district’s music teachers put on a Springsteen-worthy two hour concert for the community. Not once. But three shows over the course of a weekend. Each show packed to capacity in the school’s auditorium.

The concert raises money to equip less fortunate districts around the country with musical equipment to jumpstart their own music programs. It takes approximately $30,000 to equip a school with the necessary instruments for a musical program. This year, the Bucks County School District raised $27,189.31. It’s an amount that keeps rising.

To date, the Central Bucks School District has raised more than $100,000 for the VH1 Save the Music Foundation.

The images below will give you a glimpse of what the audience saw on stage. Want to see the full set? Click here to go to my gallery.

Organizers were expecting 300 people at the Women’s March in Doylestown, Pa., the day after the 2017 Presidential Inauguration. Thousands showed up. Women, children, men and boys. I moved among the crowd to capture as much of the protest as possible.

Looking back through my portfolio over the past year, these are the 18 images I made that resonated most.

I had the opportunity to shoot several of my daughters’ musical performances in 2016. We are lucky to live in a school district with tremendous support for the arts. That is not the case in too many parts of the country.

I dipped my big toe into the wedding photography world this year and look forward to capturing a small, exclusive number of nuptials in 2017.

I had a blast exploring the streets of Philadelphia a bit more this year. If you haven’t gone on a photowalk in your town or city, do it. You’ll see things you take for granted in a new light.

One of my goals in 2016 was to shoot more portraits. It’s an area of photography I enjoy and will continue to push in 2017.