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You don’t.

To celebrate their 25th anniversary, Crowley Webb decided to give away a full scale marketing campaign, through a contest called the 25 Hour Work Day.  The winning business was You and Who.  You can read about them at the links.

Working with Crowley Webb was an amazing experience.  Everyone was enthusiastic and even at Midnight, 15 hours into the work day, they were all still full of energy.  I can’t wait to work with them again.   They were very much like a happy family.  If I ever decided to leave the life of a freelancer and become gainfully employed, these are the kind of people I would want to work with.

Here’s a few production shots from the job.

Everything was going just fine, until this thing showed up and the entire office of 40 people started melting. Myself included.

Thanks to my intern, Liz Bukowski, a photo student at Villa Maria College, for her hard work during the shoot and getting these next few shots to me so quickly.

I have always been fascinated by what drives peoples passions as they endeavor towards perfection.  There is beauty in perfection.  Or what we perceive as perfection.  Wisdom.  Enlightenment.  Super-galactic, omnipresent oneness.  For many, that pursuit is life long. Some would argue that by virtue of it’s existence, a thing is flawed and therefore, not perfect.  I would tend to agree.  But the journey to achieve perfection through one’s passion is what’s important.

Be it a hobby, job or philanthropic endeavor, The Passion Project celebrates those that strive for perfection.  My hope is that my passion for what I do, in some way, matches the passion of my subjects.

Each subject’s post will accompany a short bio and the definition of passion as defined by the subject.  (Bio and definition to follow in this post)

With that, I give you the boys of  Vera Pizzaria.  I have always had a great love affair for the perfect cocktail.  When owner, Cameron Rector, told me he was opening the kind of place that served prohibition era drinks, I was ecstatic.  Upon my first visit, they didn’t disappoint.  Jon Karel and Marshell Scheuttle are two of the finest bartenders in the city, and quite dapper, I might add.  With each fantastic concoction, the gentleman will educate you on the history and myths that surround the cocktail.  The drink menu is incredible, but if you’re feeling a little adventuresome, tell your bartender what your favorite liquor is and let him take it from there.  

My love for capturing movement and action doesn’t stop with mountain biking.  I have a passion for capturing dynamic movement of all kinds.  Break dancing certainly fits that bill.

Battle@Buffalo is a monthly breakdancing event hosted by, Verve Dance Studio. Last month, New Era, welcomed, Verve, as the main sponsor and host for this epic outside battle.  There’s not a lot I can say about these photos that they don’t already say for themselves. The day was beautiful and the skies were more than I could have asked for. Thanks to New Era …

I was recently hired to photograph Emmanuel Lewis, A.K.A., DJ Sike, for a promo campaign.  When my studio partners, Luke Copping and Scott Gable and I renovated the space, we decided to leave one of the brick walls exposed.  I’m glad we did.

Manny had a great sense of humor and was a blast to shoot.  I hope to work with him again soon.   You can catch him spinning records, Saturday, at this months Battle@Buffalo.  I’ll be there all day, capturing some amazing dancing.

Here’s a few out-takes and edit concepts from the shoot.

My good friend and colleague, Clark Dever, asked me to come out to a little shindig called Oozefest.   Clark was kind enough to dive for me…multiple times.  Here’s a few images from the mud.

In the Fall of 2009, I was privileged enough to spend some time photographing the late, Milton Rogovin. Milton makes two appearances in the following group of photos.  I would like to dedicate this post to him and his memory.

Recently, I was asked by a photo student what she could do to take better photographs.  When I asked if she ever shoots outside of any of her class assignments, her answer was typical of many photo students I talk to.  My response was simple.  Never stop shooting.  I don’t care if you go out and do a study on blades of grass or rust spots.  I guarantee, you will make at least two discoveries.  One: you just ruled out at least two subjects that you have no intention of spending a career shooting.  Two: You’re having fun, because you are doing what you love.  If you’re not, hang it up and change your major.  The point is to keep your creative juices flowing.  I showed her how I try to keep that creativity flowing every day with my iPhone.  When I purchased my phone, other than being another cool kid on the block with a new toy, my objective was to take a picture a day, edit in-phone only, and post to my “Daily iPhone photos” folder.  That lasted about six months…OK, three months, but the objective remains: keep a creative portal open.  Creativity is a muscle that needs working out.  Let it sit on the couch to long and it will atrophy like your ass.

Keep your creative juices flowing and your ass firm.  Never stop shooting.

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Thanks.