Daisy May - "WaterFall"

This is a beautiful 7 minutes...worth the escape!

Joseph Jeup

I came across this photo tonight. I shot it last December. I liked it then...but I really like it now for some reason.

This is Joe Jeup; owner of Jeup Furniture and a good friend. I've been shooting for Jeup off and on for almost 10 years. He's the best furniture designer/manufacturer I've ever seen.

Jeup Furniture built a new facility last year; it's extremely impressive.

This photo was taken inside a staining room before their facility was operational...the stainless steel provided nice reflections. I used two strobes for this set-up.

Meet Nixon

A sneak preview of a story coming out next week in Rapid Growth Media.

This is Nixon. He's a rapper/producer and a major figure in GR's burgeoning hip-hop community.

I'm sitting on it!

How did I make it through June without really posting anything here? Well...I can tell you it wasn't because I didn't want to share some highlights of some great projects I've been working on.

In fact it's been KILLING me lately not to be posting more recent favorites...I've been working with some very creative people and I've been given an awful lot of freedom to shoot things however I want. But for now, for one reason or another, these photographs are still "under wraps" by the client.

That's pretty standard...you don't want to leak anything on a blog and erode the potential impact for the client.

That said...I've been very busy...and I'm particularly excited about recent work I shot for Lux Land, Karisa Wilson, Spencer Mulder, The Grand Rapids Community Foundation and the list goes on. Not to mention film projects for Ralston Bowles, Disability Network and MomentumMI.

I've also been involved in one of the most ambitious, creative and fun projects I've ever shot for Wondergem Consulting...we're still shooting this one off and on all summer. By the fall this tiger should be ready to be unleashed. And no, Chris Knape..."tiger" is NOT a hidden clue! :)

Although I woudn't mind shooting a tiger...with a camera...any one have a tiger?

Karisa Wilson photo shoot - outtakes

I wanted to shoot outside instead of the studio...so we set-up a backdrop in my backyard to photograph the amazing singer Karisa Wilson.

My girls Maddie and Hanna were great assistants...they love Karisa.

My assistant Josh stands in while we tweak the lights...he's got a sweet portfolio of stand in shots.

I'm really happy w/how the shoot went. Karisa was up for anything and we experimented a lot...it paid off big time. We'll have to wait until her new album comes out to see the final photos!

Madcap Coffee - Photoshoot

A couple of quick picks from my shoot at Madcap Coffee in downtown GR for the Grand Rapids/Kent County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

I always love shooting for the CVB...this shoot was for potential cover photos for the annual Visitors Guide...a very high profile magazine for this region. It's an honor to get the call from Janet Korn and Kate Wiltzer to help create the cover.

Georgia was our model and she did a great job. Ironically, I tracked her down after seeing her several times at Madcap Coffee...and thought she'd be perfect for this shoot!

Inspiring Photographers - part one

Yesterday I was itching to discover new work to admire and be inspired by.

So on Twitter and Facebook I asked photographers to tell me who inspires them. I'm still sifting through some fantastic work and links. Thanks everybody for chipping in.

A few people asked me to share which photographers inspire me.

So I'll speak to inspiration...and not necessarily influences on my work. Here's a list in no particular order...perhaps I'll post more later:

James Nachtwey - purpose like no other. I'm glad I have not witnessed what he has documented

Hiroshi Watanabe - (photo above) My good friend, Hiroshi...he's the Japanese Cartier-Bresson...only better. There is a hard to describe formality to his street photography. I was honored to attend his wedding in Hawaii a few years ago.

Katie Barnes - young, emerging, highly talented, she documents everything...she'll be a household name in 10 years...no pressure, Katie!

Mark Seliger - One of the best careers forged from music, celebrities and editorial work.

Annie Leibovitz - I greatly admire the deliberateness of her portraiture, although I'm not always fond of her work...I've learned a great deal by looking at her career.

Anton Corbijn - U2's longtime photographer and friend of the band. He also works in film and that's where I find myself migrating. Although his latest film "Linear" for U2 was the most awful thing I've ever watched...literally...but I still love you, Anton.

I'll add more artists later...feel free to send me your favorite photographers!

environmental portraits on the fly

One thing I love about shooting for Rapid Growth Media is the challenge of walking into any given situation and having to create an interesting portrait.

All the shoots are location based...I never know what the people or the places will look like before I arrive...there's no art director except for myself.

This is Daniel Morrison of Collective Idea...a bright company located in Holland, MI. He was photographed in the City Flats Hotel.

Other times I'm not so lucky with such a cool interior :)

I'm BACK...(sort of)

Well...hello there little blog...my how I've been neglecting you.

Been over a month since my last post...that means I'm buried in work and having a blast.

Been working on several film projects simultaneously...both big and small...as well as the full plethora of commercial photography that I love so much.

These are busy times...giddy up.

Above is artist Rick Beerhorst in his studio; he's an amazing painter...a more amazing person.