I rolled around in the leaves with three awesome dogs. Great engagement shoot at Worlds End in Hingham.

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I love puppies.

Thanks Tara, for taking these!

I got the chance to go out to TX for a workshop this week both given by, and attended by, some of the most amazing photographers I have ever met. It is weeks like this past one that remind me…….. Why I became a photographer. Why I miss critique. How being surrounded by photographers with creative ideas and lots of energy can really be contagious. Be true to you in your photography……. and above all else that I am so happy with this life, honored and privileged to get to do the things I do. To live a dream I never thought possible, to make photography my full time job.

I sat on the two planes home with my headphones on and my eyes fully closed, starting to absorb all of what I learned and what I was inspired by. It’s rare you have an excuse to sit for three hours and do nothing but think. It was a fun, informative, inspirational and emotional three days……… and when I opened my eyes from going back over this amazing weekend and clearing my head this is what I opened my eyes to……… fitting.

One of the most beautiful things in the world is watching the sunset from above the clouds.

I killed an old friend today. My trusty website. It was time.

To honor my fallen friend I’m going to start posting some of my older work as well. A lot of the work was taken while I was in school, so I find it appropriate to call these post Old School.  Photography school was the most fun I have ever had.

Apple picking is one of my fonder childhood memories. I make an effort to still go every year. There was only one day this month that Laura and I could both go and that was this past Sunday. When we left the house we were determined. Full on rain storm, sick as dogs and stubborn as hell. Well, about a mile before we got there that rain turned to snow and thus started an amazing day!!

We won. The prize….. a surreal, snowy, apple orchard with only two people in it….. us.

This is my third year shooting this golf tournament and as always, it was a blast. I’ve never been particularly fond of golf. Get this many cool people, most of whom like to drink, together for a good cause and a good time will be had by all. Tons of hard work from all the volunteers makes for a great party on and off the course.

I’ve learned a few things over the past few years:

golf carts are even more fun than they look

doing this has nothing to do with how far you will hit the ball, but it looks cool

there’s is one in every goup

cigars apparently make you golf better

as do cool hats

some people take golfing very seroiusly

some people don’t

this looks fun

golf isn’t all bad I guess…..

I went to the Maahshfield Fair to check out the last little bit of the Music Festival. Great music, really friendly down to earth musicians and great people watching. I wandered off for a bit between bands and didn’t get very far before stumbling upon a very large cage and an even larger crowd. I’m sold, I have to see what is going on over there. I find an extremely large cat, not unlike the one that wakes me up every morning, only bigger. Next are two very excited puppies, begging for belly rubs and all. Last, out comes a very excited Ben……….. not me, but a large black bear named Ben.

I came back once the crowd was gone and spoke to the woman  who had been giving the show. She had been trying to educate the crowd on the animals during her show, and after, allowed people to come through where they were kept and get a closer look. I was curious to know where these beautiful animals had come from? Had they been ripped from the wilderness and sold to the fair?! From the affection she had when handling the animals, I thought not.

I learned that the mountain loins had been born in a zoo that just couldn’t house them. The wolves were found during the aftermath of Katrina by a kennel that didn’t even realize they were wolves. Ben’s mother was shot after a woman made a habit of feeding them and then decided to stop. The bears didn’t seem to think her door was much of an obstacle to get to their meal. These animals are the outcasts. Not able to live in the wild, not so exotic that they get some big fancy glass enclosure at the local zoo, and simply just too much to handle for most average animal rescues. I don’t love the fact that they had to stay in less than ideal cages while on the road, but I’m sure that they have a little more breathing room on their 400 acre ranch in upstate NY. I wish we lived in an ideal world we these animals could run free in the wild, but the reality is, they were too used to humans and when big animals get close to humans they get shot.

I’ve just been thinking about this a lot the fast few weeks and it has left me torn. The animal lover in me feels such empathy for these animals that are so majestic, deserving nothing less than a wild alpine sunset from a mountain top at the end of long day hunting things.

The realist in me see a whole bunch of people who would never have been exposed to or likely even learned much about these animals. If the next generation of up an comings gets to see how truly amazing and powerful these animals are and that they deserve land and space and preservation, from us, hopefully some of it will stick.

Judgements aside, I at least know they are loved.

I know less about the birds, and secretly wanted to untie them all.

These are from the music festival and the fair. Great music and interesting people.

How much do I want to be this guys friend!!

Got to hang out with some fam for a bit down at Castle Island in Southie tonight. There’s nothing like hangin with kids to keep you on your game. They are always down for anything but you gotta be able to keep up.

a good night

I needed to get out today……. and out I got. I haven’t photographed surfing in far too long. It calms me. I can only imagine what it feels like to float like that. I really have to try it. It makes me miss the feeling of floating on powder after a fresh storm, but I’m getting a few seasons ahead of myself.

I love when large groups of people converge with a common purpose and have so much respect for each other. Cheering each other on even though they’ve never met. Yelling from the wall when someone gets an exceptional ride, knowing that feeling flowing through the person who just got the chance to walk on water.  An energy I love, a great day.

cue the lighthouse.

and the Boston backdrop.

this is Matt. Matt’s pretty chill

the world really IS round.

People may talk shit about east coast surfing. I say, any day out is a good day……… but today looked epic.

I photograph my girlfriend pretty often. She’s a good sport about it. She dated me all through photography school so she’s pretty used to it. She had a lot to do with my getting there, so I guess you could say she brought it on herself. I rented a 70-200 (I know, how do I not own one yet) and went out to play.

The Esplanade in Boston is a pretty hard place to take a bad picture ( see below post). Good lens, pretty girl, sunset on a picturesque landscape and a cool bridge. I’m not quite sure I had anything to do with these coming out good, but I’ll surly take the credit.

the bean

the mass ave bridge

I have been talking endlessly about shooting my friend Lance’s car and we never made it happen, until now

Lance  bought his own company and joined the ranks of the self employed, now he has time to come out and play.

Lance’s car scares me in a way I love so much I can’t explain it, It is a 2004 Mustang Cobra with I’m sure a whole bunch of extra stuff to make it even more awesome, that’s just how Lance rolls, the best. When we were done I made Lance take me outand peel the skin back on my face. It’s probably as close as I’ll ever get to what it feels like to get sucked back in your seat in a fighter jet. This thing is awesome!!!

The Cobra Starship

sometimes a misfire ends up looking good, that’s when you take complete creative credit for it and make like you meant for it to happen.

big up the fisheye!

This  feels a little David Lynch’s Lost Highay to me.

The tiny version of this just doesn’t do it justice.

This is one of those pictures for me that I stare at and smile, this exceeded my expectations.

I had a really great time doing this shoot and I really hope to do more soon!!!

Thanks Lance ( and that last one had better end up huge and on your wall!!!!)