7 Tips for Better Smart Phone Photos Many of you probably own a point-and-shoot or even a DSLR, but I’d bet that most of your pictures come from the smart phone tethered to your hip. Anyone can be an iPhoneographer these days, and there is no shortage of tools that allow you to create and share high-quality art. This is the first installment of a two-part series on simple tips for taking better photos. I’ve learned through some research and a lot of trial and error, so I wanted to share the simple tools and tips that have proved useful to me. The most important tip: Experimentation is the best way to create unique and interesting photos. Hopefully this will activate your own creativity and help generate some ideas. To go along with the theme, many of the example photos are taken straight from my Instagram feed. There are tons of talented and creative Instagram photographers, and it’s a place that I go to often looking for inspiration. 1. Appetite for Apps. There is an abundance of photo editing phone apps available beyond Instagram. I use Instagram a lot, but I find it to be limiting in 2 major ways: […] Read More
Exploring Carrie Furnaces During the holiday season I spent some time with my family back in Pittsburgh. The weather in that part of the country hits its stride in early May and is enjoyable into October, but the winters can feel like a six-month purgatory. People spend lots of time inside, passing the time as we wait for longer days and sun. I did catch a break as snow on Christmas night cleared for a rare, crystal blue sky the following day. The occasional clear winter day is usually accompanied by the internal obligation to actually get up and leave the house. So it’s time to venture out. I heard about a cool location nearby that I’d been excited to explore (Thanks Dan). This place was gigantic, old, and deserted. Carrie Furnace is a dormant Braddock steel mill, sitting just east of the city on the bank of the Monongahela River. Carrie Furnace is a former blast furnace that was built in 1884 and operated until 1982. At its peak, the site produced 1,000 to 1,250 tons of iron per day. Steel and Iron produced from Carrie Furnaces were used to construct the Empire State Building as well as the […] Read More
The Time I Fought Frostbite in New York My fingers were about to fall off. They had been out of the gloves for too long. Winter had come early this year, and I definitely didn’t pack warm enough for this cold New York weather. I took this photo during an early November sunset between the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge. I hadn’t seen the sun since I had arrived the day before, but at this moment, I caught a glimpse as it fell behind the buildings. This is what I had been waiting for. Earlier that afternoon, my sister and I walked through Central Park. I was hoping to see bright red leaves, but unfortunately the red had turned to brown. Dead leaves and overcast skies didn’t make for many compelling photos. The conditions in the park weren’t great, but I did get to see this guy entertaining people with his giant bubble-maker-net. We cut our losses and left the park. I had to get over to Brooklyn before sunset. This would mean surviving the subway to make it across the bridge on time. Honestly, I was trying NOT to look like a tourist on this trip, even though I […] Read More
A couple of weeks removed from my first art show, with some time to reflect, I’ve learned a few things: 1. It can be painfully obvious that it is your first show. Apparently, using Easels and Tables in a 10×10 tent display is a rookie red flag. Both take up a large amount of space, reducing the number of people who can be in the booth at one time. Makes sense. I also found out the hard way that easels can blow over in the wind. 2. For inventory, Less is more. I had no idea how much to bring. “Will I sell everything?” , ” Will I sell nothing?” . I guess the only way to answer these questions is to take a guess and hope to come close. My guess was high. At least now I have a benchmark. 3. In regards to customer options, Less is also more. I made a High-end, Low-end, and ‘middle-of-the-road’ option for my centerpiece work. No one liked the ‘middle-of-the-road’. There were too many options. I think I understand the logic now. Those willing to spend want the best quality, not the second best quality. People looking for something small take the […] Read More
Beast Stuff is an upstart company that not only sells clothes, they sell a state of mind. I’d classify the clothing line as ‘Outdoor Active’, but the brand is all about mental focus on achieving one’s goals in life. The idea is abstract, and the brand serves as a reminder to keep challenging yourself every day. On top of all of that, the clothes look and feel great. I had the opportunity to shoot a lot of Beast’s stand alone product for advertising purposes on their website. I also got the chance to organize some live model shoots for the brand and test my creative directive. Here is a shot with Sports Model Elizabeth Sturgis during one of the Beast photo shoots. She was awesome, and a her experience was a huge help for me as a rookie director. This company is just getting up and running, so check them out at http://www.beaststuff.com/ for their product line and other info. Also, Find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BeastStuffInc Read More
Back in June, I met Turrayn Sharpe, the marketing head for Local Loaf Charlotte. Local Loaf is an upstart artisan restaurant that opened its first location in the 7th Street Market in Charlotte, NC.The place has grown over the last few months; and deservedly so because Chef Adam Spears is an artist, and the food is awesome. I met the guys at Local Loaf right before their Grand Opening. Fortunately for me, they had a ton of photographic work that needed to be done, and hadn’t hired a photographer. In the past 3 months I had the opportunity to shoot their Grand Opening, Father’s Day and 4th of July Advertisements, Catering Pamphlets, and will soon photograph their entire menu (once it’s finalized). I’ve added some of my best work to my portfolio working with The Local Loaf on some of these projects. Definitely a mutually beneficial experience. This is still my favorite shot from my work with them. Hungry just looking at it. Be sure to check out the food at the Local Loaf for Breakfast and Lunch all week (especially the incredible brunch on Sat-Sun). Check out their website http://localloafcharlotte.com/ (Yes, that cover photo is one of mine) and their […] Read More
My girlfriend and I decided to go on a weekend getaway to Asheville, NC a couple of weeks ago in February. It happened to be one of the coldest weekends of the year, but we made the trip anyway with intentions of visiting the Biltmore Estate for the first time. The Biltmore is the largest private residence in the country, built by the Vanderbilt family in the mid 1800s. It was also the home in the film “Richie Rich”, which is my personal favorite piece of trivia about the house. We took a tour of the house and the hundreds of rooms inside, but unfortunately, no pictures were allowed. Photos were allowed outside of the house though, and despite the 10 degree wind chills, I was able to capture a few of the house and surrounding landscape. We also found our way into the Biltmore Garden area (the indoor portion thankfully), which was a greenhouse like enclosure. Inside the garden area, I found some exotic looking orchids and other plants that made great subjects. Read More
After 6 months of work, my first commissioned project is finally coming to fruition. The Encore on 7th is in the finishing stages of its design makeover, tied together by the photography that I have been compiling during multiple visits to Pittsburgh. Prints as large as 32×48 are now in frames and behind glass, as seen in the image above. About 20 images were selected by the Encore on 7th management staff from a collection of over 50 that were presented. The Encore on 7th is a luxury apartment complex located in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District Downtown. I’m excited that my work will be on display for all to see in the commercial office of the Encore, and I’m hopeful that this will lead to more work. Read More
My big vacation this year was to travel out west to Arizona (and briefly, Utah), to see the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Antelope Slot Canyons, Sedona Red Rock, and other incredible landscape attractions that the region had to offer. It turned out to be one of the best vacations of my life, and definitely one of the most photographically-friendly trips. The Grand Canyon lived up to the hype as one of the world’s seven wonders. With 10 miles between the north and south rim, and nearly 5000 ft in elevation change between the rim and river, no images can do justice to the view that is absorbed in person. Lake Powell is a man made lake, damming the Colorado River and flooding Glen Canyon, upstream of the Grand Canyon. It’s a popular launch point for adventurers taking a 5-14 day white water rafting trip through the Canyon, which is now on my bucket list. during a sunset boat cruise on Lake Powell, we were able to view the incredible narrow canals of deep blue water surrounded by towering rock cliffs. The Antelope Canyon Slot Canyons (Think James Franco in 127 Hours) have been photographed by National Geographic and actually rest […] Read More
I was recently asked to do my first professional project by a relative of mine, and I really wanted to knock it out of the park. The objective of my project was to capture some architectural images of the city of Pittsburgh to be used as artwork in the lobby and commercial office of a luxury apartment building downtown. The photos needed to be classic black and white, or incorporate touches of cobalt or burgundy (some theme colors that she would be using in the overall design). The timing of this worked out really well for me, as I was planning on being in Pittsburgh for about 10 days in the beginning of September. While I was there, I took a few nights to walk the city near the apartment building, cross the bridges (Pittsburgh has many), and do some other exploring. This featured image is one of my favorite ones from the expedition; one of the last pictures taken, looking at the city from the North Shore (Directly behind PNC Park). The other images that I decided to use can be found on the Portfolios Page in a new Gallery titled, “Pittsburgh”. Read More
