ugly room, lots of clutter, and a man

when i arrived to shoot a portrait of city commissioner anthony sanders i walked into a photographers worst nightmare (mr. sanders is the former president of a community organization that helps the less fortunate, and the publication i was shooting for was doing a story on how he and the city were in a battle over his property). the room was small, ugly, and HAD to be shown for the purposes of the story. i spent a good half an hour racking my brain trying to come up with a way that made what i had in front of me work for the photo. i checked every nook and cranny of the two room building searching for a spot that made sense. i even went outside, but due to rain that was a no go. i did what i could, and the publication liked the images.



in the end i guess sometimes you do what you can and hope that your hard work pays off.



sometimes the satisfaction is found in trying to overcome all of the hurdles while knowing that you did your best, and not in making the best image you have ever made.

challenges are fun!

is there a grimard in the building???

marriage...marriage is what brings us together today. marriage that blessed arrangment, that dream within a dream (said in my best princess bride voice ofcourse).

my sister in law got married. i, ofcourse, was "forced" (said jokingly) to be the wedding photographer.

after many many drinks, a lot of laughs, and a few tears jamie leo and jason grimard are now hitched.

congrats guys!!!!

the boots with the fur

hoochies, high cars, and malt liquor. that's what filled two days of my life on the set of atlantic records artist "flo rida" videos "right round" and "shone".



there is a lot of hurry up and waiting on video sets. grips buzz around like army ants getting everything in place, only to be told by the director that the light they just spent an hour meticulously placing needs to be moved a foot to the right. so the process begins again as i wait some more.



many trips are made to the little cart that is filled with sugary goodness. blow pops, laffy taffy, bubble gum, and various chocolates bring out the little boy in me, and put me into a sugar high only my mother has experienced. after filling up up on candy, i have some coffee, and a heart attack.



then just maybe the wait is over and i can shoot some images before lunch.



in the end it is a really long day that is a lot of fun. flo is a nice guy who is great to work with, and the crew is always filled with characters that make the day go quickly.

what a wonderful machine

i am now officially partnered with wonderful machine they are an upcoming firm that allows clients of all shapes and sizes to search for the right photographer to fit their needs. so if you are in the market check them out. tell them i sent ya ;)

here's to great things to come.

the march version of my monthly newsletter is up for all to view. it details some of my recent shoots, as well as a farewell to my grandpa

feel free to take a look, and sign up to receive an email version of the newsletter each month.

keep your eyes open for next month's version!

mmmm bbq

dirty jokes, great stories, amazing bbq, and don king. add these together and what do you get? only one of the best assignments i have had in recent memory!!



my task was to go to the king home and make portraits of him for a story previewing a fight he was promoting. i had no idea what to expect from the shoot, but i kinda had a feeling that it was gonna be a crazy day when i had heard that king had bought his neighbors house after the neighbor complained about the smell of bbq always emanating from king's home. i thought i might get about 5 minutes to make his picture and then he would ask me to leave, boy was i way off. first he gave us the tour of his home, showing all the images he had with every fighter he had ever come in contact with, then he had his guys make the most amazing bbq i have ever had. it was a huge spread. ribs, sausage, chicken, you name it it was on the table. then he sat for a portrait. he was very nice, allowing me about 10 minutes or so per sitting.



i must say that he made my month. really great guy and a hilarious story teller. if you ever meet him ask him to tell you about the asian men that pull boulders with their manhood and how that relates to business. it his words....it takes balls to make money.



priceless!!!!!