Welcome to my Newsletter
Volume I, Number 1
Hey there, friends.
Welcome to the inaugural edition of my newsletter. I spent the better part of the past week trying to figure out if I really wanted to dive into this—and if so, how.
I have a lot of ideas about what I want to share with you. In part because I would love for you to join me on my creative and life journeys. But I also hope that by committing to this I will grow as a person, as an artist, as a friend. And it is a commitment—one that demands accountability from me in order to keep my promise to post regular and meaningful content.
Just Who Am I?
Writing a bio is hard. How do you talk about yourself in a manner that doesn’t seem overly boastful, yet doesn’t make you sound like a bore? So please bear with me as I slog through this.
I’m a photographer, husband, and dad. Those are the three most important things about me, and in no particular order. I’m also a cat dad, a dog grandpa, and co-caretaker for my septuagenarian stepfather, who lives with my wife and me in wonderful Bloomington, Indiana. I work as the managing editor and photo editor for Bloom Magazine, a bi-monthly, upscale culture and lifestyle publication in our city. I have a photo studio across the street from the magazine’s office that I use to shoot portrait, still-life, and food photos. My background is in local newspaper photography and I still enjoy the occasional news and sports assignment—I’m particularly fond of shooting Indiana University athletics when the opportunity arises.
Much of my present work is artistic, conceptual, and fashion portraiture, along with food and product photography. I’m always learning and trying new things, and I hope to share that with you here.
I also intend to write about the other areas of my life, including our travel adventures, my often-failed attempts to be a runner and stay healthy as a new member of the 60+ age group, and about our two cats, littermates/brothers Nola and Loki, who we rescued almost 15 months ago when they were only about four weeks old.
But mostly I intend to write about photography.
And so, here’s a little of this and a little of that to get us going:
What Am I Reading?
I used to read a lot of books. Seldom was any of it earth shattering, but I’ve always enjoyed reading—from the time I learned how. Working as a magazine editor oftentimes diminishes the desire to read in my spare time, but a few months ago I renewed that passion.
Right now I’m reading Avedon: Something Personal by Norma Stevens, the photographer’s longtime personal and executive assistant. It’s a slow read and I’m not usually drawn toward biographies, but I’m working my way through. Richard Avedon’s work has inspired and influenced me (more on that in a later newsletter), so to learn even more about him is fascinating.
I’m also reading and enjoying singer/songwriter/poet/photographer Patti Smith’s latest, A Book of Days. I fell in love with Smith’s writing last fall when I read Just Kids, the 2010 winner of the National Book Award for Nonfiction. The book pulled me in and wouldn’t let go. It centers around her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe, who became one of our generation’s most revered photographers. Smith’s book Year of the Monkey was also good, though not quite as captivating as Just Kids.
Last on my current reading list is Aperture Conversations: 1985 to the Present, a compilation of interviews in Q&A format previously published in Aperture magazine. The interviews are intriguing, though I confess that some of them are difficult to navigate. The depth and breadth of creativity the interviewees possess is overwhelming at times, especially those working in genres and formats that aren’t that interesting to me. But by continuing to push through I will learn things I never expected and be rewarded with the interviews of photographers I’m more familiar with. And what is the challenge of learning if it isn’t a struggle?
What Am I Shooting?
Wintertime is always a slow period for my camera and me, but we are keeping busy when not working on the magazine. I recently shot studio portraits for a local artist who is a clothing designer for the Trashion-Refashion benefit runway show in a few months. All apparel in the show is made from recycled materials (think soda can pop-tops and old dog tags) or repurposed and restyled clothing. The session included three adult female models. One brought her young daughter, who wore her own refashioned clothing, and then donned some by the designer. We had a blast.
I’m also covering a number of Indiana University women’s basketball games. The IU women are 19-1 and are ranked No. 6 in the nation. A couple nights ago they defeated the No. 2 team, Ohio State, in an exciting game before a record crowd of nearly 10,500 people. These women are as much fun to watch as they are to photograph, and I’m looking forward to the rest of a thrilling season. I’ll share a few photos from future games in future newsletters.
Three Things I’m looking Forward To
1. Warm weather—I really hate winter.
2. Concerts—I’m going to see John Mellencamp in a little more than a week when he opens his U.S. tour with a pair of shows here in his adopted hometown. Despite all the times I’ve seen Mellencamp on the street or in a restaurant—I even photographed him briefly in his nearby studio once—I’ve never seen him perform live, so I’m looking forward to checking that off my bucket list. And in March I’m going with my pal Mark to see Bruce Springsteen for the sixth and seventh times—first in Columbus, Ohio, and then later in the month in Greensboro, North Carolina. Yeah, he’s definitely worth the road trips.
3. Traveling—My wife, Linda, and I have a number of trips scheduled for later this year: first to San Francisco and Sacramento, California, in June, and then a cruise to the northern Mediterranean at the end of September and beginning of October. We became “cruise people” with our first sailing adventure last September to the Bahamas. We hope to take at least one cruise a year from here on.
If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading; I hope you enjoyed learning a little about me. If you feel like doing so, I would love for you to share about yourself in the comments—let’s see if we can build a community of friends. And if you’d like to be notified each time I post my newsletter and to receive it in your email inbox, just type your info into the box below, hit the Subscribe button, and let’s make this a thing.
Until next time …
Peace.