Pictured above is Derek Dole, singer for Dead Hearts at a Holiday show in Buffalo, NY. I want to say this was taken in 2004/2005.

Sometime in 2004/2005 I picked up my first digital camera which returned me to photography about four or five years since I last picked up a camera. I had a Sony consumer level digital camera. The DSC-F717. I bought a monstrous wide angle lens and off body flash from B&H which eventually destroyed the camera. Destroying the camera would ultimately set the precedent for my concern to get the shot over the welfare of a equipment. Thank goodness for backup equipment and insurance. 

Going forward in my camera, everything is a stepping-stone. My life 5 months from now will be drastically different from what it is today on a professional level and I couldn’t be happier. This shot and the camera that I took it with was simply the start of something wonderful for my life.

It is hard to say that one certain thing gave me my path of being an aspiring photojournalist. Like any one person’s life, we grow more and more from our everyday experiences. I can say for sure though that the boys in No Trigger were a motivating factor for me working two jobs, beating the hell out of my body to save up some money to buy a damn camera and hit the road with them on tour and to take pictures. This is somewhere in 2006. So if I gotta point fingers at anyone for helping me get involved in my work as much as I do, it would probably be them. It was a blast being down there hanging out as usual and as always looking forward to the next time.

Tommy Brunett & Son at the Record Archive performing for the Fairport Music Festival Check Presentation To Galisano Childrens Hospital.

I had stopped into the Record Archive randomly the other day and heard about this show with Tommy and The Public Market Band. As an aspiring photojournalist I always keep a camera on me at all times as I have no idea when a great opportunity will present itself. Such was the case when Mr. Brunett got on stage along with his son.

All in all another planned, uneventful day turned into something completely random and simply awesome… which is why I love waking up everyday,going headfirst into the unknown.

I have always been an individual in transition or constant motion. To be fair, who isn’t? We are always learning and push ourselves to our goals and dreams. For me that is to push my work to being based on sincere and honest moments. I strive to become a photojournalist. That is who I feel I am as a photographer and what I am striving to do with my work. With that said, every once in a while I will make commitments to do photo work for friends who I know and want images outside of how I aim to proceed in my professional career. I do this to help them out. Although this is not an image that represents how I wish to move forward with my professional career, it is an image I really enjoy because I find it to be a simply wonderful photo and I wanted to share that with people. Let me know what you think. Thanks.

I’ve have had some personal dealings these past few weeks that required my devout attention so getting to publishing work has been at best difficult. What better way to get back into things by publishing photos of the very thing that got me started in photojournalism? Music. I feel bad because I was unable to catch Landmines but the good folks in Mayflower, Gunnar Stahl and Such Gold did not disappoint as always. Enjoy the photos and more work will be coming sooner than later.

personal favorite