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.

When zombies attack a wedding… good fucking times. Congrats guys.

This was a hell of a wedding. It took place at Gilbert Lake New York State Park. Overcast and raining all day long but just because it looked crummy out did not mean it wasn’t a simply great time. Congrats you two.

(Protester who traveled from San Diego. This is his current home. A tent and sleeping bag.)

(Protesters gathered for the 8pm general assembly)

“Silence is Powerless”

(During general assemblies, individuals would volunteer their time to dictate information given during that particular meeting.)

(at the 3rd week, only independent media and local tv/newspapers were giving regular coverage to the protests at Zucotti park.)

(NYPD officer walking the perimeter of the park.)

(A young women was arrested by NYPD, circumstances of the arrest are unclear.)

( NYPD officers gather after the young woman’s arrest.)

(Living conditions for the many wall street occupants. Food, clothing and shelter have all been donated from various groups.)

Last week I made a trip to see the occupy wall street protests first hand and to get an idea of what this was all about from a first hand account and be able to understand the situation a little better at Zuccotti park in lower Manhattan.

I have been mulling over my experience and my images for nearly a week now, trying to nail down my feelings of what I saw. Getting to the park late on a Sunday did not allow for me to experience the vast numbers of protesters, marches and the large support the group is getting from various groups and unions that we have seen in what coverage of the protests were receiving from various media outlets but it did allow for me to see something truly wonderful and that is the start of a much needed dialogue as to the state of our affairs in this country.

While I had an intended to cover the individual side of this protest, getting to know individuals and their various reasons for being there, it was hard to jump head first into such a story without understanding what I was getting myself into in the first place. The personal story I want to tell has actually been covered extremely well through the blog http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com .

What I did witness despite my brief time in Zucotti park is a strong foundation for what could become one of the greatest social uprisings that this country has seen in several decades. Baby boomers that I spoke to were energetic to see this type of spirit/public outcry brought forth by their children and grandchildren one that their generation carried during the Vietnam-era. Unlike the social movements of the 60’s/70’s that was made up of that generations youth, the current social outrage in lower Manhattan is in the hearts of every individual, regardless of age, education or social background. The common ground here of course is that everyone feels something is wrong with this country and this occupation was a way to get the necessary dialogue started to begin the pathway of change in this country.

That change is not something that will occur within a few weeks as the past four weeks have simply been the beginning. Change takes time and the individuals who occupy wall street are individuals who are in it for the long haul.

And what rain it was today in Rochester! I am always a person who is up for a great storm. Last night and today gave me my fix. It didn’t last as nearly as long as it should have but a simple taste put a smile on my face.

Now the golden rule for any budding photojournalist is to have a camera on them at ALL TIMES. I have a Nikon D7000 and a busted Tokina 12-24mm lens kicking around so I got out there and snapped a few photos in the East Ave/Winton Road area on my way to Record Archive after a quick stop at Beers of The World. I never did make it to the archive but I did wander around a bit, attempting to cross police lines (No permission was granted) and get as close as I could to the submerged vehicles without falling into the brown looking water.

A few folks that I did talk to were stranded and unable to get home, all in all it made for a note worthy couple of hours playing in the rain.

This is Hobbes. A member of my girlfriend Miranda’s family. I was asked to come out and take a few photos of Hobbes being Hobbes. She vowed published images of Hobbes would make me famous, although I greatly disagree, that doesn’t change that fact that for a 6 month year old pup, Hobbes rules. He lives a simple life only most of us can dream of; sleeping, eating, sleeping, being pet, occasional exercise and of course more sleeping. I really need to spend a full on day with Hobbes and not just a few hours to give you the viewer a true idea of what his day is really like because once in a great while, he will go swim, life jacket and all. Enjoy.

I’m not sure where to begin…How can one sum up nearly 81 years of life in just a few photos? I know I can’t but I tried like hell to give it my best. To get to the point, my father passed away on Thursday, July 14th at the age of 80. The cause was dementia, he had it for over ten years and if not longer but not diagnosed. Myself being only 27 years old always had to explain why his father was as close to the same age as most of my friends grandparents. Him being my bus driver from time to time did not make it any easier to pick up dates with the girls who occupied Rush - Henrietta bus 288 as it was a really strange situation to explain, however I can say it was the most dynamic relationship I have ever had in my life. There was an extreme amount of tension and hostility met on both sides. I have joked that we were two strangers who were forced to get along when my mother passed away when I was 18. I saw this man and he saw this kid who he didn’t really know and vice versa. The conflicts were endless and despite it took 27 years, we came to some peace…but it leaves me with mixed feelings if not more uncertainty and questions towards the man.

I don’t speak of uncertainty in how I felt/feel about the man, as I can say for certain, I have no regrets. My mother I have plenty but my father, I have none. I miss my mother everyday, more then I feel words could describe, where as my father I am uncertain. The man wasn’t the easiest person to deal with, and at times it invoked great hostility in me, directed towards him and he had it directed towards me.

As my father began his dramatic decline in health over the course of the past two months and was placed into hospice care, I began to reflect on what impact my father played on my life, good and bad. I feel I can make claims that I am the person I strive to be out of negative interactions with him, but I don’t feel it is a stretch to say that it was his influence that I am a photographer. My mother cemented my role in wanting to help people with my photography but it was my father who laid the foundation for me to find interest in photography…

When I was a child, my father always had a camera with him. Always supporting the local brand, Kodak. He had the Kodak 35mm point and shoot camera along with the film everywhere we went. Fuji was a name never spoken, except out of fear for a dirty look. We went everywhere with a camera as it was his golden rule. He may have not had a professional eye for photography but he enjoyed it none the less. Looking through childhood photos, I can see his signature on many of the frames taken. I’m not exactly sure my older siblings can say the same thing but I wonder if we had the same father despite being the same man?

It was questions like that and many more I tried to ask my father for many years before his passing and to be frank, I never really got any answers and after a while, I stopped expecting any. I enjoyed the ride, for what I could. It took me a long time to say it, but he was my father. He kept a roof over my head and my stomach full of food (for the most part), he let bands play in our garage, shed a tear when I moved to Philadelphia for school, let friends in bands crash upstairs and tried his best to take care of my mother when she was sick and I am thankful for that. He never told me he loved me, but in his own weird way, I think he did, if not with words but by his sporadic actions and harassing phone calls…I think those will be the things I miss the most…

R.I.P.

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.

I am a person who always wants my work to speak for itself. I am not big on being a sales man but rather let people be able to elicit an honest emotional reaction from my work. They can judge from there if they choose to hire me for work or not. Photographing more and more commercial work and weddings makes me look at the process and myself a lot more. I am not only selling the image but the professional experience as well. I am huge on the transparency to the process of things, so here I am in my method of professionalism, climbing a bridge in Binghamton, NY to take engagement photos. There are countless tales of me doing what I need to, to get the shot. I was running, keeping pace with a horse at a wedding, playing in the dirt or climbing waterfalls at another. This particular shoot was unexpected and all I had was a Nikkor 105mm Macro Lens for rental that weekend but none the less, had a great time taking pictures. Next time I roll through I will have to climb a little higher with a wide angle and maybe actual sneakers. Maybe…

I guess Spring time is the first for a lot of things, Dave & Caitlin get engaged, I pick up a camera for the first time in over FOUR MONTHS!! and my first wedding of the year is this Saturday in Boston… Shooting with Dave & Caitlin was great and I can only begin to imagine how much fun their wedding is gonna be. Expect more updates soon, but it is time for bed and leaving Rochester for Boston at 10am sharp! As always…Enjoy.