Livi & Finn

Livi & Finn are two of the cutest kids around. I've been making pictures of Livi since she was just an infant and she's growing up fast. Finn is the newest addition and finally had a chance to snap a few of him while he and Livi were hanging out in the living room. The natural light of the north facing window is always a safe bet for nice soft light.

WANTED: Over the Road Truck Drivers For Photo Projects

Awhile back I had the good fortune of riding along a week at a time with two different over the road truck drivers to document life on the road. It's an interesting subculture that most people don't think much about. It's a solitary life on the road with long days of driving and eating, bathing and sleeping at truck stops. It was really good to spend time with Ric and Rob, and I appreciated them allowing me to ride along and follow them around with my camera. We got some curious looks at the truck stops not to mention the occasional suspicious questioning at drop-off locations. There was some  concern that I was trying to steal company secrets or canvasing a place.  I'm look for more drivers to work with and continue to build my portfolio of images for this personal project. To view images from this project visit my web site www.StickPeopleProductions.com.

International Women's Day

In honor of International Women's Day I thought I would post some images of international women. In my travels, I've observed that women do in fact carry the primary burden of labor and care of family and community. They really deserve more than a day to be recognized.

Alenga, Uganda

Kalej Valley - Darjeeling, India

Local Soul Caliber V Gamers Featured in Isthmus

A couple of weeks ago, I got a call from Isthmus asking if I'd be interested in hanging out at the Ten Pin Bowling Alley in Fitchburg, WI and make some photographs of a group of gamers. At first I was told it was a Saturday night by the photo editor, but found out it was Sunday night instead. Always good to confirm place and time with your point person/subject before showing up at a venue.

 I thought this might be interesting. I've never been much for video games since the old days when I had to put a quarter in a slot at the arcade to play and even then my choices were Pac Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Space Aliens or Tetris. Soul Calibur V is a bit more complicated and they even had Soul Calibur custom control stick. Jimmi Choi is the local organizer of these regular double elimination tournaments and has been doing so for a number of years. It was a nice group of folks and they were very tolerant of me making photos while they were trying to concentrate on the battle at hand.

EAT-RITE Diner - St. Louis, MO

I love diners and greasy spoons. The 24-hour EAT-RITE is my lunch spot while I am in St. Louis each Fall for daycare portraits at Nestle-Purina Child Development Center. It's just a few blocks away and the food is cheap American artery-clogging goodness. The EAT-RITE sits on an island of concrete surround by industrial ugliness in the shadow of the Gateway Arch. It's one of the oldest and last diners of it's kind in St. Louis. It was a doughnut shop before it turned into the EAT-RITE. It's a counter service only place with friendly staff and an eclectic mix of patrons. This particular day, I had my camera with me and asked if I could take some photos. The staff was a little hesitant at first but quickly warmed up and started posing. The next day I brought some prints in for them and they were thrilled...and so was I. It's fun to be able to give back when people aren't expecting it. I'm looking forward to my next visit and the BLT with fries for under $5!

  

This is my life...

Not sure who put this together, but it's been making the rounds on the Internets and thought I would share as well.  

Lon & Todd - Our Lives Magazine

An article in the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of Our Lives Magazine on the life and work of artists/partners Lon Michels and Todd Olson features a couple of photos I made. Lon & Todd are two very generous and creative people who made me feel right at home when I walked in the door of their home and studio in Lodi, WI. Filled with their artwork it's a feast for the eyes. It was an enjoyable afternoon photographing them while they served me a glass of wine and some small snack plate. You can't take the host out of Todd who ran his home as a B&B for many years before he met Lon and they decided to return it back to a private home and art studio.

You can see more of Lon's work at his web site www.lonmichelsart.com.
Read the full article in pdf format at www.ourlivesmadison.com.

Redamte Cafe - Music Venue Featured in Isthmus

The article in Isthmus dropped this week with a story on new music venues in Madison, WI.  Redamte Coffee House was one them and included a couple photos I made for the article.   It's a nice addition to the downtown coffee / music scene housed in the old LaBamba (Burritos as big as your head fame) space.  Warm and inviting and the Daze band playing that night were made up of some quite talented West High School students.   I'd keep an eye on these kids.  They might just have a future in music. 



Tom Klein is on of the owners and music promoters at Redamte. He also runs his own music promotion company called TKG Music Group. Check out his web site www.tkgmusicgroup.com listing all the great music he's booking around town.


You can view the rest of the photos from this event here and the Isthmus article is here.

In Orlando for a Photo Shoot and Luvin' the Sun!

I arrived in Orlando, FL on Saturday to document the national conference of Families and Schools Together.  I'm staying with a family in Celebration, a Disney planned new urbanism development to replicate the old walkable towns in the U.S. before the car became king.   I'm excited to hang with the folks at the conference as well as enjoying the warm sunshine.   A nice break from the frozen tundra of Wisconsin.

The Longest Night Of The Year

Every winter solstice the Friends of Starkweather Creek start a bunch of wood on fire in Madison's Olbrich Park and celebrate the gradual return of sunlight. At the end of the event, paper hot air balloons are launched into the night sky. They say it's safe, and it's rather magical as they float out of sight. Ironically, the star in the middle stays close to the ground.

Happy Solstice!

Help-Portrait Photo Distribution at The River

This evening with some fellow photographers, I went to The River Food Pantry to help hand out the portraits we made for the Help-Portrait project.   It was wonderful to see the reactions and heard the stories of the recipients.  One gentleman was so thrilled that he was going to have a Christmas gift for his girlfriend living several states away.  

It was also sobering to see the large number of people who had come for a meal and get food from the pantry.  The River is an amazing resource for people in need during these tough economic times and can always use the support of donors and volunteers. 

Mike & Annie - Post Wedding Engagement Portraits

When Mike decided to propose to Annie, he picked their favorite spot in Madison, Observatory Hill on the UW Campus.  It is one of the more beautiful views in the city overlooking Lake Mendota a Pick Point.   On their wedding day, they had planned to come back to spot where they were engaged for photos.   Unfortunately, due to a scheduling error with the limo service and it being a UW Badgers game day, they didn't have the time to do it.   So Mike's sister-in-law asked me if I'd be willing to do some post wedding portraits of them, which we did a couple weeks later on a beautiful Fall day.

Jimi - Needle Exchange & HIV Prevention Specialist

Since 2006,  Jimmi and the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW) have been doing overdose prevention training and Naloxone distribution. Naloxone temporarily blocks the opiate receptors in the brain, allowing for the overdose period to pass. It is what EMT's carry in case of an opiate (heroin, morphine, oxycodone. etc..) overdose. Since beginning of the program, there have been 581 reported overdose saves from individual's using the Naloxone (brand name Narcan) to save their friends. There have been 102 lives saved in just the first 6 months of 2011 alone. By giving the drug users Naloxone and training on its use, it saves lives, time and money.

Needle exchange is also an important aspect to saving lives and reducing the spread of blood borne diseases such as Hepatitis and HIV from sharing of dirty needles with other users. James also distributes safer sex packets and harm reduction kits to further reduce the spread of HIV and other STIs. Many believe that providing this type of service promotes continued drug use and risky behavior, but given their addiction, a user will find ways to use whether they have access to clean needles or not. The benefit is lives saved, reduced spread of HIV and other STIs, reduced medical costs and burden on public services.