Semajay Thomas for The Chicago Tribune

Last month I was commissioned to photograph up-and-coming boxer Semajay Thomas for the Chicago Tribune. Thomas was in Houston training for a fight the following Monday. Thomas, a 21-year-old boxer from West Town (Chicago) with a highly decorated amateur career, finally is well positioned and well supported for a successful professional career three and a half years after being acquitted of a first-degree murder charge that resulted from an incident he actually had no part of.

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2014 Houston Art Car Parade

260 creative cars and over 315,000 spectators set the festive tone for this years Houston Art Car parade, which I covered for the Houston Chronicle last weekend. Below is one of my more favorite frames. Low-riders are the original art cars: meticulously designed, passionately created, and just all-around cool.

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Dross into gold

Photo of the Day: Sometimes if you hang around a press conference long enough, a real moment will happen. Ten minutes following a press conference where Houston mayor Annise Parker announced the plans for the Freedom Over Texas Fourth of July event, some of the young actors broke away to a nearby swing set to exercise their freedom to swing.

 

"Reece Tanig, 6, left, Bianca Bolanos, 10, and Kaylee Tanig, 9 — dressed as Benjamin Franklin, Uncle Sam and Betsy Ross — hit the swings Monday at Sam Houston Park after helping Mayor Annise Parker unveil plans for Houston’s official Fourth of July celebration, Southwest Airlines Freedom Over Texas, which will include fireworks and a performance by Jennifer Nettles."

Throwback Thursday: Arcade Fire, Spike Jonze and the filming of "Scenes From The Suburbs"

In the spirit of Throwback Thursday, I've assembled an edit of some of my favorite photos from the production of the Arcade Fire/Spike Jonze short film "Scenes From the Suburbs," shot in the summer of 2010 in Austin, Texas. Currently Arcade Fire is touring full force for their latest release "Reflektor," a killer double album and true Gesamtkunstwerk. I've been lucky enough to photograph for Arcade Fire a number of times since then and am looking forward to seeing them play in Win and Will Butler's hometown of Houston next week.

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Day One

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

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Day Two

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

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Day Three

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

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Day Four

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

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Day Five

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Behind the scenes of "Scenes From the Suburbs," by Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire, Austin, Texas, April, 2010.

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for Houstonia Magazine

In March 2013, I was commissioned to shoot the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for a fledgling magazine that was set to launch in Houston called "Houstonia." They knew ahead of time they needed images and stories from the 2013 rodeo for their first rodeo issue in 2014. Needless to say, I was very happy to discover a year later that one of my images from the saddle bronc competition was used for the cover. Yee-haw!

Outplacement services for The Wall Street Journal

Last month, I photographed Houston resident Johnny Burchett for The Wall Street Journal for a story on outplacement services, which are sometimes offered to former employees after they're laid off. According to the story, outplacement services are now "under pressure". I was asked to photograph Mr. Burchett in his home office. Once that was finished, I noticed a very comfy bird's nest chair by a window. I'm very happy the WSJ chose a more non-literal image to run with the story.

University of Houston grad student protestors for the Chronicle of Higher Education

A shoot I recently completed for the Chronicle of Higher Education. Grad students at the University of Houston had a sit-in in the president's office last April. Ashley Wurzbacher, Kay Cosgrove and Jameelah Lang, PhD students in creative writing, were some of the participants who organized a sit-in at the University of Houston last April that led to a big increase – 55 percent – in PhD stipend amounts in the English department. Being anxious and wanting to employ a bit of stealth during the sit-in, the students used the stairwell, where they are posing, to get to the president's office rather than use the elevator. Link to story here.

Tom Bastian for Fortune Magazine

A couple of months ago, I was fortunate to complete my first assignment for Fortune Magazine. The assignment was to photograph Tom Bastian, who manages the Invesco Equity and Income Fund. 

I had great backend support from a photo editor at Fortune, Michele Taylor. We discussed options and even location snaps I made before the shoot. It was great knowing that at least the background environments were approved before I even began. We shot in what is probably the biggest boardroom I've ever seen but in the end, went with a couch on the periphery that had a nice, mirrored grid as a background, courtesy of the building next door.

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Tom Bastian in the Invesco Houston office.

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Digital tear sheet from Fortune Magazine.

Shooting at LAX

Last Friday, I was at Los Angeles International airport to fly back to Houston after a two-week dream assignment following and photographing an internationally popular rock band (blog post TBD). The show the prior night was insanely good, plus it was Halloween. With two weeks of travel and shooting behind me and three hours of sleep the night before, I was looking forward to chilling out, reading and dozing on my way back home. As I waited at my gate, a group of TSA agents walked into the area, calmly, and announced we were to evacuate the terminal. 

My first thought was that there must have been a fire alarm somewhere. However, I didn't hear or see any alarms. Once on the tarmac, I noticed three news helicopters hovering above the airport and knew that something bad had probably gone down. I later discovered a man, Paul Anthony Ciancia, had shot a TSA officer and wounded many others. He was eventually shot and transported to a hospital.

Meanwhile, myself and my fellow passengers were escorted onto the tarmac and eventually moved to an international terminal to wait until the airport was cleared. I moved a couple of photos to twitter, not really expecting the deluge that followed - lots of retweeting and requests from news organizations for licensing permission. One of my panoramic images was used on Fox News and countless other websites.

 Although my professional gear was packed away, I knew it was only a matter of time that I would be compelled to break it out and put on my photojournalist hat. I ended up shooting some exclusive photos for one of my best clients, the Houston Chronicle.

We stayed in the international terminal for what felt like forever, but in actuality was only a few hours. I eventually made it home at 1am the following morning.

A longer edit of the images can be seen here.

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Passengers wait outside terminal one of the Los Angeles International airport eventually being moved to the international terminal following a shooting in terminal three Nov. 1, 2013 in Los Angeles, CA.

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Shepherd Smith uses one of my twitter photos on his breaking newscast.

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Time to get on the bus.

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Where we ended up for a few hours.

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Another view of the terminal where we were sent.

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A good time for a carpet nap.

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Thank you for visiting Los Angeles.

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Places to charge one's device were at a premium. Here people use the USB ports behind monitors over the gate desks.

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Los Angeles firemen dumped boxes of food on the carpet...

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 …which was promptly and quickly scooped up by passengers.

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Water was wheeled through to wash down the snacks.

A police officer speaks to Riccardo Angiolini, 16, center, who witnessed the shooting.

Passengers were eventually released. The volume was huge, so many passengers walked in the street.

Francisco Sanchez for Emergency Management magazine

In the United States' fourth largest city, emergency management is crucial. Emergency Management magazine recently published a profile on Francisco Sanchez, the liaison for Harris County Homeland Security and Emergency Management.  Having shot at the TranStar facility before, I already knew what the interior looked like and what to expect. Wanting to do something different, I suggested we go to the roof of the building. I saw a nice bank of clouds from an approaching cold front I knew would make a good foreboding background, and my gut was telling me the roof was likely filled with antennas, which it was. Having been photographed many times before, Francisco told me this was the first time anyone had suggested photographing on the roof. Once I knew I had a decent shot, I showed him the back of the camera and he was as pleased as I was.

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Tearsheet from Emergency Management magazine

Protest blocks Houston freeway in response to Trayvon Martin verdict

I don't typically post protest photos, simply because often times, it's just people standing around holding signs - not exactly exciting stuff. Yesterday, however, offered something I've never experienced in my career: a crowd of hundreds, expressing their frustration at the Trayvon Martin verdict, marched and then shut down a major Houston freeway for about 15 minutes or so. Interestingly, the police never really showed up en masse. A couple of squad cars arrived and parked on the overpass, but in the end, a rainstorm blew in and with it, the demonstration was over.

Photographing Carla Lane for Ebony Magazine

I had the recent pleasure of photographing self-made millionaire Carla Lane, who started and operates her own staffing agency in Houston, for Ebony magazine. The idea put forth by the photo editor (Dudley Brooks, formerly of the Washington Post, no less) was to show the subject with whatever it happened to be the subject's favorite thing to spend their money on. In Carla's case, it was a massive designer shoe collection. She was very accommodating, allowing me to take a large portion of her shoe collection, arrange it in her foyer, and then have her lie down on the floor.

Photographing Jinneh Dyson for the Washington Post

For a story about mental health in African-American communities, I was assigned by the Washington Post to photograph Jinneh Dyson. Dyson, currently a senior manager for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, used to suffer from depression. You can read the story in the Post here. 

2013 NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits for The New York Times

Billboards started popping up around Houston about a month or so ago proclaiming 9 acres of guns and related paraphernalia would be at the George R. Brown Center courtesy of the National Rifle Association's annual shindig. I contacted a few regular clients to see how they were set for coverage and I had a positive response from The New York Times for three days of coverage, Thursday through Saturday.
 
It was an enchanting experience to say the least. Every kind of configuration of gun was to be had - big guns, little guns, short and long. There was also a litany of conservative speakers that required coverage for most of Friday touting the threat of gun seizure and a constant barrage of demonizing the media. The paradox, of course, is that they were more than happy and accommodating to have us there to cover their events and speakers. If they hate us so much, why invite us in the first place? I suppose a party just isn't festive unless someone brings the piñata. 

The coup de grace was during my coverage of the protest across the street. A man walked quickly past, took one look at my credential, pointed his finger at me and stated "You're the enemy!"  I suppose in his eyes I was, even though he was more interested in name-calling than in actual dialogue. As I tried to engage him, he just kept double-timing it back to his car, evil media insulted, mission accomplished.
 

The New York Times story is here. 

Visitors stroll through the 2013 National Rifle Association Meeting and Exhibits May 3, 2013 in Houston.

Kurt House, of San Antonio, TX, stands before his collection of factory engraved Colt pistols at the 2013 National Rifle Association Meeting and Exhibits May 2, 2013 in Houston. Factory engraved pistols are very rare and each one is worth about $50,000 by House's estimate. House is displaying his pistols with the Ohio Gun Collectors Association at the event.

Attendees look at semi-automatic handguns at the 2013 National Rifle Association Meeting and Exhibits May 4, 2013 in Houston.

Philip and Kitty Cox, of Memphis , TN, left, and John and Linda Kimble, of Denver, CO, practice handgun retention techniques during a workshop at the 2013 National Rifle Association Meeting and Exhibits May 4, 2013 in Houston.

A worker helps set up the Crimson Trace booth at the 2013 National Rifle Association Meeting and Exhibits May 2, 2013 in Houston. Crimson Trace manufactures laser sights in both red and green.

Attendees look at AR15 rifles at the 2013 National Rifle Association Meeting and Exhibits May 4, 2013 in Houston.

NRA vice president Wayne LaPierre speaks during the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum at the 2013 National Rifle Association Meeting and Exhibits May 3, 2013 in Houston.

A member of the audience waves the Gadsden flag during the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum at the 2013 National Rifle Association Meeting and Exhibits May 3, 2013 in Houston.

David Goodrum, left, and brother Matt, look at SAR semi automatic home defense 12 gauge shotguns at the 2013 National Rifle Association Meeting and Exhibits May 4, 2013 in Houston.

The audience listens during the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum at the 2013 National Rifle Association Meeting and Exhibits May 3, 2013 in Houston.

Jerry Wehner, of Rising Sun, IN, waits for the beginning of the annual meeting of members at the 2013 National Rifle Association Meeting and Exhibits May 4, 2013 in Houston.

Jackie Love, with Winchester Repeating Arms, threads a security cable through over/under shotguns at the 2013 National Rifle Association Meeting and Exhibits May 2, 2013 in Houston.

Vianne Euresti, left, and Jack Dougherty, of Tactical Rifles, looks down the sight of a M-4 at the 2013 National Rifle Association Meeting and Exhibits May 3, 2013 in Houston.

NRA vice president Wayne LaPierre speaks during the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum at the 2013 National Rifle Association Meeting and Exhibits May 3, 2013 in Houston.

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin speaks during the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum at the 2013 National Rifle Association Meeting and Exhibits May 3, 2013 in Houston.

Visitors check out the Wall of Guns, where visitors can purchase a chance to win a firearm at the 2013 National Rifle Association Meeting and Exhibits May 3, 2013 in Houston.

Volunteers sight air rifles at the Pyramyd Air air gun indoor shooting range at the 2013 National Rifle Association Meeting and Exhibits May 2, 2013 in Houston. Instructors were available for those willing to pay the $1.00 fee for five shots.

A poster of Charlton Heston, along with other celebrity members, hangs in the George R. Brown Center at the 2013 National Rifle Association Meeting and Exhibits May 2, 2013 in Houston.

Air sax with the University of Houston's Spirit of Houston Marching Band

A cute shot from this past weekend for the Houston Chronicle: Tyler Reed, 11, pantomimes playing saxophone along with the University of Houston's Spirit of Houston Marching Band as they play April 20, 2013 in Houston at Discovery Green. The University of Houston's Spirit of Houston Marching Band played a four-hour performance. They performed a work titled "En Masse" by composer Daniel Bernard Roumain, who is doing a two-year residency at UH's Mitchell Center for the Arts. Saturday's concert featured about 150 members of the band as well as Roumain, who plays the violin.[gallery link="file"]

Dr. Jeffery Brown for The Wall Street Journal

My most recent shoot for The Wall Street Journal was for a story about a Houston endocrinologist who specializes in helping athletes optimize their hormone levels. The story behind this shoot is at first harrowing. I typically arrive early to very early for shoots. I like to be prepared by having time to scout and figure out a strategy for making the best images. I remember the weather was absolutely beautiful and I was to meet Dr. Brown at his office at 4:15pm. Unfortunately, Houston traffic can be quite capricious. Even after leaving for the assignment early, I sat in traffic for almost an hour and a half, arriving at the shoot almost 45 minutes behind schedule. Thankfully, Dr. Brown was a very gracious host and a very giving subject. Things actually worked out for the best - there were no patients in the office to work around and Dr. Brown was willing to go anywhere or do anything. Conversation was lively and he even shared a delicious piece of his chocolate covered matzo from a recent Passover Sedar. Another happy accident about being tardy to the assignment was that the angle of the sun started to get low enough to pull off the first photo, my favorite of the take. There's no artificial light, just a gold reflector on a stand. Sometimes things work out for the best. The Journal ended up using the second photo, likely because it illustrates most succinctly Dr. Brown's relationship with Olympic track star Carl Lewis.  

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Golf Business Magazine cover shoot

Last month I had the opportunity to shoot for a trade magazine, Golf Business magazine. The art director told me they consider the book more of a business magazine than a golf magazine and that I should treat the shoot as such. I photographed the general manager of Moody Gardens Golf Course Bill Pushak. We tried a few different locations around the course, but finally settled on a grey and black runway strip of tile in the banquet hall. It had a nice pattern, offered plenty of room to work with and would make an interesting background (not to mention winds were gusting up to 30 mph on the course, making things really tricky for outdoor lighting). I'm really impressed with how they incorporated the tiles into the headline of the article – "Blurred Lines: In Pricing, Nothing's Simply Black or White".

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On Assignment: Dynegy CEO Robert Flexon for The Wall Street Journal

My photo of Dynegy CEO Robert Flexon as the centerpiece in the March 13, 2013 edition of The Wall Street Journal's Marketplace section!

On Assignment: Bloodless Lung Transplant for The New York Times

Beginning in October of 2012, I started shooting a story for The New York Times of a woman who needed a lung transplant. The only caveat was that as a Jehovah's Witness, she was not allowed to receive transfused blood products as part of the procedure. While "bloodless" transplants are common enough, the first one being done in the mid-1990's, they can actually be considered a better bet for the patient since there can be less complications in recovery since it's one less factor to worry about before, during and after surgery. The first two assignments were easy enough as far as meeting and photographing the subject, Georgia resident Rebecca Tomczak, as she went through a complete diagnostic battery of tests and also a through a day in her life as she stayed with a host Jehovah's Witness family and a brief visit to a potential apartment complex she was thinking about moving into. The last part of the assignment, being ready when a donor organ was available, was more of a challenge. The call finally came January 30, 2013 from the reporter, Kevin Sack, to tell me an organ had been found and would be delivered to Houston as soon as possible. After speaking with the public affairs person at Methodist Hospital, it was decided it would be best if I got to the hospital at 4am to be ready for surgery. Once things were in place, the surgery seemed to move along quicker than I expected, less than half a day. Meanwhile, I was able to witness the miracle of organ transplantation from a front row seat in the operating room. 

On Assignment: Central Unit Prison Complex for The Wall Street Journal

I had to opportunity to tour a prison recently for The Wall Street Journal. I went to the Central Unit, a prison farm complex in Sugar Land, Texas that has been decommissioned. You can check out the slideshow here. A couple of my favorite photos are below. Even after being gutted, the place still had a menace to it. It wasn't any place I'd want to spend any part of my life in. Texas prisons don't have air conditioning and the place was infested with mold. With crime dropping, fewer tough-on-drugs laws that incarcerate non-violent offenders and less harsh sentences, the prison boom has begun to fizzle out.  

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