Handsome Gentlemen

The Anticipation of Tyler Austin Parker

Business Headshots

Kortnee, Amai Sweets

Jodi Graham, Keune

The Presumption of Alex Bruce

 A few years ago, I exhibited several years worth of work in my independent show, Pro:gress=ion. Over a hundred pieces were displayed to tell a story about where creativity comes from. Within the larger story, many other narratives were taking place as photos shot of specific models.

 One of the first people to sign up to help me with my work was Alex, as host at local restaurant. We got together to tell a story about a person who tries to fit in with trends and styles while also trying to find out who he is. Along the way, he nearly splits into two people- one person in public, and one person in private. Eventually, one wins out through an act of divine intervention.

 These photos are a small sample of what was produced during our shoot on September 11th, 2004.

More Favorite People

 In July of 2002, I said something corny. I can't remember what, but I was overheard. Thinking I would be fun to hang out with, the woman who overheard me invited me to hang out that night. I took her up on her offer, and in the following twelve hours, we caused so much havoc and gathered enough dirt on each other to last for the rest of our lives. If the subsequent transpirings of our outing were ever made public, she and I would more than likely suffer personal, professional, and financial ruin.

 That's how Tiffany Glover and I became best friends. We are steadfast in preserving the nature of our bond, yet we make honest attempts at reliving our fateful meeting.

 It has been a longtime since I promised that if she ever got married, I would be her photographer, pro-bono. When I made that commitment, she was single with no prospects so the offer was low-risk. Then she met Tony. Then they moved in together. Then he proposed. Then Tiffany remembered that I had volunteered my services. In October of 2008, I shot her engagement photos and added their daughter, Kendra in for their first photos as a family.

Shantel and Dan's Matrimony

 These photos are about as old as my first camera, but they remain as some of my favorites. Dan and Shantel were married here in Cedar Rapids, but currently reside in California along with their two cats. They are also some of my favorite people.

Much Thanks

 I cannot do what I do alone. When I am at work, I have a great deal of support and help from my friend, Cheryl. Not only is she a constant source of tips and advice...

but there is also a certain value that comes with having someone around who will look at you like you've just shit on the rug when you need to be kept in line.

Recessive Red Heads

 This is just another round of photos from work. They're not very recent, but I think they all came out pretty well, especially considering the ratio of children to adults to pregnancies to grandparents. As with all the work shots, everyone is lit with one fill and one main flash always the same distance away, but the background light was placed in a different location in each shot. I'm still deciding which position I like best. I will keep you posted, as I am sure you are riveted.

Tony's Negronis

 Those who know me understand that my range of passion lays not only with photography. Among my key loves is also the art of the libation.

 Cocktail making enjoyed it's world-wide heyday in the early 1900's, but died off quickly in American during prohibition. America has had difficulty recovering from the stunt in it's growth. While the world was developing caipirinhas, toddys and slings, we remained stuck in the dark ages knocking back whiskey-colas and watered down cranberry and vodaks that are drink lost staples still today.

 Proud, modern day revolutionaries armed with bar-backs and a general disregard for flavorless vodka and overly sugared colas have been working to populate our iPhone cocktail app with innovative drinks using spirits infused with herbs and vegetables that are relocated to our neighborhood specialty co-op importers. As with the surgence of wine aficianados and and sweet white wine lovers, equal attention is now being paid to the 80 proof spirit.

 I have turned my vocational attention to photography as of late, but my desire to share my libidinal knowledge still yearns. Enjoy my intermitten booze-soaked posts that will be following, and please allow me to begin sharing my knowledge on the topic of my favourite drink: the Negroni.

NEGRONI

Often credited as being the first cocktail, the recipe for the drink, then called the Antico Negroni didn't actually appear until 1919. In 1947, it began appearing in English cocktail guides.

1 part gin

1 part sweet vermouth

1 part Campari

Served appropriately up or on the rocks, this is certainly a pucker-inducing bitter cocktail that doe snot lack flavor.

While Gin and Vermouth are fairly common, even seasoned drinkers that I meet say Camp-a-what? To enlighten, Campari is an Italian apertif (20-28% alcohol by volume and country) that is also classified as a bitter (see angostura). 

Among it's sixty herbal ingredients is the compound Carmine, from which Campari derives it's color. Carmine is produced by drying the cochineal insect and boiling the carass to extract the carminic acid which is combined with cream of tartar. Before you recoil in fear and discust and deprive yourself of what is truly one of the most satisfying cocktails ever invented, the same carmine is also used in ice cream, yougurt, candy eye shadow, lipstick, and, when combined with cinnabar to give color to red velvet cake.

Variation on the drink include the addition of 1 part orange juice (Negroni Zimbabwe), the substitution of vodka for gin (Negroski) and the substitution of sparkling wine for gin (Negroni Sbagliato).

Madge Madness

It is absolutely no secret that I adore Madonna. She is not an amazing singer, although her dancing is pretty top shelf. She is calculating, and always a fan of publicity stunts. What I love about her, though, is that she is an incorrigible appropriator. That is, she will take ideas from all obscure cultures, religious sub-sects, underground sex clubs, and all other diversions and bring them together into an audio/visual presentation / concert / marketing strategy, make it mainstream, and make herself rich and famous off of her product.

Just recently, she took her show on the road again with her Sticky and Sweet Tour. Heavy on musical selections from her recent album, Hard Candy and peppered with past poppy pulses, M managed to assemble an entertaining musical production that referenced high tech video games, Romanian gypsies, the birth of hip-hop break dancing, and the pseudo-rave Japanese party scene, all while keeping the narrative cohesive.

Josh and I met up with the tour in Chicago on October 29th and managed to sneak my DSLR and telephoto lens past security. These photos made the risk worth my while.

Cheesecake

Product shots for Amai Sweets which is run by my friend, Kortnee.

Weekly Assignment