Blast from the Past: 2002 On March 2011, speaking at Monteverde Academy brought back so many memories of my high school days, and how I dreamed about becoming a photographer one day.  Almost 9 years later, here I finally am! Below is a picture of me winning, in 2002, the Gold Key Award and American Visions Nominations my photograph of the Florida Everglades, titled ‘Celestia’.  Next to me is my Deerfield Beach High School...

      During my off times in the year, I shoot weddings and commercial jobs to keep my photography skill as well-rounded and multidimensional as possible.  Shooting in the ‘strobist’ style (small remote triggered flashes), for instance, forces me to carefully analyze artificial directional lighting, which in turn helps me understand natural lighting better.  For instance, using rim, hair, and back lighting on a...

Photography is a careful and balanced blend between the technical and the creative.  Like many modern digital photographers, I fell victim to endless online reviews and comparisons of cameras and lenses, which skewed my focus, more and more, toward the technical theory instead of my own creative vision.  However, last summer, I completely changed gears. I began this article last summer and left in in draft status, but have updated it and...

  Buddy Verderber, in only his first few triathlons, is quickly climbing the ranks; he’s already listed in the top 20 in his age group for the USA!  He came to me a few months back for several unique photos to provide to his sponsors.  This provided an interesting challenge, as athlete portraits have a pretty distinct look about them, especially male athletic portraits. While I generally stick to a more classic look, I went...

Shooting models, family’s, and weddings has started to make my portfolio look a little to soft and cuddly lately. Now comes in the tough guy shoot at an abandoned warehouse nearby my home. Kayla Hernandez, one of my favorite people to shoot with, introduced me to the concept of a GOYA (Get Off You Ass) shoot. We as photographers get scatterbrained in our fun time for shooting, and end up shooting the same crap again and again. Kayla...

SLAM Magazine, along with a recent infrared modeling shoot, have together shifted my thoughts of modeling photography.  I must admit that I had avoided modeling work for some time, which can feel more like production and less like art.  Either you are highly technical with your lighting setup, or your know a lot of Photoshop gimmicks and trickery; or perhaps both.  Rarely does anyone do a modeling shoot without an after-thought...