Light in a Box

Sarah's Guinness is nothing more than a froth covered pint glass when our waitress asks if we'd like another round. The musician for the evening was an elderly man with a guitar and terrific stage presence. His charisma was turning the few Sunday night bar goers into a rowdy bunch. He sang a number of Irish folk songs that were broke up with hilarious toasts for a room of raised glasses. We tried to sing along with the words he taught us but would end up laughing when he'd scold the room for messing up. As he took the stage again, wrapping up intermission, there was no question another beer was in order. After the show, Sarah and I stumbled back up the cobblestone roads feeling drunker than two beers had ever made us. Our last night in town and we'd found a temporary getaway to Ireland from, of all places, Savannah, Georgia. Strolling along River Street to the buzz of street lights warming up, we were at the mercy of the night. We had just finished a wonderful dinner ...

Wanted: unbiased critic. Ideal candidate must have an artistic eye with experience in photography preferably in the landscape field. You will be tasked with reviewing my work and producing a critique that will push my creative talents while finding a happy median between ego grooming and making me cry. Think you have what it takes? Apply today! All of the critics in my life are either family or friends, few are artists, and none of them see a fault in my work. Sarah gets the most exposure to my work and has yet to find something wrong with a photograph. I view my work much differently, I see maybe, maybe, a handful of solid images in my portfolio. I've started listening to a few photography related podcasts while working at my full time job. On one show the host was interviewing a writer who was describing his journey. The writer watched his friends take off while he struggled to get off the ground. The problem, as he describes it, was the standard for which he held his work. H...

Growing pains are the constant reminder that life's not easy, also the TV show that introduced us to Leonardo DiCaprio. The disruption of progress they cause ties a negative connotation to the term though they often lead to a growth of wisdom. I'm traveling down a path guided by my own intuition and occasional dumb luck. I wish my degree had included a how to course for landing on your feet but instead I was jettisoned into the real world with a piece of paper to shake at people. For two years I've been battling through growing pains, and that's not counting the two years I lost after graduation trying to find my barrings. My dream is to travel the world and take pictures, but I want to share more than the destinations, I want to share my journey. Like I said before, there wasn't exactly a course for doing what I'm attempting to do. There have been a lot of learning experiences already and plenty more to come and I want to share them all with you as they do....

Ireland was my first exposure to a foreign culture. The only other time I'd traveled beyond the U.S. border was into Canada. Coming from Wisconsin, a fishing trip in Canada wasn't exactly a diverse experience. So I had no idea how different life could be, Ireland would open my eyes to an entirely new way of living. There are vast differences between Ireland and the United States and perhaps I'll do a full write up of my time there soon. For now let's focus on the story behind "Knocking on Heaven's Door". I don't believe this photo would have been possible had the friary been located in the States. I chalk it up to either a different degree of respect for the general populous or an overall lack of trust. "Knocking on Heaven's Door" was captured in Muckross Abbey, part of Killarney National Park. The abbey was built in the 15th century and the burial ground surrounding it is still in use. The structure has been kept in good condition,...

4 o'clock in the morning and I'm sitting up in the bed of our hotel room in Basalt, Colorado. Sarah and I had planned on getting up early, just not this early. My phone had woken me up, but it wasn't the alarm I had set. Now I was staring at the wall trying to make sense of it all. I'd heard the words that were said, I felt the heartbreak on the other end and it paralyzed me. The only thing moving in that hotel room at 4:00am was my mind replaying the conversation, struggling to comprehend the words I'd heard. Morning found a way into our room and the wall hadn't moved, nothing had. Sarah clung to me, tears still in her eyes, I felt her warmth but beyond her the world had gone cold. A friend so dear had passed in the night. Someone I had spoken to two days before, sending good wishes, and suddenly he was gone. His battle had been unfair, his enemy was doing everything to crush him but he refused to let it win. He found ways to do what he loved, he found the st...

"Overjoyed" was taken on our second day in the Maldives. A long journey took my new wife and I halfway around the world. It took four airplanes and a boat to finally arrive at our little slice of heaven. After 20 plus hours of air travel and no real sleep in a day and a half, we were relieved to finally have a home for a few days. The jet lag hit us both hard, the adrenaline of seeing our villa was enough to get us through the day but we crashed hard after lunch and slept through the evening. The second day we were refreshed and eager to explore our island. Our massive appetites were satisfied with fresh fruit and a multicultural smorgasbord of breakfast items. We rented snorkeling equipment and my questionable swimming abilities vanished when I put my head under water and saw the reef swarming with colorful fish. The relaxing honeymoon we'd spent a year dreaming about was crushing our expectations. That evening we boarded a boat for a sunset cruise. The disbelief had...

"Days Like This" is my favorite photograph because of the memories I associate with it, "Gallows Pole", on the other hand, is my favorite because of its visual aesthetics. My obsession with textures is represented once again but it pairs nicely with my other love for organic forms while keeping within a palate of mild Earth tones. "Gallows Pole" was taken on the island of Dhangethi in the Maldives. It is one of four photographs on the website captured while walking the streets of the island village. While most of the walls that lined the streets were painted colorfully, a rare few were neutral tones. It was a rare sight and had the crop extended above the wall a garden of bright green leaves would have changed the photographs mood entirely. This photograph is one of my favorites because it was captured in a land of aquamarine waters, white sand beaches, and bright sunsets. The Maldives are full of desktop wallpaper worthy scenes but there is much mo...