The Story of a Place

Covid Shutdown

Starting where we left off.

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I haven't posted on my Blog in quite a long time and in thinking back as to why that was,

 I recall that everything came to a grinding halt back in about February or March of 

2019 due to the introduction of the Covid 19 virus. What an interesting and scary time it was. 

I also recall a meeting, on the eve of all that, in my studio to discuss new projects, both assigned 

and personal. All with great expectation and anticipation. Then the news rolled in and 

everything came to a slow and grinding stop.

No one wanted to be within spitting distance of anyone else and all projects were tabled. 

It was the first time I had ever experienced what it might be like to be retired. I did

not like it. My yards never looked so good and I actually got tired of playing golf and

riding my bike.

I wanted to continue my posting on social media, but was running low on new content

to post. At that point, and out of boredom I started digging around in my pre-digital

film files looking for some interesting and all but forgotten photos to scan-up and remaster 

so as to have a little something to push out so everyone would know I was still living and

breathing.

The more I dug, the more I found, and the more I found the more I was drawn into the

things we were shooting back in those days. Drawn in for nostalgic reasons, but also because

I was excited to find some pretty nice work in those old files. The images kept coming and

I kept posting until I decided that this old library deserved a place on my website.

The Legacy Gallery was born.

Things have come a long way since the days of schlepping film in and out of the camera 

and to and from the photo lab. I had neglected, in the transition to the digital workflow

to recognize just how easy thinks had become and what a hassle managing all of the film

and processing was in those days. Not to mention the expense. 

So here I am again, posting on my Blog and this seems a good starting point. One

that I should be able to build upon with new work I've done post-Covid. We lived

though it and in so doing experienced the dawn of a new era in our history.

In the meantime, I have some catching up to do.

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Goodby 2018

The Rear View Mirror

This past year has blown by so quickly that it's hard to recall all of the events that have taken place in 2018. Luckily for me, I'm able to replay through the images we made on our various photo shoots. 

Here is a little look back.

Thank you to all of our wonderful clients, talent, athletes and crew that helped us make it all come together.

Happy New Year in 2019

    Hiking in the aspens on the Grand Mesa, Colorado: Personal image made with iPhone

    Lifestyle: Advertising for Royal Resorts, Cancun, Mexico

    Student Lifestyle: Advertising for Colorado Mesa University

  Lifestyle: Advertising for Royal Resorts, Cancun Mexico

  Another Sunrise: Advertising for the Ritz-Carlton at Dove Mountain Arizona

        Mountain Bikers on the Kokopelli Trail, Colorado: Magazine Cover

     

                                       

                           Golf Landscape (drone image): The Golf Club at Dove Mountain Arizona                               

    Family Lifestyle: Advertising Campaign for Nathan Carlisle Homes, Dallas Texas

  

    Climbing in Unaweep Canyon, Colorado: Arcteryx      

 Lifestyle in Florida: Advertising Campaign for London Bay Homes in Naples Florida    

  Chef Staff: Advertising for the Ritz-Carlton at Dove Mountain Arizona

   Duck Hunting: Shot for High Desert Retrievers, Western Colorado

 Spa Lifestyle: Advertising Campaign for The Spa at the Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain Arizona

   

                                            My Vacuum Cleaner Repair Man: Personal shot w/ IPhone 10x                                                

                                  Peach Picker - Palisade, CO: Advertising and Video for Talbott Farms                                             

                                                                                                                                                                                

                                         Gas Drillers: Campaign for WPX Energy in New Mexico and Texas                                              

                                              Cyclists in Arizona                                                 

 

                                                 Fireweed - Maroon Creek Colorado: Personal                                                  

                                   

A Train Story

D&S Narrow Gauge Railroad

This shot, one of the last of a Summer series for a Colorado Tourism Campaign, looks like a jump-out -of-the-car and shoot kind of image. Infact, it was one of the tougher logistical shots I've had to do. The ad was to feature Colorado's famous Durango to Silverton narrow gauge vintage rail road as it winds through the pristine wilderness to the historic mountain mining town of Silverton from Durango, Colorado. Everyone has heard of it.

Seemed simple enough.

What we didn't want was to duplicate the overdone shot of people looking out from the train window from another train window, but rather a landscape of the most spectacular view along the line...with a train in it. At the peak of Fall color. In perfect weather. No problemo, Amigo !

When producing, we tried to get the D&SRR to bring one of their vintage locomotives up to our location along with some Pullmans and park it on a spur so we could have it to our selves for an afternoon, but they had two of their trains out of service so were unable to accommodate us on that. To further challenge us, we were told that only one run would be made on that day. This meant that we had to get it right - the first and only time. When the train did make it's way past us we had several cameras set up and ready to shoot so as not to end up with five or six frames. My assistant and the Art Director were pushing buttons that day.

Smoke gets in your eyes.

As our one and only train passed us by it spewed a massive cloud of black smoke, soot and ash that filled the upper part of every frame. A total surprise to us. This would not speak well of our pristine mountains in a tourism ad. In fact, we couldn't even see the mountains for the cloud of smoke. I ended up shooting several "in-situ" plates of the landscape and was able to composite the smoke out of the scene completely. Ahhh, the digital age. Worked great!

The hike in with our gear was into a wilderness area called the Weminuche Wilderness and in some of Colorados most beautiful and remote mountains. We knew we could get in in time to set up for the single pass of the train, but getting back out would be the challenge unless we spent the night in the valley. Carrying our photographic gear along with tripods, et cetera, did not allow us to take camping gear. 

The D&SRR sends a small two man service car up the line at the end of every day as a sweep car so I had arranged for them to pick us up and drive us out to Silverton. We were just able to cram my assistant, the Art Director, me and our gear onto this little bouncy cart with wheels for our ride up the line and out and I still have grease on my gear bag from that grimy little shuttle.

There were many criteria for this one ad shot that all seemed easy enough in concept back at the agency, but in application ended up being quite an epic event. The remote location that I spent several days finding and scouting in person, the timing, hitting the weather right and beating the incoming storm, catching the fall colors at their peak. All of this added drama to the entire situation, but the outcome was worth it. 

To make things even sweeter, this was the last CTO ad shot on 4x5 film.

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Faces of Fire

Honor Your Hometown Heroes

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When we started this year long project the guys down at the station thought "another photo shoot ? Why do we need another photo shoot ?" But my trusty liaison downtown, the Fire Departments Publicist, Ellis Thompson-Ellis, understood what we were going for and knew that it wasn't going to be another line-em up school portrait style and shoot 'em kinda deal.

I had something else in mind.

We wanted to photograph all of the specialized teams in all of the stations - ending up being fifteen teams in total. Three teams for each of five stations. I wanted to show the seriousness and the unit mentality or Brotherhood of the teams and the grit of the Fire Fighters individually.

As we completed editing on each of the shoots I would post a shot here and there on Facebook, where I was slowly making friends in the First Responder community. Wives and Moms and some of the fire fighters themselves. Slowly, the guys started seeing what I wanted to do...and why. 

I soon had the undivided attention of the crews whenever I showed up to shoot.

I wanted to honor these men for what they do for our community and give a shout out to all First Responders in all communities everywhere.

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Thank you !