The photo project Humans of New York has inspired me for many years. One of the aspects I like most about the project is the written details from the people featured in the photographs - their quotes: the hopes and dreams, the worst days, the jokes. It really serves to give life to the photographs. The people are sharing just a small sliver of their lives, but it is a slice of reality - the good and the bad. 

I've wanted to start a similar series for quite some time, and today, passing by this man seated outside at a cafe in Nob Hill, the sunlight beautifully illuminating the scene, and a backdrop of a colorful mosaic - I knew it was the start.

My conversation skills with people I don't know are not that great. It is a hope of mine that this project will help to remedy that. I also want to use this project to hone my portrait photography.

The goal of this project is not to simply sit back from a distance and photograph strangers, it is to get to know a little bit more about the humans that inhabit the Land of Enchantment.

Here is HONM #1:

"Why couldn't the lifeguard save the hippie?

...Because he was too far out, man."

As promised, a short horror movie I shot back in 2011... I thought I'd lost the footage, until recently digging it up - found footage: all the cliché rage! - so decided it was time to stitch it together into some semblance of a finished project. Family road trip, myself, my dad, my sister, and 4 month old nephew. We had to make frequent stops for the little guy, who wasn't exactly thrilled to be in the car. One stop, we pulled off at an exit in AZ - Sibyl Road. The eerie atmosphere, along with creepy mannequins strategically placed around a seemingly abandoned gas station led to the impromptu creation of this 'masterpiece' ;)

Grade 'F' Productions in association with Brainy Pictures presents:

Sibyl Road

Recently, I'd seen some amazing shots of models wearing these giant, long dresses (it looked like they must be standing on ladders). I wanted to try and recreate the concept, so dragged two sewn-together sheets and a friend up to the crest. The idea was that the white sheet 'dress' would go well with the snow. The shoot really didn't work out at all like I'd planned. (Yes, now that I think of it, white on white is not really all that exciting... but I did get some insight into a future shoot I'd like to do.) The snow covered trees were very cool to look at and we did have fun up at the crest, anyway, so it was not a loss by any means.

(All photos shown are mine, except for the one of me sitting in the tree with my Empress Moth cape and long 'gown' - that one was taken by Rah R.)