A Floral Botique Blossoms

On a much lighter note, here are some images from the "soft open" party at Fleurs Bella. This magical flower shop is the brain child of Bella Meyer, a fantastically talented artist who's medium is anything that grows from the ground.

HPAC Round 3

On a much more somber note, these images were taking in an effort to illustrate the living conditions of the some of the Hunts Points residents. The apartments on Manida St. are neglected and dismal, to say the least, and highlight one of the many challenges HPAC is tackling head on. Without a stable and secure home environment, what can really be expected of children in any other area of their lives?...

More HPAC

Some images that I shot back in November for their 2009 Holiday card. As far as I know, the year-end fundraising effort was by in large a success!

After a long hiatus...

I'm emerging to post some new (old) content. For nearly the past year I've been working at Empax in NYC. We are a design and strategic communications studio serving the nonprofit world, helping to advance the sector through innovative, dynamic and visual tools. While my role here is eclectic, I still enjoy getting to shoot for some of our clients from time to time. The following is a rough compilation of images, illustrating some of the amazing work our clients are doing all the time.

HPAC (Hunts Point Alliance for Children) in the South Bronx coordinates over a dozen specialized nonprofit organizations, spanning sectors of health, education, economic development and more. They reach out to an extremely under-served population in one of the poorest zip codes in the county, and through a number of innovative programs ensure their advancement in society.

"The Jacob Story"

Although I wrapped up my time at the Concord Monitor just before Christmas, my final story for them just ran this past weekend. "How Long Can This Go On" chronicles a single mother and her nine-year-old Russian-adopted son who struggles with a slue of emotional and behavioral issues. I had the great pleasure of collaborating with Chelsea Conaboy, an exquisite staff reporter, and am so proud of the story we were able to tell - as it certainly wasn't easy. Check out the multimedia piece on the Monitor's website.

I had a long conversation with Jacob's mother, Kathy, yesterday afternoon, and was overwhelmed to hear about her experiences with the greater community over the past few days. Old social workers that had been on Jacob's case are calling, former co-workers are giving her new cases to make a little extra money, and parents with children who face similar issues are reaching out. I can honestly say that I have never felt the impact of my work like I did yesterday, and have rarely witnessed such positive action on the behalf of the community at large. I am so inspired by the responses that have been elicited by this story, and the conversations that have followed. When Chelsea and I started on this story in August we agreed that as much as we wanted to help Jacob that was neither our role or responsibility, and the best thing we could do was tell his story in hopes of ONE person noticing enough to make a difference in his life. So, here is to my renewed hope and optimism in both the powers of community journalism and the strength of our society...

Wrestlemania

OK, many of you might recognize this as a total rip-off from a piece Preston Gannaway did here a while back...and not a very good one at that! But I covered my first Concord High School wrestling tournament of the season the other night, and it is a nice little treat to have the spot-light thing going on. So, here's my first go around at wrestling...

Dame School ESL Program

A few weeks ago, Meg Heckman, a reporter at the Monitor (also coincidentally my roommate) and I did a story about a special ESL program that one of the local elementary schools has started up. Dame School, which seems to get a large portion of the refugee student population, received a grant from the state, and has since created this program that teaches not only English language vocabulary but also social skills. I challenged myself to create a little SoundSlides piece, which was a bit tricky having only spent an hour in the class and having one interview Meg and I did with the teachers. Nonetheless, you can watch it here: Otherwise, this is my favorite image from the day....

Last Weekend

Old friends, a horse-drawn carriage ride, and a Shaker-style xmas - what more could you ask for?



Ron ran 40 miles on his 40th birthday to raise money for the Dana Farber Cancer Research Institute. It was freezing and snowy all morning - I joined the crew for about 3/4 of a mile of their run, and have the utmost respect for them for even getting to mile 4 - congrats!

G-Money...3 Different Ways

It is entirely possible that I had far too much fun photographing said G-Money, a hip-hop artist from Pittsfield, NH, at the barn-converted-to-studio that he records at. (Only those of you who truly know the local New Hampshire landscape will fully appreciate these images...)

welcoming winter

patches of ice are forming on the lakes...
my windshield in the morning - i don't want to talk about it
water meets earth
at least some people can find ways to make fun out of the snow...

Football

As the fall sports season is winding down (I promise, I'm not TOO excited!) the stakes are getting higher for the teams still in it. On Saturday I covered a rainy, muddy, all-American style football game, which reminded me how far away my recent travels took me. Nonetheless, I had a blast covering it. I don't think the teams were quite as thrilled about playing in the slop, but for me it was visual field day. Here are a few of my favorites - and luckily I'll get one more go-around on the high school football circuit this Saturday at the State Championships. Let's see what the weather can throw at us this time (please not snow though...)

since I've been back...

Don't worry, I'm not skipping over all my stuff from Nigeria and Rwanda - I'm simply still wading through the editing process. I hope to get some more stuff from my travels up here soon, and definitely onto my website. So stay tuned...

In the meantime, here are two images from my first week back in Concord. It was a bit of a fuzzy transition, and I think I am just now starting to feel all pieced back together.

high school girls get together for a pickup game of hockey

Fred Dawes has decided, at 80-so-odd years of age, to establish a credit union in his home town of Webster, NH in order to loan out small sums of money to local families who are feeling the current crunch of the economy. He also lives in a beautiful house located on Lake Winnepocket, which happens to reflect quite nicely on his out-facing windows...

Hill Station Hotel, Jos Nigeria

The High Plateau State - a land of many adventures. Here are two images from the hotel we called home while in Jos...

Airport Adventures

As many of you know, I am about to embark on a new adventure - this time in the form of a trip for a non-profit organization I work for, Between Four Eyes, to Nigeria and Rwanda. I will be documenting a number of workshops and conferences, as well as the daily life of the communities we are visiting. I feel so blessed to be given the humbling opportunity to travel to Africa again, and intersect with truly inspiring people...

To make a long story short, I've had an unexpected 7 hours to kill at JFK, needless to say I am bored and ready to get on the plane. So here are a few "farewell" images - I'm hoping for some intermittent internet from afar, and will do my best to post a few updates. If nothing else I'll aim for a return "airport bathroom portrait" for contrast, although in reality I already look pretty disheveled.

Thanks to all the encouraged support and excitement that has come from my friends and family in helping me prepare for this journey. I can't wait to share stories upon my return in mid-November. Health and happiness to everyone while I'm away!

OIL

With the cold months soon upon us and gas prices (and the economy, for that matter) in the shape it's in, we all know winter is going to put a strain on the wallets. One family in Concord , seen here, is aware that "it's going to be a hard Christmas this year." Who's to say what's next on the global economic front - I just know that thinking about families being cold and strapped for cash is a sad, sad thing...

We Appreciate You

Did I mention that New Hampshire is gorgeous in the fall?

One of the local apple orchards hosted a Military Appreciation Day, to remind those who serve our country (and their families!) that their honorable work is deeply respected.

Perfect day for a wedding

not that marriage is ANYWHERE on my own radar, but an early October day in New Hampshire seems quite the perfect setting...