What began as a hobby has become a career and a way of life. Traveling, wandering the streets of Philadelphia and spending creative hours with friends led to classes, seminars and eventually a full-time profession. I was taken under the wings of one of my good friends, Steve Magnotta, when he brought me on-board Intrigue Photography in 2003. It's there that I continue to build a client base primarily focused on weddings and portraits.
My love of photography has only continued to grow. I often find myself completely enamored by the slightest kiss of light falling on a scene or a completely unique moment occurring right in front of me. Like music, images can be traced back to a certain point in ones' life. Capturing those moments and revisiting them later is the reward I yearn for.
I plan on using this blog as a photographic journal. A place to share some of my professional work along with everyday simple images that I find interesting or memorable. I find just getting out in the world, even everyday neighborhoods and streets; with my camera is food for my soul. It makes me smile, stops me from over-thinking and allows me to simply live in the moment. I hope we can all find that balance through things we love. Thanks for visiting!
Their wedding was actually a destination wedding, but they hired me to photograph their party in the States. They had a beautiful day and we utilized the beach scene available at the venue. I wanted to try to get images that could look as though they were on an island, to give a linear look to their wedding images. We didn’t need much time to capture a few fun images:
All Images courtesy of Intrigue Photography
Jen & Joel asked if I would meet them in Philadelphia for their engagement session. They had a few spots plotted out, some for them and some for mom. We enjoyed finding little surprises along the way, outside the “normal” Philadelphia spots and it led to some of my favorite images. Jen admitted to being slightly nervous, but Joel was great at distracting her and once we got rolling they both did great. They interact really naturally in front of the camera and their cute playfulness was fun to capture. They are so anxious for their big day to arrive and that excitement is infectious. This little teaser has me pumped to capture some great images on their wedding day! Images courtesy of Intrigue Photography
I recently printed a handful of images for my walls at home. I love the look and feel of canvas and after printing many for clients, I finally printed some for myself. Early summer I met my mom and two of my sisters (Katie & Susie) in the city. My mom is interested in the history of our family and got involved with documenting some of the key historical spots for (excuse me if I’m wrong, mom) Daughters of the Revolution. So, our agenda was to visit one of the grave-sights that she had researched. Along the way I stumbled upon a scene that now has become my personal all-time favorite image:
Stella's ride
I just loved the colors and simplicity of it all. It reminded me of Europe, yet it was in Old City (fitting, I guess!). I ended up printing this as a 16×24 canvas gallery wrap and gifted them to a few people who I thought would enjoy on their walls. Now I’m just waiting for Ikea to call!
I also, FINALLY, visited Eastern State Penitentiary. It’s a must do for anyone in this area. It definitely has become a very popular destination for photographers and, in the recent years; for clients to hire as a location. I have yet to bring a couple there for a session, but I’m ready (*wink-wink*)! I was totally jealous as Jen recently had a fun, outgoing couple who dressed the part (brought props and totally looked “dated”) for an engagement session. My trip that yielded these results was my first visit, simply as a tourist. The “typical” hall shot I printed as a 20×30 canvas wrap and the other 3 I printed as 8×10′s and framed in an old antique window. I think it looks pretty sweet. I love the quality of light, overall, in ESP and that’s what drew me in to each of these images. The image with the barber’s chair has a very desolate, creepy feel to me.
I am still feeling my way around this blog, trying to find time mostly. I do find it helps me organize my images better. While already pretty solid at organizing, thanks to an ever evolving system at Intrigue , I haven’t set it up at home for an easy system of constant updates and sharing. Making progress! The quirky reward will be dusting off some archived images (along with the new!), that might play slightly out of order. :) This was from the Manayunk Bike Race. Which, by the way, is totally worth checking out! Chances are slim that you’ll run into either of these following scenarios. I get a very Marc Riboud and Eugene Richards’ style feel from these images. If you aren’t familiar with either of those photographers- check em’ out!
Late night, after the Cursive show on the way back to our cars, I noticed this mural. I loved the way it was lit and I asked Justin to hop the wall with me and stand in front. I like the dimension and the punchiness of color, even though we’re outside after midnight in a parking lot. I’ll post images from the show itself soon.
Little Brother
Recently I found myself in need of doing what I haven’t done in a while- wonder the city solo to document life in motion. I found a few things of interest, but really enjoyed taking deep breaths and being in the moment. No obligation, no plans, no one to deter me otherwise. Me, my camera and eventually a bit of caffeine. Those days are healthy for me (well, maybe not the caffeine). It’s easy to pick your camera up for work. But, sometimes there needs to be no reason to do so-like when I first picked up a camera. It often opens creative avenues. So, I parked my car on 4th & Arch (in Old City) and wandered through the heart of Old City, Queen Village, Italian Market and back. Enough time to meet Jen for dinner and a drink after her engagement session at Eastern State Penitentiary.
As I exited a coffee shop on South St I noticed Lady Miah sitting, waiting for her friend to post flyers. The light falling on her just leveled me. She was gracious enough to allow me fire off about 4 shots in 10 seconds. I left the scene untouched, so you photo snobs might have to mind the bottle 
These two are the 1st and the last. As I thanked her and left she said “I’m happy to have sparked creativity”. It was perfect.
Lady Miah
Lady Miah
Scooter 2
Another orange Scooter! I may have to make this a theme.
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