#1: My First Photograph

Tucson, AZ | 1996

My passion for photography started back in 1996 while lying in the middle of road on Tucson’s Mt. Lemon Highway. We were on a family vacation, touring the desert Southwest when I asked my dad to pull over so I could take a photo. Much to my mother’s displeasure, I positioned myself face down on the blacktop so I could peer through the camera’s eyepiece and gain a new perspective on things. I wanted to compose the shot so that the bend in the road complimented the rock face that was being illuminated in the morning light. When we developed the film, I was so amazed to see that what I set out to do actually came to fruition. It was at that moment that my passion for photography was born.

#2: SCHOOL PRIDE

Standing Above the “L” in Lahaina, HI | 2016

If I were to rank the best years of my life, 2016 would win in a landslide. My world perfectly aligned and for the first time ever, I experienced the perfect balance between work-family-travel. No moment encapsulates the joy from that year better than this picture from my wife’s 20th high school reunion. The two of us left our kids with my parents in Vegas and jetted off to Maui for seven days. She attended Lahainaluna, a school steeped in Hawaiian tradition and one that can stake claim to being the oldest school West of the Rockies.

On the evening of graduation, the entire town assembled at the football field where they sang, celebrated, and draped every graduate in a suffocating number of flower leis. In customary fashion, the graduation classes from 10- and 20-years prior are given the honor of hiking to the top of the mountain that rises above the high school. Using road flares, we ignited them and placed from around the perimeter of a giant “L” that has been shaved into the face of the mountain. The illumination of the school’s letter is a customary way to honor the graduates who are watching from the stadium over a mile away. But before we lit our flares, we all joined hand-in-hand, while the alumni serenaded us with their school song. As the giant circle swayed back-and-forth in perfect unison, I was moved by the sense of pride everyone had for their school and felt tremendously honored to be a part of that moment in time.

#3: ADVENTURES THAT HEAL

Westside Road in Death Valley NP, CA | 2010

When it was all said and done, the marriage lasted less than 6-months. To help take his mind off the divorce, we all met in Vegas where we packed-up my ’83 FJ60 Landcruiser and pointed it west towards Death Valley. We spent two days exploring the vast network of dirt roads and playing hide-and-seek with the afternoon sun. Our days were spent reminiscing about our college days while we drove up and down the West Side Road stopping to occasionally hit golf balls at a 5-gallon bucket we would place out on the expansive salt flats. It was a short trip, but the change of scenery and the time spent together with friends went a long way in helping our buddy heal. I can’t think of a better reason to go on an adventure then that.

#4: THE CRATER

Haleakala National Park, HI | 2006

For me, few places are more prized in this world then Maui’s crown jewel, Haleakala. “The Crater” as it is often referred to, is a diverse and dramatic ecosystem filled with erratic weather that always ensures you’ll walk away with a completely new experience every time you visit. My eyes were first opened to this unique world in 2006 when I joined my in-laws for a cross-crater trek that included a 2-night stay at the remote Paliku Cabin. Its location at 6,300 ft, inside a volcano, on a remote island in the middle of the Pacific means it is home to the darkest skies on Earth. To take full advantage of it, each night the five of us would migrate out to the cabin’s front lawn where we would spend hours laying on our backs and staring up at the night sky. Halfway through our stargazing session, the moon cracked the horizon and we watched as it rose out of the ocean and above the crater’s rim. My most vivid memory from that trip was contemplating whether or not to apply a protective layer of SPF 35 as the Moon’s glow felt bright enough to burn me. Those 3-days in the crater changed my life and helped me forge a bond with my in-laws that still remains strong to this day.

#5: COED SYNCRONIZED SWIMMING TEAM

Pier 48 in San Francisco, CA | 2016

In the summer of 2016, one of my all-time favorite clients booked my team to serve as game show hosts for a large corporate event out in San Francisco. We would be performing on three separate stages and hosting everything from eating contests to cornhole tournaments for thousands of employees and their families. Since the event coincided with the Olympics, our team was decked head-to-toe in American regalia to help enhance the events theme. When the event concluded, we were running a bit behind schedule, so we decided to head directly to the airport in our costumes where we immediately caught the attention of our fellow passengers.

That year the Olympic games were being held in Brazil and for some reason, athletes were having a hard time getting flights to Rio and stories of them being stranded in airports all throughout the world were trending on social media. So, when our posse of American clad misfits hit the security checkpoint, everyone in line wanted to know what team we were with and whether or not our flight would get us to Brazil in time for the games. After endless corrections revealing that we were not actually athletes, we gave-up and decided to indulge in everyone’s curiosity by telling them we were members of the Co-ed Synchronized Swimming Team. For some reason, people bought the story and for the next 4-hours, as our flight to Vegas continually got delayed, random strangers would stop by the bar, buy us a round of drinks and wish us well before breaking out into a chant of U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A before disappearing back into the terminal.

#6: DIVINE INTERVENTION

Hamblin Bay in Lake Mead National Recreation Area | 2019

I was supposed to be on the third day of a 4-day SUP (stand-up paddle) across Lake Mead. However, excessive wind forced an early exit, and I was routed back home for a few days. When the winds finally subsided, I ventured back out and made my way to Hamblin Bay, a few miles north of Callville Bay Marina. I climbed to the top of an island out in the middle of the bay and camped out on a bleached white section of the exposed rock (you can see my tent in the bottom righthand corner). A few years earlier this entire area would have been completely submerged, but with low snowpack in the Rockies and the demand for water ever increasing, the area that was once known as Boulder Canyon had once again revealed itself.

That night as I sat out on the bluff overlooking the bay, God (or whatever awaits us in the after life) visited me, and we had a conversation about the direction I was headed with my life. It sounds crazy — I get it — but the connection to a higher power was stronger than anything I have ever experienced in my life. The part that was so vivid to me was that during the conversation, I would ask a question or make a statement and I would receive a response in the form of a shooting star to confirm. It was a wonderous and existentialist experience and one that will always be tied to one of my favorite places on Earth.

#7: THE THREE MUSKETEERS

Bowl of Fire in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, NV | 2019

Before the advent of social media, The Bowl of Fire was a relatively unknown wonder, tucked-into the hillside, a mere two miles from the nearest paved road. Its soaring red cliffs give way to a labyrinth of slot canyons that offer endless detours and dead ends to explore. As its name suggests, the red interior of this canyon sits inside a bowl of muted conglomerate rock that sticks to the outside of the sandstone bowl like rice on a California Roll. It is one of my favorite places on Earth and served as the perfect destination to take my boys on their first backpacking trip. I snapped this photo following our camp side cuisine of ramen noodles and turkey jerky, as we sat and watched the sun brush across the face of Cleopatra Peak before disappearing behind the horizon for good. For that brief moment in time, all was right in the world.

#8: Building a Legacy

New River at Shot Tower State Park, VA | 2005

This was our final group photo after 3-days of drinking beer and portaging canoes. We navigated the New River from the North Carolina border to a small boat ramp just off of interstate-77 in southwest Virginia. We selected this river as an homage to our college days at Virginia Tech, which was located a little over an hour up the road. The bond between us began years earlier when the five us played our way on to the roster of the school’s Division I soccer team. Following graduation, we wanted to keep the bond between us strong, so we created an annual trip and gave it a catchy name: “Phishapalooza”. Over the next decade we climbed mountains, navigated rivers, and drank a whole lot of beer, all while strengthening our friendships. Understandably, not everyone is able to make the trip each year, but since our very first foray in 2004, at least two of us have gotten together every year to go on an adventure in an effort to keep the tradition alive.

#9: Backstreets Back

Hello! Las Vegas Parking Lot, Las Vegas, NV | 2016

Every year we worked hard to create a memorable holiday card that would help enhance our mystique of being the Directors of Fun. In 2016 we took our show on the road and decided to visit each of our client’s offices in our themed attire. For some reason, the guys went with a Backstreet Boys theme, while the ladies served as our groupies; wearing a t-shirt that matched the color of our client’s branding. This photo was taken immediately after we stormed our client’s office to hand out gifts and spread a little holiday cheer which included a choreographed lip sync performance to Everybody. This was one of my favorite holiday cards of all-time and one of my most cherished memories from my time working at R&D Events.

#10: CHASING THE LIGHT

Mt St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, WA | 2006

We were chasing the sunset and looking for a place to call home before nightfall. We were just north of Mt. St. Helens and I was behind the wheel, once again leading us on a vision quest to find the perfect campsite for the night. As we rounded the corner and exited the forest, this unexpected valley presented itself to us and the sunset enveloped the sky. I pulled the car over and forced everyone out so I could stage a group photo with the sunset. This particular photo was actually taken by complete accident as I was merely testing the aperture setting. However, when I downloaded it, something about it captivated me. I’m drawn to how the light makes everyone’s hair glow, how Mike is pointing off into the distance and how Alex gives the camera that perfect “lost in the moment” look. Once the sun finally dipped behind the mountains, we got back in the car, drove a few miles down the road and randomly pulled off on a vacant service road just inside the park’s boundary. It was at the end of this road that we were greeted with the greatest campsite anyone of us has ever experienced. To me, this photo encapsulates everything I love about that trip and how I will always yearn to go on an adventure with my friends.