Progress!

Shooting is set to resume this Saturday, with only minor changes. The plan had been to use an empty beach cottage on nearby Tybee Island. But when I went to look at the place on Tuesday, my heart sank. What had been a rustic, beat-up old cottage was now freshly painted, carpeted, and ready to lease. Great for the leasing company; bad for the artist.

Fortunately, an alternate location has been offered in Savannah’s Victorian district and the shoot is set. It’s the empty upper floors of a Victorian styled home, with huge windows and vaulted ceilings, probably built during the very early 1920’s. It should be fantastic. The frigid and chilly weather is leaving us, with high temperatures forecast in mid 60’s for today and into the weekend. Saturday’s forecast calls for rain; nonetheless, the temps should be tolerable and the overcast should make for beautiful and soft window light. No worries for the model; space heaters are on the ready.

I’m really looking forward to the session; it will be my first with this particular model and I’m planning a mix of digital and film, including some pinhole work if time permits. This is exactly the direction I’ve wanted to take my work, so I’m pretty jazzed. Stay tuned for the results.






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The news out of Haiti is horrendous. In my ‘day job’ I’ve been directly involved with every major hurricane since Hugo, including those that have affected our neighbors in the Caribbean and Latin America. Life in a Third-World nation is difficult enough for the average person; after a natural disaster, regardless of the magnitude, it can be horrific.

Personally, I’ve experienced similar loss. During the early 1990’s, my wife and I lived in south Dade County, Florida, in a southern suburb of Miami. On August 24, 1992, we became instantly homeless along with thousands of others, when our home was destroyed by hurricane Andrew. We were left with only what we were wearing, and the few things we had taken with us when we decided to evacuate. At least we had warning. It’s an experience I’ll carry with me all of my days. Living through the event and surviving the disaster is but one phase of the recovery. The people of Port Au Prince and all of Haiti will be facing very difficult and trying days for years to come.

The best way to help those affected is by making financial contributions to nationally and internationally recognized aid organizations, such as the American or International Red Cross. That everyone should be aware of scams goes without saying. Clothing drives, food donations, etc., while well intentioned, have little effect. I’ve seen piles of donated clothes and food rotting in the weather after hurricanes. So let’s break out our pocketbooks and wallets and do what we can.

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Today's image is one more from my session with Kathy and Michelle this past summer.