Salton Sea // California

What can I say that hasn't already been said about the Salton Sea? This engineering disaster was at one point a hot spot of boating, fishing and resort life for many in the 1950s. I have had this location on my list for a long time. I started photographing abandoned architecture and location and the like since before I started doing portraiture. Its what I consider "personal work" The history, the story and whats left after have always drawn me in and the Salton Sea is no different. For so long it seemed unattainable that I would reach this destination...and here we are. Just for reference feel free to browse Youtube for documentaries. Well worth the watch.

Arriving on the North West end of the Sea(North Shore) you could see the shimmer of a large body of water tucked away in the mountains surrounded by farm land and desert. Going a little further South you could begin to see the barren remains. Straight away my mind kept going back to the scenes in my years of research of what this place was, at one point bigger than Palm Springs and the Rat Pack and other big names frequented. I was amazed at the amount of Tilapia carcasses lining the shore, as well as the amount of birds that in habit these waters. The beach was made of salt deposit and fish bones. Quite a sight...I would say "breath taking" but that was the smell. We pushed on to Bombay Beach which was a somewhat inhabited community. Onward to the south end of the lake and up the west end to Salton City. We covered the outer perimeter of the lake. The town was set to thrive at one point and now left with $7,000 lots and empty streets. I generally try not to "toot my own horn" but the images produced on this trip are some of my favorite of my career.

Thank you for looking and enjoy

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Route 66 // California

I, being from "landlocked" Indiana it can be underwhelming to say the least. Last year I focused my California trip around late 80 / early 90s skateboarding and the art forms that I drew so much inspiration from as a child and this year, not unlike most other trips was about hot rodding and the culture and what better place to explore than the historic and infamous Route 66. The journey from Los Angeles to my first destination of Baghdad, California was about a two hour car ride but good snacks and conversation makes a trip a bit less arduous. Through Ludlow and eventually Amboy, California

One thing that always seems to play against me is time. The sun was slowly getting closer to the mountains and I knew that being without a tripod I may have my work cut out for me. Once upon the the iconic road that gave way to many road side attractions, motels, motor inns and cafes in the 50s, the era I probly embrace the most I forgot about the day light that was fading and thought about the cars, trucks and the people on their many road trips to the west on this throughway. The I-40 Highway was built and diverted most traffic away from Route 66 in the mid 60s and most of these places continued to slowly die off. The road is extremely rough and really doesn't have the feel that generations before me got to enjoy. This will be the first small installment of images from my exploration of California. Much gratitude goes out to my family, Mr. Ian Jenkins for his support and wheel time.

L + N Maternity // Fort Wayne, IN

Where to begin...oh, where to begin. Ive known Lindsay since the late 90s. I met her and her brother Todd at a meeting spot to do a protest against the circus or possibly the fur industry. I dont quite remember but they were always there for the cause and never went unnoticed. A little while later I was at a local hardcore fest which happened to be going on in the town Lindsay was inhabiting for college. I was a band called Mara a'kate that changed a lot for me in good ways and she happened to surprise me with a 1" pin of theirs after I exclaimed how blown away I was by seeing their 6 minute set. I still have the pin to this day and has been on the same bag for the last 15 years. I know, Im really showing my age here.

I met Nate for the first time before the session but Ive heard nothing but good things about him from Todd and I'll have to say he is real stand up guy with a pretty demanding job saving lives and all. The day we were supposed to meet up didnt work out so we scheduled a bit later to meet up at a favorite spot of mine. I knew the fall leaves would start to show so I was excited. On this day the weather was less than pleasant. The wind had kicked up in the mid 20mph range and the clouds started to spit. Im grateful that Lindsay and Nate stuck it out and powered through our session. I had a good time. I hope they did do and some how stayed more dry and warm than I was. From what Ive heard the baby boy is basically anytime now and I wish them all the best being new parents and all of their endeavors. Thank you and Enjoy.

Jennifer Ford // Fort Wayne, IN

First and foremost let me apologize for not blogging sooner. I realize this site kinda fell off after my post of Los Angeles in December. I have been knee deep with the company I work for. Ive not necessary moved on from portraits / weddings but Ive put my attention into Architecture for my job. Its been a rewarding challenge. The moment where you get that perfect capture in an unfamiliar subject but able to repeat that is extremely rewarding but as artists that's what we do. This session here is with my coworker and superior Jennifer Ford. This session is for a "Designers at Home" segment of the Choice Designs Inc site. Choice Designs Inc Jennifer is an accomplished Art major and a kind hearted person. Not to mention quite a visionary in her own right. She saw my work and knew that I would make a good addition to their team at Choice Designs based on my Personal Work portfolio. Im very grateful.

The session was really fun, it was a relaxed atmosphere and it was nice to get back into portrait work for a bit. Her home is decorated with some of the most unique items carried at Choice Designs, it made for a magnificent back drop. Not to mention plenty of available window light. The colors mixed with light just worked. Her son Elijah made me laugh with his stories of school and spelling tests but in reality he just wanted to go outside and play with his friends. I didn't blame him, it was around the time the Indiana weather was warming up and the ground was beginning to thaw. Ive unfortunately been sitting on this session for a bit just waiting for...I don't know but please feel free to check the link above for Choice Designs Inc, most of the photo work on this site was shot by me and makes me feel amazing to see it also stay tuned for more sessions. Thank you for reading and enjoy.