Event photography has brought me welcome challenges while exposing me to diverse people and interesting venues.

Photographing events are ultimately a form of photojournalism. Companies hire me to tell a story based on a formal or social occasion. When I arrive on location I immediately look for interesting angles and try to find unique ways to light the environment and subjects. A personalized approach at each venue helps make the final product visually engaging as opposed to standard event photography which is usually groups of guests, smiling and wearing nametags.

Over the years I have photographed at historic 19th Century venues as well as state-of-the-art sustainable facilities. With each assignment I use photography to tell the complete story and to capture the hidden highlights of the event- from expressions on the faces of honorees and catering details to candid shots of guests which demonstrate the success of the evening. I’ve been fortunate to develop repeat customers and have had the opportunity to return to annual events several times. I consider the repeat business an indicator that my unique approach to transform standard event photography into a photojournalism essay is appealing to clients from a variety of backgrounds.

Recent corporate clients include Penn Medicine, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Preservation Alliance, Livengrin Foundation and InStyle Magazine. A small selection of my images can be seen below.

Contact me for a custom quote or to learn more about my event photography services.

November 6th was the New York City Marathon. I ran it in 2008 and around this time each year I can’t help but think about everything that went into my training to complete the 26.2 mile race- early morning runs, sweat and plenty of pain. At the time of my training I was fully immersed in the Back on My Feet program and raised over $5,000 for the Philadelphia chapter. Having the support of family and friends certainly helped push me towards the finish line.

As a photographer I knew very early on that I wanted to photograph my experience during the actual marathon. I used my point-and-shoot camera to document everything from “tent city” under the Verrazano Bridge to the finish line at Central Park. Every time I browse the images below I get a little emotional… a testimonial to the true power of photography… to place someone back into a moment of time that was captured in a split second. I relive the 26.2 miles of grit all over again.

If you’re on a non-flash enabled mobile device please follow this link or view the Flickr set.

The Translational Research Center (TRC) at the University of Pennsylvania is “the first dedicated medical research building at Penn — and one of the first anywhere — that is physically integrated into facilities for patient care. Connected to Penn Medicine’s newest centers, the building will create a complex dedicated to giving patients faster access to the most advanced treatment anywhere.” – from Making History. Images from the photo shoot were used in the TRC publication (below) for the grand opening. The amazing design work for the brochure was created by Trissy Harding.

To date I have completed many interior architectural projects. Some involved the client releasing me into the building to freely document the space and others have assigned a project manager or marketing professional to guide me. I’ll admit that I enjoy exploring a new space by myself, as would most photographers, but having a communications specialist on-hand (as was the case in this project) can be critical to producing high quality work that is on-target with the desired outcome.

Below is a slideshow of the images used for the TRC publication. You can also view the images on Flickr or download the entire Translational Research Center brochure here (13MB PDF).

Two years ago I was hired to create unique imagery for the new Macy’s Home Store in Center City Philadelphia. The Macy’s Visual Merchandising team requested black and white abstract and detail photos of Philadelphia landmarks. After a good amount of project planning and scouting locations, I submitted a proposal along with a list of potential subjects.

Due to the need for a quick turnaround, I also acted as a project manager, becoming the liaison between the printer and the Macy’s team. I handled quality control for the digital files as well as proofing the final printed pieces, some of which were as large as eight feet tall.

If you are in the area, feel free to stop by and check them out! The images are on permanent display at the Home Store on the third floor at Macy’s in Center City Philadelphia near City Hall.

Below are some of the actual images used in the Home Store as well as photos of the permanent display.

Customer Service counter featuring my image of City Hall reflected in Ritz Residences.

Original imagery photographed at (L to R) Second Bank of the United States, Cira Centre at 30th Street Station, and City Hall reflected in Ritz Residences.

Luggage Department featuring my back-lit images of luggage carts at the Ritz Carlton and horse and buggies in Old City.

I recently photographed a story detailing a “behind the scenes” look at the Mask and Wig Club at the University of Pennsylvania. The Club is an “all-male comedy troupe that has entertained Philadelphians and the Penn community since 1889 with its original revues, often featuring men dressed up as women.”

Five minutes into photographing back stage during the opening night I had a feeling that photos alone would not tell the entire story. I immediately began using my iPhone to record audio. I captured about twenty separate audio files ranging from dressing room banter to full musical scores. Once I composed my photos and audio tracks in iMovie I knew that I had something special. I had created an unique way to experience the Mask and Wig Club that would hopefully trigger an emotional response from the viewer, something much more powerful than static images.

Check out the video below and let me know what you think!

You can view the full set of images on Flickr here.

In recent months I have focused on producing photographs designed for websites and publications. Creating images for targeted marketing opportunities allows my work to be showcased broadly. The final product is a collaboration that reflects the objectives of art directors, marketing directors and designers through the creative medium of photography.

Hiring a freelance photographer to produce custom images gives companies and non-profit organizations an individual personality. Custom photographs designed for a specific audience increase the effectiveness of any organization’s website as a tool for communication. Stock photos often look fake and posed; they are not quite the right fit for the desired message so the final product is less compelling. Custom photographs have the opposite effect, drawing the audience into the mission of the organization and communicating its importance in a targeted way.

Some of my work in this genre can be found below. Contact me if you would like to learn more about how custom photography can benefit your website or publication.

The Fitzgerald Lab, University of Pennsylvania. Web design by Joseph Neville for School of Medicine Information Services

University of Pennsylvania Research at Penn publication. (Pictured in main image area: TransOral Robotic Surgery)

2010 ITMAT Symposium, University of Pennsylvania. Web design by Joseph Neville for School of Medicine Information Services

The State of University City 2010 publication.

I recently photographed my third annual Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics (ITMAT) Symposium at University of Pennsylvania‘s Penn Medicine. Although most people would consider photographing a symposium fairly boring I find that it’s a welcome challenge; searching out unique angles and dramatic lighting to make each image unique.

All of my images can be found on the interactive ITMAT Gallery. ITMAT’s web design below was created by the talented Joseph Neville for the School of Medicine.

It’s a rare opportunity to photograph a friend’s wedding. The bond between the photographer and the bride and groom already exists, making the images come alive more naturally. I have a long history with Mary and Greg and I was truly fortunate to photograph their wedding this fall in Virginia. It was a recipe for success from the onset and only got better as the day progressed; great light, perfect weather and a gorgeous backdrop on Lake Barcroft.

The Fisher Fine Arts Library at the University of Pennsylvania is one of the most dramatic buildings on campus. With its Gothic and Victorian architectural details, photographing the library in HDR was bound to give interesting results. Setting up in the library proved to be the biggest hurdle. Carrying and setting up a tripod on a spiral iron staircase was not the easiest thing to do without making a small disturbance. Additionally, photographing all of the interesting angles seemed to place me into cramped locations that required some creative tripod adjustments. Overall, the warm tones of the brick and iron give the space a very surreal and timeless appearance. The following images were shot RAW with a Nikon D200 and processing with Photomatix Pro.

Download the PDF of the RIT Biomed Bulletin where these images are featured as well as viewing my tutorial on HDR photography.

I just completed a summer long project creating alphabet art for Penn Medicine. The client requested “alphabet art” photographs, all composed of objects and buildings found on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. The majority of this project consisted of scouting potential subjects and trying to look at them in a different way. The final images will be used for “Thank You” cards for Penn Medicine donors and other marketing materials. A potential long-term use of the images may consist of a photographic book documenting the location of each subject; providing the viewer with a photographic tour of the university.