Photo Bait and President Obama

The president came to town yesterday. Me and another local newspaper photographer were granted access to shoot inside the coveted "buffer zone" during his speech. The buffer is that space on the ground in between the stage and the gates that keep the crowd at bay. This was my first time photographing Obama as the president.  Political events such as these always involve a certain amount of stagecraft. Everything is beautifully arranged to lure us unsuspecting newspaper photographers into taking the photos they want. A carefully placed American flag is commonplace. But I always feel a little bit guilty for taking the bait. A tightly framed photo of Obama looking contemplative and wise with the American flag in the background is exactly want they wanted from me. They granted us access to the buffer zone precisely so we would take photos such as these. This is a campaign year after all. Am I a pawn in their game? Probably. But I still like the photo.

The New Homeless

These are the faces of the new homeless. Families who once had it all, and because of circumstance, the economy, the foreclosure crisis and bad luck, lost it all in a blink of the eye. We do a lot of stories like this in the media business, especially lately in Nevada. But I never tire of hearing these tales. I shot portraits of three amazing families for this week's cover story by Ken Miller for Las Vegas Weekly. These families have come through dark times together and have made it through to other side. Meeting people like this, who band together in rough times and become stronger, is always an inspiration to me. I know it sounds cheesy, but they have made me appreciate what I have now because it could easily be gone.

(Cover and feature design by the always awesome Ryan Olbrysh)

Porn Favorites

Now that the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2012 is behind us. I wanted to reflect for a moment and pick out my favorites from last week's porn madness... shoe photos included!

Circus Vargas

Here are my favorite shots of Circus Vargas, which ran on a photo page in the Las Vegas Sun today along with excellent portraits of the performers by fellow GMG photographer Christopher DeVargas (no relation to the circus). Enjoy!

Favorites of the Year 2011

Now that 2011 is far behind us, let me dwell on it one last time to present my all-time favorites of the year in all their Naked City glory. Onward and upward to 2012!