Housing Market for The Wall Street Journal

This was an interesting assignment that I could literally walk out my door and shoot, which was sort of fun, but also sort of challenging. The story was about the hyper localization of the real estate market and one of their focuses was on the Ballard neighborhood in Seattle. I was trying to find a portrait of Ballard that showed the housing as well as went above and beyond the normal real estate shot as well as a quick portrait shoot with one of the main characters in the story.

Pine Ridge Reservation

Sophi Cheyenne and her daughter, Ariel Franks, Wounded Knee, SD


Several weeks ago I packed up the car to head out to Pine Ridge Reservation, where I have been working for the past six years. Working with the Lakota people has taught me an immense amount of what I know today about storytelling. I grew up in Eastern South Dakota, and the first time I ventured out to Pine Ridge was in 2005 with a friend on the way home from college. We picked up a man on the side of the road with the name of Loren Black Elk, who spent the next two hours telling us about his culture and the injustices suffered by his people throughout history. You could see the pain in his face as he spoke, but conversely, there was a deep respect for life even if it was hidden under the surface of the hardened years of his skin. After that trip I knew I would be back, I just didn't' know it would take me back over and over again throughout the years.

This time as I packed up the car I had feelings of excitement and uncertainty, much like the many times before that I prepared for the 18 hour drive to South Dakota. I was excited to reconnect with friends, once merely acquaintances and photographic subjects, who now call me "brother" and accept me as one of their own. I was excited to meet new people and hear their stories, yet uncertain as to where those stories might lead me. More than that though, I was excited to re-tool this visual narrative that I had been weaving over the past 7 years. More importantly, I needed time to think about the visual narrative that the major publications chose to focus on, and hopefully tell a different story of the Lakota people.

Elijah Battese, 12, Pine Ridge, SD


Richard Lame, Pine Ridge, SD


George Eagle Bull, Pine Ridge, SD

When I first started this project I didn't have a clear storyline in mind, other than showing what life is like on the Pine Ridge Reservation. I wanted to show the pain, but also the beauty of their beliefs, culture, and vast wilderness of the plains. As the narrative developed, I strove to focus on contemporary culture's effect on the youth of the reservation, which led me to some of the gang activity and hip-hop influence so many of the younger individuals navigate towards. As this part of the story developed, TIME, The New York Times, and Indian Country Today took interest in the gang problem, specifically, and FOTO8 and HUCK Magazine ran more comprehensive essays. As I approached this upcoming journey back to the reservation I wanted to continue on with some of my previous contacts' lives, but also take a step back to work on a portrait series as well as think about the future avenues to take this story. The stories that were published in these publications definitely told a part of the story, but for me it is a much larger story that I find myself drawn to over and over again. It is the story of a culture struggling to hold onto their traditional values and beliefs in an age when many of the youth aren't brought up with those stories, those values. For me it is also a specific story of several individuals as they navigate their way through a divided world of native values clashing with those of western civilization.



Basil Brave Heart, Pine Ridge, SD

Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota is located two miles north of the Nebraska border, and about an hour an a half drive from Rapid City, South Dakota and Mount Rushmore. It is a place of hypocrisies and contradictions. On one hand many people of Pine Ridge are afflicted by drugs, alcohol, gang life, health problems, and depression, while on the other hand the very basis for the Lakota way of life is based on respect for one's life, respect for others, and the respect for everything around you. The Lakota believe that they are connected to everything-the wind, the trees, the birds, and even the rocks. While visiting a tribal elder, Basil Brave Heart, he spoke of his grandmother and how she passed these beliefs and values on to him. "Whenever we see something in motion, like these limbs of this tree right now, and the clouds, or the voice of the thunder. All that is the creator. We're related to everything, so we need to have deep reverence and respect for all creation. Whenever I think of my grandma, she lived in a state of grace, almost perpetually. Morning, during the day, in the evening, making prayer."


Lawrence Shot, Wounded Knee, SD


Teenage Girls, Pine Ridge, SD


John Little Bear, Pine Ridge, SD


Jim Wilson, Rapid City, SD


Rich Lone Elk, Pine Ridge, SD


Greg Rowland and Cecelia Jealous of Him, Wounded Knee, SD



I would like to thank all of the wonderful individuals I have crossed paths with on the Pine Ridge Reservation over the years, for offering me a couch to sleep on or a place to set up my tent and for allowing me into your lives. I hope to see you all again soon.

Border Patrol for The New York Times

It is always a pleasure to head out to the rural parts of Washington and the peninsula for an assignment. This time, I headed out to Forks, the small town made famous by the Twilight movies, with Bill Yardley, to talk with locals and the immigrant population about the recent increase in activity by the US Border Patrol. It was an interesting assignment to start, yet challenging for me to find a way to gain access with the salad pickers in the area as I don't speak Spanish. I was able to connect with Jose Hernandez to go into the forest with him and photograph him picking salal, which is used as greenery in ornamental flower arrangements. It was a fun shoot and I ran a couple of rolls through the Hasselblad as well. To my surprise, those images are the ones they picked for the layout. Here are some other shots from the weekend. View Article Here>>>

Whooping Cough for The New York Times

Last week I headed up to Mt. Vernon to photograph the town and people getting their Pertussis vaccines. It was an interesting shoot as people getting a shot in the arm takes about 20 seconds and most people aren't' scared of needles. Luckily, one of the patients wasn't quite as keen on getting a shot in the arm, which made for a more interesting image. View Article Here>>>

Retirement for The New York Times

I had a fun shoot last week photographing a mother and daughter who both work at the Walmart in Bremerton, Washington. Ethel Rusher, 72, and her mother Louise King, 92, work side by side at Walmart from 3PM to 11PM, 5 days a week. It was a quick portrait shoot on a seamless background, that was matched with three other portraits taken from other photographers around the country, but I think the two subjects complimented each other very well. Here is the layout from the NY Times special section as well as a couple of outtakes from the shoot. View Article Here>>> View Slideshow Here>>>

Jeff Bezos for The New York Times

It's not everyday you get to shoot a CEO of a big company and when it does happen, it's usually a quick shoot. The subject comes in, smiles for the camera, then you're done - and let's not forget the handful of lingering PR people looking over your shoulder. I had about an hour to set up a couple of different scenarios and about 20 minutes to move him around the space to some pre-conceived setups. It's always a fun and challenging experience, and luckily Jeff was a good sport. Here are some outtakes from the shoot and if you missed it, check out the front page of the NY Times and the International Herald Tribune today. View Article Here>>>

Occupy Something....

I'm not much for shooting protests these days as they all sort of end up looking exactly the same unless something happens out of the ordinary, so when I heard things were getting out of hand I headed downtown to see what was going on. Of course, that's not how these things work, and all the action was settling down when I got there, but I got a couple of shots that I sort of like.