Kurt Braunohler, Comedian The first time I photographed comedian Kurt Braunohler was at RIOT Comedy Festival in Los Angeles in 2014. At that RIOT show, his joy and enthusiasm for performing was immediately evident and there was a great connection with the crowd. That’s exactly the sort of thing I’m looking to document with this series. So when I…
“GO BIG!!!” was at the top of my to-do list in March. I was determined to make something happen. I started off with a goal of photographing 30 subjects in April. I doubt anyone went back and counted, but I ended up with 26. In the past, I definitely fell prey to the adage, “Perfect is…
Daniel Elsener, President, Marian University My in-laws, Jan & Steve McCracken, are Marian alumni. As a part of their efforts fundraising for the school, they’ve invited my wife and I to the university’s annual gala a few times over the years. At these events, I’ve always enjoyed hearing President Elsener speak. He mentions here the importance of family…
Bill Browne, Principal/President, Ratio Architects Bill founded Ratio in 1982 and the firm has gone on to create many iconic Indianapolis buildings such as Bankers Life Fieldhouse and the Indiana State Museum. In reading Bill’s answers to the questions below, it’s no wonder he and his company have been so successful. Photographing during a design meeting was…
Lobyn Hamilton, Vinyl Artist Lobyn is a local artist whose primary medium at the moment is vinyl. He smashes and cuts vinyl albums and their sleeves into music-inspired art. A couple of his pieces were recently featured on the set of the hit Fox drama Empire. It turns out that Lobyn was already very familiar…
Tiffany Benedict Browne, Author & Historian On the day I photographed Tiffany, I had the opportunity to witness her enthusiasm for history first-hand. For part of our time together, I followed her on a tour of the Heslar Naval Armory, which is slated to become a second campus for Herron High School in 2017. There…
Broxton Bird Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Earth Sciences, IUPUI Many people dream of traveling to remote mountains of Tibet or Peru. Broxton Bird is living this dream, except his version involves bringing back dozens of meter-long cylinders of sediment from lake beds. These cylinders contain about 2,000 years of climate records. Broxton’s work is teaching us about the world’s…
Sareh Azizi, 15, Violinist & Student Sareh lived her first 13 years in Iran. She began to play violin at age 10, but her family had to keep it a secret, as “western” music is strongly discouraged. Later that year, she and her sister were attacked by police when they saw her carrying her violin,…
Chris Elam, Mosaic Artist Chris Elam, a Bloomington artist, was introduced to me by Kirby Melick when I was in town photographing on Tuesday. Watching Chris at work, and seeing the nature of his chosen medium, I was not surprised to learn that he had attended Seminary. There’s something meditative and spiritual about the process of…
Kirby Melick, Kirby Custom, Inc. Kirby Melick makes furniture and cabinetry on his 13-acre property in Bloomington, Indiana. His business Kirby Custom, Inc features custom fine cabinetry and furniture including kitchens, vanities, bars, doors and more. He begins his workday at 4 a.m. I sauntered in at the leisurely time of 6:30 to start shooting…
Annie Eakin, Annie’s Clothesline Annie and her mother Dede founded Annie’s Clothesline in 2008, working together to design and produce children’s clothing. I caught up with them in Bloomington, IN as they prepared for their biggest event yet, the Country Living Fair in Nashville, Tennessee, April 22-24. The following set of six questions will be answered…
Tatum Perez, Training By Tatum Two of my sisters-in-law train with Tatum and always talk about how much they love working with her. After taking these photos, I could see why. She’s easy going and positive, helping people reach their goals without being that drill sergeant stereotype often portrayed on TV. If you or someone…
Rachael Heger, Support the Girls, Indianapolis Rachael Heger began collecting bras at the beginning of this year to donate to local women’s charities. The goal was to give 3500 bras by her 35th birthday in December. That only took about 90 days, so she kept going. To date she’s donated 4500 bras, and the scope of the…
Alexandra Jackiw, President, Milhaus Management Alex was referred for this project by GK Rowe, calling her a “national Icon in the Multifamily Mixed Use Property Management industry.” Alex was also named as a 2015 Woman of Influence by the Indianapolis Business Journal. I followed Alex as she did a walkthrough of the new Mentor and Muse…
PERSONAL LEGEND PROJECT Malkah Bird, Cooperative kindergarten teacher Entering this project, I knew that Malkah would have to be a part of it. Malkah Bird teaches in a Cooperative Kindergarten in Indianapolis. Her progressive approach to education earns her much respect and adoration around the city. She subscribes to an emergent curriculum philosophy and it produces some…
Kevin Morse, Chemistry Teacher, Westfield High School A couple weeks before the idea for this project came up, I was talking with some friends from high school about the work we were doing. Kevin said how much he loved the entire process of teaching, from reading every new chemistry book he could get a hold of to…
Tim Ayers, Grace Church When my wife Courtney and I started discussing people for this project, one of the first that came up was Tim Ayers. She grew up swimming with his children and knew him as someone who embraced his calling to the church. Over the years, she continued to hear his name mentioned by friends…
Andy Hassler, Blue Mind Roasting Andy Hassler and his wife Sarah own Blue Mind Roasting in Indianapolis. Together they run the business while seeking a path of purpose in life. Andy performs the roasting duties, which I’m featuring in this post. I’m by no means a coffee expert, but I can tell you the cup Andy brewed for me was damn good….
Adam Germany, Fu5ion Personal Chef & Catering Services I first met Adam over the holidays and immediately realized we share similar perspectives on entrepreneurship and following a true calling. It was inspiring to hear how his business has taken off since moving to Indy in 2014 and starting Fu5ion that fall. Adam doesn’t like to drop names,…
Betsy Callahan, Ballroom Dancer When I first started taking Betsy’s photos for this project, I sensed she was a little nervous. Later she told me that I was the first in the family to be invited into the studio. Betsy is my wife’s sister. A number of people in the family said she’d be a great fit…
Sarah Moshe, Immigration Law, Lewis & Kappes My wife has been close friends with Sarah for over 25 years. In the time I have known her, her passion for immigration law has always been apparent. Immigration is an issue that is frequently politicized and spoken about in sweeping generalizations. But the reality is that behind the…
Eric Holcomb, Lieutenant Governor of Indiana I’ve had the pleasure of working with Indiana Lt. Governor Eric Holcomb a number of times over the past few years. I respect his enthusiasm for government and his tireless dedication to improving our state, which is why I immediately thought of him for this project. I’ve photographed him in…
Deacon Bill Reid, St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church Deacon Bill spent 31 years working at Eli Lilly. As retirement approached, he began to consider his next chapter. His sister mentioned that she thought he’d make a great deacon, and he admitted that he didn’t know exactly what a deacon’s role was. As he learned about the…
GK Rowe, Business Design Principal, Q7 Associates GK has a uniquely creative mind, and I’ve regularly called him up over the years to discuss ideas over drinks or lunch. It’s nice to talk with someone who gets it. He’s also one of the best connectors I know, hosting regular gatherings for creatives of all types. Logically,…
Fritz Albright, Wright Road Stables I first met Fritz about 10 years ago when I moved to Carmel and began frequenting Joe’s Butcher Shop, where he was our main butcher man (unofficial title, of course). Always friendly and quick to start a conversation, often times we would talk about his horses. Recently he retired, but I think…
Tommy Baldwin, Musician I met Tommy in a very serendipitous manner. I stopped by my office on Saturday after another shoot and noticed my office neighbors, Kingston’s Music Showcase, were in. For me, music is as big of a passion as photography, and I hadn’t yet found a musician to participate in the project. I thought…
Penelope Dullaghan, Illustrator & Designer Penelope’s work is primarily influenced by nature, and she takes daily walks along the river behind her home. Frequently she paints or sketches what she finds. Her work is used both commercially and editorially and credits include Crate & Barrel, The New York Times, Starbucks, O Magazine and Target. Be sure to…
Frank Basile, Heartland Film Festival, Interim President I first met Frank and his wife Katrina in 2010 when Frank was in need of some portraits for a column he writes. A friendly and unassuming couple, I was unaware of the significant impact they had on the local arts scene. Not only has their generosity landed their names…
Project Statement A couple years ago, the book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho kept showing up on my radar. After hearing about it several times in just a few months, I thought it must be time to read it. The Alchemist is an allegory about a Spanish shepherd named Santiago who dreams of treasure at the Pyramids and…