The Everglades Wonder Gardens in Bonita Springs, Florida has been an area landmark since 1936. Originally built as a roadside attraction on the highway between Tampa and Miami, today the park is a nonprofit that houses rescued birds and reptiles. Home to all types of flora and fauna native to Florida, Wonder Gardens is a…
Pictures are just better when they’re taken at close range. So when going to the beach, I brought a waterproof camera. Here are the results…
Travel with Kids If you’ve followed my work for any length of time, you know that I shoot a lot of stories on the road. What you might not know, is that we always travel with our kids when producing our work. My photos focus on telling the stories of the locations we visit, and…
After a year of staying near home and only visiting state parks, I had forgotten just how large national parks are. Anhinga Trail in Everglades National Park was a great way to reacclimate to hiking with young kids in an expansive environment. Anhinga Trail is less than a mile round trip and there were plenty…
Being a documentary photographer means photo stories present themselves at random times, including while waiting for takeout at an eclectic restaurant called Havana Spice in the city of Homestead, Florida. I need to be ready to shoot them at the drop of a hat. This is exactly why I carry my compact Fujifilm mirrorless camera…
In addition to focusing on action and emotion, I like to find the art in sports photography. Here are some methods I employ to get a greater variety of images and bring the audience closer to the subjects. God is in the Details Looking around an event, I’ll see what details catch my eye. A…
Aspect ratio affects everything we do as photographers, from creating images in-camera to making prints and posting photos online. Here are three videos I made to help you navigate aspect ratio and keep your creative vision intact from camera to the final product. Intro to Aspect Ratio The first video is an introduction to aspect…
I absolutely LOVE doing documentary photography of basketball! If you haven’t heard, Indiana is a HUGE basketball state. Yes, more than other states. There’s nowhere else a movie like Hoosiers could have been made. I scanned years of my archive of images I shot for organizations like the Indiana High School Athletic Association and the…
The literal definition of photography “drawing with light.” So the fundamentals of photography are shadows and light. Sometimes it’s important to get back to the basics. One reason Larry Bird was such a great player was how many free throws he shot every day as a kid. It’s Hoosier lore that he’d shoot 100 free…
I love taking photos in the snow! It lets me see everyday locations with a new perspective. Snow provides technical challenges and unique visual possibilities. Let’s talk about those before you head out in the cold with your camera. Here are 8 tips for snow photography. They cover content, composition, and technical considerations when photographing outdoors…
A good photography practice can be to return to the same scene multiple times to photograph it under different conditions. If you saw my post about photographing night snow, you’ll have seen this first image already. Well, I found myself in the same area the next day, both during the afternoon and again in the…
Twenty years into photography, it’s rare to find a subject I haven’t already photographed in some capacity. Enter Night Snow. Whenever possible, I get outside when it’s snowing those big, fat beautiful flakes, but I had never tried it at night. First, it required me to do something I absolutely hate: take a tripod. I’m…
Documentary construction photography, design & collaboration for Cityscape Residential for their website by Common Design.
One thing I’ve learned in my 17 years of professional photography is sometimes you need to just get out and DO SOMETHING, even when you’re not feeling inspired. Being a parent, if you haven’t decided what you’re doing with yourself at a certain time, someone will come along and decide for you. Yesterday morning, my…
This morning I decided to try an experiment. I would see if I could shoot, edit and make a blog post in 60 minutes or less. I dedicated 20 minutes to each task. I knew I could do SOMETHING in that time frame, but how many photos would I get that I liked in 20…
Going through some images from 2020, I started to see a lot of single images that I hadn’t published. When I put them together into a collection, they seemed to go together pretty well. I suppose that means my personal style and vision is becoming more cohesive each year. Related Posts Seeing as most of…
What’s a photographer to do in a pandemic? I’m someone who likes to photograph people most of all. I need to avoid people as much as possible right now. And when I’m around others, I can’t photograph them in the close manner I’m accustomed to. So I spend a lot of time outdoors. And with…
It’s winter in the Midwest. What’s a social-distancing photographer to do? Go for a walk in the woods! Grateful to have some beautiful nature right outside my door. On this day I noticed a lot of interesting details, complex reflections and unique colors. I may not have had sweeping vistas to photograph, but I like…
How to find a great photographer to work with for your family portraits, wedding, or event.
Holiday decor designed and photographed for Engledow Group in Indianapolis area.
Photos for Eating Well magazine of Nate and Liz Brownlee, owners/operators of Nightfall Farm in Crothersville, Indiana.
Took at walk with the kids at Ritchey Woods Nature Preserve in Fishers Indiana and got some great fall photos.
Documenting lost golf balls as found in nature lead to an interesting series of artistic photographs.
Nothing like a good ol’ fashioned last-minute photo assignment. I was asked at 4:30 to accompany my 8-year-old to the creek to hunt for golf balls. I enjoyed making artistic photos of found golf balls, which I was definitely not something that had ever crossed my mind before. I spent less than 90 minutes shooting…
It’s May and we’re half in the box. Documenting life in the here-and-now has been very interesting. As a trained photojournalist, I’ve always thought of “finding a story” as going out into the world and looking for something interesting to shoot. Ironically I’ve found these restrictions more freeing. I have to focus on what’s nearby,…
As the quarantine presses on, I’m finding a lot of different experiences to photograph. The first story I published on the blog was about doing familiar activities in a new environment. The next story interpreted the feeling of social distancing. This week I’m looking at closeness and family bonding in the wake of the distance…
Robert Capa was a famous photojournalist who, among other things, stormed the beach at Normandy with American troops on D-Day, nothing but his cameras in hand. He has a quote that I live by: “If your photographs aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” I take that approach in every possible circumstance. However, with…
We’re all doing things a bit differently these days. One thing that’s interesting to me is how some of the things we’re doing are CLOSE to what we did before, but not exactly the same. For example, my family likes to hike and explore nature. But since we’re not going out to parks right now,…
Now that we’re all out of school, I thought, “Hey, let’s do a post about the first day of school!” I like to do the opposite of what’s expected just for the sake of being different. Anyways, this is the Leazenby family and a few years back I shot this fun story following their two…
Hammond, Indiana-based brewery 18th Street comes to Indianapolis.
If you’ve been in downtown Indianapolis you’ve surely noticed the billowing steam that emanates from the Perry K Steam Plant. It’s also known as the Perry K. Generating Station. This cloud factory provides steam heating to over 200 commercial buildings and industries in downtown Indy. It’s the second largest central district steam heating system in the…
Today we head to the creek to look for a little motivation for shooting a photo story. It can be hard to find the desire to get out and shoot on a gray winter day. However, if as a creative, I need to create, even in less-than-ideal circumstances. In this post, I’ll walk through the…
Last fall marked my third time documenting the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. It’s always a lot of action and emotion with plenty of great photos to take (if you know what you’re doing, that is). My SEO plugin wants me to type a bunch of words. “F*ck off, plugin,” I say! I’m going to tell this…
One of the many reasons I love my work is that I never know what type of shoots are going to come my way. Documenting the rededication of Bethel Cemetery is definitely a photo story different than any I have done before. A logistics company called Cardno contacted me in the fall to document the…
Indiana City Last week I visited Indiana City Brewing on the southeast side of downtown Indianapolis to check out their brewing process. It was fun to watch. The building they’re housed in is super cool and the morning light definitely heightened the scene. I’ve been doing documentary photography and drinking beer (not at the same…
Documentary photography from Indy Mural Fest, Indianapolis Indiana 2019
Aaron Scamihorn – Ronlewhorn Industries Indianapolis artist Aaron Scamihorn works as a graphic designer and illustrator. Under his company Ronlewhorn Industries, he creates illustrations, concert posters and design for companies like Indiana City Brewing, where he’s lead their overall design and can art since their founding in 2013. New Medium Last weekend, I photographed Aaron…
The NBA season is about to get underway, so I thought it time to finally share this shoot from last season. The Indiana Pacers hired me to document the inaugural game for their partnership with Motorola. I was brought in to capture some pre-game shots in the locker room and game action photos that highlighted…
Visiting Flat Fork Creek Park Flat Fork Creek Park is tucked away in the southeast corner of Fishers, Indiana. During this trip, Zach seeks different ways to capture the feel of this park at this time of year. Blue skies A bright sunny noon hour doesn’t often make for great photography, but sometimes you…
Our story this week features Turkey Run State Park in western Indiana. Carved by glaciers millions of years ago, this park features some of the most unique topography in Indiana. Walk with us through the ravines and sandstone gorges to see what this park has to offer. Please share this post with a friend who…
Earlier this year I headed up to northern Indiana to visit Angola Wire, a company that makes wire displays for retail use and custom wire parts. Shooting photos of industrial work and heavy machinery is always a fun task. And when sparks are flying, it makes for some cool images. I spent a half-day wandering…
Carmel Artomobilia is an auto show in the heart of the Arts & Design District. What could be better than world-class cars just a few minutes from home? Here are a few shots from this year’s show. If you’ve been following this blog or my Instagram page for any amount of time, you’ll see that…
Indiana Grown Marketplace These are images from the 2019 Indiana Grown Monumental Marketplace. This event only happens once a year and includes nearly 150 vendors from across the state of Indiana. I was hired to provide a comprehensive catalog of images for digital and print advertising and I only had four hours to do it….
Purposeful Design in Indianapolis, Indiana makes beautiful hand-crafted and custom furniture. That alone is impressive. Pair that with their mission to help individuals who have faced addiction and homelessness and you have an organization that is changing lives. Training Most of the men who work at Purposeful Design have no experience woodworking. They receive training…
Recently I had the opportunity to photograph artist Nathaniel Russell in his home studio. His work is often humorous, sometimes political and always thoughtful. Nature and animals are frequent themes, along with humans in their odd beauty and beautiful oddness. It’s great to see a native Hoosier making cool art around the world and still…
A Study in Contrasts Contrasts always catch my eye. Whether it’s contrasts in tone, color or subject matter, I like to find ways to document them with my camera. This post examines the contrasts at a new Carmel, Indiana pool. Pool Open During Construction Our neighborhood has a new pool this year and the area…
Sometimes creation is destruction. That’s definitely the case with this Crayola sidewalk chalk. It tends to happen when the chalk is worn, broken, left in the rain, dried out and then left in the rain again. Or sometimes it happens with a new box. You can never be sure when the urge will strike. With…
Today while standing in line to buy donuts at Titus Bakery, I found out it is National Donut Day. It’s not just another Hallmark holiday; it’s a reason to indulge in our unofficial national breakfast treat (as if you need one other than “deliciousness”). So sit back and let me paint (photograph) a picture for…
Dr. Erica Leazenby of Relish Health is a trained chef and M.D. She states that her practice, “combines the joy and art of cooking with the science of food, nutrition and medicine.” Dr. Leazenby takes a holistic approach to working with patients. She helps them find dietary and lifestyle practices that are suited to the…
What do you do with those old electronics you have around the house? Recycle them? Sure, but first, use them for a take-apart project. Kids love to see what’s inside things. The opportunity to crack open an old computer is something they can’t turn down. And whether they’re using a tiny screwdriver to remove intricate…
Today we present a photo story of a young artist discovering a delicious medium. One of the many benefits of working from home when you have four (and soon five) kids who homeschool is witnessing, and subsequently documenting, their shenanigans. This is what happens when you leave a tempting item on the kitchen counter within…
A documentary photographer never rests, even on Memorial Day weekend. Indy 500 race day in Indianapolis means family get-togethers and visits with celebrity cousins. Here’s what comedian Jim Gaffigan has to say about these special family members… “…the ultimate reason for attending family gatherings is for your children to have the time of their lives…
Bottleworks District is a massive development underway in downtown Indianapolis. This past weekend I took a tour of the property with Hendricks and their marketing partner Pivot. In 1931 Coca-Cola built a state-of-the-art bottling facility in Indy. It’s an amazing example of Art Deco architecture. Unfortunately, the property was used primarily as bus storage for…
Richard Lugar served as United States Senator from Indiana from 1977-2013. He passed away on April 28 at the age of 87. Lugar is known for his international diplomacy, working to greatly reduce the world’s supply of nuclear weapons and helping to pressure the end of apartheid in South Africa. After his Senate career ended,…
This time last year I worked on a project documenting Indianapolis Public Schools. I went to 10 different schools over the course of four days in April & May to photograph students in classes and activities. The images highlight the special programs and opportunities each school has to offer. Here are some of my favorites….
Bonita Springs, FL is located on the Gulf of Mexico between Fort Myers and Naples. I’ve been going down to visit since my wife Courtney started taking me there around 2005. As a professional photographer since 2004, there’s no “vacation” from shooting (mostly because it’s not work), so I’ve built up a pretty good catalog…
Here are some never-before-seen photos from my Florida archive. This series of skies are all shot from the same stretch of beach in Bonita Springs, Florida, (many in the exact same spot) on different days and years. Sky and water only. NO FILTERS. Looking for more Florida?
Everyone remembers their first trip to Disney World, right? I certainly do because it was only a few years ago and I took a bunch of photos. Through these images, I’m looking to capture the feeling of taking a trip and experiencing a new place. This is neither a guide to visiting Disney World nor…
A walk through native landscapes Humans and nature are inextricably linked and I work to show that when I shoot nature and landscapes. Walking through Barefoot Beach Preserve in Bonita Springs, FL is an interesting experience. As I began down the trail, a thicket of native plant life surrounded me. But as I progressed, I…
2019 NTEA Work Truck Show “TRUCKS!!!!!!” (read in the voice of Benny from the LEGO Movie yelling “SPACESHIP”) is what I hear when I get a call to come photograph some shiny new trucks at the NTEA Work Truck Show. A few months ago my Subaru was in the shop for being 20 years old…