More than 20,000 people ran the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon in Indianapolis last Saturday. The highlight for many runners is taking a 2.5-mile lap around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and stopping to kiss the bricks. I biked the entire course so I could catch the starting line action, the mid-race lap around the track, and the…
Josef Newgarden visited the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum last week for the first “An Evening With” event in the newly renovated space. Fans bought tickets and waited in line for this sold out event to meet one of their heroes, a back-to-back winner of the Indianapolis 500. If you don’t follow racing, it’s important to…
Last week I spent three days at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum documenting grand reopening events and it’s absolutely GORGEOUS! At first glance of the exterior, the facade of the building looks the same as when it was built in 1976. But when you step inside, you can see everything is sleek and modern. It’s…
Caleb Hearon’s “So True Live Tour” visited Indianapolis last week. Hearon and guests played a sold out show to around 1400 people at the Egyptian Room at Old National Centre. It was a mix of standup, crowd work, drag, and a hilariously explicit conversation with friends. Meet Caleb Hearon Hearon is 30 year-old standup comic…
For the last hundred years there have been photographers creating documentary photography at museums. Famed photographer Elliott Erwitt documented so many museums around the world that he created an entire book dedicated to the subject: Museum Watchers (published in 1999). Photographing museum visitors connecting with art becomes art itself. Last week I visited the Indianapolis…
The Indiana State Fair is one of my favorite places to take photos. I go each year and there’s always so much to see and do and experience! My wife and I take our 5 kids to the fair each year, so I’m there as a parent and a participant as much as a documentary…
Gregorian chants echoed off the bleachers as tens of thousands knelt in the darkness, in near-silent prayer & meditation. It was a long way from the usual stadium lights, high-energy music, and the cheering & jeering of the usual crowds at Lucas Oil Stadium. The National Eucharistic Congress was held in Indianapolis, Indiana from July…
Ballet INitiative in a nonprofit dance collective based in Indianapolis, Indiana. My introduction to their group came last winter when one of my kids was part of their annual Nutcracker with a Twist performance. The show, billed as a “feminist 1920s Nutcracker,” is primarily based in ballet, but also incorporates other styles of dance. This…
Last weekend Graham Rahal Performance hosted a cars & coffee event at their location in Brownsburg, IN. I headed out with the boys to see what we hoped would be some cool cars. We were not disappointed! We could not believe how many people showed up! And apparently they were a bit surprised as well….
Let’s go behind the scenes of a commercial photoshoot I did recently. This was a 5 day shoot at locations like small businesses in Indianapolis, homes in the city & the suburbs, and out on a family farm in Morocco, Indiana. Thanks to Young & Laramore for bringing me on for this shoot. It was…
I recently worked with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to document their Verizon 200 at the Brickyard race weekend. There were four races over the weekend and I was there taking photos of the experience. The Scene I took a documentary approach to show what it felt like to be at the track, capturing the overall…
Having lived in Indianapolis for 17 years now, I always wondered who got to drive the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Camaros I’d see around town each year starting in the spring. Well, now I know because I’m one of them! An Extremely Brief Introduction to the IMS If you’re not familiar with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway…
The Indianapolis 500 is a month-long celebration during the month of May in Indiana. This year I photographed two different perspectives on the festivities. First, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum hired me to photograph their Hall of Fame dinner two days before the race. It was an evening of racing legends, stories and a celebration…
I went to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum this spring, and seeing as the Indy 500 is this weekend, now is a great time to share the photos! The winner of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race gets their name and likeness on the Borg-Warner Trophy. The second place finisher gets nothing (well, some money, I suppose)….
The Big East Esports Championship at Butler University was full of action and emotion and I was there to document it all! Scroll through the photos below and experience the story of the event as it unfolds. Related Posts For more sports & esports photography, check out these posts. You can also learn more about…
Work Truck Week in Indianapolis is always a joy to photograph. This year was my fourth time documenting these big big trucks inside the Indiana Convention Center. What I Look For When I take photos, I like to look for scenes and moments that are out of the ordinary. If something makes me stop and…
Creating social media content for clients using my documentary photography experience to share client products, services, and locations.
Live from _____, It’s a ZDP Photo Walk! Have you tuned in to a live photo walk yet? I’ve been a photographer for over 20 years, and photo walks (AKA wandering around with the sole purpose of taking photos) have been a regular part of my practice. But lately I’ve added a new element… broadcasting…
Using motion blur in photography is a great way to convey action, movement, and excitement while telling a story. In this post I’ll give some examples of how I like to use motion blur. All photos here are from this year’s Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. To Pan or Not To Pan? There are two primary ways…
Photographing the new Butler Esports Park was my second photoshoot this year in esports. It’s been great learning about this new frontier in sports and technology. Both photoshoots have been for the architect of the new arenas, Populous. Their attention to detail is incredible and I’ve enjoyed showing it off in the photos. It’s also…
Recently I decided to take some photos as a sort of “event street photographer.” Here I’ll talk about the process and show the results! What is Street Photography? If you’re not familiar with street photography, it’s candidly documenting the everyday life and interactions of people in public spaces. Sometimes the subjects know their photo is…
Recently I had an opportunity to photograph something new: esports! Indianapolis played host to a 5v5 NBA2K tournament, called The Turn, in a brand new venue downtown. I was contacted by Populous, the architecture firm that designed the new space, to take photos of it in use. I had a great time seeing and documenting…
Stonewall Sports Indianapolis is a community sports organization for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies. I went out to document opening day for their fall kickball league at Frederick Douglass Park in Indianapolis. What a fun group! There was plenty of music, customized uniforms, and not-so-subtle team names. If you’re in the Indy area and looking for…
Today we make a return visit to the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres at Newfields in Indianapolis. For the sake of simplicity, let’s stick with calling it 100 Acres. Revisiting 100 Acres in Indianapolis allows me to explore a subject I’m drawn to frequently: the interaction between people and nature. What’s…
Documentary construction photography, design & collaboration for Cityscape Residential for their website by Common Design.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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….
On a warm day in January, we stop by 100 Acres at Newfields with the kids. If you’re not from the Indy area, Newfields is the campus that contains the Indianapolis Museum of Art. 100 Acres is part nature preserve, part modern art gallery. The best part of visiting 100 Acres at Newfields (to a…
You see model trains a lot during the holiday season, but nobody does model trains like the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis. Jingle Rails is their annual train display. Models travel through famous local scenes and national landmarks from the American West. You’ll find downtown Indy, complete with a scale model of the Soldier and Sailor’s…
Next up for our holiday events is Christmas at the Zoo in Indianapolis. This is always a great event at the Indianapolis Zoo because in addition to Santa’s Village and lights throughout the zoo, a lot of the animals are out and about and available for visits. Santa’s Village The Bicentennial Pavilion houses Santa’s Village…
This week we visit Newfields Winterlights in Indianapolis, now in its second year. With over 1.5 million lights, this is THE light display to see. Newfields is the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the surrounding grounds. In this post I talk about photographing in the difficult lighting conditions we encounter at this time of year….
Morales Group is a leading staffing agency in Indianapolis. The Morales Group attributes their growth to their commitment to serve: their clients, associates, staff and the community at large. Recently I had the opportunity to collaborate with them on a new photography catalog to be used on their new website and marketing materials. I photographed…
Another stop we made on our holiday tour of Indianapolis was Jingle Rails, presented by The Indiana Rail Road Company, at the Eiteljorg Museum. Eight model trains travel through miniature scenes including downtown Indianapolis, Hollywood, Las Vegas and western landmarks such as the Grand Canyon and Mount Rushmore. After the Jingle Rails photos, you’ll see…
This week we headed to the Indianapolis Zoo for their annual Christmas at the Zoo. 2017 saw the addition of a new Santa’s Village under the Bicentennial Pavilion. With Santa in his study, Mrs. Claus in her kitchen and reindeer in the barn, there was plenty to see and do. The kids enjoyed multiple trips…
I had a co-op day recently at my kids’ preschool and thought I’d take a few photos. It’s a kind and loving environment where kids can explore their own interests in their own ways. They spend time outside every day, including in the rain and snow. Scroll through the gallery below to see what it’s like…
Winterlights is the newest of the major holiday attractions in the Indianapolis area. A part of the 152-acre Indianapolis Museum of Art campus, recently rebranded as Newfields, the event features more than a million lights, winter treats and displays set to holiday music. The family and I decided to check it out this week and…
Here are some photos from a recent trip to the Indianapolis Zoo. Even though it was a rainy day, there was a lot to see and the animals were out and about.
Like many people, the images I’ve seen in the news lately of refugees fleeing violence and war have affected me deeply. Parents are going through extraordinary lengths to protect their children, risking their lives seeking safety and stability. America is a country founded and built by refugees and immigrants with these same basic goals. That’s why…
To start this month, I documented the Monumental Mile in downtown Indianapolis. This was a fun community event with a straight-shot run along Meridian Street from 12th Street to the finish line at Monument Circle where participants and guests could partake in some local beer and food from sponsors like Quaff ON! Brewing and Chipotle. Below…
Holladay Properties is a full-scale land development, design/build and fully-integrated real estate company. They contacted me to document a sampling of the type of spaces they build and lease. This gallery shows warehouse, office, education/research and sports facilities in Indianapolis and Westfield.
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…