Photos of the Year 2019

It wasn’t until the beginning of December that I finally got used to writing 2019 and not 2018 (at one point I even accidentally wrote 2016), and now here we are at 2020. When I was putting together my year-end gallery for Loyola, it dawned on me that it’s the end of a decade, which […]

Polar Vortex Hits Chicago

Who doesn’t like long walks on the beach, even if it is -22 (-51 windchill)? Walking around in this type of weather for an extended amount of time feels like you’re inhabiting another planet. The only sounds to be heard are the constant whirring wind gusts and glassy ice crunching and grinding under foot. The […]

Photos of the Year 2018

Pretty sure 2018 couldn’t have been more different than 2017. I went from freelance photographer to staff photographer. And instead of shooting photos all over the world, I spent 2018 shooting photos (mostly) within the confines of a few acres of campus. While the traveling was a great experience with some unforgettable stories, I’ve thoroughly […]

Access to the Madness

Back in early March during a brief meeting of our Marketing and Communication staff to gameplan for our March Madness coverage, we said to ourselves, “Wouldn’t it just be great if they win that first round game?”

For Loyola to make the tournament at all was historic—this was their first trip since 1985—so the decision was for me to travel with the team, documenting what it was like for Loyola’s first team in 33 years to go to the tournament.

Best Photos of 2017

2017 was a year on the move. My camera took me ~60,000 air miles around the world where I got to see and photograph some incredible people and places. But the 1,000 or so miles from Texas back to the Midwest and to my new home in Chicago were the most exciting. Here’s a little collection […]

Oh, The Places You’ll Go

With this being my 10 year “anniversary” of my first visit to Cuba I felt strangely stuck between two time periods as well. In 2007 I was a 17-year-old who knew relatively little about photography (or Cuba) other than that I thought it was cool. To return as a 27-year-old getting paid to photograph in Cuba and teach 17-year-olds about photography felt surreal and inspiring at the same time. It sort of felt like living out a real life version of a favorite childhood book of mine, Oh, The Places You’ll Go.

A Man, a plan, a (ear) canal, India

On my third day in Delhi an odd but harmless man “professionally” cleaned my ears despite my best protests.

“Your ears are very dirty, sir,” he began. “Let me have a quick look.” I didn’t doubt his assessment, though in my partial shock from his very specific and direct aural interests I didn’t take him very seriously. Within a split-second he placed a tuft of cotton on a metal q-tip and plunged it into my ear canal.

Morocco Revisited

For a second time I was fortunate to work with Rustic Pathways’ Advanced Photo Workshop in Morocco, this time teaching a group of 32 high school students from Hong Kong International School. It was also great reuniting with my Moroccan friends from last summer to lead the trip and get the opportunity to work and teach […]

A Changing Cuba

Cuba—which in most people’s minds is Havana—feels defined by its dilapidated chic of crumbling mansions, vintage cars and fading grandeur. Much has been written over the future of the island now that American tourism is surging, which increased 450% this past year. On one hand I find the idea that American tourism will somehow change the country to be arrogant if not naive. After all, Cuba welcomes 3.5 million tourists a year and Americans only make up a fraction of this. If tourism “changed” Cuba it’s happened well before hoards of Americans arrived.

Category: Pictures