After NC Healthy Start Foundation received great feedback from the SIDS PSA we produced last spring (see blog post  - http://cdphoto.com/blog/?p=1697), they called with a new assignment. This time the message was essentially the same — make smart decisions — but the target was broader: young women around our state. The foundation wanted wanted this piece to really stand out. An idea the client presented featured two women having a discussion on the couch. But we decided to take it one step further by showing one woman having a conversation with herself. Our makeup artist and actress had a lot of fun with the transformation process. Many thanks to NCHSF for their trust and flexibility with this production. Which “you” are you?

For Spring Break 2012, my wife and I decided to take our daughter, Lucy, on a little road trip to our nation’s capital. Despite growing up only a few hours from there, I had never been. So it was a blast walking (and walking and walking) around the city, seeing some of the places I had previously only seen on TV. Lucy and I often has the same looks of “Wow” on our faces. Before we arrived, I knew I wanted to capture a few of the sites in B&W. Here are a few of my favorite images from Washington, D.C.

Got a call the other day for a not-so-usual assignment. It was a physician assistant at New Hanover Regional Medical Center who had invented a new device to be used in surgery. While at work, he realized that there was a big problem when it came to collecting bone during certain operations. From what I learned, there is a significant advantage for the patient to have their own bone put back in their bodies after such procedures as a lumbar fusion. So my client designed an ingenious little press that would allow the blood to be separated from the bone, quickly and efficiently. Of course, he wanted me to film this process. So, on went the mask and scrubs. Below is the short film I created for my client’s website, featuring the Hensler Bone Press.

In December, I was tapped to update photography of some emergency service teams and vehicles for New Hanover Regional Medical Center. Their shot list reminded me of a little boy’s wish list at Christmas: a four-wheeler, a helicopter, a bicycle and a few rescue trucks. For one photo, a cherry-picker provided a great vantage point to capture all of their “grown-up toys.” The lawn of the USS North Carolina battleship made for a great location, complete with downtown Wilmington as a backdrop. I scouted other locations that were New Hanover County-specific, and our two-day shoot concluded on the sands of Wrightsville Beach. The cooperative pilot of AirLink was even able to land right on my mark, not once but twice! My wish list for 2012?….More fun shoots just like this one!

Telly Award-winning Lighthouse Film Company was shooting on location in downtown Wilmington recently. The dance party scene was complete with live band Rio Bravo http://www.reverbnation.com/riobravo. My assignment was to capture some production stills and shots of the musicians. I really love being on set, especially big film shoots with all the gear and crew. Lots of energy! Knowing how (and when) to shoot production stills is pretty important. You definitely don’t want to get in the way, or interfere with their work, of course. Hope the guys at LFC like seeing themselves behind the camera as much as I like being behind mine.

I live in a small town, but we have a big church. It’s called Port City Community Church, or PC3 for short. Some people call it the “rock-and-roll church,” and we do have an awesome band. But that’s only one reason why approximately 6000 people come to one of the four services on Sundays. It’s for the message. Some folks may say, “the message is the boring part.” But not here. Surfer/pastor Mike Ashcraft brings the Word in a down-to-earth way with an open and honest heart. He’s real, and his messages are too. So I was very honored when the media department asked me to photograph him. Where would we go? Well, he’s a beach lover (like me), so that’s where we went. But I didn’t want to shoot just another beach portrait, so I decided to overexpose the images quite a bit. You could say the results are almost heavenly.

Lately I’ve been shooting for some very creative entrepreneurs. The latest inventor to call has developed a product called Müngi Bands (pronounced MOON-gee), the next generation of silicone bands for kids that use magnets to connect to each other. My client needed a branding video for his website and had seen my children’s portraits. We were going to shoot outside, but the schedule kept getting pushed back due to the late delivery of his product. Suddenly we found ourselves in the drab grey of December. So we secured a classic skating rink and invited a ton of elementary and middle-school students on the first day of their Christmas break. The kids were really into it and even surprised my client with the creative ways they wore their Müngi Bands. Kind of a rolling focus group, if you will. The video definitely added some flavor to his website, as well as a new trade show booth. He may have to order a few more cases of Müngis!

New Hanover Regional Medical Center needed a cover shot of triplets who were born 8 weeks premature in 2010 at their children’s hospital. The marketing department wanted to do a “follow up” on the trio for their newsletter. Now that the boys are 18 months old, they are quite mobile, to say the least. Getting this shot was truly a group effort! After working with little ones many many times in my carreer, I’m not as intimidated as I used to be. And with a bit of planning, you can get the shot faster than you can say 1,2,3. Special thanks to the McLambs for helping out!