honesty. loyalty. sincerity.

the littlest birds sing the prettiest songs.....

wait.... what?

it feels so surreal to write this post. to share these images, to say these words. thats my name up there in a list of the best wedding photographers in the world. thats a picture i took on the cover of American Photo Magazine's top 10 wedding photographers issue, the image running across 2 pages that leads into the whole article is of a wedding i shot in brooklyn. it just doesn't even seem possible. im just a guy with a camera. i get so nervous before every wedding that i can barely string a sentence together. i often forget to eat for about an entire day until im breaking down my lights and almost pass out. I GIVE THIS MY EVERYTHING. i owe that to being raised up in the punk/hardcore community. ive learned about doing things on my own terms. ive adapted a no bullshit work ethic ( thanks justin) . ive found a path where i can express myself. where i can be surrounded with passion, energy, and love. that same intensity that makes people yell into microphones and jump off stages, i have found, lives just as much in wedding vows, in promising true love for eternity, and sharing it all with the people who mean the most. i get to be a part of this almost every weekend of my life. and i dont take one second of it for granted. i have a roof over my head. a yard for my midget vegan pit bulls, food on the table for a daughter so beautiful i cant even comprehend it, and a wife who has inspired and supported me from day one. and its all possible from shutter speeds and apertures. top 10. this title that ive been given will only make me work harder, break more rules, and push every boundary. i have to give credit to Jesse & Whitney for taking a chance on a fat guy covered in tattoos, and teaching me how to take my camera of the P setting and trust my instincts. thank you to everyone at OUR LABOR OF LOVE, you blow my mind on the regular heidi , david & kendrick, & julia . also big ups to Meghan for putting up with me every weekend and being incendiary too... and of course, thank you to everyone that has let me take their photo. you trusted me, and shared my vision. you are amazing beyond words. you make me who i am and help me live my dream. you rule...

and congrats to all the amazingly talented photographers that i share this title with this year. Morgan Lynn Razi , Ryan Brenizer , Samm Blake , Ryan Joseph , Emin Kuliyev , The Parsons , Sean Flanigan , Todd Hunter McGaw , Tyler Wirken. here is a ink to the article. please take a look and live in the beauty HERE.

every weekend i step back and pause... its hard to believe how lucky i am to witness such beauty every weekend and be a part of something so magical. thank you to everyone who has helped along the way and made my life complete. im looking into 2013 with open eyes and ready to breathe new life into my work. im using this song by Refused as my inspiration.... So where do we go from here? Just about anywhere Disorientated but alive. Boredom won't get me tonight Let's bring this city to life, to light - tonight There is no destination. But with a goal in mind We can all be realistic. Demand the impossible Every street is an adventure and every road becomes a trip. Every turn we take and every decision we make, even the decisions we don't make, will bring us into the secrets of their town. Every corner we turn will lead us down the labyrinths, and every desire that we earn will guide us alive. LIVING. LOVING. and SEARCHING...