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Photography

America: The Story of U.S.
American History has always been one of my favorite pastimes. I read about it every night before I go to sleep, and I go to every historical event made available to me. It’s very fascinating to me to see how our forefathers conceived this great country that we live in in such a short time. It started with only thirteen colonies in the northeast, and then grew into the greatest and most powerful country in the world in just two centuries. I love standing on the exact spot where an extraordinary event took place, and I imagine what it must have been like. These are only a select few of the hundreds of life-changing events and locations that have taken place in our country throughout the years. In the near future, I hope to visit and photograph several more historic places.

Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln has always been my favorite President. He was born in a small cabin in the middle of nowhere in the winter of 1809, grew up on a farm in the middle of nowhere, then made his way to Springfield, became a lawyer, then a Senator, and the rest is history. It’s not just his life that interests me, but more his personality, as he is known to have one of the best senses of humor of any President. He saved the country during the Civil War, and then had the unfortunate luck of becoming the first President to be assassinated. Since his birthplace, hometown, and tomb are all in my neighboring states, I had the pleasure of photographing locations throughout his entire life, including sites in Washington D.C and Baltimore, Maryland. I hope that you enjoy my photo tribute to him.

JFK Assassination
In the fall of 2010, I flew down to Dallas to film a motivational speaker, and I stayed an extra day to visit Dealey Plaza. Even after forty-seven years, the plaza was still crowded with visitors from all over the world who had come to witness that drastic event in 1963. Everything looks exactly as it did in 1963, possibly as a tribute to Kennedy, and I encourage you to visit the area if you haven’t already.

Presidential Landmarks
The forty-four men who have guided our great country in the past two centuries have all led extraordinary lives. You wouldn’t believe how impoverished some of our forefathers began; it’s very inspiring to see where they started, and where they ended up. I especially love visiting a President’s grave. You can stand over him and feel his presence, and imagine that just a few years ago, this person was the most powerful man in the world. Because traveling is so time consuming, I’ve only had the pleasure of visiting a few states in the past year; by Fall of 2011, I hope to visit and photograph every Presidential birthplace, home, and grave.

Indiana Landmarks
After my trips to the homes of Abraham Lincoln and James Dean, I started photographing other historical places around Indianapolis, and before I knew it, I was looking online for every place in Indiana where a major historical event took place. Sure, Indiana isn’t New York, Washington, or Los Angeles, but we’ve had our share of interesting run-in’s with history. Maybe after looking through this album, you’ll learn that Indiana isn’t as boring as it seems.

9/11
Ask anyone where they were when the first plane hit, and they can answer you without hesitation. 9/11 is the most devastating event in American history, and we can only hope and pray that such a catastrophe will never again take place. Not long after the event, once the evidence started to unfold and the books started to publish, I developed an obsession with the event, and spent over a year reading one book after another. Just like Columbine, seeing it on television and reading about it wasn’t enough for me; I wanted to go there and see it for myself. My photo tribute is nearly complete – two more trips to Shanksville and the Emma E. Booker Elementary School, and I’ll be all set.

James Dean
While I was attending Ball State, a friend of mine told me that he was going to Fairmount that weekend and asked if I wanted to tag along. I asked what was in Fairmount, and he told me about James Dean. Of course I had heard of James Dean, and I knew that he was from Indiana, but I couldn’t remember which part. When my friend told me that it was only thirty minutes up the road, I said sure, why not. We drove up there, and I met David Loehr, the owner of the James Dean Gallery. We became great friends, and he told me all sorts of interesting things about Jimmy.

My friend and I went to the birthplace in Marion, the childhood home, the high school, the grave, and other places in Fairmount. I thought it was really interesting how this guy grew up in a small Indiana town, just like me, then he became a big movie star just six years after graduating high school. I ended up renting a book about him from the library, and eventually, I made several trips to Fairmount on my own. David even offered me a part time job, and I worked at the gallery during festival weekends. I still need to fly out to California to photograph his homes and the car crash location in Cholame, but until then, I hope you enjoy my photo gallery about his life.

License Plates
This is just a silly hobby of mine. When I was a kid, I noticed that the Indiana license plate kept changing, and I saw all different kinds of patterns of Indiana license plates – The fields, colleges, Colts, etc. Then when I traveled to other states, I thought it was interesting how their plates were so much different than ours. So whenever I see a license plate from a state that I haven’t photographed yet, I pull my car over and take a picture with my camera. Only nineteen more states to go!

Playing With Camera
I graduated with a degree in videography, but I’ve always been just as interested in photography. I just chose to focus all of my attention on one field while I was in college. I love video because it captures the full moment in reality and with audio, but that can sometimes be boring. Photography allows you to use your imagination, and create what was happening at that moment, and what the people in the photo were saying to one another. Sometimes we don’t stop and appreciate how beautiful life is until photography reminds us.

Columbine High School
In the summer of 2008, I was invited to Denver for the privilege of filming Professor Joe Martin speak to a group of teachers. After I flew in, I had some extra time on my hands, so I drove down to Littleton and had the incredible experience of visiting Columbine High School. It’s one thing to watch a tragedy on television and read about it in the newspaper – it’s another to actually be there and feel it. The campus was absolutely gorgeous, with baseball diamonds directly behind the school, mountains in the background, and a beautiful view of Denver from the high school.

What stood out the most to me was how happy and friendly everyone was. I don’t remember seeing one person who wasn’t smiling. I remember thinking that I would have loved to go to high school here, or send my kids to a pretty school like this. I really admire that the school administration was able to dust themselves off after the tragedy, and keep making Columbine the wonderful school that it is. My camera back then wasn’t the best quality – I hope to return someday and get better photos.

Observation Decks
I’ve always loved heights, especially in big cities. Whenever I rent an apartment, I specifically asked for the highest floor possible because I want a good view. I also always request a window seat on an airplane. I can’t explain my obsession – maybe it’s because the world looks so different from eighty-six stories in the air. Here are some photos from observation decks in New York, Chicago, and Indianapolis.

Henry Ford Museum
In February 2010, I had a film shoot in Detroit, and I stopped by the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn on my way home. I only had intentions to photograph Rosa Park’s bus and the JFK limousine, but as I walked around, I found out that the museum had a fascinating collection of American history, not only with automobiles, but with segregation, technology, celebrities, and culture.