As I drove around the continental United States, I was graciously invited to attend the opening of Willie’s Place, located in Carl’s Corner,Texas, 75 miles south of Dallas.

I had the honor of being greeted the day I arrived by Carl Cornelius himself. One of the most gracious and down home men I had ever had the pleasure of meeting. I could spend hours speaking about Carl, but for now, I’ll simply say that I will remember that meeting as one of my major lifetime milestones.

The weekend was special because Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel were going to end their North American tour that evening. I was truly excited, not only to be able to see Willie, but also since Ray Benson the founder of Asleep at the Wheel had grown up here in the Philadelphia area. Montgomery Township to be exact, just north of the city.

Given the opportunity, I could probably to this day, recount every single moment of that weekend. The people I met, the music I heard, the food I tasted, and the sense of belonging in a rare and special community.

Here are a few of the shots I took that weekend.

I love the Rembrandt lighting.

Tap on Photo for a larger view.

When I started clicking my first time in Jerusalem, I learned that many of my Arab neighbors were still superstitious and thought that by photographing them, I was “stealing” their soul. I quickly made it part of my style to raise my lens so that others might realize I’m about to click a shot, and that provides them with that moment to either turn away, or allow the action take place.

I was pleasantly surprised to experience something new on my trip to India. Most people were not only happy to have their pics “clicked” but they often approached me to get a look-see.

This one particular shot was a pleasant surprise. I presented two young women, both aware I was clicking away, and one dared me, and the second shyly hid her face. To me, it is a simply charming shot.

Click on Pic to see it larger.

This was prior to the suicide of the young man at Rutgers.  The problem had already manifested itself in many ways however, throughout the nation.

The video is through the eyes of Missy, a first year teacher with a desire to “do the right thing”, as she video blogs her thoughts and fears.  The “right thing” however is an illusive situation, and Andy had found that the best way to encourage folks to open up about their own issues, was to present case studies of similar situations and stimulate conversation and interaction amongst a group:  a group of students, a group of parents, a group of teachers, etc.

Some of the situations may appear benign in nature and some may appear a bit overblown.  Again, the exercise is to illicit discussion.  None of these scenarios is necessarily based on correct procedure by teacher or student.  If you are a professional educator, you may see things that go against the grain.  If so, discuss that issue as well, but don’t let procedure interrupt your emotional reaction to the case studies.

I’ll be curious to reactions regarding the emotional elements of this piece.

To see the image larger, simply click on it.

Upon arrival at the college, I was not only impressed, but extremely excited to learn that there is a curriculum for Media Studies. The instructors and students I met displayed an amazing passion for learning as much as they could.

I thoroughly enjoy sharing my own experiences with students and I believe in the end, I gained far more from this experience then they did. I continue to interact with these brilliant young women, and I look forward to revisiting this year, in order to teach a few more classes.

It was a week of running, gunning, and Learning. You see, I not only had the opportunity to work on the film, I also had the opportunity of finding a specific niche that I now believe is a true direction for me: University and Private School view books.

Each Video View Book, is and will be unique unto the teaching institution. And this is what I find so exciting. Each project will bring us a level of diversity and new perspective, which is the sole reason for me, being in this business.

Yeah, it’s an old piece… almost 15 years now. (Amazing) And yet, as I look at other videos for Private Schools, the only thing that I find different is the quality of the image… Beta vs High Def. The amount of listening by us, the ability of the client to state who and what there were, and then and only then the act of bringing in the production crew is what makes this product memorable and still pertinent.

We are very interested in meeting with all educators who have a desire to portray their schools in an interesting, dynamic and unique manner.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The client was engaged in a new initiative that pushed employees worldwide to strive to be the Number #1 Technology company in the world. They originally requested a sports analogy and we suggested a protagonist that was more internationally oriented.

The idea was to demonstrate why being second only allowed you to be the best of all the losers.

Click here to view the embedded video.