In this video, I’ll be playing with the brand new GoPro Hero MAX 360 camera! I wanted to ask the question, is this possibly the best motovlogging setup ever? With the ability to mount the camera in one place on the motorcycle, but be able to choose any angle of view within 360-degrees, it just might be! However, is the exported resolution of 1080p worth the sacrifice? And is the added complexity of editing 360 video worth the headache? Check it out and let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Another one of my absolute favorite interior designers in Charleston is Alexandre Fleuren! We’ve been working together for many years. Her style, creativity, and attention to detail never ceases to amaze me!!!
Alex has been repeatedly invited back as a contributor to the CSO Designer Showhouse. This year’s Designer Showhouse, which is sponsored by the Charleston Symphony Orchestra League, is the historic Fitch-Rivers House. The home was constructed circa 1883 as a classical Charleston Single house in historic Radcliffeborough. The property was previously owned by the Lucas family, rice planters who built the West Point Rice Mill on the Ashley River.
It was such a pleasure photographing Alexandre’s space in this gorgeous historic home in the heart of downtown Charleston. If you get a chance, I highly recommend a visit once they re-open for tours after the COVID-19 threat has passed. Also, check out more of Alexandre’s beautiful work at: www.designafi.com.
Sandra Ericksen Design is one of my all-time favorite interior designers in Charleston. I’ve been working with her for years! Her creativity, the vibrant colors she uses, and the tasteful yet unique style of her designs are always so beautiful. Plus Sandy is just a wonderful person and so much fun to work with!
Sandy has been repeatedly invited back as a contributor to the CSO Designer Showhouse. This year’s Designer Showhouse, which is sponsored by the Charleston Symphony Orchestra League, is the historic Fitch-Rivers House. The home was constructed circa 1883 as a classical Charleston Single house in historic Radcliffeborough. The property was previously owned by the Lucas family, rice planters who built the West Point Rice Mill on the Ashley River.
I enjoyed photographing Sandy’s room in this beautiful old home across from the MUSC campus. If you get a chance, I highly recommend a visit once they re-open for tours after the COVID-19 threat has passed. And check out more of Sandy’s amazing talent at www.sandraericksendesign.com.
Last year several friends and I started planning an epic motorcycle adventure. We were to fly to Morocco, rent Honda XR250 enduro bikes, and explore that amazing country for two weeks. When those plans fell through, I shifted my sights to a NEW journey! We’re calling it the Moto Photo Mexico Adventure!!!
I say “We” because I’m so excited to be partnering with my good friend, amazing photographer, and incredible video editor, Jason from Docent Prodigy. Although Jason isn’t able to ride with me on this trip, he’s going to be working with me to produce daily moto vlogs of my epic journey, which we’ll be sharing on YouTube. He’s a fun guy with an amazing gift! Working together on this is going to be amazing. But I’m even more excited for our NEXT collaboration, when he will be able to join me out on the road!!!
In addition to Jason joining me in the post-production department, I am so grateful to his lovely wife, Erica, for letting “boys be boys”, and to my beautiful bride, Cami, for all her love and support. Cami will be holding down the fort and keeping up with our clients while I’m away. We couldn’t do it without you two!!!
As most of you know, I’m no stranger to living and traveling abroad. Having lived most of my formative years in a remote mission station in The Democratic Republic of Congo, AFRICA, I’m well accustomed to roughing it, and indeed feel quite at home in the third world. In fact, I seem to get an itch every few years to return to that simpler way of life that exists outside the realm of American commercialism, politics, and overindulgence. For example, in 2012 I went backpacking solo across Belize and Guatemala for two weeks, riding the “chicken buses” along with the locals, discovering incredible wildlife, and exploring the amazing Mayan ruins along the way.
Saying I’m super excited about this new Moto Photo Mexico trip would be an understatement. A ton of planning and preparation has gone into it. I have so many incredible friends who either live in Mexico, live along the route I’ll be taking through the southern US states, or have ridden their motorcycles in Mexico. Everyone has been so selfless with their guidance, and so generous with their hospitality. Many of them have even invited me to stay with them along the way. Others have connected me with their relatives and friends in towns I’ll be visiting. It has truly been wonderful to see this outpouring of help, encouragement, and support! (Speaking of which, if you live along the route I have planned in the map, and would like to reach out, I’d be delighted to connect with you!)
The ultimate final destination, and one of the biggest goals of this journey, is to finally see the millions of monarch butterflies that return to Mexico each winter from their long migration up through the United States. It’s been a bucket-list item for me for quite some time! I’ll be arriving at the pinnacle of this mass migration. I’m so excited!!! There are of course so many other incredible sights I’m looking forward to seeing and photographing. From the Cave of Swallows (which is the largest pit-cave in the world), to the spectacular waterfalls along the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains…from the old historic mining towns, to the glorious architecture of the Spanish colonial cities…it’s all going to be amazing!
However, I am most looking forward to meeting the incredible PEOPLE of Mexico! Everyone I’ve told about my journey (at least everyone who has never lived outside the U.S.), has stared at me like I’m NUTS!!! Their comments range from “why on earth would you go down there” to “are you bringing a gun”. Seriously?!? I personally believe there are two sides to every country…the political side, and the people side. What we see in the news here in America is all about the political side of things. How would you like to be judged as an individual by what people in other countries see on their news station every night? School shootings, police brutality, the social media ramblings of our leaders…you get my point? We forget that the “people” of every country, of every tribe, of every place on earth are no different than we are. “People” all around the planet have the same hopes and dreams we do. All they want in life is be healthy, to be happy, to fall in love, to raise a family, to have a good job, to enjoy life, and be a good neighbor.
My hope is that this video series will be fun, will be entertaining, will be educational, but more importantly, will show that people everywhere are full of goodness and kindness. I hope you’ll Subscribe to the channel and follow along. It’s going to be a WILD RIDE!!! And I’d love to share it with you. 🙂
It was a pleasure photographing new headshots for my friends at Commonwealth Financial the other day!
I’mages captured on a Nikon D5, with Nikkor 70-200 f2.8, shot at ISO 400, f5, 1/250sec. I used a large Westcott octobox with three SB-5000 flashes in it as my main light. And I used a small Westcott striplight with one SB-5000 flash in it as a kicker light. The light of the open shade served as the fill light. Manfrotto light stands and a Manfrotto 055CX Pro tripod served as support. It was really windy! So a bunch of BoaBag sandbags held everything in place.
Every year I look forward to the famous Muro Family Reunion photo shoot with great anticipation!!! It’s been so much fun capturing fun memories for this wonderful group for the last several years. Watching the kids grow (and having new kids magically join the group), has been so much fun for me.
One thing I particularly love is that these guys all welcome me in like part of the family. In fact, so much so this year, that the in-laws asked me to participate in a group photo with them! So I got to be in front of the camera for a change. How fun is that?!?
CONGRATULATIONS to all the Muros for another wonderful family vacation. We love you guys!!!
Before Hurricane Florence hits Charleston, I had a chance to go downtown and photograph a few images of the calm before the storm. The place was a ghost town!!!
It’s an honor and a privilege to be selected as a guest speaker alongside legends like Eddie Tapp, Judy Host, Richard Bernabe, and Ben Hartley at the Create Photography Retreat over the next few days!!!
Here are a few shots from today’s outing at Middleton Place Plantation…
I’m always intrigued by the challenge, suffering, and ultimate triumph humans seek out in competitive sports. Being a sports photographer has its own set of challenges!
This spring I had the pleasure of covering the Charleston Rugged Maniac Challenge at Boone Hall Plantation with this AMAZING team of sports photographers. I’ve photographed this event for the last 4 or 5 years, and always enjoy the experience! It’s tough on the gear…keeping the mud and water off the equipment isn’t easy. And it’s tough on the photographers…I shot over 4,000 images in five hours of non-stop action.
A special shout out goes to Richard Ellis for capturing the image of me “at work”! And thank you to the nice EMT staff for taking our team picture!
But being a part of the excitement these athletes experience is totally worth it!!! CONGRATULATIONS to all the participants for enduring and triumphing over this fabulous challenge!
When Dixon Hughes Goodman, one of the largest accounting firms in the country, hires new associates, I have the privilege of going in and photographing their head-shots. It was a pleasure meeting and photographing some of the latest additions to their amazing team yesterday!!!
I’ve known Amazing Amy for several years through the hair salon she manages. She is super fun, full of energy, and loves life to the fullest! Adam is her rock. He comes from a family with a history in law enforcement, and works for the Sheriff’s Department. He’s the strong silent half of Amy & Adam! 🙂
Yesterday we met up at the always-picturesque Middleton Place for their engagement shoot. The soft glow of late afternoon light was absolutely perfect! Playing tourist in our own town, we explored every corner of this amazing Charleston plantation, capturing the love these two share for each other.
We had an absolute BLAST together! And we even got ourselves a rainbow! I can’t wait to photograph their awesome wedding celebration this fall!!!
After photographing Riley’s newborn photos a year ago, it was so much fun cathcing up with the Thomas Family for her 1-Year Photo Shoot at Hampton Park!!! Riley is an absolute DOLL with a smile that will melt your heart! It’s no surprise since she has some of the coolest parents ever, gets a play date with her amazing aunt every week, and spends lots of time with her beautiful grandmother too! 🙂
“It takes a village to raise a child”
– African proverb
