American: The Bill Hicks Story

Finally, one of my favorite comedians gets his cinematic due:

A couple of my friends have already seen this film on the festival circuit and tell me it's amazing. I can't wait!

Snapshots

Danny Clinch 'NY Z'

Talk about dream assignments: One of my favorite photographers directs a very cool mini documentary of Jay Z's 9/11/09 concert at Madison Square Garden. Clinch and his crew were given an all-access pass to shoot private interviews, aerial shots documenting the construction of the stage, as well as proper concert footage - all paid for by the creative folks over at Absolut Vodka.

Architect Svend Fruit for Modern Luxury

As a huge fan of modern architecture and design, I was beyond excited to get to shoot in a Howard Meyer-designed home in Greenway Parks. The subject of the shoot is Svend Fruit, architect half of the amazing design firm bodron+fruit. Svend specializes in carefully and beautifully restoring historic homes, and when the trend is to demolish the old and build something ugly and new in its place - it's refreshing to meet someone who sees the importance in saving what is already here. Especially when what's being saved is a gorgeous testament to a historically significant period in American style.

Here are a couple of outtakes that show a bit more of the house:

I had a great time shooting Svend. My only regret is that because his schedule was fairly restricted, I wasn't able to explore more options in and around that incredible house with him.

Patience

Had a long and interesting conversation with some friends tonight about progress. It's a strange thing to feel like you're in limbo between two levels of your career, and it whips your emotions into an odd mix of pride, defensiveness, art-vs.-commerce theory and impudence. It's at once inspiring and troubling.

The worst part is - No one has the answer.

Having spent a few hours mulling over the conversation, the only certainty I came away with is one that I've had since I was a kid: Patience is a virtue.

The trick is to remember that patience extends beyond the 'with others' scenario that your parents instilled in you. You also have to be patient with yourself.