DIGITAL CREATOR
This title has recently come into common use on social media. Since I was unsure what this broad category could mean, I went in search of the “real” answer on Google’s AI:
LATEST COVER
You never know when the photo you make might become a cover on a magazine.
The team at PCA has once again provided me with this gift. It feels the same way every time. A thrill followed by a sense of gratitude. My thanks to them and Lorenzo Strong at West Coast Customs for following me to one of my favorite photo locations in Monterey, CA and bringing along this tastefully modified 1977 911S they built for a client.
This white beauty with blue graphics looks and performs like a 1974 IROC RSR with some exciting modern touches. This is one cool ride. My story and photos appear in this month’s issue of PCA’s national magazine Panorama.
P.S. The trick to making a successful automotive photo using a super wide-angle lens, especially a close-up like this, is to minimize distortion and maximize believability. To master this technique, it takes years of practice with a 16-20 mm on a full-frame camera, along with developing the necessary pre and post-visualization skills. You have to know what the eye sees as normal and make that happen. It’s not as simple as a single Photoshop or AI action.
SEATTLE IS FEELING IN THE GREEN BECAUSE OF THEIR WORLD CHAMPION TEAM – THE SEAHAWKS
Redemption never felt so good for us local fans. Congrats to all the Seattle football players, coaches, support teams and followers, for their faith and never give up attitude!
INEVITABLE CONSEQUENCE MANAGEMENT TIPS
Photography enthusiasts who are considering making it a career sometimes seek me out for advice. I always give them what I think are the most important things to personally manage as a full-time professional:
1. Don’t assume anything. (This rule is also #2 and #3)
2. Have a back up plan. Better yet, have three backup plans.
3. Choose your potential clients and co-workers wisely.
4. Only show your best work. If it’s the work you want to be hired for, it helps. If you have talent and are willing to work very hard to become better, you have a chance. If you have something to say, you have a real chance.
5. If you want to stay in business, don’t work for free and never do anything half way.
6. Establish minimum fees depending on the time, energy and expertise required to do your best work.
7. If the client wants all rights, it’s OK. You just need to charge a lot more, unless it’s work you will never want to own.
8. Never complain, and always make your deadlines.
9. Always believe in yourself, and never stop creating new work that pushes the envelope. Rejection and criticism are part of the business, so grow a thick skin. And learn to say no.
10. Equipment is just a tool. Practice until you don’t have to think about it anymore. Use your intuition instead.
Bonus tip: Shoot for yourself, and don’t fall down.
BROKEN HARPOON
Like “Broken Arrow” from Native American lore and the Neil Young album of the same name, “Broken Harpoon” signifies a call for help.
It’s just one of the stellar tracks from the album Smile by The Jayhawks, a brilliant record close to my heart from the Minneapolis-based band with Gary Louris.
Speaking of Minneapolis, we are witnessing the worst hypocrisy from the White House since the Kent State University murders under Nixon in 1970. Be prepared for more lies to come, and even more protests. It’s sickening.
See Bruce Springsteen’s response below: Continue reading “”
NEW COVER AND ARTICLE
Thank you for the support from my local Porsche Club of America chapter and to Sydney Tanner for insisting that she write and photograph an article about me and what I do as a photographer. See the January issue of Spiel, my regional PCA magazine, for more. It is an honor to be featured in the magazine.
SOMBODY HAD TO SAY IT
Look to the Porsche 356 Registry magazine for a publication of my commentary on searching for what I believe are the origins of the Outlaw Porsche. Available to club members this month. Don’t forget to use your mirrors correctly!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
It’s been a minute as they say. This year felt like three years, but it ended with a bang. Here’s the title page of my latest private F1 video.
Here’s to a smarter world in the face of challenges nobody is ready for. Anybody want a robot pet?
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Seasons Greetings to you and yours!
IT’S ALL UP TO WHAT YOU VALUE IN YOUR MOTOR CAR
“It all swings on the pain you’ve gone through getting where you are” – George Harrison
Nobody would confuse me for fragile. Growing up around Alaskan commercial fishing, my resilience and confidence can be somewhat intimidating to some. It’s not something I can control. It’s just who I am.
George Harrison’s individualism and creativity was an inspiration to millions. The Porsche above was passed on to George’s son Dhani. He still has it.
LATEST RECORD REVIEW
Somehow I still find time to review the latest audiophile-oriented LPs that I have an interest in. This new Craft reissue of a ’50s jazz recording on Savoy by Art Pepper is not audiophile in a modern sense, but a unique look back at the first album by one of the best jazz saxophonist of the 20th Century. Check out my review of this reissue of Art Pepper’s Surf Ride in Tracking Angle:
PERSONAL WORK 2025
Followers of my blog know that at the end of each year I post a series of personal photographs made at a non-assignment single location. Here’s a 4-season composite I made at a local road known for cool photo ops. Enjoy something new this season!
Porsche’s 911 Through the Years
ALEX WEBB SHOOTS THE 2026 LAVAZZA CALENDAR
Having studied with Alex Webb, I can attest that he is the most brilliant color photographer living today. Somebody figured that out and hired him to shoot a coffee brand with incredible results. Congrats Alex!
THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHY ADVICE I’VE SEEN LATELY
As someone who is always willing to learn, even after decades as a full-time professional photographer, here’s the best thing I’ve come across that encapsulates what I have come to know.
May your holidays be blessed with mindfulness and positive experiences.
BACK FROM LAS VEGAS F-1
Thank you to my client who asked me to be the embedded photographer and filmmaker for his 3-day penthouse party overlooking the course at the Las Vegas Grand Prix F-1 race. Here’s a shot I made during the rainy qualifying session under the lights. Congrats to Max Verstappen for his victory and staying in the hunt.