New Orleans Elopement

This image is from a wedding several years ago. They were the inspiration for my American Gothic series of photographs. In my youth I had aways been drawn to the visual arts, even before I ever picked up a camera. In fact a camera was my means to creating paintings years ago. I photographed classic cars with an extreme wide angle lens I rented from a shop in Phoenix, then projected the slide onto a large scale canvas to sketch the outline. I didn't work with an airbrush as I didn't have the money to buy one. In college I worked with charcoal, pastels and soft pencils to create figure drawings. Probably one of my favorite mediums and subjects. But the other side of my brain really loved graphic design. Over the years I stopped painting and turned my eye back to the camera. I wanted realism but tweaked a bit. To be perfectly honest I was not the best at painting. I always struggled with subject matter and how to portray it. Which is probably why I moved to film and the photographic medium.

Fast forward a lot of years and here I am photographing really cool couples in some pretty unique spaces. I still hung onto the desire to paint again. Over the years I had been stockpiling supplies and ideas but never having the time to actually sit down and hone my craft (it desperately needed honing!). Now I have more time as I schedule a limited number of clients each year. With the great opportunity to be photo editor for a new and cool as shit online magazine all about New Orleans artists my desire to paint and be better at it has risen again. I am so inspired by the artists I have been photographing. And I have learned so much just about the process as I tend to overwork my paintings.

How does this relate to my photography? Well, as I have struggled with WHAT to paint and draw I realized I had all these cool photos I take in the French Quarter so why not paint one of those. Hmmm, we shall see how that works. I am enjoying my journey and hope that over time I find a way to truly combine my two creative loves, photography and painting. In the meantime here are a few photographs I turned into digital paintings and some practice watercolors.