As 2018 comes to a close, I thought that I'd share some of my favorite images from that I've made this year. I had the opportunity to shoot for so many great clients this year — it's always a real honor and privilege to work with and be apart of quality teams.
In no particular order, here are a few of my favorite images that I've shot this year, from tour photography to shooting events for iHeartRadio, to work shot for Nikon and other clients.
There are a number of images that I wish I could show here, but those will have to wait until client approvals and first usage. That said, here are my favorites from 2018.
2018 Music Photography Highlights
2018 has been a great year, and one of my busiest yet. My brother Chris and I had the opportunity to continue doing tour photography for amazing clients like Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, and more. It was really a thrill to cover events like Jason Aldean's sold out performance at SunTrust Park in Atlanta, GA.
It's really a pleasure to be able to work with my brother so closely on so many shoots. We're thankful to have clients who see the value in having us both out to capture their artists biggest shows and events.
In addition, I've loved shooting for brands like iHeartRadio and their events such as the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas, Fiesta Latina in Miami, and Jingle Ball in NYC. These kind of events are truly dreams for most music photographers and it's always such a honor to be included in the official photo teams for these calibre of events, year after year.
Nikon Ambassador Program
This year was honestly pretty huge for me, and a clear highlight was joining the Nikon Ambassador program for Nikon USA. This wasn't just a highlight for the year, but for my entire career.
Joining the Nikon family has really been a tremendous experience. Not just the honor of being included in this group, but the ability to learn directly from a group of people who are simply the best at what they do. But more than that, every single Nikon Ambassador is not only insanely talented, they're just about the most genuine and generous people I've met, who freely share their passion and knowledge. For me, this is quite an intimidating prospect, but it's also equally exciting, because I know that I have so much to learn from each and every other Nikon Ambassador.
Words cannot express the gratitude that I have to the whole Nikon team, and specifically Michael Corrado, Nikon Ambassador team leader, for the new world that this opportunity has opened up for me.
Nikon Z 7 Campaign
Another big part of this year was the opportunity to work on the Nikon Z 7 campaign launch. This was an incredible opportunity and one of the most exciting shoots that I've done in my career. It's not every day that one gets to shoot with not only an unreleased product, but one that has been so exciting to the Nikon user base as the Z 7 and Z 6 have been.
Nikon Theater at PPE
One more big highlight for 2018 was the opportunity to speak at the PhotoPlus Expo in NYC. PPE is one of the single largest photography trade shows in the US, and was really a true honor to share a stage with so many incredibly inspiring photographers. Showing my work was a real thrill and it was especially rewarding to do so with such a full crowd.
The last highlight of 2018 with Nikon for me was getting confirmation that I'll be speaking at CES in Las Vegas on January 9. This will include a solo talk, but more even more exciting, I'll be part of a panel with rock photography legends Baron Wolman, Robert M. Knight and joining my friends Jenn Devereaux and Michael Corrado. This promises to be an amazing panel! It's pretty crazy to think that I get to be a part of it with four photographers whose work I admire so much.
Here's to 2019
If you're reading this now, you're part of the reason for this crazy year. I've said it before, but I owe my career to this blog. Nearly every single big break I've ever had can be traced back to someone Googling “music photographer” or “concert photographer” and finding this site — that's the complete truth.
I'm a music photographer from St. Louis, Missouri. Not New York City, not LA, not even Chicago or Seattle, or anywhere that I thought of as “cool” when I was growing up. Still, looking back, St. Louis gave me a portfolio that has given me opportunities beyond my wildest dreams.
10 years ago, if you'd have told me that one day I'd ever be a Nikon Ambassador, I simply wouldn't have believed you. (The Nikon Ambassador program wasn't created until 2013, but you get the idea.) In 2008, I was just starting to get some big breaks — that was the year of my first assignment for Rolling Stone, my first time flying out of state for a commercial photography job, and my first big print placement in SPIN magazine.
2008 was a year of a lot of firsts, and yet it felt like I was still at the bottom of a mountain. A decade later, in 2018, I've had opportunities that I never even dreamt of having. But to be honest, it still feels like I'm climbing. There's a whole new world to explore and learn, and that is a little daunting and intimidating, but overwhelmingly exciting for all the same reasons.
Here's to a great 2018. I honestly have no idea how I can possibly top this year in 2019, but I'm looking forward to what's next.
