New Advertising Work: New Mexico State Tourism

I was recently commissioned by M&C Saatchi to work on the latest campaign for New Mexico State Tourism. As the copy suggests, the theme is to showcase the modern art and the natural beauty the state has to offer. The agency chose Georgia Okeeffe’s 1935 painting, Ram’s Head White Hollyhock and Little Hills, to symbolize modernity and the natural beauty of Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, NM. The colorful terrain of Ghost Ranch inspired some of the painter’s most famous landscapes and once wrote: “[the] cliffs over there are almost painted for you — you think — until you try to paint them.” Abiquiu is located 63 miles northwest of Santa Fe and served as Okeeffe’s residence from her first visit in 1934 till her death in 1986.

The goal was to create a scene from the perspective of O’keefe as she faced her finished work and the surrounding landscape, bringing our two themes together. The challenge was, although O’keeffe drew much inspiration from actual physical locations, she worked within the themes of modernism, loosely interpreting with abstraction. With the help of my Frankfurt based digital team, Mainworks, the art department headed by David Baca, and a fortuitous scout day, the concept came together nicely.

Production stills after the jump.

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Wonderful Machine Promos

Last month the folks at Wonderful Machine featured me in their monthly print mailer as well as their email, Photographer Spotlight. The email promo went out to 42,191 art buyers at ad agencies, magazines, and corporations in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Oceania.  The 6″x11″ postcard went out to an additional 2,000 recipients.  There are over 450 photographers in 50 countries listed on Wonderful Machine, and to have a print promo and an email in the same month was a nice surprise.  Wonderful Machine is a unique web portal featuring, promoting, and representing photographers all over the world.  Bellow is the blog entry by WM.

May has come and gone, and another great promo has been mailed to clients. Now that summer is upon us, we felt it appropriate to pay homage to the youthful spirit of adolescence and the adventure seeking mindset—however misguided—that accompanies summer break. Printed by Modern Postcard, our latest promo showcases the work of Los Angeles-Based photographer Jesse Rieser and his young daredevil bike jumper. I had Jesse give me some background on his work:

The image was created for Santy Advertising Agency and their client, Phoenix Children Hospital. The shot was a concept that came from Chris Cavaleri, the art director (who is now at David and Goliath in Los Angeles). The image was part of a campaign of two images selected for a PDN photo annual for best advertising of the year. The campaign depicts common, dangerous, yet humorously familiar children’s activities.

I can attest to the fact that children engage in dangerous activities. I spent the majority of my summers days outside, attempting various foolhardy stunts with friends—some more successful than others. Childhood memories like those are what makes Jesse’s image so relatable, not just for me, but for people across the world. We’ve all done dumb yet memorable things in our lives, and that’s why his photo makes us look twice, and smile.

Here are a couple behind-the-scenes photos showing the two parts of the picture that were later stitched together for the final composite.

Email promo after the jump.

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Arizona’s Wallow Fire as seen from Laguna, NM

Last Monday while traveling west after Center’s Review Santa Fe as part of the Santa Fe 100, I found myself driving through a surreal landscape fueled by the Wallow Fire 284 miles away in neighboring Arizona. When approaching what seemed to be the thickest of the smoke I opted to exit off interstate 40 which led me to the sparsely populated Laguna, New Mexico. When the images were created, 186,000 acres had been consumed and was the country’s third largest active wildfire with 0% containment. Sadly, today the fire has become the nation’s largest ongoing fire, the second worst in Arizona history, and has grown to 386,000 with 5% containment.

The fire is believed to be the result of an unattended campfire, which began to spread in the afternoon of May 29th. Seven additional images after the jump.

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2011 PDN Photo Annual Winner

Wirschern Sisters' Christmas Dinner. 2011

Happy Birt Jesus. 2011

I am proud to announce my project Christmas In America: Happy Birthday, Jesus was selected in this year’s PDN Photo Annual. My series was selected as one of the year’s best in the Personal Work category. Congratulations to my  friends and colleagues, Natan Dvir (Eighteen) and Wyatt Gallery (Tent Life: Haiti) to whom I share this honor.

Cover image by Kyung Soo Kim from the series The Full Moon Story for Korean Vogue.  

Images from the release party at the Tribecca Rooftop after the jump.
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2011 Lecture on Contemporary Photography: “The Most Exciting Projects & Photographers I Learned About This Year.”

My latest project, Christmas in America: Happy Birthday, Jesus was featured in Mary Virginia Swanson’s spring 2011 lecture: “The Most Exciting Projects & Photographers I Learned About This Year.” The annual lecture is hosted by Rebecca Senf Ph.D, senior curator of the Center for Creative Photography and held at the Phoenix Art Museum. Above are stills and a video of my segment narrated by Swan and the occasional “awesome” from my father.

After the jump are the selected works and statements featured in the presentation.

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New Work: Artist Charles Darr

Charles Anthony Darr. Residence. 2011.

Charles Anthony Darr. Residence. 2011.

Charles Anthony Darr. Residence. 2011.

Charles Anthony Darr. Residence. 2011.

New portrait work of photographer and former intern Charles Anthony Darr. These images were created on the 365th day of not shaving and hours before the facial hair was removed and turned into a beard wig. View more to see additional images and outtakes.
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Mobile Portfolio

Today I am launching a mobile version of my online portfolio. Now you can access all the same content seen on my website from your smart phone and tablet. To check out the mobile site click here.

New Advertising Work: Blue Man Group

Recent advertising work commissioned by Cramer-Krasselt for their Las Vegas client, The Blue Man Group. The ads where run at the beginning of 2011 to ring in the New Year. The props made for an interesting nye. Alternate versions and the final ad after the jump.

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New Portfolios

I am posting to share my newly redesigned portfolio set. In the initial stages my goal was to produce something unique. An object that was easily recognizable and remembered by reflecting my online presence and strengthening my branding across both platforms. Like the site, green indicates the best of my assignment work and the blue showcasing my narrative personal series.

Upon completion the iPad was released. Like many visual artists, I was drawn to the easily customized platform that didn’t require hours of proofing, printing, and the cost of materials. But at the same time, I like the idea of showing nicely printed and sequenced photographs. And, I didn’t see any options to truly customize my presentation and was concerned my branding and identity could get lost in the mix. So I decided to have both and marry the old with the new. Integrate the iPad’s multimedia capabilities with classic book design having hand printed matte pages, half linen construction and a cradle for the iPad. The new presentation has been very well received and excited to share.

The above video was produced as a book preview on my contact page seen here. More photos and construction images after the jump.
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Christmas in America: Happy Birthday, Jesus

Wirschern Sisters' Christmas Dinner. 2011

Living Room. 2011

Protecting Dreams. 2011

Lee Sepanek. 2011

Happy Birt Jesus. 2011

I am excited to share my latest series, Christmas in America, Happy Birthday, Jesus. This new series is an on-going effort which will take place in a different city and region every year. The first chapter takes me to the state of Arizona where my family now resides.  Like all personal series, I have collaborated with celebrated fine art photography consultant and educator, Mary Virginia Swanson for my final edit.  Click here to see the series in its entirety and the below essay explaining the concept and themes behind my project.

Christmas in America: Happy Birthday, Jesus


Beyond the glowing green and red lights, past the shimmering silvery tinsel, around the fragrant pine boughs, another Christmas lingers, a Christmas of contradictions.


This is a Christmas where carved foam soldiers guard Santa in the parking lot of a church just before a holiday parade. This is a Christmas where donation asks are written in Spanish and English in the unsteady handwriting of an elderly man. This is a Christmas where three generations of one family put on matching pajamas and ride a train to a “North Pole” that’s next to the Grand Canyon. This is a Christmas where ten months of decorations, of work, threaten to push people out of their homes.


This Christmas is complex and at times, uncomfortable. It’s awkward and sometimes bleak. But it is also sincere and celebratory, colorful and creative.


This is the Christmas I captures in this first chapter of a photographic exploration of the biggest event on the American calendar. I grew up in a secular home and at times felt like a Christmas outsider, never connected to the holiday’s religious importance, or its more extreme cultural trappings. But in these photos, I become a Christmas insider, working to discover and reveal what holiday magic, or mania, compels so many to devote thousands of hours to hanging lights, to carving and painting figurines, to building miniature villages, to converting their homes, yards, garages and cars into monuments to merriness.


Initially inspired by the absurdity of a 40-foot inflatable Santa who appeared to be guarding a tree lot, I have launched this survey of uniquely American Christmas traditions. “Christmas in America” is an unvarnished examination of the ways people mark the holiday’s meaning.