Southern Governor's Association

A few weeks ago, I was hired as the photographer on record for the 2014 Southern Governor's Association annual meeting held in Little Rock.

Founded in 1934, Southern Governors' Association (SGA) is the oldest and historically the largest of the regional governors' associations. Since its inception, SGA has represented the common interests of Southern states' chief executives and provided a vehicle for promoting them. SGA supports the work of Southern Governors by providing a bipartisan, regional forum to help shape and implement national policy and solve regional problems.

It was a long, tiring, yet fascinating four-day photo shoot. Top minds from various fields including technology, science, research and education met and discussed various topics with several Governor's from southern states.

In addition to photographing all of the panel speakers and events, I also photographed all of the social events including golf, several evening receptions and dinners and luncheons.

I cannot brag enough about how wonderful the SGA staff is to work with. I also want to rave about the event lighting crew that was hired out of Kentucky. This crew took a boring, drab and mostly inconsistently lit ballroom (white balance-wise) and lit the hell out of it. It was a real treat to photograph the panel speakers in a well-lit room with consistent white balance, 39 perfectly placed spot lights (yes I said 39) and colored up-lighting.

I was a very happy photographer.

Another highlight of the event was photographing (and dining) at the Governor's mansion. While shooting the dinner at the Mansion, I chose to sit at an empty table by myself in the back of the room. It's a great place to people watch. No one wants to be photographed while they eat so there's nothing to do. And after working for 13-hours, I was happy to be alone.

In between courses, Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe was going back and forth between tables talking to guests and spotted me...sitting alone. He walked over and invited me to sit elsewhere, but I respectfully declined. He actually stopped by twice.

It was a great evening to close a wonderful photo shoot.

Below are some of my favorites from SGA 2014!

Southern Bancorp Annual Report

Earlier this spring, I teamed up again with the wonderful staff at Southern Bancorp for a two-day photo shoot in Arkansas and Mississippi for photos for their 2013 Annual Report.

Southern Bancorp is one of the largest and most profitable rural development banking organizations in the United States. Southern has the physical presence, infrastructure, and capacity to drive regional change. Southern Bancorp’s revitalization initiatives are advanced through its family of community development banks and non-profit affiliates, known collectively as Southern.

Southern’s focus on rural development is best indicated by the fact that its offices are located in small rural communities, most with populations of 15,000 or less. The mission of Southern is a personal responsibility of its employees who live, work, and raise families in the communities served by Southern.

This is the second year I've worked with Southern and I can tell you first hand the work they do in rural communities makes a difference. The evidence is clear when you meet the families and small business owners who work closely with Southern to help them achieve their dream. Each and every time I drive into a region where Southern has a presence, I can see new construction, new building facades and a more energized downtown.

You can read more about Southern's Annual Report by going here.

EVRlock

In late January, I traveled to Canada with Backfocus Productions for a photo and video project for EVRlock.

EVRlock is a high strength connection used in the oil and natural gas industry. EVRlock was designed to withstand the high pressures and strains that modern drilling techniques, such as horizontal drilling and fracking, places on these types of connections.

Below are several of my behind the scenes photos from the three day shoot. We photographed and filmed in several of the steel mills in various locations throughout Canada.

On a side note, I must say this is the first time I've shot in temperatures below zero. I wasn't sure how my cameras would react. Both of my 5D Mark III's handled the -5 to -15 temps like a champ.

After you browse through the photos, be sure to scroll down to see the video.

The EVRlock connections are so precise that the threads are measured down to the micron. The video seen below is not just about the connector, but the people behind to scenes that help make, measure, design and test the connections. EVRlock not only makes a great connector, but the company works to make a great connection to their clients.

We do want to extend a HUGE word of thanks to: the agency Steele+, Pixel Rocket Media  for knocking out some awesome graphics as always, Reclaim Creation  for sound recording and music, and Two Words Productions, for helping to make this project possible.