A collage of images from my hipstamatic in Israel. I love the street art and signs there.

The Dead Sea was one of the most amazing places I’ve been to. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. The salt content in the water is so high, you literally float on top of the water. You can lay on your back floating with your arms completely ou tof the water(see pic below). The salts and mud are great for your skin, but don’t get the water in your eyes. So much salt it burns. It’s out in the middle of the desert and it’s 1388ft(423meters) below sea level. My other favorite thing out in the desert are the camels. Despite how weird they are as animals, they’re very interesting to photograph.

Another last minute trip to a place I’ve always wanted to go. Israel. My new friends I met in Spain a month ago, extended an invitation to come and cruise the holy land and I couldn’t say no. I must say, it’s one place that was pretty close to how I pictured it, and met my expectations. The people were quite friendly. My director friend Omri Cohen has always wanted me to come for a visit when he was there, and this time it just worked out. My friend Matan played a pretty good tour guide from biking around the city to photo trekking excursions to the Dead Sea, the desert, and Jerusalem. He also introduced me to some fantastic restaurants. All in all it was a fantastic trip. One place I would like to revisit.

Jerusalem, a city of rich history is a fascinating place as it is the holy land of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. I never realized the intensity that results from the intersection of these religions all in one place. So much hatred between the different religious believers. The same stone structures and buildings have different significances based on which religion you believe in. So many pe0ple fighting over who is right and who is wrong. Interesting to observe.

The western wall was the most the most fascinating piece of Jerusalem. The one wall left that the Jews pray to after the temple was destroyed. As you can see in the photos, there are some interesting ceremonies going on.

I recently was commissioned to shoot some lifestyle portraits of these lovely little Miami bloggers for Nike. These girls, Cristina & Duda run a Miami style fashion blog called We Can Pretend. They styled the shoot based on the new NSW line. They are featured as members of the Runaway Crew Entourage on the Nike Running site here: Christina. Duda. Awesome go-getter girls!

This recent fashion story I just shot for The Collective Magazine just dropped yesterday and made the cover. Thanks to my great crew!

You’ll notice that this campaign is a wee bit different than my normal style. It just goes to show you that you CAN get hired for something out of your style norm. We shot this in a studio in Chicago with about at least 6 profoto packs and 12 heads.

Another fashion story from the Coney Island shoot.

Another recent shoot with Cosmopolitan International. This story is run in many international magazines, so language changes for each edition.

I was recently commissioned to create a lifestyle fashion story at Coney Island for Cosmopolitan International. We had a great group of talent, which made the shoot all that more inspiring. Luckily it was only 90 degrees instead of 105 like the day after. Great crew and a super fun day!

This new project is fresh of the plane. I just returned from Guatemala where I photographed for my favorite charity, Pencils of Promise.

Pencils of Promise is a charity that I’ve been working with for the last couple of years. When it was just beginning, I met the founder, Adam Braun, through a friend and we connected in our perspectives on life, work, and business. PoP is an organization that builds sustainable schools for kids in developing countries, and I very much believe in the cause. The biggest thing I admire about Adam is his passion for the work on the ground, but also his vision in running a charity like a business. Because of that, PoP has been a huge success. My first trip with him was to Laos in December of 2009, where he had just finished the first PoP school. Fast forward a year and a half later, and we’ve expanded into Latin America(Nicaragua & Guatemala) and just broke ground on PoP’s 39th school. I like being involved with a charity/founder that truly appreciates good photography, and is on a fast track to impact a lot of people. The work I shoot for PoP is directly in line with my personal travel work, something I really enjoy.

Besides the beautiful landscapes that we visited, I really enjoy visiting the schools and villages. We participated in and shot the opening ceremony for PoP’s first school in Guatemala. The community were very thankful and emotional. The kids were great to interact with. The biggest reward is being able to give back to the world in a way that’s not necessarily monetary. It definitely helps raise money for the org, but it’s great to be able to use my talents for the good of humanity. It also helps keep you grounded to travel and see how people live in not so fortunate circumstances. It’s so exciting to be a part of such a fast growing charity.

On another note, I talk about working with charities in my travel photography book, Photo Trekking. Learn how to win a signed copy here: http://nonk.it/jZ5NCc

If you’d like to check out the Pencils of Promise movement, or get involved visit their website. http://www.pencilsofpromise.org/